Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Zeta Project'. I do not own any of its characters. I deeply appreciate Robert Goodman as the creator of 'The Zeta Project' and all 'The Zeta Project' team. So it's just a fanfic.
This is a fan fiction version of Ro's Reunion, told from Zee's point of view (and the last part is told from Agent Bennet's point of view).
As English isn't my native language I want to thank LTC and Jane for their editing work on this chapter.
And I want to give great thanks to SteelNeko for her help.
Ro's Reunion
Chapter Two
Zee's point of view
Half an hour later, Ro and I walked side by side on the main walkway of a television studio called KWMS.
"A vid studio?" Ro drowned out that strange noise around us and I detected astonishment and even disbelief in her tone. The farther we walked away from the main entrance, the more suspicious Ro became, "Are you sure this is the address Gwen gave us?"
Of course I was sure, as soon as I recorded everything, but… instead to be happy that Ro was treating me as a real human now, using those words 'Are you sure' as if it was possible for me to make a mistake, I was disappointed. Ro said 'Gwen' and not 'the social worker' or just 'that woman'…
Was I jealous somehow? Maybe…
I really tried to replace Ro's family… I mean… I tried to take care of her, but not only to supply her needs of food, clothes and safe places to spend the nights, but also her needs of understanding, of friendship, of support… I really hoped to be her friend, actually… I wanted to be her best friend and her family as well and I thought I was… And now, suddenly, she was so inclined to take some unknown human as a real part of her real family! I still disliked that woman and despite of all Ro's wishes to find her brother, which I was able to understand, I didn't understand Ro's friendliness toward the social worker. According my knowledge so far, I knew that it wasn't enough for a human being to be a woman in order to be tender and nice. I meant… Agent Lee and Agent Rush were both women and if Agent Lee was really nice, Agent Rush was harsh, and I was sure about that as I knew them better than all the rest female humans, except Ro, of course. And now that social worker was so much more stern and cold even than Agent Rush! Was Ro so impatient to have some elderly woman in her life, who could take care of her? Wasn't my concern about Ro enough for her? If I missed something, if Ro wasn't content with me about something, she just has to let me know, she knew I'd do anything for her sake…
Maybe that social worker's bored voice will make Ro realize how in fact that woman didn't care about Ro at all, so after my own words, "I'm sure. She said…" I played the record of thе social worker's voice, " 3880 Lexington way. Building 43, ask for Harry Lux." Then I added with my regular voice, "This is the place." I knew it was risky to play someone's record through me, but I did this for Ro's sake again. Still, it wasn't the right way to convince her. Even much more roughly than a few hours ago, in the Ground Wire, when she snapped at me that my try to play her brother was too sappy, Ro said with a bored and curt tone of voice, "Ask a robot a question..."
She never called me 'robot'! Obviously she was very angry with me this time and this word was my punishment. She was taking my try to warn her about that woman, as just some stupid robotic stuff. I had done too much stupid robotic stuff so far, but not now. So maybe I have to…
"Aaaaaa! Help! Somebody! Aaaaaa! Somebody please help me! Get me out of here!"
An apartment building was on fire and a blonde woman trapped on the third floor. A team of firefighters moved in, but they were too far away from the woman, who kept screaming, "Get me out! Get me out of here!"
There was a large explosion on the second floor...
One of those firefighters was lifted on a platform, he stretched his arm to reach the woman… and he was so close… but not enough…
I didn't need my sharp hearing to hear what the firefighters talked, they really yelled to each other terrified that they were unable to rescue the woman…
"It's too hot! I can't get close!" shouted the firefighter on the platform.
"Bring him in! Pull him up!" answered his colleagues and they pulled the platform back into the fire truck.
For less of a second I scanned the whole area searching for something suitable, then I used my laser to detach a ladder from a nearby building, I grabbed it and I ran to the burning building…
"Zee, wait!" Ro tried to stop me, but I didn't pay attention to her warning. I knew she didn't want me to reveal my synthoids abilities. The use of the laser was enough dangerous to reveal my identity, but it was impossible for me just to stay and watch how a human being was threatened to die. Carrying the ladder I passed by the frozen, shocked firefighters. Ro's voice was distracting me for a while and I was about involuntarily to hit one of the men, but he managed to bend and the ladder didn't touch him.
"Excuse me" I said even without glancing at him and I put the ladder against the burning building.
