HEY BABE!
Chapter 13: It's time now!
The jeeps arrived and the luggage was loaded in trucks. All those trucks had nice security around them. Her robot was kept inside of a bulletproof glass case, which was then covered in some fireproof stuff to protect it.
The military officials all bowed down infront of Leaf and thanked her for the creation she made. They congratulated her for her brilliant brain and her passion to help people, and as that, they drove off.
And Leaf felt her world break down once again. Last time she had seen off someone this precious was her his, and he didn't come back ever. The only difference is that this robot is bound to never come back. But why does it hurt so much? It was only a machine!
Leaf's parents kissed her both cheeks and went inside. Lily wasn't here since she had gone to school. She wanted to see Gary off, but that wasn't possible.
Leaf didn't go inside till she could no longer see them. She laid down on the ground and laid there till the vibrations were no longer audible. And as she stood up, she looked up to the sky. She isn't happy. She has just completed her only mission which would motivate her to live, now that being dome, she is aimless now.
Not looking behind, she ran behind the path the trucks had gone earlier from. Her eyes were anxious to see that face once again. She could after a while see the trucks, and her heartbeat silenced down a bit upon seeing them safe.
Leaf sighed. She isn't left with any goals in life now. Should she die?
To answer her distresses, she went to the Silver Lake, and that was when she saw the dark sky. This day wasn't beautiful either. As she seated herself near the lake, it started raining. Rain was Leaf's phenomenon. Rain were the tears of the clouds, and that would always make Leaf empath towards nature.
And she cried for who knows how long.
But she realised it was time when she had water till her ankles. The water level had surely risen in the lake. It must've rained hard.
Drenched in water, Leaf stood up somehow and walked her way home, strolling happily as she felt a lot more motivated to start working in some University or something, earn sone money and start a new life away from her parents.
When she reached home, she found silence in there. As she entered the hall, clock struck a bell for 4:00 PM.
Ooh! I've been out for a long while!
Leaf went in the kitchen and drank a big chunk of water. She almost drank three bottles of water in a minute. Then she went in her room, and took a warm bath. It were moments like these she would want her pregnancy back, and nurture Gary's only gift if she could, but it has been ten years now.
Then she came down and turned the TV on. Her parents were not at home, as they had went to attend her sister's annual function. She didn't go there, since it was too dumb for her.
"The sources report a flash flood in the region. It rained about 700 cms in 6-7 hours. The entire outskirts of Kanto and Johto are drenched in the flood waters. The bridge over the river collapsed again this time. This region isn't used to such heavy water showers, so the bridge wouldn't have been made too strong. The military trucks crossing the river went away with the flow. Some of them had passed, but the last three trucks are nowhere to be found. Let's see the images...
Leaf's brain went blank.
She could see images of the truck she had just seen off about 7-8 hours ago and it is open ajar, and her robots could be seen floating in the water.
Her Gary's suitcase is nowhere to be found.
But it was in more security right!?
With no time to interrogate the potential probabilities, she rings her father, tells him the incident in short, amd rushes out to the garage to fetch her car, and drove off.
If history is repeating itself after ten years, then let me die right now!
She reached the site in about one-and-a-half hour. It was mud everywhere. She ran as fast as she could, water dripping down from her head, into her eyes, blurring her vision; or maybe they were tears.
"We don't seem to find him. The suitcase was kept in a glass case, under fireproof clothing, over a pedestal. The entire pedestal has been uprooted when the truck overturned!" one military officer explained.
Leaf furrowed her brows and dipped right in the cold, overflowing water to find her Gary herself. Last Gary she lost, she can't lose this one. Maybe she finds her Gary in the water. Only his body would be fine. But then something hits her head, and she doesn't see anything else.
SOME HOURS LATER
"Ahhh! she woke up!" exclaimed Leaf's mother when she felt her daughter open her eyes.
Leaf's eye rested at the clock. 10:05 PM. But why is she alive even now? Shouldn't she have died when she couldn't even find her Gary.
"Your head hit something so you fainted. Why did you jump in? Weren't there so many policemen already?" asked her father.
"I lost one Gary. I never wanted to loose another one." Leaf spoke in a small voice.
"Around two hundred of your robots have been rescued..
"And Gary?" Leaf cut her father in the middle.
"Nope. No sign of him and other three hundred robots."
Leaf sighed once again. She lost him.
THREE MONTHS LATER
It was Christmas.
But the Green's residence was silent.
Leaf was alone at her house. She had forcefully sent ther parents and her sister out for a vacation since she is too sad even after such a long time and has killed Christmas vibe.
And she sat next to the lovingly decorated fir tree. Sometimes she wonders why humans can see colours when their essence doesn't mean anything to them.
She wonders why are festival like Christmas celebrated when it can't spread happiness equally?
She wonders why she survived that day?
She wonders why is life so cruel to her?
She wonders what will she do for her future?
She seems to have lost all inspirations.
All the five hundred robots were later rescued within the time span of three months but Gary was not found. All the five hundred robots started working and are now a part of Kanto's defence. She just recieved another award this morning but it doesn't mean anything anymore.
And frustrated she turns the lights to the tree off. She then blows the fireplace off and slowly turns all lights off as she wants to sleep now.
And just as she turned the last light to the kitchen off, the door bell rang.
Leaf's heart skipped a beat. She was too involved in her job that she wasn't aware of her surroundings.
And she turns the hall's light up once again, which had jointly coloured up the Christmas tree too.
She opens the door, and an involuntary 'Yes!?' leaves her lips, but then she sees.
That man was familiarly tall. He had familiar smell. His body language was familiar. And that the bag or the suitcase in his right hand was dangerously familiar.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX