Chapter 2 - Deeper
Agent West walked along the sidewalk. He stared at his long shadow in the setting sun. Up ahead was a row of tiny restaurants. He looked over them: Li's Oriental Cuisine, Frank's BBQ and Grill, El Plato Grande, and Pizza- rama. He stared. What had the note said? It had told him to come here, but which place should he go? He read the names again, then a smile lit up his face. Of course. His pace quickened and his spirit lightened. Things would turn out okay.
"I used to be a normal kid with a normal life," said Theta. She sat in a chair in Zeta and Ro's hotel room. Across from her, Ro sat cross-legged on the bed. Zeta was still standing. "I had a great mother and father, and friends. It was totally normal. Except for my grandfather, anyway."
"Uh huh," said Ro, "and who is your grandfather?"
Theta smiled wryly. "His name is Eli Selig."
"What?" cried Zeta. He walked towards her, then stopped. "I do see a resemblance, but not very much."
"It doesn't have to be great," Theta said, "but I'm sure he's my grandfather." She watched Zeta and Ro glance quickly at each other. They still weren't sure whether to trust her. "If you think I'm lying, take a DNA scan." Zeta reached out for her right arm, but she drew it back. "The left arm, please." She stuck out her left arm, and Zeta gave it a tiny prick with a needle that extended from his hand.
After a second, he said, "She's related. I don't know if she's his granddaughter, but they're definitely related."
Theta relaxed her body slightly. "I didn't come here to tell you my life story. I came to ask for help," she said. Her eyes darted around the room before she continued, "I'm being followed. Chased. Pursued. Hunted."
"By who?" asked Ro.
"A bounty hunter. I think you know him. He calls himself Krick."
"Welcome to Li's Oriental Cuisine," chirped a smiling waitress. "What can I get for you?"
"What?" asked West. "Oh, yeah. Um...I'll have the, um, lemon grass chicken. And hold the crushed peanuts."
"No problem." West glanced around the restaurant. It was rather dimly lit, but he could see that most of the people in the restaurant were indeed oriental. Where was the person he was supposed to meet? He took a sip of water, still searching. A plate of food landed in front of him. "Will that be all?" asked the waitress.
"Yeah, this is fine."
"How did you get mixed up with Krick?" asked Ro. "I bet it's because you're related to Dr. Selig."
"Yes," admitted Theta. "That's most of it. It's also because I'm way too curious for my own good. A little more than a year ago, Dr. Selig was asked to work on a new project: The Zeta Project. Of course, he agreed. He never spoke about it, but I guess I was too curious. Somehow I hacked onto his computer and downloaded the specs for IUZeta. I think I wanted to build my own IUZeta, so I began." Theta paused, closing her eyes for a moment before she continued, "I was so stupid. I ordered the parts online on an unsecure line. The government got wind of what I was doing and put out a warrant for my arrest. Krick the bounty hunter decided I would be an easy target."
Ro leaned forward. "What do you mean you think you wanted to built and IUZeta. Can't you remember?"
Theta shook her head. "No. I don't remember anything. All I have is a damaged electronic diary that tells me all these things. I don't even know my real name."
"So you settled on Theta." said Ro. "So your name is like Zeta's, not the other way around."
"Okay, you got me," Theta admitted. "But that really is beside the point. The reason I'm here is because I want to hire Zeta to protect me from Krick."
West pulled out his cred card and swiped it through the slot. The waitress smiled and handed him the receipt and a fortune cookie. West pocked the receipt and left. Once outside the building, he cracked open his cookie. A slip of paper showed. He pulled it out and read it. He smiled before tearing the paper to shreds and tossing it away. With a lighter step, he headed back to the NSA craft. Things were looking up.
"You want to hire Zee?" Ro asked incredulously. "He's not a body guard for hire! He's a renegade synthoid!"
"I know," Theta calmly replied, "but I'm a renegade too. Actually, I'm dead."
