Coal Creek, Wyoming, 9:58:11 am, February 4th
A lone Zeta trudged through the snow, leaving footprints far deeper than a man the size of his hologram should have. He walked along a snowdrift going through an old, abandoned part of town. The ghosts of run down houses surrounded him, and he had never felt so alone. He struggled to sort through the various emotions in his head, to separate and catalogue them. This was his typical reaction to new experiences, but it didn't seem to be working at the moment. He didn't know how to classify half of what he felt, and there was no Ro to explain.
Ro. Her very name sent a new wave of feelings through him. He had experienced anger before, and he knew that what he was feeling should be anger, but perhaps he had miscatagorized anger previously because it didn't fit the current situation. He had never had feelings such as what he experienced now, a sort of mix of every feeling he had ever known. Why should he feel this way? It was hardly new for Ro to call him names, and she had yelled at him before, as well. It had never bothered him like this. He supposed it was because the words she spoke were spoken with the intent of hurting him. Yes, hurt. He had never really experienced physical pain before, so the analogy was lost on him, but he was definitely experiencing the emotion hurt.
[Cataloging new data: Hurt]
But why would Ro try to hurt him? She was his friend, wasn't she? Perhaps friends do try to hurt each other?
[Searching data: Friend. . . Data found: A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts; an acquaintance; a person with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause; a comrade; one who is not hostile.]
A friend would not try to hurt him, therefore Ro was not his friend. This was a terrible realization, because he certainly considered Ro his friend, his best friend. How could she not feel that same affection towards him hat he felt towards her?
But wait- had he himself not tried to hurt her earlier, by accusing her of only caring about his CredCard, and storming off? This moment was the first time that he had even truly considered the possibility that Ro had ulterior motives in accompanying him, that she cared more about money than him. Giving her the card was an action only meant to convey his own feelings, and because he knew it would upset her. He had also been guilty of wanting to strike her, and he had pushed her out of his way when she followed him. Yet there was no doubt that he considered Ro a friend.
[Updating data: Friend. . . Friends hurt each other? Clarification required.]
Still, it didn't make any sense. Confusion. . .that was one emotion he understood. Ro always made him feel confused, now more than ever. Even if friends did hurt each other, why had Ro done so to him? She had never tried to hurt him before, and she had appeared genuinely angry with him this time. Obviously, hurting one's friends wasn't a kind gesture, even if it was commonplace. He couldn't think of anything that would have made her so angry at him, but he must have done something to provoke her unwittingly.
He played back the memories of the fight in his mind, searching for clues. She trying to persuade him that Eve couldn't be trusted, her anger and frustration when he tried to show her that she was wrong. His own anger with her that lapsed suddenly and led him to beg her to not make him choose between his two friends; her challenge to him: "Who would you choose, Zee?"
Who would he choose? An obvious question, that made him wonder whether it was meant to be rhetorical. It most likely was, as there was no doubt that he would choose Ro over Eve. Besides, if he answered, then Ro would use it against him, and force him to leave his new friend, and he didn't want that. It was this that caused Ro to shout at him. That didn't help him much, even if the question wasn't meant to be rhetoric, she wouldn't be that angry at him for refusing to respond. He played back his memory of her shouting at him, and realized with a start that her eyes were very bright, almost as if she were on the verge of tears.
Hurt, then? Not anger? But why would Ro be hurt? Unless. . .unless she thought that his silence meant that he had chosen Eve? It was the only outcome that would hurt her, but why would she think that? He hadn't responded. Was it some human rule of decision, that silence implies a vote for the latter? Why was this rule never in place previously? Why-
He realized suddenly that it didn't matter the reason why, he would need to deduce that later. He could see that Ro truly did believe that he had chosen Eve, and for now, that was all that mattered. He understood her emotions now, that she was never angry, but hurt. He saw her yell at him in rage that wasn't really rage, then her sadness and miserable apologies that he had ignored. He watched himself press his CredCard into her hand and storm out. She was following him, he could see that now, trying to reconcile, but he pushed her down.
