They appeared with a flash on top of the cliffside overlooking the ruined factory which Rock had destroyed days earlier, and Marie collapsed. Rock was quick to catch her, holding her steady in his arms as she sighed in tired defeat. "I guess I couldn't handle teleporting all three of us," she moaned.
"Don't worry about it," said Rock, setting her down gently on the ground as the sun rose slowly from behind them. Rock shoved Lightning's body away with his foot as he steadied Marie in his arms.
"Maybe if I rest a bit," Marie yawned, "I can recharge my teleport system," she said, sliding her head onto Rock's shoulder as a pillow.
Suddenly, Rock's memory jarred again. He saw himself with that same blonde-haired woman, with her arms wrapped around his shoulders as they watched the sun go down. It lasted only for a second, but Rock felt like it was for hours.
"Something wrong, Rock?" Marie asked.
Rock blinked, and then shook off his daze. "Nothing," he said, "I'm fine."
"I daydream a lot too," said Marie, still resting her head on Rock's shoulder. "You want to know what I think is really strange?" she asked, "I always wonder why it's darkest before dawn."
Dawn. Rock's memory snapped again, and suddenly, something somewhere inside of his scrambled memory connected. Her name was Dawn, Rock thought to himself with joy, that woman's name was Dawn! Rock looked down at Marie, and he studied her face. Her jaw, eyes, nose, lips, everything about her almost exactly fit with his memory of the woman he had obviously once held dear. More memories of Dawn came fleeting back to him now, and as they all fit into place one by one, it took the rest of Rock's strength for him to fight back tears.
Marie sighed suddenly, breaking Rock out of his dreaming. "Rock," she said, "There's something I've always wanted to ask you."
"Yeah?"
"Your skin, it's so pale," she said, "Why?"
Rock crossed his eyes and looked at the skin on his nose. It was almost a shade of plaster white, and once he thought about it, he could feel what could only be dark bags underneath his eyes. "That was just the way I was designed, I guess," Rock said at length.
"It makes you look so distant," she said, "So detached and cold- like you're some kind of ghost."
"I have left a lot behind me," Rock said glumly.
"I never see you anywhere," she said, "No one else back at HQ has even heard of you."
Rock looked away. "I try to keep a low profile," he said, "That's just the kind of guy I am."
Marie sighed, and put her arm on Rock's other shoulder. "Y'know Rock," she said, "You're a pretty interesting guy. Strange, but still interesting."
Rock let himself smile, remembering how Dawn had once draped her arms around him as well. "You're something else too, Marie," he said. With the warm feeling of Dawn now brewing inside of him, Rock put his arm around Marie's shoulders as well. "You're pretty cute."
Rock suddenly realized that he had let himself say that. Marie flushed a bright red. "Rock, you're so sweet," she said.
Rock could have sworn that his still heart had just managed a single beat. He knew that he should keep his distance from her and prevent an attachment, but with Marie resting peacefully in his arms, Rock's brain was dead set on putting Dawn in her place. "How are you feeling now?" Rock asked.
Marie yawned, and then suddenly stood up. "Fine enough," she said, stretching her arms.
Rock rose with her, rubbing his ribs. As soon as Marie motioned to pick up Lightning's body, Rock put his hand on her shoulder, anchoring her to the spot. "You better just teleport yourself this time," said Rock, "I'll take Lightning."
Marie blinked. "But Rock, your teleport system's damaged."
"I can walk," he said, "Some excercise wouldn't hurt."
"Thanks, Rock," said Marie as Rock hoisted Lightning's body into his arms. Just before Rock got a firm hold on Lightning, Marie leaned closer to him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Take care, Rock," she said, winking at him before vanishing.
Rock stared over the cliff, stunned in disbelief. He dropped Lightning's body and rubbed his cheek with surprise. Quickly blasting a hole in the ground, Rock kicked Lightning's body into the pit, and pushed dirt back in with his foot. As soon as he was finished, Rock was whisked into thin air.
----
As soon as Rock flashed back into the underground bunker again, he was met with the sound of Auto's applause. "Someone give the guy an Oscar," he said.
Roll sat at the computer kiosk, rubbing her eye. "That was something beautiful, Rock," she said.
