The Sorrow of Love:
Everything Can Go So Wrong
A/N: Ok, I don't have many of these up here, but just to tell you, I myself believe that Eighteen is OoC in this chapter. She just gained her memories so A little leeway can present itself. Tell me what you think about Eighteen's chara. in this chapter!
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Chapter Seven- Flight School"So... you are Joy" The woman said with hope shining in her eyes.
Eighteen stared at the clerk. "I guess so"
"Whatever happened to Jon?" she asked, clearly worried.
"He... had business." She said, her icy blue eyes darkening. Changing disposition rapidly she looked up at Kate and smiled. "Now how much do these really cost?"
"I told you. I was having a sale. No one else seemed to know about it. Too bad for them." Eighteen smiled as she pulled her friend into a hug. "Now all you need is a place to change and bathe"
"I'll just go to a hotel. I have enough mon—"
"The Red Ribbon Army destroyed it. Or, an eight-year-old kid did while destroying them."
"Goku..."
"Yes, I believe that was his name. Now I'm going to ask you a serious question," Kate said almost suspiciously. Her face was hard-set but there was laughter behind her eyes.
Eighteen raised her eyebrows in surprise. What could Kate want from her? "Yes..."
"How come you still look 20, but I'm an old hag?"
Eighteen looked at Kathryn flabbergasted, not expecting this question. "Well-I-I umm... I might as well tell you. I'm an android. Android Eighteen to be exact. I'm the one... I'm the one who was ruthlessly killing humans. I regret it now but... I'm so sorry, it's just... Sorry. If I could pull back actions..." She finished off, hoping that Kathryn would suddenly turn cold and turn her away. Eighteen think she deserved it. But... she had just gotten to know her again. Kate's eyes' hardened looking straight at Eighteen.
"Well, it was you who killed them. I guess I must retract my offer"
"About the clothes? I'll gladly pay for them. But, please, listen to me. I didn't know what I was doing. If I could give back every single life J-Jon and I killed, I would gladly," She said stumbling over the unfamiliar use of the name, "I'm just—I didn't know. I didn't know..." The clerk just smiled.
"Really, Joy. You didn't know what I was retracting. I was retracting my offer of just letting you walk away without visiting my house and taking a bath"
"Oh... I'm pleased and... honored"
"Now you make me sound old." Kate stated, surprising Eighteen or yet a third time in five minutes. "Just walk down to my house, you know where it is. I'll expect you'll find a surprise" she said almost boyishly, sounding 20 again. This was the most fun she had in say... 50 years. She laughed at this almost ludicrous thought. "Just go, Joy. I'd really hate to see you blow this place up," she giggled with almost girlish delight. It just so happened that a customer walked in at that very moment. It was very odd for him to see a 70-year-old woman get red in the cheeks from laughing. He just shook his head wondering at all the happenings of today.
Eighteen walked out the door actually smiling as she looked for the familiar boulevard. As she walked down she couldn't help but admire all the beautiful trees lining the street. They seemed to be a recent addition. Eighteen didn't know what to think at Kate's last statement.
She looked down the street again and found out what Kate meant. Her house was large. No, it was simply huge. Eighteen didn't know what to think. Last time she saw Kate her house was small, only six rooms. This one had six floors. Of course, Eighteen wasn't counting what could be an underground garage and the growths that protruded from the house. Kate had really... upgraded. She strolled up to the house, and rang the doorbell, hoping she wouldn't impose upon them. "Them" being the people who lived there besides Kate. She wouldn't have a big house here for nothing.
"Er, hello. Who might you be?" an old man asked. He was bald, and had a blue shirt wit black pants. His shirt's breastpocket had glasses and a pen. His shoes were old brown slip-ons and his socks were a dull grey. He pulled out his glasses and looked at the girl. His brown eyes seemed to have multiplied in size. The glasses were quite thick. "You seem to be familiar. Come right in," he kindly said as he gestured inside. He turned around and looked at her again. He gasped, drawing in a lot more breath than normal. He stopped Eighteen before coming in with his hand. "You... You're... the android. I saw the news! J-j-just g-go away! I don't want to be hurt," he stuttered almost incoherently. His voice resembled his shaking, knobby knees.
"Respected sir, I don't want to hurt you, I just want to-"
"Well, I'm not going down without a fight!" He yelled, cutting her off and changing his previously frightened attitude. He picked up a shotgun that was within reach of the door and put his explosive bullets in the barrel. He aimed the shotgun straight at Eighteen's heart.
"Sir, I just wanted to-"
"Where's your goddamn brother, anywho?"
Eighteen's face darkened and her voice turned cold. "Don't talk about my brother. Al I wanted was-"
The mad laughed in a manner that he thought was evil. It was in fact, quite the opposite, but no one was there to laugh so he just continued "being evil". "Why not? Had a fight, did you? How sad... Well, there'll be one less android to hurt us normal humans," He said, referring to her apparent demise at the end of her shotgun. Eighteen took this as a reference to her long-lost brother
"Look, sir," Eighteen said, gritting her teeth while she was trying to control her temper, "I don't want to hurt you. Kate sent me here to change and take a bath, if you don't mind"
"But I do. You steal those clothes from our store? You must've used your 'mind control' abilities to possess her. Well I won't stand for it," He yelled, cocking the gun.
"I don't have mind control abilities! I just came to—"
The man laughed again, trying to be evil yet again. "Well, where's your receipt? Ha! You don't have one!"
"I got this for fr—"
"Either way, you'll get a taste of this here lead!"
