Teaching a Robot to Love
-Notes-
Your comments keep my going man. They literally fuel my overindulged ego making me want to crank out as many chapters as I can so that I can have you validate my existence. Yay.
Just want to apologize to those of you following this story closely. I suck major ass at proofreading my own shit. I will literally read it like 3 times and NOT catch obvious mistakes. Then after the 9th time I read it (after it's published) I realized I put 'shitting' instead of 'shifting.' I DO go back and edit errors I find but I'm sorry those (fucking awesome) people who read the first draft and put up with my bullshit. Lol I love you.
Chapter 12: A Storm is Brewing (part II)
Darkness.
Muffled distant shouts.
The faint trace of hands cupping Sole's face.
The ripping of cloth sounded so far away as she slipped farther and farther away from her physical body.
Farther. Farther. Farther.
A needle plunged into her chest. Her ascent to the dark unknown came plummeting back down to reality as she woke with a start, gasping for that sweet, irradiated air. A stimpack hung from the exposed part of her skin where her heart was. She yanked it out. Sole's head throbbed with pain that had all of a sudden rushed back to greet her. She groaned and plopped back down onto the murky dirt, the temporary adrenaline rushing out of her body.
"Ma'am…" She heard X6 gingerly say.
She couldn't even move her head to look at him as her eyelids fluttered with effort.
"X…" Sole whispered, barely audible. She felt a hand move to her forehead.
She was starting to regain a semblance of feeling back in her body. The painful kind. Everywhere felt bruised. She tried to speak again but a thick glowing gust of air brushed past them, making the hairs on her neck raise. Sole shivered in disgust as thin steaks of green lightning danced in the sky.
"Radiation, shit. This is not good" X6 cursed, glancing around at the intensifying storm.
The sound of wild clicking brought Sole's attention to the pip boy that was still attached to her arm. So she still had an arm, and a pip boy, which was good. X6 left her side, doing who knows what. She heard the sound of metal objects dropping a few feet away and then he cursed again. What on earth?
All of a sudden she felt herself being dragged out of her power armor scraps and lifted with ease. X6 held her as if she was weightless as he glanced around for somewhere to go.
"We need to move!" He shouted as he took off in a full sprint.
She bounced against his chest as he ran, vaguely aware of the direction they were going. Who knows how long they ran for? After what seemed like a long while, she felt X6 dip down, turn a rusty doorknob, and yank open an ancient door, hinges creaking from the strain. Somehow he had managed to find the one Red Rocket Truck Stop not completely destroyed in this decrepit wasteland. She heard him kick a few things around in the room. Then, like a feather, she floated down onto a dingy mattress, guided by his gentle hands. For the time being, they seemed to be somewhat shielded from the sickening radiation pulses.
Sole summoned enough strength to move her head a bit to watch X6 as he rummaged through her bag, which he must have grabbed at some point. He pulled out another stimpack and hovered over her body.
"Don't die ma'am" he said.
She managed an airy laugh, "…You won't get rid of me that easily…" her laugh caused her stomach to clench in pain. X6 stabbed her again in the chest. All of a sudden, a sweet invigorating feeling washed through her veins, taking the pain away with it. Oh wow that was some strong stuff. Her eyes shot open. Too much. Wow! Adrenaline coursed through her veins. She sat up with a jolt relishing all of her replenished senses.
Wow was she a sight to behold! Not only was her hair a ratty mess, she was caked in blood from the tip of her head, all the way down to her toes. The blood that wasn't clotted flowed freely down the arm the deathclaw had almost ripped off. Her vault suit was ripped open in the front, exposing her chest. She put her hands up to her face to find it slick with blood, which she wiped away with the slightly less bloody part of her arm. X6 was squatting patiently next to her, monitoring her reaction.
"Holy hell! Was that a super stimpack? That was way stronger than a regular one!" Sole asked, her voice coming in much louder than she had thought it would. She scanned X6's face for a reaction but he said nothing. He let out a breath as he slowly slid himself down to the floor next to her.
The room they were in was tiny. It was probably the width and length of two and a half mattresses. Miscellaneous junk lay strewn about on the ground and on shelves. A small porthole window hung high on the opposite wall, giving them a small glimpse of the passing storm. As Sole waited patiently for the answer she was never going to get, X6 slowly reached out his hand to her head and pulled her against his shoulder. He let out another soft sigh as he leaned his head back against the wall.
