"What's wrong, sir? We won. You should be happy." Agent Rush looked
over to her superior, who sat with an obvious cloud of unhappiness. "Don't
tell me the synthoid got to you. It would have lost her anyways when we
caught it."
Bennet didn't look up, "I'm..not sure. But the disappearance of Ms. Rowan does worry me." He sighed into his folded hands.
Rush shrugged. "Maybe she got tired of running."
Bennet glared at the female agent. "I highly doubt that. If you had been a little more observant, you would have noticed that the girl wasn't just in it for the fun of it. Something serious must have happened to her in order for her to leave his side."
"Did you just call it a 'he'? You sound like Agent Lee."
Bennet glanced up at nothing in particular, not willing to meet her gaze. "Yes, I suppose I did. If I was a little more open minded, I'd even say those two were like Yin and a Yang to each other." Different, but ever joined together, like complimenting opposites. He noticed Agent West walk into the front of the vehicle, holding something. "West, what do have the synthoid's gun and cutting blades? You do realize you've damaged government property?"
West scratched his head, trying to think of the right response. "Sir, I know you won't believe me, but I had to take them away from Zeta. He, uh."
"Spit it out, West."
West looked down at his shuffling feet. "Zeta tried to destroy himself, sir. I had to take them away."
Bennet didn't say anything, but stared at the younger agent solemnly. Zeta wasn't just bucking his programming, he had lost all reason.
Rush missed the look on Bennet's face. "Huh. A suicidal robot. Who would have thought?"
Bennet glared at her, but before he could say anything, West snapped. "That was out of line." And he climbed back towards the holding cells.
As Rush sat speechless, Bennet watched West leave with new respect. Maybe he wasn't so thickheaded after all.
The darkness, after West had left, was comforting. If the agent hadn't taken his weapons away, he might enjoy it forever, without having to remember how alone he was now.
His systems threatened to seize again at that point, as they had in the alleyway. 2 days without seeing her or hearing from her seemed like eternity for him. Had she really just gotten tired of running, as Agent Rush had said? But she would have told him. She would have made it clear- Ro spoke her mind.
He spent the first day waiting for her to return- then for a word for anyone who might have wanted to take her. Twenty four hours later, he went out to find her. But there was no sign of Rosalie Rowan- no trace of her. He even snuck into the local police station to look through the holding cells- and the morgue. He was relieved when he had checked every last container- he was quite sure his titanium heart wouldn't have held out at the sight. But she was gone still, gone without a trace.
He wasn't sure exactly when his system shut down, but it had been soon after that-as he had sat it the rain some poetical program in his CPU wondered if the world was crying for his lost Rosalie.
Now- well, now everything was pointless. There was no hope, no love that could penetrate the ones and zeros of his mind to change his fate, except for his half hearted attempt to destroy himself. But soon, soon they would wipe it all away, and it in all human sense he would be dead. No more memories, no more compassions, no more love-
His programming ground to a halt again, and the synthoid quietly rocked in his misery.
West noticed that Zeta had gone back into the programming loop the corner of his cell. The agent sat down quietly in an empty guard chair, looking away from the synthoid. Several minutes past of total silence, before West could breathe out his question.
"What do you like the most about Ro?"
The synthoid didn't answer, but the sound of rocking ceased.
"The thing I always like best about Lee was the fact that she looked past my mistakes. She put me first, not the mission. I always expected me to be the first to go, not her. But it doesn't mean I have to forget her. She even still writes to me sometimes. I know it's different in your case, but-"
"I preferred. liked her smile. Not the sarcastic one she showed everyone, but the one when she was genuinely happy. She only did it a few times, mostly when we were alone, but it was worth it. I irrationally thought it was a smile just for me." The synthoid didn't look at the agent, and the words were low, as if more for himself.
"It's not irrational. Maybe it was just for you."
The synthoid let out what sounded distinctly like a metallic sigh. "Maybe. It was the memory I preferred to play back again when I recharged." A pause. "I miss her so much."
West looked over and met those strange oval eyes. He cracked a smile. "She'll turn up yet, Zeta. And maybe this will have the fairytale ending you want."
"Fairytale ending? What does that mean?"
West scratched his head. "Uh, well, you know.a happy ending. Like the guy getting the girl. I mean, that's what you want, right?"
Zeta processed the question. "I'm not sure. What does it mean 'to get the girl?'"
"Well, err, you want spend the rest of your life with her, right?" Man, this was hard. Did Ro have to deal with this all the time?
"I.yes. Yes, I do think I would like to."
"That's getting the girl."
