A Second Chance

Chapter 3: Frustration and Uncertainty

After a few moments of sitting quietly within the room with Slate and the others Forte rose to his feet. He turned slowly and picked up the helmet off the table, looking at each person in turn. He then sighed and looked down at Gospel.

"What are we going to do boy?" he asked the metallic canine, who perked his ears in response before turning on purple paws and whining as he looked at the now closed door. Forte sighs, "What?"

The Canid walked over to the door and started to scratch at it, then looked back over his shoulder at the black bioriod. Gospel then turned around and sat down by the door with another whine.

Guri was about to say something when Draka put a hand on his arm to quite him. She then leaned over and whispered in the Leonid's ear, "watch."

Slate remained quite, his mind a whirl with thoughts as well as the emotions that he felt swirling within his sibling, with their sharing of an empathic bond. This was not going to be an easy situation to deal with at all. Given Guri's reaction to the Bioroid once already this evening. Not to mention that with the memory that was added already there was hints at that darker personality of the past. Part of him was wondering if Guri was right, that Khoal was making a big mistake. But he believed in his sister, that there could still be a good outcome to all of this.

The black Bioriod crossed his arms about his chest, the helmet still held in one hand, now dangled by one elbow as he looked at the canid. He then walked over to the door and opened it, his motor skills greatly improving while he was stationary as his system had time to recuperate from the initial awakening startup. Looking down at the Gospel he said through slightly grit teeth. "There happy, now."

The canid looks up at Forte and whines again before looking out the door. Standing up he walks half way through the door before coming back in the room and pawing at one of Forte's armored feet. He then turned back around and headed for the doorway again as if trying to get Forte to follow him.

"What do you want?" Forte nearly hissed as he was starting to get overly frustrated with the canid. This was not a good thing for he was already highly frustrated with this entire situation that he has been thrust into.

Gospel walked back to Forte, then back towards the door again and stopped. Turning he looked at Forte and let out another whine before adding a bit of a bark for emphasis.

"Fine," Forte replied to the canine's insistent actions as he rolled his eyes, resisting the urge to throw his hands up in the air. "Go," he waves to Gospel and followed the purple dog out of the room.

* * *

"Now that was interesting, don't you think Guri? Much better then you getting involved now wasn't it," Draka said with a smile as she looked at the tall Leonid that sat next to her.

Guri sighed, he was not happy but what could he do at the moment. Khoal had it made it quite clear to him in just a few words that he was to leave the black bioroid alone, at least for the moment. He turned his amber gaze to Draka, with a bit of a snort, before saying. "I would hardly call that interesting."

It was Guri and Draka's conversation that finally drew a bit of a look from Slate as it caught his attention. Eyes of blue and green shifted from one form to the other as they conversed if that is what you could call it. More like a one-sided conversation if the truth be known, with Draka leading it. Guri was not one to talk much, especially when he was angry.

"Well at least he followed the pup," Draka stated, with a slight frown at Guri. "Much more then what could have been expected if he was intact, hun. Otherwise it might have been a bit more messy," she paused and turned to look at Slate. "At least that is what I would assume."

"I really couldn't stay," Slate said with a shake of his head as he pushed his thoughts to the side. He then turned his gaze towards the door where Forte and Gospel disappeared. "There is a distinct possibility that it could have been worse. But then again who's to say that it is not already worse since he does not have his full memory back." He then returned his gaze to that of Guri and Draka. "It is possible that he could be more dangerous due to the lack of memory over a completed memory."

Guri's eyes narrowed what Slate had to say. "Then why did you let Khoal activate him if there was a possibility that he was going to be more dangerous," the Leonid said with a light growl, ears flattening slightly. He did not like the idea that Forte may be more dangerous now then what he may be later.

"Because there is just as likely of a chance that he will not be dangerous," Slate stated a bit blandly. It was always hard to explain things to Guri when he was being thick headed. "Sometimes one must be willing to take risks."

Slate then stood up, he figured that there wasn't going to be much that he could say that would change Guri's perspective at the moment, besides he still had a lot to do. He walked around the table and headed out the door with a light sigh and a shake of his head. There were so many possibilities, too many possibilities of what could happen next, he just prayed that the out come would be favorable.

* * *

Khoal sighed as the door slid closed behind her in her lab; she leaned against the smooth, cool surface of the metal door for a few moments as she tried to get her thoughts in order. She stood up and continued over to one of the tables in the room and started to leaf through some of the written notes she had about Forte's progress, she was a bit worried and now starting to doubt her own decisions.

"What am I going to do," she murmured to herself as she sat down in a chair beside the desk. "I tried to explain…" her words trailed off with a soft sigh. "Maybe it would have been better to wait longer, when more of his memory would have been complete."