Zeta hoped deeply that he hadn't hurt her when she fell, because she was his friend, and he couldn't stand to see her hurt. She was his friend. All of his anger was replaced with relief, and sympathy for Ro. Poor Ro, didn't she know that she always came first to him, that he cared about her in a way he didn't understand himself? No, of course not.
He thought again about his mysterious relationship with Ro, and the answer came to him so clearly he was amazed he hadn't seen it earlier. But was it possible? Was it possible for him to feel this way? He hadn't thought so, but there was no other explanation that made it so clear, so perfect. . .
Yes. He was certain of it, and he needed to tell her. He would call her now, and tell her that he loved her, and therefore would never be able to replace her. . .Never before had he told her how much he cared for her. His affection for her was such a precious, valuable, fragile thing, and he was afraid that she would laugh and crush it with her disdain. But now that didn't matter. Even if she laughed at him, it would be better than thinking he didn't care about her.
He found an old payphone and connected himself to it, calling the motel room and trying to reformat the unclear resolution on the video screen. The phone rang about five times before he was forwarded to the front desk. He disconnected the call and tried again, but to no avail. This time he let the woman at the desk pick up the phone.
"Coal Creek Motel, how may I help you?"
"Yes, do you know where a girl who has been staying in Room 7 is? She is 17, has short blonde hair, and she's wearing a leather jacket and jean pants."
"No, I'm sorry, I haven't seen her pass this way. Are you sure she's not in her room?"
"I. . .don't think so."
"Then perhaps she left out the back entrance. I hope she brought more than a leather jacket, though. It's cold out there."
"Alright, thank you," he answered.
"Have a nice day," she smiled, and he disconnected. Zee looked away and for the first time realized his surroundings. The woman was right, it was cold out here. Approximately 2 degrees Fahrenheit, and the blizzard would make it feel so much colder. He now noticed his limited visibility, which would be far worse for a human. How long had it been since he had left the hotel? 27:55 minutes. Had Ro attempted to follow him?
That would be so very like her, to venture out into the storm with no regards to her safety. She might get frostbitten or hypothermia. She could be lying right now in the deep snowdrifts, freezing to death- or frozen, as nearly half an hour would be enough time. But he didn't want to think of it. He activated his warm body scanner, but if she was suffering from hypothermia, her signal would be very weak.
Suddenly, a thought came to him. Where was Eve? She should still be in the motel room, even if Ro wasn't. Had she gone with Ro? She might have been able to help her- but no, Ro would never let Eve accompany her. And, he remembered that Ro hadn't followed him when he left the motel, but remained sitting in the hallway. She wouldn't go looking for him, anyway- it was obvious he would come back even from Ro's perspective; Eve was still in the motel.
Had Bennett or Eta found them? He was certain that Eve had far more physical strength than she let on, an NSA android would have to. She would protect Ro, wouldn't she? Even if she knew that Ro didn't like her, she knew how much Ro meant to him, and she wouldn't allow her to be captured or hurt, would she? He didn't think so. But she wouldn't be able to handle Eta, or a fully equipped NSA team by herself. Perhaps they had escaped. . .but he doubted that they would leave him behind. He knew from experience that Ro would never abandon him to the NSA, even when it put her own life in danger.
He had a similar feeling to what he felt when he first met Eta. He wasn't sure how he knew, but something was wrong. . .and Ro was in danger. Ignoring the very likely notion that he was walking into a trap, he turned and ran back into town, running at a speed few humans could reach, and not caring who saw. He reached the motel within minutes, and threw open the door to the room. He was shocked when he saw what was before him- a perfectly normal hotel room, no sign of a struggle, nothing out of place, just devoid of people. Had they just gone, leaving him behind? No, Ro would never leave him. He knew that.
He looked around for anything out of the ordinary, anything at all, but all he found was a broken mug on the kitchen floor that had spilled hot chocolate across the linoleum. He bent down to look at it, his only lead, and found several dark spots of blood, nearly dry, but obviously still new. Androids didn't bleed.
"Ro, what's happened to you? Who hurt you?"
