Chapter XIII: a. k. a, Artificial Intelligence
"Ha!!! Now, all we need is a Gravity Cannon."
***
Dive into the mind...
"Ha!!!" shouted Sephiroth Adrian Donovan. "Now, all we need is a Gravity Cannon."
"Really?" cried Kokoro. "So if we find one of those, this thing can destroy the Deathstinger?"
He cringed. "Actually... I don't know how to pilot huge Zoids like this. And it needs some power. I mean, its been dormant for so long that..."
"Spare me the details," sighed Kokoro. "I'm just glad we were able to fix it this much."
"Listen, Kokoro," said Sephiroth. "I know you really want to find your friend... So if you wanna take my Gul Tiger while I figure out where I can get a Cannon, go for it."
"Really...?" asked Kokoro. "I've never piloted a Zoid before."
He sweat-dropped. "Ah well, that's too bad..."
"But I can try."
"Just remember, he may not let you pilot him..." mumbled Sephiroth. "The Gul Tiger is an X, so he's quite a personality. Very impatient. But if he likes you, it'll make it a whole lot easier to pilot the Tiger."
"Again, spare me the details!" cried Kokoro. "Are you sure I can...?"
"Yeah," said Sephiroth. "I'm gonna be on the Ultrasaurus for a while, so why not?"
"Thanks," sighed Kokoro. "You know, I should introduce you two sometime. You'd get along really well."
"Oh?"
"You're both technical geniuses!" cried Kokoro. "Okay, I'm gonna go now! Do the coms work again?"
Sephiroth nodded.
"Right, then if I have any trouble with the Gul Tiger, I'll call you. Thanks again!"
Kokoro ran off before he could tell her the Ultrasaurus' com number. Adrian chuckled to himself. "Sheesh... I wonder if she'll find him. I also wonder where Vivian and Sylvia are..."
In a few seconds she ran back. "Where did you say you saw a Spino Snapper?"
"Near New Helic..."
***
"Oh, that RAT!!!" cried Vivian angrily. "Kage resurrected the Deathstinger!!! I just knew that would happen..." She sighed as the Death Cat approached the ruins of Guyglos, then laughed. "Ha ha... it's so stupid. This is where I was created, and this is where I'll be destroyed, as well as where I'll destroy HIM!!! He might be able to control me, but that won't change anything..."
Her idea was crazy, but it just might work. It had worked so many years ago for the Guardian Force, so surely it would work now. As the Death Cat ran to the center of the ruins it was passed by Sephiroth's Gul Tiger, which was swerving back and forth madly. "What the...?" she asked. "It can't be Adrian in the cockpit, he'd never drive like that..."
***
"Calm down, Gul Tiger!" cried Kokoro as it ran willy-nilly. "Come on! Gimmee a break! So I'm new at this..." It seemed to laugh as it stopped running and stood still. "Oh, come on!" cried Kokoro. "You're not being very helpful!"
The Gul Tiger shot off again in a completely new direction. "Stop it, Gully!" cried Kokoro. He stopped. "Err... run towards New Helic, Gully." The X turned east and ran. "Oh, I think I figured it out..." mumbled Kokoro to herself. "He must like it when I call him 'Gully.' " she shrugged. "Huh. That's strange. Can't you go any faster, Gully?!!" she challenged.
***
"Dr. Toros?" asked Robert, waving a hand in front of the doctor's face. "Are you listening to me?!!"
"Dr. Scott..." mumbled Toros, thinking for a moment. "Oh yes! Now I remember! A good man, until the Backdraft got to him... Ho ho! I should have added one of these to Leena's old Zoid..."
"This is hopeless," muttered Robert. He was getting nowhere.
"DAD!" shouted Leena, pulling the model of a Dibison out of his hands. "PAY ATTENTION!!!"
Dr. Toros whined something childishly and Leena sighed, kneeling down beside him. "Now listen, Dad, if you want me to get you out of this hospital and far, far away from that Nurse Jenny, you'll help our friend Robert with his problem, okay?"
"Listen, Leena, if he doesn't want to..." began Robert.
