Mass Transit Station 5, Denver, Colorado, February 3rd, 3:53:29 pm
The transcontinental 367 Magnet Train pulled into the Mass Transit station on the outskirts of Denver, behind schedule due to weather conditions. The doors opened, and passengers flooded out of the cars, toting baggage of all sorts, hurrying off to make other connections. Within a matter of minutes, nearly everyone was off the train. All that remained were two business people of some unknown profession, wearing crisp suits and carrying leather briefcases. A very tall elderly man with a cane was being helped off the train by his associate, a plain dark haired woman with an olive complexion. Soon, they were off and the train thundered into the loading dock. The woman continued to guide her elderly companion, her hand never leaving his although he seemed to manage well on his own. His walk was a bit stiffer than most other people's, but he gave the impression of strength rather than frailty.
The two shyly made their way out, keeping near walls and watching the crowded hallway around them, looking for someone they expected but did not want to see. But this phantom threat never came, so they instead approached a taxi. The elderly man held the door open for his companion with a rather chivalrous air about him, and then he climbed in after her without letting go of her hand.
'What is your destination today, sir and ma'am?' spoke the cheery mechanical voice of the driver bot.
"District B, The Hotel Colorado on Street Block 3460, the side entrance, please," returned than man in a voice that was rather deep for someone his age.
'Based on weather induced traffic conditions, we will arrive in approximately 20 minutes. Please enjoy your ride."
A thick dark shield rolled up, separating passengers from driver save a small intercom. The man flipped the switch on the speaker to off, and removed his hand from the young woman's. Instantly, her body flickered and the illusion that had been there was gone, leaving a pretty if slightly scruffy blond teenager in her place.
"Uhhg, I hate holograms! Do you know how weird it is to try to glance in a window, just to see your reflection, and some strange woman is staring back?"
"I'm quite familiar with holograms, and I've never experienced the sensation you describe. It's natural for me."
"Yeah, well, that's just you, Zee. And changing holograms every two seconds creeps me out."
His outer appearance evaporated as well, leaving a man of indeterminate age, most likely early twenties, dark hair, and wide dark blue eyes sitting on the seat next to her.
"Is this less creepy, Ro?"
"Much better," she grinned, and then glanced out the window.
"Oh, great. It's practically a blizzard out there," she said without enthusiasm.
"I think the snow is beautiful. I enjoy trying to make out the various snowflake patterns as they fall. They can be amazingly intricate."
"Yeah, I'll bet snow is great when you can't feel the cold," she whined. "It's freezing here!"
"Actually, the temperature is 12 degrees Fahrenheit, considerably below freezing. Didn't you bring that leather jacket you insisted we buy in San Francisco?"
She pulled her new jacket closer, but still shivered slightly. "It isn't that warm."
"Yes, I did tell you that the jacket with synthetic fibers would be more practical, but you said that you 'wouldn't be caught dead' in that coat."
She ignored him, knowing he didn't mean to say I-told-you-so, he was merely stating a fact. Synthoids were big on facts. She turned away and watched the snow fall to the ground. No one other than Zee could care about something as simple as snowflakes, but if you really paid attention, it was beautiful. She sat for a moment, enchanted with the soft patterns the frost made on the window, but another gust of cold air caught her by surprise.
"Remind me again why we're here, instead of kicking back all winter in Hawaii?"
"We're answering Bucky's e-mail, of course," he said, a holographic letter suddenly appearing in his hand for Ro to see.
Hey!
I thought you might miss me, so I arranged for us to meet in Denver on the third. You've got reservations at the Colorado. Name is Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Thought Ro might like that. I have some info you might like to have from a certain NSA file. See ya then!
Ro rolled her eyes and sighed. Typical twerp, she could practically hear his smug voice reading it to her. Mr. and Mrs. Smith. He could just not get over the fact that she didn't like him, she thought, more to satisfy herself than as some eternal truth. But Bucky, she had to admit, was good in a pinch, and his info could come in handy. So it wasn't so bad that they had to go find him.
'Sir and Ma'am', came the annoyingly cheerful mechanical voice as the divider panel rose,' we have arrived at your destination. The service charge for 23.2 miles comes to 30 creds'.
Zee swiped his CredCard through the machine in front of him, and then opened the door for Ro. A blast of icy air greeted her, and she clutched the synthoid's arm tightly. She could feel the artificial substance to his hologram, but he lacked body heat, in this weather making him feel almost cold. She pulled away and opened the door to the lobby, allowing herself to slump onto the comfortable couch in front of a heater made to look like an actual fire, and wait while Zee checked in.
Several minutes later he came to her.
"Are you alright?"
She shrugged. "Yeah, I'm fine, but I'm definitely not going outside again. Hawaii is starting to sound really good right now."
His young face broke out into a rather unconvincing grin, what she could swear was a cheap imitation of her own smile. It made her a little sad, how his little emotions always seemed so insincere. He tried so hard to get it right, but it seemed that Zee could never really be a human. And while it was true that his rather attractive hologram and his kind nature made her sometimes forget what he was, these moments didn't last long, they were always spoiled by something he did that was purely robotic.
She felt genuinely sorry for her friend, because for all his efforts he would probably never be more than an imitation. And a bit sorry for herself- Zee was the best thing that had ever happened to her, but it'd be nice if he had at least a bit of a sense of humor.
"Ro? Bucky should be waiting in the hotel restaurant. Are you hungry?" he asked, breaking the awkward pause. Ro glanced up at his earnest, friendly face, and felt rather guilty for her disloyal thoughts.
