Giga groggily opened his eyes, wanting to stay in his happy memory with Jenny. He didn't want to wake up. He didn't want to live in the present.
"Giga-Robo?" Telly's voice rang clear, "Are you okay?"
Ugh...no... Giga rolled over, wincing when the bandages snagged on the slot at the repair ward, I had a dream about Jenny...
"A dream?" Telly said, "What happened?"
She...she was going to cut...but I stopped her, and...and she...she didn't do it anymore...
"Jenny cut herself!?"
Everyone turned with Giga, You didn't know?
What!? Chibi's hologram cut into Giga's vision, When did Jenny cut herself!?
A few times before she went to the hospital.
You mean when she tried to kill herself?
She tried to kill herself!?
"Whoa! What's happening here!?" Telly exclaimed.
When did that happen!? Giga asked.
When she went to the hospital for mental illness! I forgot you didn't know that!
So that was her breaking point!?
"Could you pipe down, please!?" Rio complained, "I'm trying to take care of a melting robot here!"
"Riiiooo..." M-O attempted to smile.
Sorry... Giga laid back down.
Yeah... Chibi added, I guess we don't understand some things still...
Maybe not... Giga beeped, Heh. So Jenny tried to kill herself?
She did, but how did she cut herself?
She used the shaving razor and slashed it at an angle to make a cut and draw blood. It was only ever used like that for about a week.
Oh... Chibi scuffed his foot, Now that you mention it, she did have scars on her legs when she wore her swimsuit or her red pajamas.
I remember those red pajamas. Giga recalled fondly, Hmmm...they were decorated with strawberries...
Yeah... Chibi frowned, I miss her so much...
I know...me too...
"What are you guys talking about?" EVE asked as she entered the room.
"They're the only ones talking." Ruby squeezed her head, "It's so annoying. I don't like programming languages."
Well excuuuse me, Princess! M-O slurred in Binary.
"Watch it, cleaning-bot! I've still got grenades!"
"Can we go five minutes without you two murmuring amongst each other!?" EVE said.
"No one says that anymore!" Aya wined.
"Aya!" Leah chimed in.
"Ugh..." EVE massaged her forehead, "...someone just kill me now...okay, I've been trying to find something to help us out breaking those computers. Anyone got any ideas?"
Giga remembered what he was going to say before, EVE! I got it!
"Huh?" EVE was skeptical, "You do?"
Yeah! Dad did research on what could melt metal!
"Dad?"
Er, sorry...Jenny's dad, Mr. Sanderson. He was a roboticist, and he studied interactions between robots and how they would clash or unite. He found a kind of acid that can burn through tough metals! I think it could help us out!
"Really!?" EVE hovered to him, "Where is it!?"
Well...see...it was only made in one small batch...Dad decided that it was too dangerous to continue experimentation...but he kept the recipe!
EVE looked at him very seriously, "What is it?"
Uhhh... her stare was making him nervous, See, I don't remember every ingredient, and...um...well...
Don't tell me... Chibi rubbed his face, It was destroyed in the explosion...
Actually, it might still be in the building at Citrusoft.
"Huh? Which one?" EVE asked.
The one in Los Angeles. Giga replied, In California. Is that too far away?
EVE turned to her sister, "Aya, where's Los Angeles?"
"Thirty four point oh five twenty two degrees North, one hundred eighteen point two four thirty seven degrees West." she replied flawlessly.
EVE's eyes widened incredulously, "What!? That's all the way across the country! There's no way we could make it that far! Humanity won't even get close for thousands of years!"
Giga flinched, relaxing again.
"Ugh...is there another branch of Citrusoft that would also have the recipe? Perhaps one in New York?"
Giga thought about that, I don't know...Chibi, do you know if Dad ever sent that to the branch in New York?
He might have. Chibi replied, He was excited about his discovery, but he didn't want to play with it himself. I think he sent it there for further experimentation.
You think?
I don't know! It was hundreds of years ago!
"Okay okay, where's this building?" Rio said.
Let me think... Giga let the gears in his brain turn, New York City, Apartment complex twenty five hundred. That's the address of the building where Dr. Gary "Joy" Ebisu lives, and I know he always wanted to be close to the company he founded after he retired, though he worked from home. So...it had to be the building on the corner of that street.
"Are you sure?" came Rose's voice.
Not entirely, but that's how I remember it. Giga told them, I can show you if you like. I was built in the factory close by.
Me too! Chibi added.
"I see..." EVE smiled, "Thank you, Giga. We should head off soon, New York City is right next to us."
"Not quite as far as Yonkers, huh?" Aya remarked.
"Yeah, well..." EVE sighed, "We should still be careful."
"Of course." Ruby replied, "But I brought a twenty two magnum, just in case."
Rio shook her head, "I don't know what that is, but for everyone's sake, please don't shoot that thing unless absolutely necessary."
"I'm not an idiot." Ruby rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner.
"Yeah, sure you're not..." Rio mumbled to herself.
"Look!" Aya pointed ahead, "Water!"
"Water!?" everyone followed where she was pointing. EVE recognized the dip in the land from when she first landed on Earth and flew around, loving the sense of freedom. Aya was right, there was was a small stream of water at the bottom of the little valley.
"This was once a river, wasn't it?" Telly said.
"I guess." EVE replied, "That's so cool..." she flew down and ran her fingers through the water. It was cold.
"So, humanity is really helping the Earth heal..." Leah smiled.
"Yeah..." Rose added.
"Anyway, we should move on." EVE said, picking up WALL-E and taking him across the gap.
Giga and Chibi exchanged a glance. They had missed seeing running water in the environment. It was just a slow trickle, but it was a start. Maybe one day it could be a rushing river.
"Is this the building?" EVE set WALL-E down.
Yeah! Giga's feet hit the ground as Rio set him down, This is it!
The building on the corner was run down, just like the rest of the area, but it had a recognizable logo on it. The stylized shape of an orange with a bite out of one side and a small leaf on the other. Citrusoft.
"Okay." EVE said, "Cover for me. I'll go look for the recipe."