He was more perplexed than ever. It seemed as though someone had crept up on her and knocked her out, or there would have been more of a struggle. Perhaps he was wrong. Perhaps she dropped her cup, cut herself on the glass, and went to get a bandage. But he still could not shake the feeling that something was wrong, a feeling growing worse every minute that she did not walk through the door.
Zeta activated his footprint scanner, and looked around the scene again. From the other room, the striped pattern of Ro's small sneakers walked up to the kitchen counter. Zeta noticed a small pile of powder from instant hot chocolate left there on the counter. Ro seemed to have then begun pacing to kitchen, perhaps drinking her chocolate. A pair of very heavy, oddly shaped footprints were also there.
Odd. Very odd. He had been under the impression that Eve was a semi-organic android, and would therefore have humanoid footprints. But these were the prints of an Infiltration Unit. He could tell they weren't his, but from their position, it was obvious that Ro had seen the maker of the prints and hadn't felt threatened. Perhaps another Infiltration Unit donned a hologram of Eve or himself? It had happened before.
Then again. . .he hadn't bothered to look into it before, but there didn't seem to be any logical reason why he couldn't spot Eve for what she was. Eve wasn't as advanced as IU7, and Zeta could even see the only slightly superior synthoid as a fake- there was a slight aura about his human hologram that Zeta's infrared scanners picked up. But Eta, on the other hand. . .the latest synthoid had appeared completely human.
Zeta watched as the synthoid footprints, the ones that he was certain belonged to Eta, approach Ro's footprints, turned the other way. They met where the hot cocoa was spilled, and then Ro's footprints were gone. Apparently, she had been knocked out and carried out of the room. Abducted. Zeta felt his powerful metal fist clench.
If anything happened to Ro. . .but of course, this was his fault. He knew Ro was a better judge of character than he, but he had refused to listen to her. Instead, he had trusted Eve blindly and even allowed her to know that Ro would be his most vulnerable weakness.
But there was no time for this. If Eta sensed that he would not come for Ro, she would be useless to the synthoid, and Eta would destroy her to prevent Ro returning to him. Zeta couldn't let that happen. It seemed impossible to attempt to fight Eta, not when she was far superior to him, chose the battlefield, and was holding Ro hostage. Therefore, he would have to consent to being destroyed, and have faith that Eta would spare Ro. After all, Eta's mission objective was to kill him, not his accomplice. And as much as he knew Ro would hate it, he would rather be destroyed and lose all his memories than see her killed.
Zeta knew there would be a clue to Ro's location. Eta had obviously not been careful, for Infiltration Units were designed to destroy targets without being traced. She wanted Zeta to find her, and therefore it would be made obvious for him where he was supposed to go.
Sure enough, a map of train routes across the country was lying open on the counter. The location Gotham City was circled, and at the bottom, in very straight handwriting rather like computer printing, the words "NSA building on 17th. Basement Level."
Zeta folded the map and tucked it in the empty weapons panel on his chest, then exited the room.
A/N: Heh. . .it sounds like Zeta's just standing around thinking for twenty minutes while he thinks Ro is in danger, but he can process thoughts pretty quickly, so it's actually only a few seconds. Or at least that's my cover.
On another note, awww, poor Zee. . .I hate making bad things happen to him, but if I didn't, it wouldn't be much of a story, would it? I could just imagine the shows. . .
[Theme song plays]
Ro: Zee, let's go get an ice cream!
Zee: Okay. I like chocolate and vanilla swirl!
Ro: You're my best friend.
Zee: Mine too. ^_^
*Bennett walks by but doesn't notice them, so he goes home. . .Ro and Zee get ice cream, which Zee is somehow magically able to eat*
[Picture of a random 20th century thingy]
Zee: Look, Ro, it's a random 20th century thingy!
Ro: Wow, Zee, you're so smart! ^_^
. . .Well, it's better than TZP being cancelled. . .
Oh, btw, I realize that they don't really have pens and handwriting and stuff, cause of that tzp episode...the pen is mightier than the sword and all that. Get over it.