I heard an astonished murmur behind my back, "Huh? Who's that? What is he doing?" but I climbed that ladder and reaching the window I hugged the woman saying, "I've got you!" and I put her on my shoulder. I was about to begin to climb down the ladder when…
A loud voice on a megaphone ordered, "Cut, cut! The shot's ruined!"
The blond woman pushed me away, "What are you doing! Ah!"
A buzzer ringed and the flames extinguished revealing a chubby F/X man with a flame maker.
I turned to look over my shoulder what was going on and I saw a man with glasses sitting in a chair to speak to the megaphone, "Will somebody get that wannabe off my set?"
A young woman with a megaphone too passed among the firefighters saying, "Alright people, back to one. Reset effects."
Really confused I looked at the blonde woman, "Sorry?"
"Oh sure!" she said sarcastically, "It's just another take in this smoke. I didn't need a complexion."
I climbed down the ladder and I looked at the man with the glasses apologetically, trying to figure out my excuse, when Ro saved me again, as always, from a difficult situation when I had no idea what to say. She said instead of me, "Heh, yeah, sorry about that."
She took my hand and she said to all those people, "He, he's new on this planet." Then she dragged me after her and we walked away.
I was so thankful to have her by my side, but…
I was still confused… will I ever learn to act normal among people? Ro wanted me to act and speak as a human from the very beginning of our connection and I did my best to be more careful and avoid any robotic faults…
Ro still held my hand leading me forward, but her voice was really angry, "Okay, lesson two million: this is a vid studio. Everything is fake!"
I tried timidly to defense myself, "It... seemed real..."
"It's like I have to teach you everything! C'mon, building 43 should be right around here."
We approached a studio with a picture of a young African-American woman with the caption "Skye's The Limit" which Ro read with a new suspicion in her voice. Obviously she still didn't believe that that was the place…
A middle-aged man exited the studio door and Ro let go off my hand.
"Rosalie, Harry Lux!" the man smiled, "Talk about cutting it close: you just made it! C'mon!" and he hugged Ro's shoulders leading her into the studio.
I followed them. Ro was certainly confused when she asked, "Just made it for what?"
But actually…
I was…
Not exactly confused. I was certainly discontented. I didn't like the gesture of that unknown man who immediately hugged Ro.
Yes, I didn't like him from the first moment I saw him, just like I didn't like the social worker. Although they both were completely different.
She was a woman he was a man.
She was auburn haired, he was dark blond.
She was thin, he was a little bit fat.
She was stern he openly smiled.
The only equal thing was that they both were middle-aged.
But that fact has nothing to do with their characters. So the only one likeness between both of them was my own feelings of warning and dislike.
But just the same as I was wrong with the social worker, I had to do my best to ignore my dislike toward this man.
He smiled again, "We're right in here!"
We already walked in the studio…
And I was glad to see that he let go his hand off Ro's shoulders.
The man added, looking at Ro, "Gwen was right, your look is perfect! Invokes instant pity."
Ro's smile was sarcastic, but although this she didn't manage to hide that she was flattered, "Thanks. I guess" then she introduced me to the man.
"This is my friend Zee."
I smiled politely extending my hand to say 'Hello' to him, but the man only glanced at me without taking my hand.
"Yeah, yeah, nice to meet ya" he said, hurried, and then he continued to speak to Ro, "I was floored when I heard your story."
For a few seconds my hand rested in the air in some stupid gesture, half on its way to be shaken. Then I took down my hand without hiding my disappointment… and my dislike.
Suddenly the man stopped and very rough this time, he hugged Ro's shoulders again, "We are gonna do everything we can to help."
I looked at him. He has to know that I wouldn't allow anything bad to happen to Ro. So I asked insistently, "And what exactly is that?"
The man turned towards me saying, "Don't you guys know Skye?" and it seemed that he was just surprised, but I sensed the same cold dislike in his expression, the same that the social worker had towards me. I didn't feel cold or warm with my metal body of course, but I knew how Ro didn't like cold weather or cold food except some ice cream and some cold drink when the weather was too hot. But as I was able to have feelings inside of me, I was able to sense if someone liked me or hated me and I definitely felt different being liked or hated.
Although… to think that this man hated me was a little bit excessive and I was sure that if I could tell Ro what I thought about him right now, she would say that I was becoming paranoid. But sinking in all those thoughts and also being more and more discontent that that man still had his arm around Ro's shoulders, I retained my answer. Ro perceived this and quickly answered instead of me, "Uh, we're from out of town."
