Author's Note~ Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I always feel so
special. Well, we'll see about the darkest before the dawn thing,
Dragoncat. . .this fic doesn't have much of a dawn. But, incidentally, I
just started writing a Zee/Ro which uses that expression. . .I'll probably
post it after this story finishes up. Thank you, this note is over. . the
story!
Chapter 3 ~ Sacrifice
Ro lay on the floor of the Suite in which she was imprisoned, ear pressed against the ground, trying to hear what was going on down on the floor beneath her. She could hear Sweete's booming voice talking to the quieter voices of several guards, but could barely make out what they were saying. Suddenly, to her surprise, the low tremors of Zee's voice could be heard, as well. She strained her ears to understand what was being said.
"Zeta, it is time you carry out. . .mission. Have Brenner and. . .prepared. . .?"
"Yes. . . I'm ready" Zee's voice was resolute, yet sorrowful at the same time. Ro's heart skipped as she realized that he couldn't have been completely reprogrammed- the man speaking was the Zee she had always known. She had to stop him, to get to him somehow, and convince him not to kill anyone. Unfortunately, there was still a sidearm pressed against her head.
"'scuse me, Guard? Could I maybe use the bathroom?"
He grunted a response and led her towards the bathroom, opening the door and waving his arm to tell her to go in.
"Eww, I'm not going in front of you! Give a girl some privacy, why dontcha?" He stared at her, not moving.
"What? We're on the 14th story, here. How am I possibly going to escape?"
He spoke for the first time in a deep voice. "I'm under orders."
She grinned. "Titus told you to do this? That kidder! Betcha didn't know I'm his great niece! You know how he is. Big temper, would kidnap his own mother if she got in his way, but he'd be royally pissed off if any of his guards mistreated her!"
The guard coughed nervously. "He. . .didn't say nothin' to me about this."
She glanced around, and spoke in a whisper. "Yeah, it's sorta a secret that I'm here. . .don't tell anyone."
The guard looked skeptical. "Well. . .hurry up! And make sure to tell the boss I never mistreated you."
"Oh, I will!" she grinned, shutting the door. "Idiot." She muttered to herself, and then got instantly to work on escaping. She glanced at the opaque window. The hinges soldered shut, but one edge was wearing away. That seemed to be the best option. Ro took the metallic soap tray and wedged it in the crack, pulling up the window pane. She caught it before it crashed to the floor, and laid it gently on the counter.
"Hurry up in there!" shouted the guard.
"Sorry, sorry! Just gimme a minute!" Sucking in a lungful of air, she managed to squeeze through the tiny window. Ro glanced down. The 14th floor looked a lot higher from here. She could see the pavement below- it looked very far away. To her right, there was nothing but empty sky. A couple feet to her left, a rickety fire escape.
"The things I do for you, Zee," she muttered, poising herself to leap onto the escape from her perch on the window sill. She exhaled, heart fluttering, and jumped. She hadn't jumped far enough, she was going to miss. . .but her hand caught one of the metal bars. Her arm ached where it held her up, but at least she wasn't just a smudge on the pavement. She began to climb down, and heard a crash. The guard had broken open the door, and was running to the window to see her scurrying down the rusty ladder. He began shooting the sidearm, but seemed to be afraid of fatally wounding her, just in case she really was Sweete's niece. Just then, a couple floors above, Sweete's head poked out. His grey eyes rounded as he saw her.
"You son of a bitch!" he yelled at the guard. "Shoot her down!" He grabbed his own sidearm and began firing. Ro must have been around the sixth or seventh floor when his first shot hit the bar she was holding. White hot pain seared through her hand, and she let go, falling. She braced herself to land on the hard asphalt, but to her surprise landed someplace soft and squishy. She opened her eyes, to see that she was sitting in a dumpster.
