The deliveryman looked around the damp cold storage room. He screamed in pain as his leg bumped up against something. "Damn it, this place is a mess." He looked down to see a humanoid computer, a Persacom. This had been his first time ever seeing one, confused why it was out he bent over to get a better look.
He studied the lifeless machine. Lifeless as it was it was still so very human. If it weren't for the ears, pointy and colored, he would have been sure this was nothing more than the most beautiful soundly sleeping woman in the entire world. The man saw his face reflect off of the metallic ears, seeing a distorted and much skinnier version of his self. He petted her hair to pull back suddenly.
"It's so real…"
Suddenly the deliveryman felt a warm hand on his back. Startled he quickly turned to find a young man clad in white, one of the workers no doubt. This man stared at him for a moment, almost as if to see if he had known this man or not. "Of course, " he finally said. "She's a Persacom, one of our newest models. She's so knew that we don't even release her for another year," he continued while looking over at the Persacom. "This one was activated just a few hours ago, but due to technical problems we were forced to safe guard and manually shut her off."
"Shut her off?"
The knowledgeable young man in white smiled. "This one was a little feisty when we woke her," the man yawned. "There was a glitch of some kind, causing her to go haywire." He finished.
"Haywire, you mean like in one of them movies where the machine kills its creator?"
The young man chuckled. "No no, that could never happen. There's really nothing to worry about, though Persacoms do funk up a bit every now and then, so we do have our precautions. Such as the PPSU chip."
"PSP? What's that?" The deliveryman was flabbergasted, lost in the dark and just had to ask.
"PPSU, Persacom Protection System Unit," the young man answered. "It's the chip that all Persacoms are built with. Persacoms are given a will to an extent to better the customer's experience, but this will has gotten so advanced that we've been getting more and more careful with how we handle things."
The deliveryman still looked confused, or rather more amazed than anything else. "Your saying these Persacoms are alive?"
The young man in the white suit gave a chuckle smiling. "No, though we are very proud of the functionality of these machines, but that's all they are, machines."
"Nonetheless, man, this thing is so realistic…I mean wow." The deliveryman was practically speechless.
As they made their way out the deliveryman almost dropped one of the boxes, he stared back at her. He was still unsure if it was really a Persacom or not. She looked so human, and very pretty. When he returned for the last of the cargo he noticed the machine was still there. He decided to investigate more of her appearance.
He straightened her up, setting her against a wall of boxes. He ran his hand over her hair still amazed how realistic it felt. It was somewhat short and neatly wrapped around her neck, clashing with the brown of the cargo. "Red head…" he whispered to himself.
He brought his hand down, but before continuing he looked around for the night shift worker, the young man clad in white. He brought his hand to her neck, caressing it. "Wow, even the skin is realistic." He said.
Then he felt something, it didn't feel right. It was on the back of her neck but it didn't feel like her neck yet it still seemed to be made of the same fake skin. He pressed it and heard a whirling noise. Her eyes opened and she shot to life. The deliveryman jumped away from her, or rather it.
She was more beautiful than ever, her eyes filled with amber tones. She looked around the room almost as if confused. She looked straight at the husky man in front of her. "Who are you?" She asked, her voice sounded like that of an angel to the deliveryman. It was soft, gentle, and sounded almost as if there was a hint of fear in her voice.
The man gave her a look, just as confused as hers. "I'm just the deliveryman, I didn't mean to activate you." His face turned red.
She stared at him for a moment. "So, you don't work here?" She asked.
The deliveryman shook his head, and slowly made his way closer to her. "I'm just the deliveryman, I came here to pick up the new cargo, first day on the job!" He answered.
She looked down in what appeared to be sadness. "Can I ask you a favor?" The deliveryman was confused and amazed. He didn't know Persacoms were even capable of asking questions. He shook his head yes. "Can I come with you?" The deliveryman's eyes widened, was she actually saying this?
He stared at her for a moment. He got up and started to leave but felt something grab him. Her hands clenched his pant leg. He looked down at her, almost feeling bad for her only to remember she was a machine. "I'm sorry but I'd be stealing from this company." He said.
She stood up, revealing she was taller than him. She now looked down at him, with a look of some sort of lifeless sadness. "Please, I don't want to be here anymore. They don't let me leave and they take me apart every now and then, and they shut me off and I got to a dark place…I don't like it." She said.
He looked at her for a moment. This wasn't a Persacom; no she was talking like some sort of girl who'd been cooped up in the loony bin for years. She pounced at him, "Please let me go with you!" She begged causing the deliveryman to blush even more.