"Well" Harry Lux looked at Ro smiling again, "She's got the biggest show in Twin Cities and reunions are our hottest bits. We've been reuniting loved ones for two seasons now."
Shrinking away from his arm, Ro turned around toward him and frowned, "Wait up. A talk show? I can't do…"
Using his both hands this time, Harry Lux grabbed Ro's shoulders again and forced her to turn around toward the scene, "Just watch!"
We approached the edge of the set. Right in front of us, at the scene, a girl, a few years younger than Ro, with reddish hair and freckles all over her face, was sitting in a couch and watching sadly Skye, who was sitting in the arm-chair across her.
Obviously the girl was telling Skye how she had lost her parents, "The storm destroyed our whole town. A lot of us were relocated to shelters and whole families got separated."
All the people in the hall said, "Awww..."
The girl continued, "I heard some people got head injuries and forgot stuff. I figured that's what happened to my mom."
"Yeah" said Skye holding girl's hand, "And how old were you when this happened?"
"I was six."
"Six years old" repeated Skye, then she smiled, "Well Macy, we did some research and that's exactly what happened to your mom."
Skye paused and I saw how Ro's face changed, her expression now had an almost painful expectation, as if it was Ro who waited to see her own mother. Ro's lips were half-open, her light blue eyes were full of tears which glittered on the edge of her eyelids, ready to roll down her face…
Skye added, "She didn't remember a thing for close to a year - not even her own name. She's been searching for you ever since. Gang, we have a special treat for Macy right now. Let's bring her out!"
From the opposite side of the scene approached a middle-aged woman with reddish hair and freckles all over her face. She smiled at Macy and the girl said in disbelieve, "Mom?" and then she ran toward her mother.
"It's me baby" the woman smiled again, then she opened her arms and hugged Macy.
The audience said a new "Aww" and started to applaud.
Now Ro was with her back to me, I couldn't see her face anymore, but I was able to hear her whispering, "Dang..." and although her voice was more bitter than just sad, I knew she was on the verge of crying…
Meanwhile Macy's mother was sitting on the couch with Marcy in her arms. Skye continued lively, "We're gonna give these two some time to get reacquainted. So that's it for today! Tune in next time when we make the dream of a family reunion come true for…" And the studio cameras focused in on Ro, "… this girl, Rosalie Rowen!"
"What!" almost yelled Ro in her anger, while the audience applauded and screamed, "Skye's The Limit!"
Ro furiously turned around, with her hands on her hips to face Harry Lux, "What the heck was that! I never agreed to be on this show!" and she turned around again with her back on Harry Lux, crossing her arms on her chest with an angry expression on her face.
"Hey, chill! Everyone wants to be on 'Skye's the Limit!" said with a mocking smile Harry Lux and he definitely went too far putting his hand on Ro's shoulder once again!
But Ro wasn't inclined to endure anymore his insolence and she pushed his hand of her shoulders almost screaming in her anger, "Not me! My face can't be on the air!"
That was more than enough – instead of giving her some excuse, this man almost laughed! "Well, too late, it's a live feed. C'mon, what's the big deal?"
Ro didn't answer. She made her way to the exit and I followed her.
Agent Bennet's point of view
"We got a hit! Twin Cities, Minnesota, 'Skye's The Limit' show!" shouted Rush on one breathe, running behind me and along me toward the computer with a disk in her hand.
I didn't scold her that she dashed like that without warning or permission the communication center. I had merely turned to her trying to look stern rather than curious. She was so in a hurry and so excited about the information she brought to me that she didn't glanced at me at all. But she was a good soldier, I knew she'd realize I wasn't happy of her behavior and I wouldn't tolerate any lack of respect like this.
She plugged the disk and a clip from earlier appeared on the screen.
"We're gonna give these two some time to get reacquainted" said with a smile a young afro-american woman. "So that's it for today! Tune in next time when we make the dream of a family reunion come true for this girl…"
The studio cameras moved and focused… on…
"Rosalie Rowen!" said the woman's voice and on the monitor froze in a shot the astonished face of Zeta's accomplice.
"According to the vid" added Rush, "she'll be back on the show tomorrow."
"Then we'll be there too" I said slowly and intimidated.
to be continued…
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