A lone Zeta trudged through the snow, leaving footprints far deeper than a man the size of his hologram should have. He walked along a snowdrift going through an old, abandoned part of town. The ghosts of run down houses surrounded him, and he had never felt so alone. He struggled to sort through the various emotions in his head, to separate and catalogue them. This was his typical reaction to new experiences, but it didn't seem to be working at the moment. He didn't know how to classify half of what he felt, and there was no Ro to explain.
Ro. Her very name sent a new wave of feelings through him. He had experienced anger before, and he knew that what he was feeling should be anger, but perhaps he had miscatagorized anger previously because it didn't fit the current situation. He had never had feelings such as what he experienced now, a sort of mix of every feeling he had ever known. Why should he feel this way? It was hardly new for Ro to call him names, and she had yelled at him before, as well. It had never bothered him like this. He supposed it was because the words she spoke were spoken with the intent of hurting him. Yes, hurt. He had never really experienced physical pain before, so the analogy was lost on him, but he was definitely experiencing the emotion hurt.
[Cataloging new data: Hurt]
But why would Ro try to hurt him? She was his friend, wasn't she? Perhaps friends do try to hurt each other?
[Searching data: Friend. . . Data found: A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts; an acquaintance; a person with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause; a comrade; one who is not hostile.]
A friend would not try to hurt him, therefore Ro was not his friend. This was a terrible realization, because he certainly considered Ro his friend, his best friend. How could she not feel that same affection towards him hat he felt towards her?
But wait- had he himself not tried to hurt her earlier, by accusing her of only caring about his CredCard, and storming off? This moment was the first time that he had even truly considered the possibility that Ro had ulterior motives in accompanying him, that she cared more about money than him. Giving her the card was an action only meant to convey his own feelings, and because he knew it would upset her. He had also been guilty of wanting to strike her, and he had pushed her out of his way when she followed him. Yet there was no doubt that he considered Ro a friend.
[Updating data: Friend. . . Friends hurt each other? Clarification required.]
Still, it didn't make any sense. Confusion. . .that was one emotion he understood. Ro always made him feel confused, now more than ever. Even if friends did hurt each other, why had Ro done so to him? She had never tried to hurt him before, and she had appeared genuinely angry with him this time. Obviously, hurting one's friends wasn't a kind gesture, even if it was commonplace. He couldn't think of anything that would have made her so angry at him, but he must have done something to provoke her unwittingly.
He played back the memories of the fight in his mind, searching for clues. She trying to persuade him that Eve couldn't be trusted, her anger and frustration when he tried to show her that she was wrong. His own anger with her that lapsed suddenly and led him to beg her to not make him choose between his two friends; her challenge to him: "Who would you choose, Zee?"
Who would he choose? An obvious question, that made him wonder whether it was meant to be rhetorical. It most likely was, as there was no doubt that he would choose Ro over Eve. Besides, if he answered, then Ro would use it against him, and force him to leave his new friend, and he didn't want that. It was this that caused Ro to shout at him. That didn't help him much, even if the question wasn't meant to be rhetoric, she wouldn't be that angry at him for refusing to respond. He played back his memory of her shouting at him, and realized with a start that her eyes were very bright, almost as if she were on the verge of tears.
Hurt, then? Not anger? But why would Ro be hurt? Unless. . .unless she thought that his silence meant that he had chosen Eve? It was the only outcome that would hurt her, but why would she think that? He hadn't responded. Was it some human rule of decision, that silence implies a vote for the latter? Why was this rule never in place previously? Why-
He realized suddenly that it didn't matter the reason why, he would need to deduce that later. He could see that Ro truly did believe that he had chosen Eve, and for now, that was all that mattered. He understood her emotions now, that she was never angry, but hurt. He saw her yell at him in rage that wasn't really rage, then her sadness and miserable apologies that he had ignored. He watched himself press his CredCard into her hand and storm out. She was following him, he could see that now, trying to reconcile, but he pushed her down.
