"Integration complete. WALL•E 1 ready for re-boot," the ship's computer finally announced.
"Wait!" EVE called out as the hand of the robot arm hesitated near the yellow button on the control cord attached to WALL•E.
"I do it," she said as she hovered up onto the table beside WALL•E.
EVE carefully removed the data transfer cable from him, and gently closed his Solar Charge Display panel. The robot arm quietly retracted its data cable and withdrew.
"Please . . ." she quietly said as she briefly closed her eye forms, before looking down at her finger as it depressed the yellow button on the control cord. EVE felt she had experienced this step with WALL•E a few too many times now.
He chimed and began to uncube. His optics emerged straight and level in their default, factory-programmed fashion. His arms likewise extended out in front of him. EVE had seen this before. It disappointed her slightly, but she maintained hope.
Computer, monitor start-up activity within systems of WALL•E 1. Report status of loading and utilization of new integrated operating system . . . summarize in English, please. EVE beeped in Axiom.
Blue scanning beams began to sweep across WALL•E from both above and below in front of EVE.
"Monitoring commencing," the ship's computer responded. "WALL•E 1 new operating system now being read and loaded into active system memory and processors . . . Accessing . . . System continuing to load . . . Code errors detected . . . System compensating . . . New subroutine code being generated as needed . . . Primary System online . . . Secondary System 1 being activated . . ."
Computer, end report, EVE instructed. She wanted to focus on seeing if her WALL•E's essence was emerging as his secondary systems came online.
"WALL•E?" EVE tentatively asked, as she heard servos within him starting to whir.
His consciousness was not yet seeming to emerge. His optics continued to focus blankly straight in front of him. His arms and hands weren't moving.
"WALL•E?" she asked again. EVE started to brace herself for disappointment, but her unfortunately long experience at this now helped supply her with a calm patience and persistence.
Computer, is active system in WALL•E 1 now accessing and utilizing previously dormant code and data? Summarize and report this and all subsequent answers in English unless otherwise instructed, EVE beeped again.
"Previously dormant code and data in WALL•E 1 are being accessed. Data errors detected. Code duplications and errors detected. Primary System attempting to compensate," the ship's computer reported.
EVE began to fear that the data integration had not gone very well.
The data transfer and integration was too rushed, she now began to worry to herself.
"EVE, how's it going?" the Captain asked with some concern.
"Not sure," she responded back while continuing to look at WALL•E for any signs of his essence. By just focusing on an almost clinical analysis of him, EVE was able to avoid her own emotional ups or downs for the moment.
"WALL•E," she said to him once again.
His optics began to raise and swivel towards her in response to her voice.
A good indication . . . EVE thought, trying to reassure herself.
"WALL•E," she called to him again, trying to remain calm and focused, yet warm and encouraging towards him.
The lenses within his optics now individually began to refocus on her, while just one of his hands extended. EVE took his hand in hers, calling to him once again.
"WALL•E?" she said with a further degree of increasing hope now.
Finally, his optics angled downwards towards each other, as only her WALL•E would angle them. His lens shutters briefly closed and then reopened, as he looked right at her now.
"WALL•E?" EVE asked again.
"EEE-eee-vvv-aaa-hhh?" WALL•E finally responded, but in a strangely altered voice that almost seemed duplicated or doubled to EVE.
"WALL•E!" EVE said with a measure of excitement, yet also growing concern at his unusual voice. She wanted to identify the cause of his speech problem, fast.
Computer, scan WALL•E 1 for continuing system anomalies. Summarize and report, EVE commanded in Axiom beeps.
"System anomalies detected in WALL•E 1. Code duplications, gaps, and errors remain in active systems. Data errors remain. Errors and malfunctions occurring in Audio, Cognitive, Mechanical, Primary, and other systems and subsystems. Primary and Diagnostic systems attempting to compensate." the ship's computer reported.
Typing-bot, what can we do? EVE beeped to him with increasing concern.
"EVE," Typing-bot's translated voice now responded. "There is nothing I see I can do from the outside. My preliminary analyses so far indicate that his systems and diagnostics should be able to sort out and correct these anomalies and errors given time."
I am not so sure, EVE beeped in concerned response, sensing the scans and Typing-bot might be missing something.
"E-e-e-e-v-v-v-a-a-a-h-h . . ." WALL•E haltingly called to her in his strange, distorted voice, as his hand gripped hers more tightly while it began to tremble.
EVE focused herself.
"WALL•E . . . are you . . . one?" she queried him.
"W-W-W-A-L-L-L•E-E . . . t-t-o-g-g-e-th-th-er-r . . . . . . . n-n-o-t-t-t . . . o-n-n-e," he responded with difficulty.