"Yeah, starving. Let's go, tin man."
The transcontinental 367 Magnet Train pulled into the Mass Transit station on the outskirts of Denver, behind schedule due to weather conditions. The doors opened, and passengers flooded out of the cars, toting baggage of all sorts, hurrying off to make other connections. Within a matter of minutes, nearly everyone was off the train. All that remained were two business people of some unknown profession, wearing crisp suits and carrying leather briefcases. A very tall elderly man with a cane was being helped off the train by his associate, a plain dark haired woman with an olive complexion. Soon, they were off and the train thundered into the loading dock. The woman continued to guide her elderly companion, her hand never leaving his although he seemed to manage well on his own. His walk was a bit stiffer than most other people's, but he gave the impression of strength rather than frailty.
The two shyly made their way out, keeping near walls and watching the crowded hallway around them, looking for someone they expected but did not want to see. But this phantom threat never came, so they instead approached a taxi. The elderly man held the door open for his companion with a rather chivalrous air about him, and then he climbed in after her without letting go of her hand.
'What is your destination today, sir and ma'am?' spoke the cheery mechanical voice of the driver bot.
"District B, The Hotel Colorado on Street Block 3460, the side entrance, please," returned than man in a voice that was rather deep for someone his age.
'Based on weather induced traffic conditions, we will arrive in approximately 20 minutes. Please enjoy your ride."
A thick dark shield rolled up, separating passengers from driver save a small intercom. The man flipped the switch on the speaker to off, and removed his hand from the young woman's. Instantly, her body flickered and the illusion that had been there was gone, leaving a pretty if slightly scruffy blond teenager in her place.
"Uhhg, I hate holograms! Do you know how weird it is to try to glance in a window, just to see your reflection, and some strange woman is staring back?"
"I'm quite familiar with holograms, and I've never experienced the sensation you describe. It's natural for me."
"Yeah, well, that's just you, Zee. And changing holograms every two seconds creeps me out."
His outer appearance evaporated as well, leaving a man of indeterminate age, most likely early twenties, dark hair, and wide dark blue eyes sitting on the seat next to her.
"Is this less creepy, Ro?"
"Much better," she grinned, and then glanced out the window.
"Oh, great. It's practically a blizzard out there," she said without enthusiasm.
"I think the snow is beautiful. I enjoy trying to make out the various snowflake patterns as they fall. They can be amazingly intricate."
"Yeah, I'll bet snow is great when you can't feel the cold," she whined. "It's freezing here!"
"Actually, the temperature is 12 degrees Fahrenheit, considerably below freezing. Didn't you bring that leather jacket you insisted we buy in San Francisco?"
She pulled her new jacket closer, but still shivered slightly. "It isn't that warm."
"Yes, I did tell you that the jacket with synthetic fibers would be more practical, but you said that you 'wouldn't be caught dead' in that coat."
She ignored him, knowing he didn't mean to say I-told-you-so, he was merely stating a fact. Synthoids were big on facts. She turned away and watched the snow fall to the ground. No one other than Zee could care about something as simple as snowflakes, but if you really paid attention, it was beautiful. She sat for a moment, enchanted with the soft patterns the frost made on the window, but another gust of cold air caught her by surprise.
"Remind me again why we're here, instead of kicking back all winter in Hawaii?"
"We're answering Bucky's e-mail, of course," he said, a holographic letter suddenly appearing in his hand for Ro to see.
Hey!
I thought you might miss me, so I arranged for us to meet in Denver on the third. You've got reservations at the Colorado. Name is Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Thought Ro might like that. I have some info you might like to have from a certain NSA file. See ya then!
Ro rolled her eyes and sighed. Typical twerp, she could practically hear his smug voice reading it to her. Mr. and Mrs. Smith. He could just not get over the fact that she didn't like him, she thought, more to satisfy herself than as some eternal truth. But Bucky, she had to admit, was good in a pinch, and his info could come in handy. So it wasn't so bad that they had to go find him.
'Sir and Ma'am', came the annoyingly cheerful mechanical voice as the divider panel rose,' we have arrived at your destination. The service charge for 23.2 miles comes to 30 creds'.
Zee swiped his CredCard through the machine in front of him, and then opened the door for Ro. A blast of icy air greeted her, and she clutched the synthoid's arm tightly. She could feel the artificial substance to his hologram, but he lacked body heat, in this weather making him feel almost cold. She pulled away and opened the door to the lobby, allowing herself to slump onto the comfortable couch in front of a heater made to look like an actual fire, and wait while Zee checked in.
Several minutes later he came to her.
"Are you alright?"
She shrugged. "Yeah, I'm fine, but I'm definitely not going outside again. Hawaii is starting to sound really good right now."
His young face broke out into a rather unconvincing grin, what she could swear was a cheap imitation of her own smile. It made her a little sad, how his little emotions always seemed so insincere. He tried so hard to get it right, but it seemed that Zee could never really be a human. And while it was true that his rather attractive hologram and his kind nature made her sometimes forget what he was, these moments didn't last long, they were always spoiled by something he did that was purely robotic.
She felt genuinely sorry for her friend, because for all his efforts he would probably never be more than an imitation. And a bit sorry for herself- Zee was the best thing that had ever happened to her, but it'd be nice if he had at least a bit of a sense of humor.
"Ro? Bucky should be waiting in the hotel restaurant. Are you hungry?" he asked, breaking the awkward pause. Ro glanced up at his earnest, friendly face, and felt rather guilty for her disloyal thoughts.
"Yeah, starving. Let's go, tin man."