"Eww. . ." she murmured shakily, then remembered Sweete as a laser blast landed next to her, setting a small fire in the dumpster. She pulled herself out and began dashing away, still pursued by sidearm blasts, but feeling a bit safer as they really weren't meant for this kind of distance. Ro continued running for blocks, chest aching and wounded hand still burning with pain.
Finally, up ahead, she saw the Robotics Convention. Security surveillance surrounded the compound, but they did not look twice at the dark haired young man in a lab coat with a security ID. Neither did they stop Ro, who used the visitors' entrance, and trailed along behind a blonde couple, looking like the teenage daughter who did not want to be seen with her parents. It was only once she was inside that she saw the dark haired scientist, making a beeline for the center of the upper level like a man possessed.
She knew it was still Zee, at least partially. The sad, distant expression on his face was his, the ironically soulful eyes were his, the human form was as familiar to her as her own face. And yet, he was different. He now wanted to kill the people here as much as he would have once wanted to protect them. And he was ruthless- he marched through the building, shoving through the crowd in his way and ignoring their angry mutterings. He would not let anything stand in his way. Yet Ro felt hope- it was still Zee, and she knew she could bring him back. All he needed was to realize what she knew had to be true- that although Brother's Day programmed him, he was developed beyond his programming, and he was real.
She ran to him, she hopped the gate that banned visitors from accessing the upper level, she, too, pushed anyone that dared stand in her path. She could see him taking out a small parcel that looked like some sort of invention- but she could recognize it for a Brother's Day bomb. He was setting it now. . .
"Zee! No, Zee, don't!"
He turned around, to see Ro there, running after him.
"Zee, you can't do this! You don't want to hurt these people!"
His response was instantaneous, automatic. "Yes, I do. It's my programming."
"Screw your programming! You don't have to listen to it! You've beaten it before!"
"Ro, I've always been following orders."
She flinched, as if the idea physically hurt her. "No," she said, calmly, quietly, eyes shining with tears and passion. "No. All those times you were the only one there for me, protecting me, comforting me. . .they were real. They weren't some program. You are the truest friend and truest family I've ever known. You are Zee, not Infiltration Unit Zeta. You can't be a lie. You're real. If you aren't. . .well, you have to be. You just have to."
She didn't seem to notice that the tears were streaming down her face freely, something she would have found despicable normally. He ignored her, and turned back to the bomb to finish setting it. She threw her arms around his waist, attempting to pull him back. People were staring, noticing him, something that he couldn't afford. He spoke to her, his words cold and mild in sharp contrast to her deep emotion.
"Ro, please leave. You are hindering my mission."
"No! I won't leave until you come back to me! You'll hear my voice, and you'll come back!" she sobbed. He wrenched her arms off his body and dropped her on the ground. He stepped away and finished setting the bomb, but she grabbed him again.
"No! I won't let you hurt people! You wouldn't want it! You'll hate it, when you come back to me! Everyone run, there's a bomb!" she screamed. Panic ensued, people rushing every which way to find the door. Half of the security guards joined the rush to escape, the more valiant half came rushing at Zeta. These were quickly scattered by a blast from the plasma cannon Zeta had recently acquired.
"You are severely threatening my mission. I will have no choice but to eliminate you," he said softly, emotionlessly. She gazed up at his face, met his eyes with a brave grimace.
"You wouldn't kill me, Zee. You'd never hurt me."
Looking at the sobbing girl, that false pain at the non-existence of feelings filled him once again. She was a lie. All he had ever felt for her was a lie. It was gone and never had been. All she was was a mission threat, a target to be destroyed.
As if reading his thoughts, she shook her head. "No, Zee. You'd never hurt me. I trust you."
His eyes remained cold, and Ro shivered but did not move. It's Zee, I trust him, she repeated over and over again, trying to convince herself not to be afraid. Suddenly, his powerful arms lifted her off the ground where she knelt, and drew her body against his, drew her cheek to his. She looked up at him, her eyes brightened, her lips formed a broad smile as her bright gaze met his dark eyes, a pale hand reaching up to touch his face.