"Dad's GOING to help you, and he's going to NOW," yelled Leena.
"Control freak," muttered Robert.
"Then again," Leena smiled sweetly, "He doesn't have to."
"Hey, I take it back!" cried Robert.
Dr. Toros stood up thoughtfully. "If I remember correctly, he was a real stickler when it came to grammar," he laughed. "Though I suppose you could say he was a technical genius. Let's see... a little more than ten years ago his wife died. Her name was Kokoro Marron. He had... three sons, err, Robert, Cid, and Adrian..." He paused and paced across the room. "Hmm... he was very depressed about Kokoro... and he was simply crushed when his youngest son disappeared."
Robert cringed.
"So, when he learned that our old gang- Layon, Oscar, and I- were taking another year of college, just to learn about the new developments, he joined us. I did my term project thingy with him. It was an artificial intelligence system, and we called it CHAO, but then it disappeared... so we had to start over again with a new one, which was a heck of a lot better. When it was graded Scott decided he'd take it and modify it some more... What else... Ah, yes!!! Scott wrote his thesis paper on various aspects artificial intelligence. He believed he'd found a way to let the AI systems learn by themselves, not just repeat what we do in a Zoid cockpit. To give them more HUMAN characteristics, like emotions. Kind of like an organoid. Leena and I were going to go look at his new machine, but he disappeared. I was actually kind of disappointed..."
As Dr. Toros ranted on, Robert sighed. "This doesn't help... I was hoping that he'd be able to tell me more about Kokoro... not my mother, but..." Leena shrugged. "We tried," she said.
"Wait!" cried Dr. Toros. "To make our AI system even more realistic, he integrated it into a human-like body. Of course, it had never belonged to an actual person but was created out of- Robert, are you okay?!!"
The color had left Robert's face. "Leena, please tell me he didn't just say what I THINK he said?" he asked.
"I would, but I'd be lying," said Leena.
Robert felt his forehead. "The heck... I've fallen in love with an artificial intelligence system. This can't be for real."
Nurse Jenny walked into the room just in time to see the usually unmovable Robert collapse from shock. "What's with him?" she asked. "Oh, wait, I'm the Nurse. Mr. Toros, move those models off your bed and back where they belong!" she ordered, trying to think of what to do.
***
Dive into the heart...
"Harry, wait!!!"
Harry Champ turned around to see Kylie running after him. She sighed in relief. "I forgot to say goodbye."
"Oh..." he said. He didn't really want to, not yet.
"Why are you blushing?" asked Kylie.
"Err, it's just hot out," grinned Harry. "Goodbye, I've gotta-"
Kylie leaned forward and quickly kissed him on the cheek. "I guess this is the last time I'll see you. Goodbye."
"Kylie!" called Bit, standing in the hospital doorway. "Come on, I'm not ready to let you out of my sight again...!"
"I'm coming!" shouted Kylie. "Sheesh... who does he think I am?!! Um, Harry, who do YOU think I- Huh? Harry..." Harry was already gone.
***
Dive into the core of Zi itself... Zoids... Eve...
"This is the last time I..." muttered Jenny, handing Dr. Toros his coffee with a glare.
"Oh, you forgot the sugar," moaned Dr. Toros.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK I AM?!!! YOUR SLAVE?!!!!!" yelled Jenny. "Will you stop giving me orders?!! I can't take it any more!!!" She stomped the ground angrily. "Go back to the hole you came from!!!"
"DAD!!!" shouted Leena. "Again?!!! You two sure get along! Listen, we have to do something about-"
"Leena, I'm fine. My head just hurts."
She turned around and sighed, seeing that Robert was back up. "Oh, good. I thought you'd be out for a while."
"I told you, I'm fine. I just want to go home, so goodbye."
"Hey, wait!!!" shouted Leena. "Where-"
"Why do you even care?!!" shouted Robert. "Sheesh, I was out to KILL you and your friends only a few minutes before you turned around and suddenly helped me!!!"
Leena looked at the ground. "I'm not sure. I just wanted to help you find Kokoro... You looked so lonely."
