Chapter 6.

Halo didn't know how to respond. She had never been open to anyone in explaining what had gone on in the Zigguraut before the Fall . . . No way she was going to now.

"Why do you care? I bet you think I'm some nut-case who blew the Tower to pieces."

"Why would I think that?"

"Because apparently the rest of the city does."

"I think it was a natural occurance. Truth be told, I never really cared about the Zigguraut. I just want to know."

"You're lying."

"You have no way to prove it."

"What do you want with me?"

"The truth."

Halo fell silent. She didn't mean to be an ass like this, it just sort of came out like that. And she couldn't tell him . . . No, she couldn't tell anyone, whether she wanted to or not . . . It just wouldn't come out.

"I can't."

"Can't or won't?"

"Can't."

Rath sighed. "I'll give you some time on that one. 'Nother question. What are you doing with Jack?"

"The robots are my responsibility now that my co-workers are dead. I can't go back to the society for reinforcements . . . because I would have failed. Even though Duke Red, Rock, and Boone are dead and gone the robots still aren't free or treated equally. I feel like I owe them something, so I needed a place to stay until I was ready to leave Metropolis. The only person I could think of was Atlas's best friend . . . Jack."

"Why do you think you owe the robots something?"

"That's none of your busine-" Halo gave a rasping cough, cutting off the end of her sentence.

"Really, I think it is my business, unless you want to die. And then you would go down with those shameful guilty feelings."

"You kill me and you get nothing."

"Oh, either way I can get what I'm really looking for." Halo glared at Rath.

"Their chance at real freedom was destroyed all because I sat on the throne."

"Throne?"

"Yes . . ." Halo gulped. Now she would have to tell him about it. "Before I get to that, let me start at the beginning . . ."

Jack leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

"Jack, really, it's nothing to worry about."

"Yes, it is, Anne. She was my responsibility. I told her to wait there when I should have let her come with me. And on top of that she's sick, and I know for a fact that she went through that nasty-ass water, which didn't help a bit." His voice was muffled by his hands, but Anne seemed to understand.

"Halo can take care of herself, Jack. Don't worry about her so much."

"What would Atlas think?" he muttered. He either didn't hear his sister or was ignoring her altogether.

"What do you mean by that?" Jack lifted his head to look at his sister.

"Even Atlas would have let her go with him."

"Why would you care about that? Atlas isn't here anymore, you're the one making the decisions."

"Yeah, but . . . I just feel like I'm too . . . irresponsible, like I'm gonna slip, do something stupid, and get people hurt."

"Like Halo?"

"What?"

"People . . . like Halo." Jack looked at his sister for a few seconds longer.

"Yeah . . . Like Halo." He put his head back in his hands and said no more.

"I . . . I think I've done something." The two men, Don and Phil, rushed over to the table where the broken robot lay surrounded by tools.

"What?"

"This . . . little light here . . ." Lin pointed at the section where a heart would be. "I was repairing the memory wires up here in the left section of the motherboard and this red light blinked on then off."

"Do it again, numb-skull!"

"Oh, right . . ." Lin grabbed some of the wires in the left section of the head and began to twist them together. The light near the heart circuit blinked several times and then went off again.

"Don, contact the Lieutenant!"

"Right . . ." One man departed from the other two and ran up the stairs.

"Well . . . I suppose that's one step up to repairing this piece of junk, then."

"Ti . . . Ti . . . Ti-ma. Tima."

Aid pushed open the doors and stepped into the empty lobby. He took a look both ways and then continued up the stairs. Can't be too cautious. He really didn't know for sure if Jack saw him or not.

As he turned into the meeting room he saw, from the corner of his eye, a woman leaning against the wall to his left.

"Anne . . ."

"Aid, what are you doing here?"

"Just . . . Came to have a talk with Jack, is all."

"Yeah. And where's Rath?"

"He's a little . . . busy."

"Uh huh, yeah. What are you up to, Aid? I know you and Rath, you didn't come here just to 'talk'." Aid smirked.

"Yeah, you're right. I have a little job to propose to him at the moment."

"Oh well, you'll just have to talk to him later."

"And why is that?"

Anne looked at Aid sharply. "He's . . . confused, tired, and busy as well. Come back later."

"Oh, but Anne, I need to talk to him now."