Swiveling the chair she stood back up a few papers in hand as she went over to the small computer unit against one wall, or at least small in comparison to the one in the main control room and the Cerebral Matrix. She looked down at the papers as she typed one handedly at the keyboard pulling up information stored within, basic diagrams of system progress as well as her own journals upon her research.

"Damn it!" Khoal said a she slammed the book closed that she had in her lap as she pushed the chair away from the computer. The chair rolled backwards till it bumped into the table, halting its movement. She placed an elbow upon the desk and dropped her head onto her hand. I don't know what to do, she thought with a sigh. What can I do?

* * *

Gospel lead Forte through the maze of hallways quite easily. At first the black Bioroid ignored most of his surroundings as he followed along where ever the Canid was going. His frustration fueling his lack of interest, till small odds and ends objects began to catch his attention. The change in entry panels to the door or different ways of lighting the hallways were what started to distract Forte from his glower mood. Little would he know that the canine was taking him through the complex the long way around to the destination that only the Gospel knew.

Pretty soon Forte was looking about the hallways with more and more interest. He noted the change of lighting and entry panels from section to section though he had no idea where he was. He stopped along the way at a large set of thick glass windows. Inside was a fully cultured garden, complete with its own small grove of trees as well as a wide meadow. He placed a hand to the glass as he looked down upon the green growth with its artificial sunlight filtering down upon the quivering leaves of the trees. A bark from Gospel turned his attention away from the large cavern as the Canid sat waiting patiently upon his haunches, head cocked to the side as it studying the Bioroid.

"What?" Forte said as he turned to face Gospel, as he crossed his arms about his chest.

The Canid just cocked his head in the other direction; ears swiveled forward, flaring out a bit as he listened to Forte. It was not like Gospel could give him a verbal answer. He let out a light whine as he dropped his head a bit before letting out another yipping bark and standing up, tail wagging behind him.

"Well lead the way then," Forte replied to the Canid's actions, as he rolled his eyes and shook his head as Gospel started off down the hallway. He shrugged before he started off down the hallway once again.

* * *

Slate walked through the silent hallways back to the Cerebral Matrix, lost in thought. He had a lot of work to do and he was unsure of how easily it was going to be accomplished now. Part of finishing the actual work will be restoring Forte's memory. That may be difficult now if they cannot get him to trust Khoal and him. He punched the keypad by the door and is slid open soundlessly and he stepped though.

"To make him understand, that is the ultimate challenge at the moment," Slate murmured to himself as he sat down next to the mangled robotic remains. "I bid you good luck my dear sister, for I have a feeling that he is being guided to you."

The man then submersed himself in his work, knowing that it would take his mind of the worries and doubts that have slipped into his mind with his first encounter of the black Bioroid. Slate's work would keep him occupied for the rest of the evening meaning that it was going to be a challenge to even get the man to eat. That challenge would be left to either Guri or Draka depending on who found him first.

* * *

Guri and Draka would find a way to occupy themselves around the complex. There was always something to be done. Mostly it would consist of making sure that all the machinery and vehicles were running smoothly before each would head off their separate ways to find their own personal work to do. Assignments have been few and far between for the pair right now. Draka's assignment was nothing more then a training exercise for Gospel or Pooch, as she loves to call him.

* * *

There was a soft scrape upon the door to Khoal's lab causing the woman to look up. She sighed and she stood up knowing who the scraping was coming from. Walking over she opened the door and looked down, not paying attention that there was someone standing behind the Canid.

"What do you want boy?" Khoal said with a light quirk of a smile at the odd colored mechanical dog.

Gospel looked up as the door opened then over his shoulder at the figure standing behind him drawing the woman's gaze to follow. Khoal just seemed to freeze at the moment, not sure what to do or expect at the moment. Why in the hell… she thought as her brows furrowed together.

It was obvious that Forte was caught a bit off guard as well as he blinked his crimson eyes and took a slight step backward. A frown then crossed his face as he looked down at the canine, who just wagged his tail. He then placed one hand upon his hip as he looked at the woman as if she were some specimen under glass for him to observe.

"Can I help you?" Khoal asked in a flat, nearly emotionless tone as she stood in the doorway, after she found her voice once again. She did not like the way she was being observed by the Bioroid.

"I don't know," Forte said flatly, he then sighed. He then shook his head as he looked turned his gaze to the Gospel with another frown.

"Come in," Khoal said, as she turned around and walked back inside of her lab. Not waiting for a reply. Gospel was happy to oblige as he walked in after the woman.

Forte stood in the hallway for a few moments longer before he stepped inside the lab after the woman. The door slid closed, with a light hiss, as soon as he passed the threshold.