"I think I can deal with it," scoffed Robert. "I just wish you'd leave me alone, okay?"
"Sorry," said Leena quietly. Jenny and Dr. Toros stared, perplexed.
"Don't get me wrong," said Robert. "I really appreciate this. But I need to go some place familiar now."
She nodded. "You reminded me of Bit. You were so determined to... never mind. I'll leave you alone now."
"Sorry," mumbled Robert. "Tell Bit I said goodbye, and not to hold a grudge if I suddenly end up fighting you guys again just because Kaiser Kage told me to."
"Huh..." said Jenny after he left. "I don't get it. He seemed so hopeful, and now... what happened in here, anyways? And who's this Kaiser person?"
"He just found out that the girl he loves isn't even a girl, but an artificial intelligence system in an artificial body," said Leena.
"So what?" asked Jenny. "Just because she's not human doesn't mean she can't love him back." She giggled.
"I don't see what's so funny!" cried Leena.
"You're all such complete idiots!" said Jenny, still laughing. "I'm going to talk some sense into him. Err, but not right now," she added, eyeing Dr. Toros as he continued to play with the models.
"Uh, well, I guess we should get going now," shrugged Leena. "I wish I could help him further, but... Let's go home. We just have to find Bit."
"What's with Robert?" asked Bit, walking into the room.
"Oh! There you are," smiled Leena. "He's gonna go find Kokoro," she lied quickly. Leena felt bad about letting him down...
"You were playing matchmaker, weren't you?" asked Bit sternly.
"Not exactly... Huh? Kylie!!!" cried Leena. "Oh, wow!!! Where did you come from?!! I thought you were-"
Kylie stepped out from behind her brother and shrugged. "I suppose nothing can keep me away from my onii-san," she suggested.
"Well, good for you two," smiled Leena. "You know, I wonder where Leon went..."
"Your brother?" asked Nurse Jenny. "He went to go see if Jack knows who did this to Mr. Toros, who obviously has no clue."
"Can you-"
"Don't say another word," sighed Jenny hopelessly. "When am I going to get rid of you people? Come on. one of you, please, stay with Dr. Toros."
"Leena?" asked Bit.
"Oh, fine..." mumbled Leena, not bothering to argue. Obviously Bit wasn't about to leave Kylie alone without a very reliable adult.
"What are we waiting for?" asked Kylie. Bit grinned and they followed Jenny out of the room.
***
"I think I can trust you two not to do anything stupid," mumbled Nurse Jenny as she left Kylie and Bit at the door to Jack Sisco's room. "So if you don't mind, I'm going to go find your friend Robert."
She jogged down the hallway, holding on to her nurse's hat. It wasn't every day you met the winners of the Royal Cup!!! It also wasn't everyday that you decided to help a total stranger just because you didn't want to be around a certain patient any more.
Leaving the hospital, Jenny looked for any signs of a Spino Snapper. She did see, however, a few Zoids parked just outside of town. "Ooh!" she said as she ran out of the city and to them. "Nice, I've always wanted to see the Ultimate X up close and personal. Alright, Liger, I'm gonna borrow you for a moment, 'kay?"
The huge Zoid looked down at her. "Okay, at the moment I'm just a Nurse, but you'll understand, right?" she asked. "I'm talking to a Zoid... sheesh." Jenny climbed into Liger's cockpit without him making any fuss. "Wow! This is so cool... okay."
The girl pushed forward on Liger's controls and he obeyed. Quickly she turned on the sensors. "Ah, he hasn't gone very far," she said in approval. "Looks as though he's spotted me!" she added with delight. "Of course, I'm sure he's not stupid enough to fight."
Sure enough, a comlink popped up. "Bit, Leena, will you just leave me alone?" asked Robert.
"Unfortunately, Bit and Leena aren't here for our appointment." Jenny shrugged.
"What do you want?" asked Robert skeptically.
"Just to knock some sense into you," said Jenny. She laughed.
"What's so funny?"
"You look like the determined kind, the guy who wouldn't care what his love really is!" cried Jenny. "You don't seem the type to just give up because she's not real, like you."
"Why do you care?"