Blues kept a straight face, unenthusiastically patting his palms together slowly. "That was a good performance, Rock," he said, "but celebrations can wait. We've got another attack to plan."
"Don't worry about it," said Rock, setting her down gently on the ground as the sun rose slowly from behind them. Rock shoved Lightning's body away with his foot as he steadied Marie in his arms.
"Maybe if I rest a bit," Marie yawned, "I can recharge my teleport system," she said, sliding her head onto Rock's shoulder as a pillow.
Suddenly, Rock's memory jarred again. He saw himself with that same blonde-haired woman, with her arms wrapped around his shoulders as they watched the sun go down. It lasted only for a second, but Rock felt like it was for hours.
"Something wrong, Rock?" Marie asked.
Rock blinked, and then shook off his daze. "Nothing," he said, "I'm fine."
"I daydream a lot too," said Marie, still resting her head on Rock's shoulder. "You want to know what I think is really strange?" she asked, "I always wonder why it's darkest before dawn."
Dawn. Rock's memory snapped again, and suddenly, something somewhere inside of his scrambled memory connected. Her name was Dawn, Rock thought to himself with joy, that woman's name was Dawn! Rock looked down at Marie, and he studied her face. Her jaw, eyes, nose, lips, everything about her almost exactly fit with his memory of the woman he had obviously once held dear. More memories of Dawn came fleeting back to him now, and as they all fit into place one by one, it took the rest of Rock's strength for him to fight back tears.
Marie sighed suddenly, breaking Rock out of his dreaming. "Rock," she said, "There's something I've always wanted to ask you."
"Yeah?"
"Your skin, it's so pale," she said, "Why?"
Rock crossed his eyes and looked at the skin on his nose. It was almost a shade of plaster white, and once he thought about it, he could feel what could only be dark bags underneath his eyes. "That was just the way I was designed, I guess," Rock said at length.
"It makes you look so distant," she said, "So detached and cold- like you're some kind of ghost."
"I have left a lot behind me," Rock said glumly.
"I never see you anywhere," she said, "No one else back at HQ has even heard of you."
Rock looked away. "I try to keep a low profile," he said, "That's just the kind of guy I am."
Marie sighed, and put her arm on Rock's other shoulder. "Y'know Rock," she said, "You're a pretty interesting guy. Strange, but still interesting."
Rock let himself smile, remembering how Dawn had once draped her arms around him as well. "You're something else too, Marie," he said. With the warm feeling of Dawn now brewing inside of him, Rock put his arm around Marie's shoulders as well. "You're pretty cute."
Rock suddenly realized that he had let himself say that. Marie flushed a bright red. "Rock, you're so sweet," she said.
Rock could have sworn that his still heart had just managed a single beat. He knew that he should keep his distance from her and prevent an attachment, but with Marie resting peacefully in his arms, Rock's brain was dead set on putting Dawn in her place. "How are you feeling now?" Rock asked.
Marie yawned, and then suddenly stood up. "Fine enough," she said, stretching her arms.
Rock rose with her, rubbing his ribs. As soon as Marie motioned to pick up Lightning's body, Rock put his hand on her shoulder, anchoring her to the spot. "You better just teleport yourself this time," said Rock, "I'll take Lightning."
Marie blinked. "But Rock, your teleport system's damaged."
"I can walk," he said, "Some excercise wouldn't hurt."
"Thanks, Rock," said Marie as Rock hoisted Lightning's body into his arms. Just before Rock got a firm hold on Lightning, Marie leaned closer to him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Take care, Rock," she said, winking at him before vanishing.
Rock stared over the cliff, stunned in disbelief. He dropped Lightning's body and rubbed his cheek with surprise. Quickly blasting a hole in the ground, Rock kicked Lightning's body into the pit, and pushed dirt back in with his foot. As soon as he was finished, Rock was whisked into thin air.
----
As soon as Rock flashed back into the underground bunker again, he was met with the sound of Auto's applause. "Someone give the guy an Oscar," he said.
Roll sat at the computer kiosk, rubbing her eye. "That was something beautiful, Rock," she said.
Blues kept a straight face, unenthusiastically patting his palms together slowly. "That was a good performance, Rock," he said, "but celebrations can wait. We've got another attack to plan."