He took her head in one of his hands and cupped it gently for a moment, then pulled back quite suddenly. There was a crack like a gunshot when her neck broke. The blood poured onto his fingers.
Chapter 3 ~ Sacrifice
Ro lay on the floor of the Suite in which she was imprisoned, ear pressed against the ground, trying to hear what was going on down on the floor beneath her. She could hear Sweete's booming voice talking to the quieter voices of several guards, but could barely make out what they were saying. Suddenly, to her surprise, the low tremors of Zee's voice could be heard, as well. She strained her ears to understand what was being said.
"Zeta, it is time you carry out. . .mission. Have Brenner and. . .prepared. . .?"
"Yes. . . I'm ready" Zee's voice was resolute, yet sorrowful at the same time. Ro's heart skipped as she realized that he couldn't have been completely reprogrammed- the man speaking was the Zee she had always known. She had to stop him, to get to him somehow, and convince him not to kill anyone. Unfortunately, there was still a sidearm pressed against her head.
"'scuse me, Guard? Could I maybe use the bathroom?"
He grunted a response and led her towards the bathroom, opening the door and waving his arm to tell her to go in.
"Eww, I'm not going in front of you! Give a girl some privacy, why dontcha?" He stared at her, not moving.
"What? We're on the 14th story, here. How am I possibly going to escape?"
He spoke for the first time in a deep voice. "I'm under orders."
She grinned. "Titus told you to do this? That kidder! Betcha didn't know I'm his great niece! You know how he is. Big temper, would kidnap his own mother if she got in his way, but he'd be royally pissed off if any of his guards mistreated her!"
The guard coughed nervously. "He. . .didn't say nothin' to me about this."
She glanced around, and spoke in a whisper. "Yeah, it's sorta a secret that I'm here. . .don't tell anyone."
The guard looked skeptical. "Well. . .hurry up! And make sure to tell the boss I never mistreated you."
"Oh, I will!" she grinned, shutting the door. "Idiot." She muttered to herself, and then got instantly to work on escaping. She glanced at the opaque window. The hinges soldered shut, but one edge was wearing away. That seemed to be the best option. Ro took the metallic soap tray and wedged it in the crack, pulling up the window pane. She caught it before it crashed to the floor, and laid it gently on the counter.
"Hurry up in there!" shouted the guard.
"Sorry, sorry! Just gimme a minute!" Sucking in a lungful of air, she managed to squeeze through the tiny window. Ro glanced down. The 14th floor looked a lot higher from here. She could see the pavement below- it looked very far away. To her right, there was nothing but empty sky. A couple feet to her left, a rickety fire escape.
"The things I do for you, Zee," she muttered, poising herself to leap onto the escape from her perch on the window sill. She exhaled, heart fluttering, and jumped. She hadn't jumped far enough, she was going to miss. . .but her hand caught one of the metal bars. Her arm ached where it held her up, but at least she wasn't just a smudge on the pavement. She began to climb down, and heard a crash. The guard had broken open the door, and was running to the window to see her scurrying down the rusty ladder. He began shooting the sidearm, but seemed to be afraid of fatally wounding her, just in case she really was Sweete's niece. Just then, a couple floors above, Sweete's head poked out. His grey eyes rounded as he saw her.
"You son of a bitch!" he yelled at the guard. "Shoot her down!" He grabbed his own sidearm and began firing. Ro must have been around the sixth or seventh floor when his first shot hit the bar she was holding. White hot pain seared through her hand, and she let go, falling. She braced herself to land on the hard asphalt, but to her surprise landed someplace soft and squishy. She opened her eyes, to see that she was sitting in a dumpster.
"Eww. . ." she murmured shakily, then remembered Sweete as a laser blast landed next to her, setting a small fire in the dumpster. She pulled herself out and began dashing away, still pursued by sidearm blasts, but feeling a bit safer as they really weren't meant for this kind of distance. Ro continued running for blocks, chest aching and wounded hand still burning with pain.