"It's not quite the same reason as Leena's..." murmured Jenny. "I know someone who's not quite human, either, but does that stop me from looking for him?!! No way on Zi!!! I don't freaking care as long as I know he's alive!!!"
"So-"
"Hey, I'm not done," continued Jenny. "I'm not looking for him because he's like me, not entirely human anymore, or because he's my brother, but because I know that all that really matters is that we care for each other!!! That, because we're both alive, there's still a chance that we'll find each other! Even though I sometimes change my name to keep the Backdraft away, I don't think it would hinder or discourage him from finding me. As long as he's looking, I'm looking." She calmed down a bit. "Sometimes at night... I look up at the twin moons, and I know that somewhere Taro is, too. That somewhere Taro's thinking, 'Somewhere Sayo's looking at these moons, too.' And it keeps me going even when the chances are that I'll never see him again."
"You're awfully persistent," said Robert. "But I think I understand what you're trying to say."
"Yeah, you should never give up as long as you're still living. And I'm still alive, so I'm not gonna give up," said Sayo. "Nurse Jenny, phaw... what a stupid name. Thanks, Liger. Are you going to go back, kid?" she asked.
"No," said Robert. "No... I'm gonna look for Kokoro."
"Good for you!" shouted Sayo. "I, on the other hand, have to return this Liger. Most likely we'll meet again... so I won't say goodbye. I don't say goodbye to anyone. So never say goodbye to your Kokoro!"
Robert laughed. "Alright. I won't."
The LZX turned around and ran back towards New Helic City. Sayo sighed longingly. It had been so long... Taro was probably right under her nose THIS time. No matter what the time, the place, the anything, she'd keep looking. And she was sure that, after that pep talk, Robert would, too.
Don't be afraid, Chosen... just dive and save Zoids Eve before it's too late...
***
Hmm.... Kokoro... is... basically.... a... ROBOT!!!!! Sheesh! Actually, I had this planned : ) Not that I'm trying to mentally hurt my characters or anything. I have this feeling that Robert's never gonna have the guts to tell Kokoro what she really is.
"Ha!!! Now, all we need is a Gravity Cannon."
***
Dive into the mind...
"Ha!!!" shouted Sephiroth Adrian Donovan. "Now, all we need is a Gravity Cannon."
"Really?" cried Kokoro. "So if we find one of those, this thing can destroy the Deathstinger?"
He cringed. "Actually... I don't know how to pilot huge Zoids like this. And it needs some power. I mean, its been dormant for so long that..."
"Spare me the details," sighed Kokoro. "I'm just glad we were able to fix it this much."
"Listen, Kokoro," said Sephiroth. "I know you really want to find your friend... So if you wanna take my Gul Tiger while I figure out where I can get a Cannon, go for it."
"Really...?" asked Kokoro. "I've never piloted a Zoid before."
He sweat-dropped. "Ah well, that's too bad..."
"But I can try."
"Just remember, he may not let you pilot him..." mumbled Sephiroth. "The Gul Tiger is an X, so he's quite a personality. Very impatient. But if he likes you, it'll make it a whole lot easier to pilot the Tiger."
"Again, spare me the details!" cried Kokoro. "Are you sure I can...?"
"Yeah," said Sephiroth. "I'm gonna be on the Ultrasaurus for a while, so why not?"
"Thanks," sighed Kokoro. "You know, I should introduce you two sometime. You'd get along really well."
"Oh?"
"You're both technical geniuses!" cried Kokoro. "Okay, I'm gonna go now! Do the coms work again?"
Sephiroth nodded.
"Right, then if I have any trouble with the Gul Tiger, I'll call you. Thanks again!"
Kokoro ran off before he could tell her the Ultrasaurus' com number. Adrian chuckled to himself. "Sheesh... I wonder if she'll find him. I also wonder where Vivian and Sylvia are..."
In a few seconds she ran back. "Where did you say you saw a Spino Snapper?"
"Near New Helic..."