"You need to rest" he commanded.
"What happened X6? The deathclaw-" Sole began
"Dead. I rushed it while it was tearing you apart. The heart is its weak point."
Sole looked pensively up at him, cuddling into his shoulder. "I thought I was going to die."
"Yeah"
"What rotten timing that a rad storm rolled around."
"I tried to find your hazmat suit in your bag, only to find out that you had replaced it with typewriters" he stressed reproachfully.
"Was that what that sound was? Did you get rid of my typewriters?" Sole asked and then coughed as the strain of her voice proved to be too much. X6 just shook his head and the two fell back into a silence. She thought back to that terrifying moment, "hey y'know…when that thing was trying to eat me, I thought I heard someone call my name" she inquired. She had chalked it up to a hearing error on her part but now she was not too sure.
"It must be your imagination" he brushed off, voice droning out in the enclosed space.
The pain from her bruises ebbed away bit by bit, the more she waited for the stimpack to work. Her attention was increasingly drawn to the precarious position she and X6 were sitting in: His hand on her head which rested on his shoulder. He hadn't moved it yet. Dangerous. They sat there for a few long minutes more. The situation was quickly rushing to her head as she tried to feel his heartbeat through is jacket but to no avail. She almost died. Just the thought made her head spin as she tried to comprehend just how lucky she was.
"Sorry I fucked up. I don't know what happened, usually we kick ass together. I-I hate it that I let myself almost die. It makes me feel weak" Sole chastised herself. "You know, when we first met did you ever think that we'd be here in this position?" When she pressed her ear closer to his ribbed shoulder pad, he turned his face down to her and let out a breath that tickled her hair.
"Ma'am, there's something I'd like to say" X6 started.
She turned her eyes up at him, "What's on your mind X6?" Their faces were inches apart.
"Look… I'm not great with words. I'm more comfortable shooting people than talking to them. I'll just say that right up front. But sometimes, you have to say what's on your mind because people need to hear it" he said. Sole smiled. That was something he never would have said when they first met. She tenderly started playing with the fingers that were resting on his leg. He didn't stop her.
"Go on" she goaded gently.
"Okay, okay" he groaned. He looked like he was struggling to put the words together. "I'll just lay it out there. I look up to you. Now before you give me shit about going soft or getting all emotional, let me finish" he interjected, holding up his finger in warning, knowing exactly how she was going to react, making her smile. "All my life, I've always looked up to Father. You already know this. What you didn't know is, I was a lot less sure about you."
"I kind of already knew that too" she interrupted. He shushed her with his hand.
"I followed your orders because I had to, but you seemed… I don't know, unprepared. You looked lost and confused, maybe even scared. I didn't think you could handle this life and the work I do. I figured you'd just slow me down or get in my way."
Sole laughed against his chest, looking down at her bloody wounds. This certainly wasn't the best example of keeping up. "Seems like everywhere I go, people doubt me. Now I just expect it."
"Well, I shouldn't have, and neither should anyone else. If I've learned anything since we've been running together, it's this: Holy shit, was I wrong about you. You're as tough and determined as anyone I've ever met. Maybe more."
Sole picked her head up and stared at him. Wow… That kind of praise from him was just... wow.
X6 continued, "Given all the things that have happened to you, and everything you've lost, that's impressive. What I mean is, you have a sort to focus… a will. I think you could accomplish anything that you set your mind to. I'm not only sure that you can handle the task of running the Institute – I think you'll be the best leader we've ever had."
"I…wow" Sole breathed, completely dumbfounded. She had no idea that he had that much faith in her. All of that time, running around together had left an impact on her. She never knew that he felt the same way. "Well thank you, X6. Wait a minute… you're not brown-nosing for a promotion, are you?"
X6 smirked, "haha, I'm not that subtle ma'am."
His black leather chest rose and fell at his chuckle. It was so…comfortable. X6 had just opened up so sincerely to her and was (still) hugging her of his own accord. The thought of kissing him crossed her mind. She glanced at his face. Damn, she still couldn't read his expression with those glasses!
Just then it occurred to her that she had never seen him without his sunglasses. The whole time they were together, she let him keep them on. It was a part of his identity. Maybe she was a little scared to see. However, her burning curiosity overtook that feeling. She lifted herself out of his grasp.
