The Secret of Solex
Chapter 4
The next evening, Connor was finally able to go home. That alone brought him a great sense of comfort, as he held a great dislike for hospitals. Fortunately, Abby had called his father and told him that Connor was spending the night and following day with her, Chip and Mong in order to spare him unnecessary worry. The boy didn't like keeping secrets, but if his father had known what happened, he would have been angry and might even have blamed Cubix. Cubix didn't need any more stress than he was already self-inflicting.
The robot had been quiet since their departure from the hospital. Chip, Abby and Mong along with their respective androids had come to escort Connor home. The other children had all noticed Cubix's change in demeanor, but they all had assumed that it would be temporary and therefore said nothing. Connor, on the other hand, was worried. He had never blamed Cubix for his injury, and he couldn't understand why his friend was being so unnecessarily hard on himself.
After escorting Connor home, the children left for the evening with plans to meet at the Botties Pit the next day. The father had just come back from work and was sitting on the couch, watching television, when the two walked in. He gave the two a wave, "Hey son, hi Cubix."
"Hey Dad!" Connor responded. Cubix was quiet, the silence spreading throughout the entire room. The boy felt awkward, Cubix had always been friendly towards the father despite the older man's initial reactions. It wasn't within the robot's character to be shy or unsociable. This caused Connor even greater apprehension.
The father also noticed Cubix's odd behavior, but decided not to question it, "How was your slumber party?"
"Uh…it was really good--fun!" Connor stammered, raising one hand to the back of his head. The father nodded. Without any further ado, the boy quickly marched up the stairs, Cubix following closely. Once in his room, Connor closed the door and sat down on his bed. "Gosh…I really hate to lie to him…"
"It's probably for the best," Cubix said softly. It was the first time he had spoken that day. The child looked up at him, worry etched into his young features.
"You don't still blame yourself for this, do you?" Connor asked. "Because it wasn't your fault."
The robot tilted his head slightly.
Not only have you allowed Connor to be harmed, but now you're annoying him.
You don't deserve a kind human like him.
The menacing thoughts had followed him, never ceasing their demeaning tone.
Not even for a moment.
"No…" Cubix answered quietly. His tone was soft, softer than Connor had ever heard from him.
"Cubix… I'm worried about you."
You don't deserve his worry.
He's going to get tired of you, and get a better robot.
Leaving you alone.
The robot remained silent for a long time. Connor studied his visor, which was always an indicator of his emotions. For the first time, within the glowing optics he found nothing. Cubix had never been the type to guard his emotions, until now. It just didn't make any sense. It wasn't as if the robot had never made mistakes before, and the child's injury was not even the result of a mistake. He simply had not been able to stop Kilobot's assault. Connor failed to understand why his friend was taking this so brutally.
"Is there more to this than what I'm thinking?" Connor questioned. "Because I can't imagine you being so upset over something like this."
You're making him angry.
He's getting tired of you.
He will abandon you.
It's for the best. He deserves a better robot than you.
Cubix didn't know how to react. Anxiety gnawed at him. The thought of Connor abandoning him sent a numbing jolt of terror through him, leaving him disorientated. He worried about saying the wrong thing, and making his best friend angrier. So he said nothing, only standing frozen in his place by the door.
"Please, Cubix," Connor's voice strained with worry, "Tell me what's going on!"
The strain of apprehension was misinterpreted by the robot's conflicted mind as the sound of thinning patience.
He has grown tired of putting up with you.
You are defective, he deserves better.
He will abandon you. It is inevitable.
If you leave first, you will be spared the pain of abandonment.
Cubix didn't know what to do. Connor had never given a hint of previous malcontent, and there was no solid evidence that the boy had any plans of abandonment.
He has grown tired of putting up with you.
He will leave you.
He deserves a better robot than you.
However, once one has heard the same phrases echoing over and over again, despite their absurdity, one would be compelled to believe it.
"I'm sorry," he whimpered. Without giving the boy time to respond, Cubix immediately pushed the door open, ran downstairs and out of the house. Once outside, he transformed into aerial mode and flew away.
"Cubix!" Connor cried. He ran down the stairs after his friend, but his smaller legs were incapable of catching up. The boy could only watch his best friend disappear into the setting sun.
Author's Notes: Heehee, I am so mean to the characters I love. I hope that I have succeeded in keeping both Connor and Cubix in character throughout this chapter. I can't really imagine Conner ever having a serious conflict with Cubix, as both just seem to have very good temperaments. So I decided to have the poor robot misinterpret Connor's worry as anger and annoyance (with a little help from Kilobot). The next chapter will likely be difficult to write, as it shall be filled with Cubix angst, and psychological shtuff. I hope you like it so far!