***
"Oh, that RAT!!!" cried Vivian angrily. "Kage resurrected the Deathstinger!!! I just knew that would happen..." She sighed as the Death Cat approached the ruins of Guyglos, then laughed. "Ha ha... it's so stupid. This is where I was created, and this is where I'll be destroyed, as well as where I'll destroy HIM!!! He might be able to control me, but that won't change anything..."
Her idea was crazy, but it just might work. It had worked so many years ago for the Guardian Force, so surely it would work now. As the Death Cat ran to the center of the ruins it was passed by Sephiroth's Gul Tiger, which was swerving back and forth madly. "What the...?" she asked. "It can't be Adrian in the cockpit, he'd never drive like that..."
***
"Calm down, Gul Tiger!" cried Kokoro as it ran willy-nilly. "Come on! Gimmee a break! So I'm new at this..." It seemed to laugh as it stopped running and stood still. "Oh, come on!" cried Kokoro. "You're not being very helpful!"
The Gul Tiger shot off again in a completely new direction. "Stop it, Gully!" cried Kokoro. He stopped. "Err... run towards New Helic, Gully." The X turned east and ran. "Oh, I think I figured it out..." mumbled Kokoro to herself. "He must like it when I call him 'Gully.' " she shrugged. "Huh. That's strange. Can't you go any faster, Gully?!!" she challenged.
***
"Dr. Toros?" asked Robert, waving a hand in front of the doctor's face. "Are you listening to me?!!"
"Dr. Scott..." mumbled Toros, thinking for a moment. "Oh yes! Now I remember! A good man, until the Backdraft got to him... Ho ho! I should have added one of these to Leena's old Zoid..."
"This is hopeless," muttered Robert. He was getting nowhere.
"DAD!" shouted Leena, pulling the model of a Dibison out of his hands. "PAY ATTENTION!!!"
Dr. Toros whined something childishly and Leena sighed, kneeling down beside him. "Now listen, Dad, if you want me to get you out of this hospital and far, far away from that Nurse Jenny, you'll help our friend Robert with his problem, okay?"
"Listen, Leena, if he doesn't want to..." began Robert.
"Dad's GOING to help you, and he's going to NOW," yelled Leena.
"Control freak," muttered Robert.
"Then again," Leena smiled sweetly, "He doesn't have to."
"Hey, I take it back!" cried Robert.
Dr. Toros stood up thoughtfully. "If I remember correctly, he was a real stickler when it came to grammar," he laughed. "Though I suppose you could say he was a technical genius. Let's see... a little more than ten years ago his wife died. Her name was Kokoro Marron. He had... three sons, err, Robert, Cid, and Adrian..." He paused and paced across the room. "Hmm... he was very depressed about Kokoro... and he was simply crushed when his youngest son disappeared."
Robert cringed.
"So, when he learned that our old gang- Layon, Oscar, and I- were taking another year of college, just to learn about the new developments, he joined us. I did my term project thingy with him. It was an artificial intelligence system, and we called it CHAO, but then it disappeared... so we had to start over again with a new one, which was a heck of a lot better. When it was graded Scott decided he'd take it and modify it some more... What else... Ah, yes!!! Scott wrote his thesis paper on various aspects artificial intelligence. He believed he'd found a way to let the AI systems learn by themselves, not just repeat what we do in a Zoid cockpit. To give them more HUMAN characteristics, like emotions. Kind of like an organoid. Leena and I were going to go look at his new machine, but he disappeared. I was actually kind of disappointed..."
As Dr. Toros ranted on, Robert sighed. "This doesn't help... I was hoping that he'd be able to tell me more about Kokoro... not my mother, but..." Leena shrugged. "We tried," she said.
"Wait!" cried Dr. Toros. "To make our AI system even more realistic, he integrated it into a human-like body. Of course, it had never belonged to an actual person but was created out of- Robert, are you okay?!!"
The color had left Robert's face. "Leena, please tell me he didn't just say what I THINK he said?" he asked.
"I would, but I'd be lying," said Leena.
Robert felt his forehead. "The heck... I've fallen in love with an artificial intelligence system. This can't be for real."