Oh no, EVE thought with a cold realization.
Computer, translate me to English, on speakers! Typing-bot listen! EVE commanded in beeps.
EVE began to beep her analysis in Axiom as the computer translated for her aloud. "WALL•E now has two minds within his consciousness. Both his selves are there within him, but they failed to integrate!"
A collective gasp emerged among everyone in the Lab.
EVE suddenly felt as if she had allowed a monster to be created out of the being she loved, that even she herself had contributed to this emerging crisis and tragedy. But she didn't have time to become upset. Her Commitment and focus wouldn't allow it. EVE realized WALL•E needed her full attention and help now like never before.
EVE beeped at WALL•E rapidly in Axiom, hoping the computer would continue to translate.
"WALL•E, listen and comply," a female computer voice said throughout the Lab as EVE looked squarely into his optics. "WALL•E relax. Do not struggle. Do not think or process. Do nothing for a minute."
EVE hoped his diagnostics would have a chance to work if she could get him to slow down his processing activity.
WALL•E looked down for a moment. His hand relaxed its grip on EVE.
"Good, WALL•E . . . good." EVE said herself to him reassuringly in English while she continued to gently hold his hand.
EVE allowed herself to briefly embrace WALL•E, trying to impart whatever emotional strength and support she could to him.
She felt a new and growing trembling within him now however as she held him. He began shaking with increased intensity as EVE backed away a little to assess his condition.
"Computer, analyze trembling in WALL•E 1," EVE's translated beeps now ordered as they were broadcast throughout the Lab.
"Trembling is due to competing and conflicting instructions from mechanical processors and from Primary and secondary systems." the ship's computer reported.
"Computer, specify recommended treatment." EVE's translations now said.
"Never mind!" her translated beeps suddenly countermanded.
EVE knew what the computer's standard recommended treatment would be . . . complete erasure of WALL•E's system, followed by installation of a default system for his class. No regard for his consciousness . . . for the being that he was. EVE now wished she had ordered a full back-up of both of WALL•E's systems. But in the race to transfer the original WALL•E's data and code off his circuit board before it failed, EVE realized to her deep regret that this had been overlooked.
Computer, cease translation, cease speaker broadcast! EVE ordered.
"Computer, cease–" the translation voice started parroting, before the ship's computer executed her commands and discontinued the broadcast translation.
Focus! EVE commanded herself again. She knew she was starting to get distracted with regret.
EVE thought of asking the computer for a report on the progress WALL•E's diagnostic systems were making — but she felt she already knew the answer. She could see it wasn't good.
"WALL•E . . . how you . . . coping?" EVE asked him directly instead, trying to check on how his consciousness and minds were doing — something that the Axiom's vast computers seemed unable to scan for.
Trembling, WALL•E looked up at her for a moment, silently but with his lens shutters part way down. His confused, frightened gaze told EVE all she needed to know.
"No . . . no . . ." EVE softly said with growing sadness in her eye forms as she shook her head, not wanting to accept what his gaze was telling her.
"H-h-h-o-o-o-mmm-mm-me," he finally managed to haltingly get out as he continued to convulse involuntarily. He seemed to still be of two minds, but they could agree on one thing. WALL•E wanted to be surrounded by the comfort of his home as he tried to integrate his two halves and recover.
"Okay, WALL•E . . . home," she said trying to comfort him. EVE allowed herself a degree of frustration at the Lab's seeming inability to provide any real help now anyway.
Computer, end scans! EVE ordered sharply. While she refused to blame Typing-bot, she wanted to hold the computer, even the Lab, partially responsible for what had happened to WALL•E. But she knew better.
EVE realized WALL•E wouldn't likely safely stay on a hover transport for the trip home the way he was. So she did the only thing she could think of — she picked him up. With his increasing convulsions and now shaking arms, it was difficult for her to hold onto him. EVE almost dropped him, but struggled to keep him in her fins.
"WALL•E . . . sleep?" EVE asked, hoping that dormancy might still him for the journey.
"Ee-ee-va-aa-ah," he said haltingly, looking at her, before his optics and arms, still jerking, finally retracted into his cube. He seemed at peace for the moment in dormancy.
EVE held WALL•E tightly in a loving embrace. She should have been thrilled that this moment had finally come — that she was holding her WALL•E, all of him, at last.
But, she hated to see him suffer as he was. She almost felt she had done a terrible thing to him in concurring with the request of his new consciousness to be merged with the old. Cold sensations of guilt began to emerge within her. But once again she realized that such emotions would not help him now.