Zeta hoped deeply that he hadn't hurt her when she fell, because she was his friend, and he couldn't stand to see her hurt. She was his friend. All of his anger was replaced with relief, and sympathy for Ro. Poor Ro, didn't she know that she always came first to him, that he cared about her in a way he didn't understand himself? No, of course not.
He thought again about his mysterious relationship with Ro, and the answer came to him so clearly he was amazed he hadn't seen it earlier. But was it possible? Was it possible for him to feel this way? He hadn't thought so, but there was no other explanation that made it so clear, so perfect. . .
Yes. He was certain of it, and he needed to tell her. He would call her now, and tell her that he loved her, and therefore would never be able to replace her. . .Never before had he told her how much he cared for her. His affection for her was such a precious, valuable, fragile thing, and he was afraid that she would laugh and crush it with her disdain. But now that didn't matter. Even if she laughed at him, it would be better than thinking he didn't care about her.
He found an old payphone and connected himself to it, calling the motel room and trying to reformat the unclear resolution on the video screen. The phone rang about five times before he was forwarded to the front desk. He disconnected the call and tried again, but to no avail. This time he let the woman at the desk pick up the phone.
"Coal Creek Motel, how may I help you?"
"Yes, do you know where a girl who has been staying in Room 7 is? She is 17, has short blonde hair, and she's wearing a leather jacket and jean pants."
"No, I'm sorry, I haven't seen her pass this way. Are you sure she's not in her room?"
"I. . .don't think so."
"Then perhaps she left out the back entrance. I hope she brought more than a leather jacket, though. It's cold out there."
"Alright, thank you," he answered.
"Have a nice day," she smiled, and he disconnected. Zee looked away and for the first time realized his surroundings. The woman was right, it was cold out here. Approximately 2 degrees Fahrenheit, and the blizzard would make it feel so much colder. He now noticed his limited visibility, which would be far worse for a human. How long had it been since he had left the hotel? 27:55 minutes. Had Ro attempted to follow him?
That would be so very like her, to venture out into the storm with no regards to her safety. She might get frostbitten or hypothermia. She could be lying right now in the deep snowdrifts, freezing to death- or frozen, as nearly half an hour would be enough time. But he didn't want to think of it. He activated his warm body scanner, but if she was suffering from hypothermia, her signal would be very weak.
Suddenly, a thought came to him. Where was Eve? She should still be in the motel room, even if Ro wasn't. Had she gone with Ro? She might have been able to help her- but no, Ro would never let Eve accompany her. And, he remembered that Ro hadn't followed him when he left the motel, but remained sitting in the hallway. She wouldn't go looking for him, anyway- it was obvious he would come back even from Ro's perspective; Eve was still in the motel.
Had Bennett or Eta found them? He was certain that Eve had far more physical strength than she let on, an NSA android would have to. She would protect Ro, wouldn't she? Even if she knew that Ro didn't like her, she knew how much Ro meant to him, and she wouldn't allow her to be captured or hurt, would she? He didn't think so. But she wouldn't be able to handle Eta, or a fully equipped NSA team by herself. Perhaps they had escaped. . .but he doubted that they would leave him behind. He knew from experience that Ro would never abandon him to the NSA, even when it put her own life in danger.
He had a similar feeling to what he felt when he first met Eta. He wasn't sure how he knew, but something was wrong. . .and Ro was in danger. Ignoring the very likely notion that he was walking into a trap, he turned and ran back into town, running at a speed few humans could reach, and not caring who saw. He reached the motel within minutes, and threw open the door to the room. He was shocked when he saw what was before him- a perfectly normal hotel room, no sign of a struggle, nothing out of place, just devoid of people. Had they just gone, leaving him behind? No, Ro would never leave him. He knew that.
He looked around for anything out of the ordinary, anything at all, but all he found was a broken mug on the kitchen floor that had spilled hot chocolate across the linoleum. He bent down to look at it, his only lead, and found several dark spots of blood, nearly dry, but obviously still new. Androids didn't bleed.
"Ro, what's happened to you? Who hurt you?"
