THE AMAZING, INCREDIBLE, MIND-BOGGLING ADVENTURES OF TABLE-HEADED SERVICE DRONE BOB!
Part Twenty-four: Deja vu
"Wow," Larb could only say when the entire memory was played out, "tough break. So the Krakins somehow inadvertantly channeled their library data into this closed-off section of your brain?" Larb sat patiently for an answer, but Bob wasn't really listening, he was just sitting on the floor, staring silently into space, struck with the enormity of what he'd done, tears rolling slowly down his face.
"Yeah," Bob said vacantly, "there's not a lot there. They probably didn't have much time, so they only uploaded some footnotes of their history, info on the nova-making-thingy, and some random piece of opera they put in for the sake of culture. I think that's why it was railroaded in there. It reminded me of..." Bob stopped, willing himself to stay stoic. But it was hard work. He had killed the only person he had loved in his entire life. Except...
"Hey!" Larb attempted to gain his attention, "HEY! Don't you get all suicidal on me now! I need you alive!" Larb attempted to reconcile him.
"Why?" Bob asked sarcastically, "so you can use the stuff in my head to conquer the universe? Frankly, I'll pass. Shit, I just...NEED somebody now, y'know? Like..." Bob stopped, sure of what admitting it would mean.
"Chak?" Larb sussed, he was going to keep this Irken alive if he had to sweat blood, "listen, if we get out of this alive, I'll make certain that she's there for you." Bob's attention perked up at the sound of her name. His tears suddenly lessened.
"Did she really lead you to me back on Tek's cruiser?" Bob asked, the question had been at the back of his mind ever since it happened.
"No, she didn't," answered Larb, glad that there was something to keep this living weapon still living, "the only reason she made a deal in the first place was to see you. She tricked us as soon as we got here." This made Bob feel better, so she really did care.
"We just need to find her..." Bob began.
"Bob!" yelled a voice from a nearby conduit. Bob and Larb's heads jerked towards it.
"Chak!?" yelled Bob in response, barely believing his luck. He stood up and ran in the direction the voice had come from. Larb had momentarily lost charge of events, and now his project was running away from him.
"Hey! Bob!" shouted Larb after him, "wait! It might be a trap!" Bob ran through the maze of corridors until he eventually came to an adjunct. Out of the shadows in the corner Chak appeared, her face strangely haunted.
"Chak!" Bob said, as if trying to convince himself that he wasn't seeing things,"I'm so glad to see you! How did you get here!? I've got to tell you some...w...what are you doing?" Chak had stepped further out of the shadows to reveal that she was holding a gun, and pointing it straight at Bob.
"Please...please don't say anything," Chak mewed pathetically, "it'll only make this harder..." Chak was pointing the gun purposefully at Bob, retreating in quiet incomprehension. Then Larb entered the adjunct, gun poised.
"Bob! When you're menat to be in my custody you're not meant to-hey!" Larb noticed the figure about to blow a hole through his project and aimed his gun, but Chak noticed him fist and fired, penetrating his arm. Larb let out a shriek and dropped the gun to the floor, and klaxons began sounding in the distance. The security system was obviously fine-tuned to gunshots. Chak turned her attention back to Bob, showing several conflicting emotions on her face alone. Bob could only muster mystified.
"Chak...why are you doing this?" Bob asked.
"I don't want to go back to the dirt, or dead in some chute somewhere," Chak gave as reasons, "I love you, Bob, but I can't be with you. It would mean giving up my life. The only way out of here is death or helping that maniac wrest control of the galaxy. But Tek gave me the option to live. I love you but, please, I don't want to die..." The gun seemed to point downwards several notches as Chak began to sob uncontrollably. Bob stepped forward a few paces to try to comfort her.
"Chak," Bob felt he had to say this, "I love you too..."
"SHUT UP!" Chak yelled through her tears. She screwed her eyes shut in order not to look at the face of the person she loved as she killed him. She squeezed her trigger finger.
A shot rang out.
Chak opened her eyes to see Bob with a look of horror on his face. But he was still intact, and holding Larb's gun, which looked like it had discharged. Confused, she looked down at her clothes to see that they were stained with blood. Chak looked back up at Bob accusingly as she slumped to the floor. Bob similarly slumped to his knees, staring at Chak's lifeless eyes. His tears started up again, but there was little other indication of emotion. His only reason for living was now a lifeless corpse. Yet again, killed by his own hand. But there was no forgetting this, this image was certain to haunt him for the rest of his life. He pointed the gun to his own head to make certain it was a short one.
"I NEED YOU ALIVE, IN CASE YOU FORGOT!" screamed Larb, kicking the gun out of Bob's hand and holding onto his bleeding. Larb leant over and picked up the gun. It ached as he had to pick it up by the arm that now had a gaping hole in it. Bob remained emotionless, staring into nothing. The klaxons were continuing to sound and the sound of armoured feet on metal floors could be heard. Larb, recognizing the need for flight, grabbed onto Bob and disappeared into the nearest shaft...
