A/N: Here we are again. Getting a little longer this time- and now inklings of a plot, hooray! Thank you Hannah, for your extremely kind review. You're not Hannah of the Merchant variety are you? Just guessing, Chobits fan and all. I plan to write much more as soon as school settles down, which will be very soon. Yay fourth term!
***** means passage of time
Dita and Zima parked the car in the back lot of the building, and went through the back door. The building was about as conspicuous as their car. Government research facilities tend to be. The security was some of the best known to man, but as government persecoms, the pair could walk right through it. They passed through the wide, bustling hallways, occasionally getting a sidelong stare of admiration or fear from the younger technicians there. Dita and Zima had become things of legend.
Things of legend, thought Dita, rolling the phrase around in her mind. Always things of legend, never beings of legend. She was almost surprised at herself for thinking these thoughts- this was the kind of thing that plagued Zima, not her.
There was no time to think it over further. They had stopped in front of the room they'd been told to visit. Zima pressed his thumb into the plate next to the door. His artificial print was scanned, and he stepped aside and let Dita do the same. It recognized her as well. The door handle gave under her push, and they were admitted into the room.
The room was white and sterile. Computers lined the walls, and complex looking machinery was everywhere. Three white formica topped counters were at the center of the room. Leaning on one of them was Tani Yasahiro, Dita and Zima's primary technician. Her mentor, now dead, had created the persecoms with Ichiro Hibiya's technology. She was like Hibiya in the respect that she saw persecoms as people
"Dita, Zima. On time, as usual," Tani said with a nervous smile. Tani nervous wasn't too unusual. She was a very emotional person. "How was your- where were you again?"
"Visiting some friends," Zima said.
"Where?" Tani asked.
Dita didn't understand why Tani had started this conversational vein, but she was eager to pull out of it. "Why did you ask us here?"
"Well, um," Tani stumbled. "It wasn't really my choice, you see. None of this was. But you know, when the Powers That Be say something should go one way, then it goes that way. I really didn't want to do this-"
"Tani," Zima cut in sternly. "Just tell us."
Tani took in a deep breath. "Zima, my superiors want to move the data base into a more advanced persecom. You're being shut down."
There was a moment of disbelieving silence. Finally, Dita realized she had to say something. "What!? You have got to be kidding me!"
"No joke," Tani said. "We're still going to keep you, Dita. You'll still be the defense system for the new data base. It's just Zima they're putting down." Tears sprang to the corners of her eyes. "I'm so sorry, guys. You've both been so good to me, I fought it like hell, I tried so hard."
"Not hard enough, aparently!" Dita snapped. "Why can't they just create the new 'com and leave Zima functional?"
"He's too much of a danger. In the wrong hands, well, think about it, you two are just about the most powerful 'coms in existence! And there's no way to eliminate the files without affecting his personality," Tani said. Her eyes grew a little wet. "I really didn't want to do this."
Zima looked thoughtful. "You might not have to."
Tani was shocked. "What? What are you talking about?" When she got no answer, she looked at Dita. "What is he talking about?"
Dita shrugged. "I could take a guess, but it would probably be wrong. Zima? Care to let us in on this?"
"I've got it," Zima said, snapping out of his trance. "It'll work, I'm sure of it. Tani, you've heard of Minoru Kokubunji?"
"Who hasn't, why?"
"Well, let's just say that in the event of an emergency I think we could call in a favor with him. Seeing as this is just such an event, why not? He could get rid of my tracing equiptment, as well as Dita's-" Zima glanced over at her as if for permission, she nodded. "- and we could lie low, get to somewhere safe."
Tani bit her lip. "Are you sure? Even I don't know how to disable all the tracers."
Zima laughed. "You obviously don't know Kokubunji very well."
"Wait," Dita said. "How do we keep Tani from being blamed for any of this? I wouldn't want you to suffer on our account."
A smile crept across Tani's face. "I think I have an idea," she said, and explained her plan to them.
Zima smiled when she was done. "You'd do that for us?"
Tani laughed nervously. "Anything. Absolutely anything for you guys."
*****
When Tani was late for the meeting, three other technicians went looking for her.
"Guys! I found her over here, in the cabinet!" The other two rushed over.
"Oh my god- what happened?"
"Get her untied, then let her explain."