He was more perplexed than ever. It seemed as though someone had crept up on her and knocked her out, or there would have been more of a struggle. Perhaps he was wrong. Perhaps she dropped her cup, cut herself on the glass, and went to get a bandage. But he still could not shake the feeling that something was wrong, a feeling growing worse every minute that she did not walk through the door.
Zeta activated his footprint scanner, and looked around the scene again. From the other room, the striped pattern of Ro's small sneakers walked up to the kitchen counter. Zeta noticed a small pile of powder from instant hot chocolate left there on the counter. Ro seemed to have then begun pacing to kitchen, perhaps drinking her chocolate. A pair of very heavy, oddly shaped footprints were also there.
Odd. Very odd. He had been under the impression that Eve was a semi-organic android, and would therefore have humanoid footprints. But these were the prints of an Infiltration Unit. He could tell they weren't his, but from their position, it was obvious that Ro had seen the maker of the prints and hadn't felt threatened. Perhaps another Infiltration Unit donned a hologram of Eve or himself? It had happened before.
Then again. . .he hadn't bothered to look into it before, but there didn't seem to be any logical reason why he couldn't spot Eve for what she was. Eve wasn't as advanced as IU7, and Zeta could even see the only slightly superior synthoid as a fake- there was a slight aura about his human hologram that Zeta's infrared scanners picked up. But Eta, on the other hand. . .the latest synthoid had appeared completely human.
Zeta watched as the synthoid footprints, the ones that he was certain belonged to Eta, approach Ro's footprints, turned the other way. They met where the hot cocoa was spilled, and then Ro's footprints were gone. Apparently, she had been knocked out and carried out of the room. Abducted. Zeta felt his powerful metal fist clench.
If anything happened to Ro. . .but of course, this was his fault. He knew Ro was a better judge of character than he, but he had refused to listen to her. Instead, he had trusted Eve blindly and even allowed her to know that Ro would be his most vulnerable weakness.
But there was no time for this. If Eta sensed that he would not come for Ro, she would be useless to the synthoid, and Eta would destroy her to prevent Ro returning to him. Zeta couldn't let that happen. It seemed impossible to attempt to fight Eta, not when she was far superior to him, chose the battlefield, and was holding Ro hostage. Therefore, he would have to consent to being destroyed, and have faith that Eta would spare Ro. After all, Eta's mission objective was to kill him, not his accomplice. And as much as he knew Ro would hate it, he would rather be destroyed and lose all his memories than see her killed.
Zeta knew there would be a clue to Ro's location. Eta had obviously not been careful, for Infiltration Units were designed to destroy targets without being traced. She wanted Zeta to find her, and therefore it would be made obvious for him where he was supposed to go.
Sure enough, a map of train routes across the country was lying open on the counter. The location Gotham City was circled, and at the bottom, in very straight handwriting rather like computer printing, the words "NSA building on 17th. Basement Level."
Zeta folded the map and tucked it in the empty weapons panel on his chest, then exited the room.
A/N: Heh. . .it sounds like Zeta's just standing around thinking for twenty minutes while he thinks Ro is in danger, but he can process thoughts pretty quickly, so it's actually only a few seconds. Or at least that's my cover.
On another note, awww, poor Zee. . .I hate making bad things happen to him, but if I didn't, it wouldn't be much of a story, would it? I could just imagine the shows. . .
[Theme song plays]
Ro: Zee, let's go get an ice cream!
Zee: Okay. I like chocolate and vanilla swirl!
Ro: You're my best friend.
Zee: Mine too. ^_^
*Bennett walks by but doesn't notice them, so he goes home. . .Ro and Zee get ice cream, which Zee is somehow magically able to eat*
[Picture of a random 20th century thingy]
Zee: Look, Ro, it's a random 20th century thingy!
Ro: Wow, Zee, you're so smart! ^_^
. . .Well, it's better than TZP being cancelled. . .
Oh, btw, I realize that they don't really have pens and handwriting and stuff, cause of that tzp episode...the pen is mightier than the sword and all that. Get over it.