As she hovered off the scanning table with WALL•E in her fins, EVE turned to look at WALL•E's now dead circuit board in its slot one more time.
Typing-bot, please preserve circuit board . . . in case, EVE asked him in Axiom.
I will, Typing-bot replied. I will also research further, and see what else can be done. Take care of him now . . . and yourself.
EVE turned and looked at all their friends now gathered around her and WALL•E. She had hoped this would be such a happy occasion, one to share and celebrate in joy with them. But it wasn't. She looked around at the quiet, sad expressions among both the humans and robots alike.
"Thank you . . ." she said. It was all she could bring herself to say though at the moment.
She then looked at Captain McCrea with sadness in her eye forms, as she cradled a now peaceful, dormant WALL•E in her fins.
"Take him home, EVE," Captain McCrea said to her encouragingly, laying a sympathetic hand on her. "You'll know what to do for him."
— — — — —
EVE arrived home from her flight unescorted, holding WALL•E's sleeping cube tightly. She struggled with him in her fins as she tried to reach the control lever and open the truck's ramp. She wished almost with humor that WALL•E was awake to help her open the door as he usually did. But she did not want to wake him.
Managing on a second attempt to slip her fingers into the lever's looped handle while still cradling WALL•E, EVE was finally able to open the truck's ramp and gently flew inside with him. She stopped to look at the shelf-bed the two of them now shared, but realized this would not be a safe place for him in his current condition. EVE didn't really want to lay him down at the moment, or even let go of him anyway. So, continuing to cradle his cube in her fins, she turned around and hovered just above the floor while looking out the truck's open doorway.
She finally had time to pause and think. But her thoughts were not good. EVE did not know what to do next for WALL•E. All she could think of was to let him sleep, and hope that the processing that normally occurred in his dormancy might be able to work uninterrupted by any conscious activity and sort out everything within him.
EVE knew he could wake up out of dormancy at any time. She could not allow herself to fully sleep. So EVE allowed some of her conscious processing to go offline while she kept her eye forms on and focused downward on WALL•E. She also instructed her sensors to remain alert for any signs of movement from him.
EVE allowed herself to enter a sort of partial, meditative rest while cradling WALL•E — hoping that things, that he, would get better.
— — — — —
Alert: Motion detected from WALL•E 1, her sensors announced.
EVE's full consciousness snapped back online, as she started to ascertain what WALL•E was doing.
His trembling returned as his optics attempted to haltingly extend from his cube.
"WALL•E . . ." EVE said with real concern in her voice.
She didn't want to risk dropping him, so she gently set him down on the truck's floor as he continued to tremble.
His now angled optics stared vacantly at the floor for a second as they shook, then he slowly and unsteadily turned them to look at EVE.
"E-e-e-e-v-v-v-a-a-a-h-h," he once again said in the same distorted, almost duplicated voice he had before.
"No-o-o . . ." EVE said at first, starting to sob at seeing that he was no better than before. Nothing had apparently changed within him.
EVE wanted to do something for him to make him better, or at least to help him feel better. But she felt completely powerless to do anything for him as his trembling began to increase.
She embraced him tightly, but that did not quell his shaking.
"WALL•E . . . Eee-vaah so sorry . . ." EVE said to him as she softly cried while stroking him with sad concern and affection.
"E-e-e-e-v-v-v-a-a-a-h-h . . . gg-oo-oo-ddd . . ." WALL•E tried to say in reassurance to her, while reaching a jerking hand out to try and caress her. While he wasn't, at least his love for her was unified and steady.
"M-m-m-y-y-y . . . ch-ch-ch-oi-ii-cc-cc-ce . . ." he continued, as his shaking gradually increased.
"No . . ." EVE countered half-sobbing, but half-warmed by his attempt to reassure her.
"Our choice . . . our choice," she emphasized to him while holding him more tightly.
"Eee-vaah love WALL•E . . ." she added, wanting him to hear that from her.
"WW-WW-AL-LL-" he started to haltingly reply.
"No . . . don't talk . . . please," she interrupted as she felt his shaking increase with his attempt to talk.
"WALL•E sleep again . . . for me . . . now?" she asked him soothingly. It was the only thing she could think of that might help him.
WALL•E jerkingly placed a hand on one of her fins that was holding him, and then slowly withdrew it, trembling, as he proceeded to cube up again and return to quiet dormancy. Finally, he was still again.
EVE closed her eye forms as she lowered her head to the top of his sleeping cube and held him tightly. She found herself so deep in fear, grief, and pain, she couldn't even cry.
"Please help . . ." she whispered in pain. "Someone . . . please help us . . ."