It didn't even take that long. As soon as the duct tape was torn off her mouth, Tani began to talk. "It was Dita and Zima! Something must have malfunctioned in their programming. They wrestled me to the floor, tied me up and stuck me here! I don't know where they went!"
***** means passage of time
Dita and Zima parked the car in the back lot of the building, and went through the back door. The building was about as conspicuous as their car. Government research facilities tend to be. The security was some of the best known to man, but as government persecoms, the pair could walk right through it. They passed through the wide, bustling hallways, occasionally getting a sidelong stare of admiration or fear from the younger technicians there. Dita and Zima had become things of legend.
Things of legend, thought Dita, rolling the phrase around in her mind. Always things of legend, never beings of legend. She was almost surprised at herself for thinking these thoughts- this was the kind of thing that plagued Zima, not her.
There was no time to think it over further. They had stopped in front of the room they'd been told to visit. Zima pressed his thumb into the plate next to the door. His artificial print was scanned, and he stepped aside and let Dita do the same. It recognized her as well. The door handle gave under her push, and they were admitted into the room.
The room was white and sterile. Computers lined the walls, and complex looking machinery was everywhere. Three white formica topped counters were at the center of the room. Leaning on one of them was Tani Yasahiro, Dita and Zima's primary technician. Her mentor, now dead, had created the persecoms with Ichiro Hibiya's technology. She was like Hibiya in the respect that she saw persecoms as people
"Dita, Zima. On time, as usual," Tani said with a nervous smile. Tani nervous wasn't too unusual. She was a very emotional person. "How was your- where were you again?"
"Visiting some friends," Zima said.
"Where?" Tani asked.
Dita didn't understand why Tani had started this conversational vein, but she was eager to pull out of it. "Why did you ask us here?"
"Well, um," Tani stumbled. "It wasn't really my choice, you see. None of this was. But you know, when the Powers That Be say something should go one way, then it goes that way. I really didn't want to do this-"
"Tani," Zima cut in sternly. "Just tell us."
Tani took in a deep breath. "Zima, my superiors want to move the data base into a more advanced persecom. You're being shut down."
There was a moment of disbelieving silence. Finally, Dita realized she had to say something. "What!? You have got to be kidding me!"
"No joke," Tani said. "We're still going to keep you, Dita. You'll still be the defense system for the new data base. It's just Zima they're putting down." Tears sprang to the corners of her eyes. "I'm so sorry, guys. You've both been so good to me, I fought it like hell, I tried so hard."
"Not hard enough, aparently!" Dita snapped. "Why can't they just create the new 'com and leave Zima functional?"
"He's too much of a danger. In the wrong hands, well, think about it, you two are just about the most powerful 'coms in existence! And there's no way to eliminate the files without affecting his personality," Tani said. Her eyes grew a little wet. "I really didn't want to do this."
Zima looked thoughtful. "You might not have to."
Tani was shocked. "What? What are you talking about?" When she got no answer, she looked at Dita. "What is he talking about?"
Dita shrugged. "I could take a guess, but it would probably be wrong. Zima? Care to let us in on this?"
"I've got it," Zima said, snapping out of his trance. "It'll work, I'm sure of it. Tani, you've heard of Minoru Kokubunji?"
"Who hasn't, why?"
"Well, let's just say that in the event of an emergency I think we could call in a favor with him. Seeing as this is just such an event, why not? He could get rid of my tracing equiptment, as well as Dita's-" Zima glanced over at her as if for permission, she nodded. "- and we could lie low, get to somewhere safe."
Tani bit her lip. "Are you sure? Even I don't know how to disable all the tracers."
Zima laughed. "You obviously don't know Kokubunji very well."
"Wait," Dita said. "How do we keep Tani from being blamed for any of this? I wouldn't want you to suffer on our account."
A smile crept across Tani's face. "I think I have an idea," she said, and explained her plan to them.
Zima smiled when she was done. "You'd do that for us?"
Tani laughed nervously. "Anything. Absolutely anything for you guys."
*****
When Tani was late for the meeting, three other technicians went looking for her.
"Guys! I found her over here, in the cabinet!" The other two rushed over.
"Oh my god- what happened?"
"Get her untied, then let her explain."
It didn't even take that long. As soon as the duct tape was torn off her mouth, Tani began to talk. "It was Dita and Zima! Something must have malfunctioned in their programming. They wrestled me to the floor, tied me up and stuck me here! I don't know where they went!"