Agent West walked along the sidewalk. He stared at his long shadow in the setting sun. Up ahead was a row of tiny restaurants. He looked over them: Li's Oriental Cuisine, Frank's BBQ and Grill, El Plato Grande, and Pizza- rama. He stared. What had the note said? It had told him to come here, but which place should he go? He read the names again, then a smile lit up his face. Of course. His pace quickened and his spirit lightened. Things would turn out okay.
"I used to be a normal kid with a normal life," said Theta. She sat in a chair in Zeta and Ro's hotel room. Across from her, Ro sat cross-legged on the bed. Zeta was still standing. "I had a great mother and father, and friends. It was totally normal. Except for my grandfather, anyway."
"Uh huh," said Ro, "and who is your grandfather?"
Theta smiled wryly. "His name is Eli Selig."
"What?" cried Zeta. He walked towards her, then stopped. "I do see a resemblance, but not very much."
"It doesn't have to be great," Theta said, "but I'm sure he's my grandfather." She watched Zeta and Ro glance quickly at each other. They still weren't sure whether to trust her. "If you think I'm lying, take a DNA scan." Zeta reached out for her right arm, but she drew it back. "The left arm, please." She stuck out her left arm, and Zeta gave it a tiny prick with a needle that extended from his hand.
After a second, he said, "She's related. I don't know if she's his granddaughter, but they're definitely related."
Theta relaxed her body slightly. "I didn't come here to tell you my life story. I came to ask for help," she said. Her eyes darted around the room before she continued, "I'm being followed. Chased. Pursued. Hunted."
"By who?" asked Ro.
"A bounty hunter. I think you know him. He calls himself Krick."
"Welcome to Li's Oriental Cuisine," chirped a smiling waitress. "What can I get for you?"
"What?" asked West. "Oh, yeah. Um...I'll have the, um, lemon grass chicken. And hold the crushed peanuts."
"No problem." West glanced around the restaurant. It was rather dimly lit, but he could see that most of the people in the restaurant were indeed oriental. Where was the person he was supposed to meet? He took a sip of water, still searching. A plate of food landed in front of him. "Will that be all?" asked the waitress.
"Yeah, this is fine."
"How did you get mixed up with Krick?" asked Ro. "I bet it's because you're related to Dr. Selig."
"Yes," admitted Theta. "That's most of it. It's also because I'm way too curious for my own good. A little more than a year ago, Dr. Selig was asked to work on a new project: The Zeta Project. Of course, he agreed. He never spoke about it, but I guess I was too curious. Somehow I hacked onto his computer and downloaded the specs for IUZeta. I think I wanted to build my own IUZeta, so I began." Theta paused, closing her eyes for a moment before she continued, "I was so stupid. I ordered the parts online on an unsecure line. The government got wind of what I was doing and put out a warrant for my arrest. Krick the bounty hunter decided I would be an easy target."
Ro leaned forward. "What do you mean you think you wanted to built and IUZeta. Can't you remember?"
Theta shook her head. "No. I don't remember anything. All I have is a damaged electronic diary that tells me all these things. I don't even know my real name."
"So you settled on Theta." said Ro. "So your name is like Zeta's, not the other way around."
"Okay, you got me," Theta admitted. "But that really is beside the point. The reason I'm here is because I want to hire Zeta to protect me from Krick."
West pulled out his cred card and swiped it through the slot. The waitress smiled and handed him the receipt and a fortune cookie. West pocked the receipt and left. Once outside the building, he cracked open his cookie. A slip of paper showed. He pulled it out and read it. He smiled before tearing the paper to shreds and tossing it away. With a lighter step, he headed back to the NSA craft. Things were looking up.
"You want to hire Zee?" Ro asked incredulously. "He's not a body guard for hire! He's a renegade synthoid!"
"I know," Theta calmly replied, "but I'm a renegade too. Actually, I'm dead."