Eighteen was tired of being cut-off. Who could be this thick and still be wed by Kate? Wait, Of course. Rob. The only one who could get away with being an idiot in front of Kate. Well either way, she gripped the barrel of the gun and squeezed. It fell off. The old man was speechless.
"Maybe, good sir you don't recognize me."
"I know you! Don't lie to me. Only Eighteen could've done that! You're the android! Get away! P-p-please. I-I don't w-want t-t-t-to be hurt. Just go" He stuttered as he held his arms in front of his face, trying to protect himself pitifully. Eighteen looked at the old man in almost disgust.
"Rob! Stand up straight. Face me! No! In the eye. Look at me, Rob. I want you to look at me in the eye! Good. Now back straight, and chin up! I don't care how old you are. You always faced danger in the eye, and I want you to do the same to me." She snapped at Rob. He quickly complied. In the back of his age-fogged mind, he wondered what was going on. The only two people that could do that to him with such authority were both gone. But the girl looked like one of them, now that he thought about it. He looked up in hope.
"Joy? Is that you? Please be you. Or her Granddaughter. You're her Granddaughter, aren't you?" He whispered, as Eighteen visibly relaxed.
"No, Rob, it really is me. I'm Joy. You finally recognized me. I just thought that... Thank you."
"Thank you for what? I almost blew your heart out. Not that I couldn't when we were 24..." He said mischievously grinning. Eighteen looked at Rob in surprise.
"Why you old coot! You didn't... not that you could... just... no!"
"I assume that's my welcome? What happened to the Flying Four?" He asked as Eighteen rolled her eyes. "Look, I know it was... a foolish name, but we agreed on it, right? Am I right?"
"Yea, I guess you were, old man. But still... The Flying Four? Well, I guess it's fitting because two of the mem—no, one of the members can fly" She said, trying to correct herself before she thought about it. The old man looked upon in understanding.
"Jon... He was the Seventeen, wasn't he? And he was killed? By a boy?"
"Yes, but I'd rather not thi—"
"If I ever get my hands on him, I swear I'll get him. I promise over your brother's body"
"No, Rob, the boy was right. We were... we were killing... and destroying. He stopped... Seventeen"
"I'm sorry, I really stuck my foot in it. Well, would you like a bath or something?"
"Of course, that's why I came wasn't it? But first Rob, a gift. It's the gift of flight. You wanted to fly, didn't you? Just wait," She said as she was simultaneously running a backup program in her head. Her index finger popped off and she caught it with the same hand. She flicked off the fingernail with her other hand and pulled out a chip. I was an odd chip. It absorbed itself into any surface that it recognized as skin and gave the recipient the knowledge and energy to fly. Eighteen thought it was absurd. Who needed a backup chip? She turned Rob around so that his back was facing her. He put the chip on his neck and it eerily dissolved the skin around he rest of it and sunk in. The skin instantly regrew. Rob shivered.
"Now jump, you still have some muscles yet. Even I can see them, flapping in the wind"
"Oh be quiet, you rascal" He tried to yell as he jumped and found himself performing Cartwheels in the air. To him, this was the ultimate freedom. He had really wanted to be a pilot, but the hard truth was, There were no flight schools in the town and his parents couldn't afford a ticket to the nearest town and an enrollment. He settled with a bachelor's in TV production. Of course, no plane could ever compete with he power of flight under your own thrust. He laughed almost heartily as he landed. His laughs seemed to have a different affect than they were actually intended for.
"Joy, you made me feel so young. It completed me. I feel like I could live another 20 years without aging!"
"Please, call me Eighteen, it's the only thing I can respond to. And you probably could live another 20 years without aging. Now, can I get a bath?" She said, obviously elated at her friends' happiness.
"20 years... but Kate, won't she..?"
Eighteen's eyes widened at this new revelation. "I'm sure she'd understand," she said, horrified at what she'd done. Rob would outlive Kate by quite a bit.
"Oh yes, I'm sure she would..." he replied, hollowly.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinki—"
"No, you didn't know. I'll just make some tea and bring out some biscuits. Come back after you're done with the bath." He muttered as Eighteen nodded solemnly. How could she be so stupid! She was immensely idiotic. Now Rob was going to hate her again and he was going to have to suffer again. She walked through the large kitchen, ignoring the skittering chefs. And turned right. She walked with her head down through the hallway. She turned right again—straight into a pantry. She excused herself from the chef inside and walked outside again. She looked up again and a careful observer might report that there was a glisten in her eye, but it happened to disappear within a second. Many would've sworn it was never there. Nevertheless, she continued down hallways until she found a bathroom. She walked into it and stripped herself of her dirty clothes, revealing some smooth skin. She walked over to the tap and turned it on. As soon as it was filled with warm water, Eighteen sank into her first luxurious bath in fifty years...
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A/N: There, that was my seventh Chapter, revolving around Eighteen. I swear chapter nine has nothing but Trunks to compensate for it. Unless I change it, of course. If I combined to chapters, it would be to long. Anyway, I think the next chapter would be to short unless I combine it again. I don't know. No, I won't. You won't even hear from Trunks for another three days! Ha! I made you wait a week for Trunks! Well when I rewrote this chapter, I added an element even I didn't know I would add until it was too late. Meh. It makes Part two more interesting. Title ideas anyone? Ah, and I finally got my High school classes. Argh! I don't think I'll like that place. High School starts on September Third, so All my chapters after that will be posted every Sunday. Well, actually September Third's on a Tuesday and I'll update the following Wednesday, but after that, only Sunday's. Oh and be sure to tell me if you think Eighteen was too OoC! Review!