AN: To heather: Please be patient I do have school like everyone else unfortunately. Anyway here's chapter 8!
009 looked at all of the faces staring attentively at him, two of them missing.
"He could be anywhere in England, so we'll split up. Dr. Gilmore will stay here with 001. They'll be tracking down 008 while we're gone" The Dolphin flew each Cyborg to different locations and finally left 009 and 003 in London. They strolled casually down the sidewalk looking this way and that for any sign of their friend.
"It might be helpful to search the theatres. He was an actor so he might have taken that up again." 003 suggested. 009 nodded and took her hand gently pulling her along as he made his way towards the nearest theatre. They started small then searched in more and more popular concert halls and performance centers. Each one turned up blank.
"Well there is a record here of an actor named Great Britain but he hasn't been in anything for years. So many years he's probably too old to continue in this career. I saw him back in his day. He was quite marvelous. It's a shame he just up and disappeared. My wife says that he just couldn't get job anywhere so he quit. I don't see why because he was such a nice performer." 009 stood at the information desk nodding and smiling patiently, as the man ranted on and on about his theories on why Great Britain stopped acting. Finally he said his thanks and goodbyes to the man and met 003 at the door.
"It was a good idea 003" he told her. "Let's get something to drink." They found a cozy bar named "Will's Pub" with old fashioned swinging doors and dim lights. They sat at the counter and ordered they're drinks and brain stormed on where to look next. 003 stopped short in the middle of a sentence and tapped 009 roughly on the shoulder. She pointed across the bar at a rumpled looking man with his head down on the table facing them.
"That looks like him!" 009 gave her a sideways smile.
"You're right. Now all we have to do is figure out what'll make his mind click." 003 sat there for a moment and squinted her eyes in thought.
"I know! Wait here." 009 watched her hurry out of the pub and then turned back to his drink. A few minutes later she was back with a document of some sort in her hands. She slid the papers in front of him and he began to skim over the text.
"A script? Wait…I know this. 007 made me read this with him once and said it would be 'fun'"
"Yes I remember!" 003 giggled. "Now go over there and act disgruntled about not knowing how to portray a certain character or something. He'll definitely help you, I'm sure of it."
"Why me!?"
"Because you're the one the read it with him in the past. That's what is going to make him remember." 009 sighed and left to sit in the stool next to the forlorn looking Great Britain. 'Let's see how those acting lessons pay off'
"To be or not to be? That is the question…AH I can't get the feeling right!" GB perked his head up.
"Hamlet eh? I played him once"
"Could you help me?"
"Of course. I'll do anything to help an aspiring actor." He took the script from 009 and scanned through the lines. "Hamlet is debating with himself about life. He is deciding whether to commit suicide or not, thus the words: 'To be or not to be?' 'Be' meaning live. You must sound torn between the two questions. Saddened in a sense, and yet curious. Do you understand what I'm saying?" 009 furrowed his eyebrows and sighed.
"This is not fun at all." GB looked aghast.
"You just don't know what fun is my boy!" He froze and stared at 009 for a long time. His right eye began to twitch and he squeezed both eyes shut and exhaled slowly. "And for a while there I didn't know who I really am." GB looked back at the lines. "To be or not to be….To live or live a war? That is the question." He straightened his posture on the stool and rose with his head held high with dignity in silent remorse. "Come my boy, let us depart." and with that he strode out of the pub.
My apologies to the eager readers out there. I'm doing the best I can! I have to say that this story has more reviews than Past to Present. YAY! Hahaha Thanks a lot you guys!