Jack sighed and leaned forward on the window sill. He couldn't stop thinking about his little slip-up. Halo was his responsibility, especially since she was sick and all, and now . . . he had basically lost her.

"Damn it," he said softly, with another sigh. "How could I be so . . . stupid? Atlas would kill me . . ." Jack slumped forward as something collided with the back of his head, knocking him cold.

"Sir, Aid's here. He needs a word with you."

"Can't it wait?"

"He says it's urgent."

Rath looked at Halo, who had broken into silent tears, then stood. The guard outside the room opened the door and let Rath out. Halo heard the two speaking outside the door.

"What do you mean? Damn it, Aid!" Halo jumped slightly as something hit the door with a great force.

"Rath, calm down. This only makes things much easier."

"Maybe, but now we've been exposed! If one or both of them gets away, it's our heads. Not to mention General Davies didn't signal this movement! What are you gonna do with him, huh?"

"You didn't want her brought in here but that idiot did! Are you just gonna throw her out?"

"No, that would be stupid because she knows what we're up to. She may be a supporter but she's not stupid."

"Yeah, I see you've had a good talk with her. You say she's not stupid but what if she finds a way out of here? If she goes and shoots her mouth off we're dead!"

"Don't worry about Halo Kane, just worry about Jack. Where is he?"

"Four-wall cellar. The other locks were occupied."

"I'm going to finish up here then we'll go and have a talk with Jack, got it? 'Til then, I want you to make a full report to Davies. Say everything's fine but we're ahead of schedule. Got it?"

"Yeah." Rath walked back into the room looking rather sour. Halo looked up at him angrily.

"Davies, huh? I suppose he wants to be the new leader of Metropolis?"

"You heard that?"

"Everyone heard you, you liar! You're only doing this for the General, aren't you!"

"Not exactly."

"And what do you want with Jack?"

"That's none of your business, Kane, just shut up or go to sleep or something. I'll be back in the morning." With that, Rath continued back out the door. It slammed shut behind him and the heavy lock slid back into place. Halo coughed and stared up at the gray ceiling.

"Shit . . ."

Jack rubbed the back of his head gently.

"What the hell did you hit me with?" he said angrily, looking up at Aid. Aid stood with a somewhat solemn look on his face, his arms crossed.

"Cast iron frying pan. Anne proved that they come in handy when she took a swing at me."

"Anne? What'd you do to her?!"

"Relax." Rath entered the cellar, shutting the door behind him. "Anne's fine, I'm sure. I'm just not sure about you."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know, getting hit in the head with cast iron doesn't ensure that you'll live. But, you know, who cares, right? You're only helping a supporter and defying the government, I'm sure no one'll care if you 're dead. But, well, we just wanna ask you a few questions . . . What are you repairing that drags you away from everything else . . . Let's see . . . It couldn't be . . . Duke Red's robot, could it?"

"How do you know about that?!"

"Mice, my friend. We have a few spies lurking around in your basement, so to speak. Care to take a guess?"

"Bastards," Jack muttered. "No, Don, Lin, and Phil wouldn't-"

"Oh, but they are. They've been giving us a thorough report on the process. We hear it's been going along pretty well. Now . . . What are you going to use it for? Did someone happen to tell you about Halo Kane's little dilemma?"

"Yeah, the General's blamin' her for the Tower's explosion, so what? She didn't do it."

"Did she explain to you what happened?"

"N- no, not exactly."

"Then . . . what would you know?"

"This is just a dream . . . This can't happen. It's already been done. It can't happen again."

"You don't believe yourself. I can feel it, you don't believe a word you say." Halo clenched her teeth. What Rock said was true. She didn't believe herself. But she had to find a way out of discussing this . . .

"Where's Tima?" Rock looked at Duke Red, awaiting the answer to Halo's abrupt question.

"She's not here."

"Where did she go?"

"It's your dream, you should know that only the dead are here."

"W-what? Y-you . . . you mean . . ." No, this couldn't be right. Tima had been destroyed with Duke Red when the Tower went up. "No, Tima is gone! Th-that robot was blown up! You were all blown up! Why won't you leave me alone?!"

"Halo Kane, you doubt yourself. And saying such things will only put you up for disappointment. She isn't here . . . and only the dead can be here. But . . . this is a dream, after all . . . isn't it . . ."

Author's Notes: Sorry I kept changing the setting and everything so quick, if you got confused.