Nurse Jenny walked into the room just in time to see the usually unmovable Robert collapse from shock. "What's with him?" she asked. "Oh, wait, I'm the Nurse. Mr. Toros, move those models off your bed and back where they belong!" she ordered, trying to think of what to do.
***
Dive into the heart...
"Harry, wait!!!"
Harry Champ turned around to see Kylie running after him. She sighed in relief. "I forgot to say goodbye."
"Oh..." he said. He didn't really want to, not yet.
"Why are you blushing?" asked Kylie.
"Err, it's just hot out," grinned Harry. "Goodbye, I've gotta-"
Kylie leaned forward and quickly kissed him on the cheek. "I guess this is the last time I'll see you. Goodbye."
"Kylie!" called Bit, standing in the hospital doorway. "Come on, I'm not ready to let you out of my sight again...!"
"I'm coming!" shouted Kylie. "Sheesh... who does he think I am?!! Um, Harry, who do YOU think I- Huh? Harry..." Harry was already gone.
***
Dive into the core of Zi itself... Zoids... Eve...
"This is the last time I..." muttered Jenny, handing Dr. Toros his coffee with a glare.
"Oh, you forgot the sugar," moaned Dr. Toros.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK I AM?!!! YOUR SLAVE?!!!!!" yelled Jenny. "Will you stop giving me orders?!! I can't take it any more!!!" She stomped the ground angrily. "Go back to the hole you came from!!!"
"DAD!!!" shouted Leena. "Again?!!! You two sure get along! Listen, we have to do something about-"
"Leena, I'm fine. My head just hurts."
She turned around and sighed, seeing that Robert was back up. "Oh, good. I thought you'd be out for a while."
"I told you, I'm fine. I just want to go home, so goodbye."
"Hey, wait!!!" shouted Leena. "Where-"
"Why do you even care?!!" shouted Robert. "Sheesh, I was out to KILL you and your friends only a few minutes before you turned around and suddenly helped me!!!"
Leena looked at the ground. "I'm not sure. I just wanted to help you find Kokoro... You looked so lonely."
"I think I can deal with it," scoffed Robert. "I just wish you'd leave me alone, okay?"
"Sorry," said Leena quietly. Jenny and Dr. Toros stared, perplexed.
"Don't get me wrong," said Robert. "I really appreciate this. But I need to go some place familiar now."
She nodded. "You reminded me of Bit. You were so determined to... never mind. I'll leave you alone now."
"Sorry," mumbled Robert. "Tell Bit I said goodbye, and not to hold a grudge if I suddenly end up fighting you guys again just because Kaiser Kage told me to."
"Huh..." said Jenny after he left. "I don't get it. He seemed so hopeful, and now... what happened in here, anyways? And who's this Kaiser person?"
"He just found out that the girl he loves isn't even a girl, but an artificial intelligence system in an artificial body," said Leena.
"So what?" asked Jenny. "Just because she's not human doesn't mean she can't love him back." She giggled.
"I don't see what's so funny!" cried Leena.
"You're all such complete idiots!" said Jenny, still laughing. "I'm going to talk some sense into him. Err, but not right now," she added, eyeing Dr. Toros as he continued to play with the models.
"Uh, well, I guess we should get going now," shrugged Leena. "I wish I could help him further, but... Let's go home. We just have to find Bit."
"What's with Robert?" asked Bit, walking into the room.
"Oh! There you are," smiled Leena. "He's gonna go find Kokoro," she lied quickly. Leena felt bad about letting him down...
"You were playing matchmaker, weren't you?" asked Bit sternly.
"Not exactly... Huh? Kylie!!!" cried Leena. "Oh, wow!!! Where did you come from?!! I thought you were-"
Kylie stepped out from behind her brother and shrugged. "I suppose nothing can keep me away from my onii-san," she suggested.
"Well, good for you two," smiled Leena. "You know, I wonder where Leon went..."
"Your brother?" asked Nurse Jenny. "He went to go see if Jack knows who did this to Mr. Toros, who obviously has no clue."
"Can you-"
"Don't say another word," sighed Jenny hopelessly. "When am I going to get rid of you people? Come on. one of you, please, stay with Dr. Toros."