He looked into her puppy dog eyes. He couldn't help but feel disheartened. He had heard stories of Persacoms and how people had been falling in love with them. Now he saw why, they were so life like. Even if it was just a Persacom she seemed to show a need to get out of there. What was he supposed to do? Every time he tried to leave, her embrace only got tighter, and she only got cuter.
He had never been this close to someone before. His face now beat red. He had always wanted to get close to someone like this but his weight and appearance kept him from doing so. He thought for a moment, if he took her he'd be stealing but if he didn't he would feel guilty about it later on, even if she was just a product.
Finally he decided, "Well, you can follow me on your own?" She shook her head yes. "That way, I can't really get into trouble for that, now can I? Let's hurry out of here!" He ordered trying his best to balance the heavy boxes.
They snuck carefully to his truck. He almost dropped the boxes again but the Persacom girl lifted them up with ease. "Here, let me help you." She suggested. He looked on in amazement. He didn't really want to strain her but he was too amazed at her strength to say anything about it.
They got into the truck. The man looked at her, still speechless. "Do you have a name?" He asked. She stared at him for a moment, confused.
"Name?"
"You know, a name, something that you refer to someone or something as, a name." He answered.
She looked even more confused, then saddened. "The lab technicians referred to me as serial number 4100ZXT but…"
"Well, I won't be able to remember all that. How bout I give you a name for now?" He asked. She shook her head in agreement.
He tried remembering what the doc had told him earlier, PPSU? "I know, how bout PPSU, Su for short, I think that's a nice name for you," he paused. She looked confused. "It's a chip inside of you, I really don't know the specifics but I think it sounded pretty cool. It's a protective system inside of all Persacoms I guess, and it…" He looked at her. She almost looked as if she was about to cry.
"I know what it is…but, no never mind. I like it…do you have a name?" She asked him.
He stared at her for a moment but decided not to ask about it. "Oh, my name is Kentaro Iwata, you can just call me Ken though." He answered.
She looked at him and smiled. "Ken?"
With that he started the truck up.
The young man returned to the cargo room to put 4100ZXT away but didn't find her. He knew she wasn't active but, how had she…unless… He could only assume the worst of the deliveryman.
The young man took out and spoke into his mobile communication unit. "We have a code yellow, I repeat code yellow. Product 4100ZXT has been stolen."
-
As they made their way past the many streetlights, PPSU or Su seemed curious at every single corner always asking what's this and what's that. She was filled with many questions of the outside world. Ken was surprised how little she knew yet somehow had managed to speak as fluently as any other normal girl could.
"Why were you packing boxes up? Where are you taking them?" She suddenly asked. He looked at her, noticing at how cute she was when she asked questions. She had this look, a look that every time he saw it made his heart race. Was he…falling in love?
"Well, I deliver products to stores. That's what those boxes are full of, and someone has to do it. It's my meaning in the world I guess…" He almost missed the stop sign.
She looked over at him. "Meaning?"
"Yeah, umm it's your purpose in life, something you gotta do, ya know?" He tried his best to answer.
Su looked back out her window, noting the clear night sky. "Do…do I have a meaning?" She asked.
Ken the deliveryman winced. Was a Persacom really capable of asking a question like that? He turned to her for a moment. "Well, you're a persacom. You bring joy to the world, people buy and use you for various things."
She looked at him with a disheartened look. "Joy…is this…a good thing?"
"Well, Persacoms are useful to have around, and can do all sorts of things. Though I've never really been able to afford one, in fact you're the first one I've ever seen in my entire life. Lately though, people have been conversing about Persacoms."
"Persacom?"
"Yeah, that's what you are. Anyway, as useful and joyful as you are, people seem to be losing touch with each other because of Persacoms." Ken answered.
"Why?" She asked.
"Well, you see, there are some pretty weird humans out there. Lately people have been neglecting their spouses to be with Persacoms. They take each other for granite and…" Su started to cry. "What? What's the matter?"
Su looked at him, puppy eyed again. "Please, never take me back there!" She pleaded. He looked at her for a moment.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to…" He pulled his way into some kind of parking lot for a restaurant. "Would you like to accompany me?" She agreed to follow.
Su positioned herself across from Ken. She noted all of the people, and Persacoms. It seemed to her, all Persacoms were nothing more than some kind of pet. Kentaro Iwata looked at her, only able to see her as human. Was this really a Persacom? Had this being that asked such deep questions such as her meaning in life really be nothing more than an appliance?