Slowly, Sole swiveled around and hiked her thigh over X6's legs, straddling him. He stared at her, his brow line creasing inquisitively.
"Hold on a moment. I want to try something…" she said, locking eyes with aviators. His courser jacket was too thick to feel anything going on underneath if there was anything at all.
She felt his hands ghost up to her hips as she leaned forward. His nostrils flared as she delicately grabbed the hinges of his glasses. Gently she removed them. The loudest thing in the room was the hammering of her heart. The unveiling revealed a pair of steel grey eyes hanging under a low brow that bore straight through her. He had the most intense stare she had ever seen in her life. A cold fire that burned with vitality. Unblinking. Unwavering. It was as if he was looking straight through her. It almost made her uncomfortable. He must have picked up on it because he reached for his glasses that Sole had laid on the floor.
"No. It's okay" Sole soothed, unable to break away from his bewitching gaze. He had a small scar above his left eye that she never had noticed before. His hands moved a little higher up her hips as she placed a hand on his solid chest. Her other hand moved up to caress his face, smoothing over his scar with her thumb.
His gaze drew her in like a magnet. They were close enough to feel each other's breaths. She lowered her face to his. His eyes softened as he tilted his head to the side and lifted his chin.
"X" she whispered against his lips.
Just as they were a hairs-breadth away from kissing, X6's eyes hardened up and shot over her shoulder. He pushed her off to the side and ran up to the porthole, grabbing the thin knife he kept tucked away in his belt. Sole, confounded, looked up with a wild and confused expression. What just happened? What were they just doing?
"W-what is it?" She asked in a shaky breath. He held up a hand as he scanned outside.
"No…nothing" he said in his trademark monotone voice. He continued to look out the window, body in attack mode.
Sole cursed silently to herself. Dammit they were just about to kiss! What shitty timing!
Designation X9-27 held his breath as he stared back at the piercing gaze of X6-88 through the window. If he moved even an inch, X6 would see the inflection of movement and know that someone was hiding under the cover of a stealth boy, watching them.
X6 shook his head and turned around back inside. Breathing out, X9 smoothed his perfectly styled hair down. He hadn't seen X6 without his glasses since… since Dr. Zimmer. He laughed to himself. X6 was losing his touch. That fool. He was supposed to be one of the elite coursers of the Institute, and he was letting himself get tugged around by that mortal woman!
When Dr. Ayo had propositioned tailing X6-88 to the Glowing Sea, X9-27 immediately volunteered for the job. How could he turn down an opportunity to overturn the success of his closest competition? Now he could show everyone the pompous "prodigy" wasn't as perfect as they all thought.
He spit out some blood to the side as he retreated away from the truck stop. Stupid fucking deathclaw. The surface was a putrid vile place that needed to be purged for all of its insolence. When trailing the pair earlier, X9-27 had accidentally stumbled upon a deathclaw nest. He shot the repulsive eggs to smithereens which enraging the alpha that had come out of nowhere. Even though he was able to barely escape its deadly swings, it was leading him right to where that disgraceful woman and X6-88 were fighting off a horde of feral ghouls. They would've seen him too had he not clicked on his stealth boy at the last second. Thankfully the alpha must have confused X6 with him for it started charging towards the two instead. It would have been nice if that incompetent beast could have killed them both. But alas, one can only hope. X9 could have easily placed a shot towards the base of X6's skull, the weak point of every courser. He thought of this as he was glancing through his scope. It would have ended. He could have blamed it on the inevitable harshness of the surface, but he refrained.
Now he was glad that he did because of what he had just seen. A synth, a thing, getting intimate with a human woman. Not just any woman either; this was Father's mother, the most important person. X9-27 knew that X6-88 had always been proud of his ability to kill. His ingratiation to Father was sickening, preying on the weakness Father's human attachment. How he found the gall to even think about laying his filthy machine hands on a human, he could not fathom. How sweet would the moment be when X6 fell from the top? His arrogance would turn to humiliation. Just the thought of it made X9 giddy inside. His thin lips turned into a toothy grin. Icarus was going down.
He couldn't wait to tell Father.
-End Notes-
I'm actually not quite sure what color eyes he have. I just went with grey because that's what they look like close up, but I couldn't verify if they were grey/blue/hazy-brown idk/other.