"Leena?" asked Bit.
"Oh, fine..." mumbled Leena, not bothering to argue. Obviously Bit wasn't about to leave Kylie alone without a very reliable adult.
"What are we waiting for?" asked Kylie. Bit grinned and they followed Jenny out of the room.
***
"I think I can trust you two not to do anything stupid," mumbled Nurse Jenny as she left Kylie and Bit at the door to Jack Sisco's room. "So if you don't mind, I'm going to go find your friend Robert."
She jogged down the hallway, holding on to her nurse's hat. It wasn't every day you met the winners of the Royal Cup!!! It also wasn't everyday that you decided to help a total stranger just because you didn't want to be around a certain patient any more.
Leaving the hospital, Jenny looked for any signs of a Spino Snapper. She did see, however, a few Zoids parked just outside of town. "Ooh!" she said as she ran out of the city and to them. "Nice, I've always wanted to see the Ultimate X up close and personal. Alright, Liger, I'm gonna borrow you for a moment, 'kay?"
The huge Zoid looked down at her. "Okay, at the moment I'm just a Nurse, but you'll understand, right?" she asked. "I'm talking to a Zoid... sheesh." Jenny climbed into Liger's cockpit without him making any fuss. "Wow! This is so cool... okay."
The girl pushed forward on Liger's controls and he obeyed. Quickly she turned on the sensors. "Ah, he hasn't gone very far," she said in approval. "Looks as though he's spotted me!" she added with delight. "Of course, I'm sure he's not stupid enough to fight."
Sure enough, a comlink popped up. "Bit, Leena, will you just leave me alone?" asked Robert.
"Unfortunately, Bit and Leena aren't here for our appointment." Jenny shrugged.
"What do you want?" asked Robert skeptically.
"Just to knock some sense into you," said Jenny. She laughed.
"What's so funny?"
"You look like the determined kind, the guy who wouldn't care what his love really is!" cried Jenny. "You don't seem the type to just give up because she's not real, like you."
"Why do you care?"
"It's not quite the same reason as Leena's..." murmured Jenny. "I know someone who's not quite human, either, but does that stop me from looking for him?!! No way on Zi!!! I don't freaking care as long as I know he's alive!!!"
"So-"
"Hey, I'm not done," continued Jenny. "I'm not looking for him because he's like me, not entirely human anymore, or because he's my brother, but because I know that all that really matters is that we care for each other!!! That, because we're both alive, there's still a chance that we'll find each other! Even though I sometimes change my name to keep the Backdraft away, I don't think it would hinder or discourage him from finding me. As long as he's looking, I'm looking." She calmed down a bit. "Sometimes at night... I look up at the twin moons, and I know that somewhere Taro is, too. That somewhere Taro's thinking, 'Somewhere Sayo's looking at these moons, too.' And it keeps me going even when the chances are that I'll never see him again."
"You're awfully persistent," said Robert. "But I think I understand what you're trying to say."
"Yeah, you should never give up as long as you're still living. And I'm still alive, so I'm not gonna give up," said Sayo. "Nurse Jenny, phaw... what a stupid name. Thanks, Liger. Are you going to go back, kid?" she asked.
"No," said Robert. "No... I'm gonna look for Kokoro."
"Good for you!" shouted Sayo. "I, on the other hand, have to return this Liger. Most likely we'll meet again... so I won't say goodbye. I don't say goodbye to anyone. So never say goodbye to your Kokoro!"
Robert laughed. "Alright. I won't."
The LZX turned around and ran back towards New Helic City. Sayo sighed longingly. It had been so long... Taro was probably right under her nose THIS time. No matter what the time, the place, the anything, she'd keep looking. And she was sure that, after that pep talk, Robert would, too.
Don't be afraid, Chosen... just dive and save Zoids Eve before it's too late...
***
Hmm.... Kokoro... is... basically.... a... ROBOT!!!!! Sheesh! Actually, I had this planned : ) Not that I'm trying to mentally hurt my characters or anything. I have this feeling that Robert's never gonna have the guts to tell Kokoro what she really is.