Finally, up ahead, she saw the Robotics Convention. Security surveillance surrounded the compound, but they did not look twice at the dark haired young man in a lab coat with a security ID. Neither did they stop Ro, who used the visitors' entrance, and trailed along behind a blonde couple, looking like the teenage daughter who did not want to be seen with her parents. It was only once she was inside that she saw the dark haired scientist, making a beeline for the center of the upper level like a man possessed.
She knew it was still Zee, at least partially. The sad, distant expression on his face was his, the ironically soulful eyes were his, the human form was as familiar to her as her own face. And yet, he was different. He now wanted to kill the people here as much as he would have once wanted to protect them. And he was ruthless- he marched through the building, shoving through the crowd in his way and ignoring their angry mutterings. He would not let anything stand in his way. Yet Ro felt hope- it was still Zee, and she knew she could bring him back. All he needed was to realize what she knew had to be true- that although Brother's Day programmed him, he was developed beyond his programming, and he was real.
She ran to him, she hopped the gate that banned visitors from accessing the upper level, she, too, pushed anyone that dared stand in her path. She could see him taking out a small parcel that looked like some sort of invention- but she could recognize it for a Brother's Day bomb. He was setting it now. . .
"Zee! No, Zee, don't!"
He turned around, to see Ro there, running after him.
"Zee, you can't do this! You don't want to hurt these people!"
His response was instantaneous, automatic. "Yes, I do. It's my programming."
"Screw your programming! You don't have to listen to it! You've beaten it before!"
"Ro, I've always been following orders."
She flinched, as if the idea physically hurt her. "No," she said, calmly, quietly, eyes shining with tears and passion. "No. All those times you were the only one there for me, protecting me, comforting me. . .they were real. They weren't some program. You are the truest friend and truest family I've ever known. You are Zee, not Infiltration Unit Zeta. You can't be a lie. You're real. If you aren't. . .well, you have to be. You just have to."
She didn't seem to notice that the tears were streaming down her face freely, something she would have found despicable normally. He ignored her, and turned back to the bomb to finish setting it. She threw her arms around his waist, attempting to pull him back. People were staring, noticing him, something that he couldn't afford. He spoke to her, his words cold and mild in sharp contrast to her deep emotion.
"Ro, please leave. You are hindering my mission."
"No! I won't leave until you come back to me! You'll hear my voice, and you'll come back!" she sobbed. He wrenched her arms off his body and dropped her on the ground. He stepped away and finished setting the bomb, but she grabbed him again.
"No! I won't let you hurt people! You wouldn't want it! You'll hate it, when you come back to me! Everyone run, there's a bomb!" she screamed. Panic ensued, people rushing every which way to find the door. Half of the security guards joined the rush to escape, the more valiant half came rushing at Zeta. These were quickly scattered by a blast from the plasma cannon Zeta had recently acquired.
"You are severely threatening my mission. I will have no choice but to eliminate you," he said softly, emotionlessly. She gazed up at his face, met his eyes with a brave grimace.
"You wouldn't kill me, Zee. You'd never hurt me."
Looking at the sobbing girl, that false pain at the non-existence of feelings filled him once again. She was a lie. All he had ever felt for her was a lie. It was gone and never had been. All she was was a mission threat, a target to be destroyed.
As if reading his thoughts, she shook her head. "No, Zee. You'd never hurt me. I trust you."
His eyes remained cold, and Ro shivered but did not move. It's Zee, I trust him, she repeated over and over again, trying to convince herself not to be afraid. Suddenly, his powerful arms lifted her off the ground where she knelt, and drew her body against his, drew her cheek to his. She looked up at him, her eyes brightened, her lips formed a broad smile as her bright gaze met his dark eyes, a pale hand reaching up to touch his face.
He took her head in one of his hands and cupped it gently for a moment, then pulled back quite suddenly. There was a crack like a gunshot when her neck broke. The blood poured onto his fingers.