"Oh. Thank you, Agent West." And the conversation lapsed into silence again, but it was a peaceful quiet as the two thought about their conversation.
Bennet didn't look up, "I'm..not sure. But the disappearance of Ms. Rowan does worry me." He sighed into his folded hands.
Rush shrugged. "Maybe she got tired of running."
Bennet glared at the female agent. "I highly doubt that. If you had been a little more observant, you would have noticed that the girl wasn't just in it for the fun of it. Something serious must have happened to her in order for her to leave his side."
"Did you just call it a 'he'? You sound like Agent Lee."
Bennet glanced up at nothing in particular, not willing to meet her gaze. "Yes, I suppose I did. If I was a little more open minded, I'd even say those two were like Yin and a Yang to each other." Different, but ever joined together, like complimenting opposites. He noticed Agent West walk into the front of the vehicle, holding something. "West, what do have the synthoid's gun and cutting blades? You do realize you've damaged government property?"
West scratched his head, trying to think of the right response. "Sir, I know you won't believe me, but I had to take them away from Zeta. He, uh."
"Spit it out, West."
West looked down at his shuffling feet. "Zeta tried to destroy himself, sir. I had to take them away."
Bennet didn't say anything, but stared at the younger agent solemnly. Zeta wasn't just bucking his programming, he had lost all reason.
Rush missed the look on Bennet's face. "Huh. A suicidal robot. Who would have thought?"
Bennet glared at her, but before he could say anything, West snapped. "That was out of line." And he climbed back towards the holding cells.
As Rush sat speechless, Bennet watched West leave with new respect. Maybe he wasn't so thickheaded after all.
The darkness, after West had left, was comforting. If the agent hadn't taken his weapons away, he might enjoy it forever, without having to remember how alone he was now.
His systems threatened to seize again at that point, as they had in the alleyway. 2 days without seeing her or hearing from her seemed like eternity for him. Had she really just gotten tired of running, as Agent Rush had said? But she would have told him. She would have made it clear- Ro spoke her mind.
He spent the first day waiting for her to return- then for a word for anyone who might have wanted to take her. Twenty four hours later, he went out to find her. But there was no sign of Rosalie Rowan- no trace of her. He even snuck into the local police station to look through the holding cells- and the morgue. He was relieved when he had checked every last container- he was quite sure his titanium heart wouldn't have held out at the sight. But she was gone still, gone without a trace.
He wasn't sure exactly when his system shut down, but it had been soon after that-as he had sat it the rain some poetical program in his CPU wondered if the world was crying for his lost Rosalie.
Now- well, now everything was pointless. There was no hope, no love that could penetrate the ones and zeros of his mind to change his fate, except for his half hearted attempt to destroy himself. But soon, soon they would wipe it all away, and it in all human sense he would be dead. No more memories, no more compassions, no more love-
His programming ground to a halt again, and the synthoid quietly rocked in his misery.
West noticed that Zeta had gone back into the programming loop the corner of his cell. The agent sat down quietly in an empty guard chair, looking away from the synthoid. Several minutes past of total silence, before West could breathe out his question.
"What do you like the most about Ro?"
The synthoid didn't answer, but the sound of rocking ceased.
"The thing I always like best about Lee was the fact that she looked past my mistakes. She put me first, not the mission. I always expected me to be the first to go, not her. But it doesn't mean I have to forget her. She even still writes to me sometimes. I know it's different in your case, but-"
"I preferred. liked her smile. Not the sarcastic one she showed everyone, but the one when she was genuinely happy. She only did it a few times, mostly when we were alone, but it was worth it. I irrationally thought it was a smile just for me." The synthoid didn't look at the agent, and the words were low, as if more for himself.
"It's not irrational. Maybe it was just for you."
The synthoid let out what sounded distinctly like a metallic sigh. "Maybe. It was the memory I preferred to play back again when I recharged." A pause. "I miss her so much."
West looked over and met those strange oval eyes. He cracked a smile. "She'll turn up yet, Zeta. And maybe this will have the fairytale ending you want."
"Fairytale ending? What does that mean?"
West scratched his head. "Uh, well, you know.a happy ending. Like the guy getting the girl. I mean, that's what you want, right?"
Zeta processed the question. "I'm not sure. What does it mean 'to get the girl?'"
"Well, err, you want spend the rest of your life with her, right?" Man, this was hard. Did Ro have to deal with this all the time?
"I.yes. Yes, I do think I would like to."
"That's getting the girl."
"Oh. Thank you, Agent West." And the conversation lapsed into silence again, but it was a peaceful quiet as the two thought about their conversation.