TO BE CONTINUED...
Part Twenty-four: Deja vu
"Wow," Larb could only say when the entire memory was played out, "tough break. So the Krakins somehow inadvertantly channeled their library data into this closed-off section of your brain?" Larb sat patiently for an answer, but Bob wasn't really listening, he was just sitting on the floor, staring silently into space, struck with the enormity of what he'd done, tears rolling slowly down his face.
"Yeah," Bob said vacantly, "there's not a lot there. They probably didn't have much time, so they only uploaded some footnotes of their history, info on the nova-making-thingy, and some random piece of opera they put in for the sake of culture. I think that's why it was railroaded in there. It reminded me of..." Bob stopped, willing himself to stay stoic. But it was hard work. He had killed the only person he had loved in his entire life. Except...
"Hey!" Larb attempted to gain his attention, "HEY! Don't you get all suicidal on me now! I need you alive!" Larb attempted to reconcile him.
"Why?" Bob asked sarcastically, "so you can use the stuff in my head to conquer the universe? Frankly, I'll pass. Shit, I just...NEED somebody now, y'know? Like..." Bob stopped, sure of what admitting it would mean.
"Chak?" Larb sussed, he was going to keep this Irken alive if he had to sweat blood, "listen, if we get out of this alive, I'll make certain that she's there for you." Bob's attention perked up at the sound of her name. His tears suddenly lessened.
"Did she really lead you to me back on Tek's cruiser?" Bob asked, the question had been at the back of his mind ever since it happened.
"No, she didn't," answered Larb, glad that there was something to keep this living weapon still living, "the only reason she made a deal in the first place was to see you. She tricked us as soon as we got here." This made Bob feel better, so she really did care.
"We just need to find her..." Bob began.
"Bob!" yelled a voice from a nearby conduit. Bob and Larb's heads jerked towards it.
"Chak!?" yelled Bob in response, barely believing his luck. He stood up and ran in the direction the voice had come from. Larb had momentarily lost charge of events, and now his project was running away from him.
"Hey! Bob!" shouted Larb after him, "wait! It might be a trap!" Bob ran through the maze of corridors until he eventually came to an adjunct. Out of the shadows in the corner Chak appeared, her face strangely haunted.
"Chak!" Bob said, as if trying to convince himself that he wasn't seeing things,"I'm so glad to see you! How did you get here!? I've got to tell you some...w...what are you doing?" Chak had stepped further out of the shadows to reveal that she was holding a gun, and pointing it straight at Bob.
"Please...please don't say anything," Chak mewed pathetically, "it'll only make this harder..." Chak was pointing the gun purposefully at Bob, retreating in quiet incomprehension. Then Larb entered the adjunct, gun poised.
"Bob! When you're menat to be in my custody you're not meant to-hey!" Larb noticed the figure about to blow a hole through his project and aimed his gun, but Chak noticed him fist and fired, penetrating his arm. Larb let out a shriek and dropped the gun to the floor, and klaxons began sounding in the distance. The security system was obviously fine-tuned to gunshots. Chak turned her attention back to Bob, showing several conflicting emotions on her face alone. Bob could only muster mystified.
"Chak...why are you doing this?" Bob asked.
"I don't want to go back to the dirt, or dead in some chute somewhere," Chak gave as reasons, "I love you, Bob, but I can't be with you. It would mean giving up my life. The only way out of here is death or helping that maniac wrest control of the galaxy. But Tek gave me the option to live. I love you but, please, I don't want to die..." The gun seemed to point downwards several notches as Chak began to sob uncontrollably. Bob stepped forward a few paces to try to comfort her.
"Chak," Bob felt he had to say this, "I love you too..."
"SHUT UP!" Chak yelled through her tears. She screwed her eyes shut in order not to look at the face of the person she loved as she killed him. She squeezed her trigger finger.
A shot rang out.
Chak opened her eyes to see Bob with a look of horror on his face. But he was still intact, and holding Larb's gun, which looked like it had discharged. Confused, she looked down at her clothes to see that they were stained with blood. Chak looked back up at Bob accusingly as she slumped to the floor. Bob similarly slumped to his knees, staring at Chak's lifeless eyes. His tears started up again, but there was little other indication of emotion. His only reason for living was now a lifeless corpse. Yet again, killed by his own hand. But there was no forgetting this, this image was certain to haunt him for the rest of his life. He pointed the gun to his own head to make certain it was a short one.
"I NEED YOU ALIVE, IN CASE YOU FORGOT!" screamed Larb, kicking the gun out of Bob's hand and holding onto his bleeding. Larb leant over and picked up the gun. It ached as he had to pick it up by the arm that now had a gaping hole in it. Bob remained emotionless, staring into nothing. The klaxons were continuing to sound and the sound of armoured feet on metal floors could be heard. Larb, recognizing the need for flight, grabbed onto Bob and disappeared into the nearest shaft...
TO BE CONTINUED...