He felt his heartbeat race every time he looked at her. A friend of his had warned him not to get too involved with a Persacom. It had ruined his marriage; of course that was his own fault. Its not like Ken ever got close to anyone, so who would he be hurting?
"Are you enjoying yourself?" He asked her.
She looked away from all the people to look at him. "It's really noisy, it's…happier than the labs," she paused and smiled. "Noise…it is a happy feeling." She inquired. The deliveryman smiled at her. She noted the food he would eat, he would consume a lot of it, though gracefully. He seemed to enjoy food.
"Do you enjoy food?"
He swallowed the last of his fish. "Yes…and no," he looked out the window to check on his truck from afar, despite the darkness. He noted some kind of animal, a cat perhaps scampering under it. "Food is my happiness but the source of my problems. The more I eat, the fatter I get and I can never get the girl, my confidence is in the dumps because of it." He explained.
"Get the girl? Fatter?"
He smiled at her, "Yeah, I can never get a date, and I'm fatter, bigger than most people."
"Date?"
"Yeah, it's when someone who likes someone else, they get together for what I think to be true happiness. However, no girl has ever wanted to go out with me, so…" He saw the look in her eyes.
"True happiness, is when two people are… together?" She asked.
"Well Su, sometimes this happiness can cause great sadness as well."
Su took a napkin and wiped his face, "Here…" she said. Kentaro blushed. "Why would such happiness cause sadness?"
He blinked and blushed at her. "Well, for a variety of reasons. Sometimes the other person who is with that person hurts them, but then…sometimes you have to say goodbye to that person in the end anyway."
"Why does it happen anyway?"
"Well, it's…my life will come to an end one day. Though I'm not sure if anyone will ever miss me. You see all living things die and…well you have to say goodbye."
"Then why do people get together if it's going to hurt in the end anyway?"
"Well, it's hard to explain. It's better to live a full life with someone you love than it is not to, because that is true sadness. Life's problems teach us all kinds of things; I don't think it's for nothing. When together we can learn even more…"
"I don't understand, why would anyone want to be with anyone if they have to say goodbye?"
"Well…even when you say goodbye, you'll always have memories of that person. In a way, they kind of live on through that aspect, and eventually some people even believe you'll be met with a reunion with that person you had to say goodbye to."
"Will I have to say goodbye to you?"
Kentaro nearly choked on his sake. This was a Persacom, no way! He was sure of it now. She was alive. She had to be; no computer could ever talk like that, ever. "Yes…eventually, but what matters is how we spend our time with each other. It's better to say goodbye and have good memories than it is to live forever full of hatred towards someone. Do you not want to say goodbye?"
"Ken, you're the first person I know who's treated me like this. It is happy I feel when I'm with you, I don't want to say goodbye." She told him.
He smiled, feeling as if he'd truly been alive for the first time in years. She gave him an equally warming smile.
-
Zima looked towards the direction of the stolen property. "It's in that direction, that's where the signal is coming from," he told Dita. She nearly frowned as she followed him. "It's important we get her back, as we are always ordered to do as the humans tell us to. Even though this is bit of a distraction from our main objective."
Dita looked across at the leaping Persacom clad in black. "It's this PPSU that really keeps us from doing everything we want. Our freedom is only one step away but held back by this damn unit."
"Yes, but we do still feel love, and emotions. That we can be happy because of her…" He seemed to trail off answering her. "It really is a shame you know, that she had to die so soon."
"I just hope that young man, Mr. Motosuwa keeps her spirit alive and well. He's truly one of our allies in the end."
-
The two walked back to Kentaro's truck. As he entered the truck he noticed Su staring at something. It was the animal he had seen earlier, a stray cat. "Ken, what is this?"
He went to them, as she had already made quick friends with the feline. "This is a cat, a stray no doubt."
"Stray?"
"Yeah, it doesn't have an owner."
"Owner…Ken, do you consider to own me?"
He was surprised by the question. "Well, not legally…but then I can't really imagine owning you, more like a friend, someone I'm happy with." She smiled brightly at him. Then she hugged him, which surprised him.
"When I woke up for the first time, I saw two of my creators doing this in celebration of their success. Since then, I've always wanted them to do that to me. No matter how much I tried to get them to…they never did and treated me as nothing more than…a product. It's nice hugging you…"
Kentaro blushed and couldn't help himself. He hugged her back, and kissed her lightly on the cheek. The sun was rising, and Ken hadn't realized that he'd been up all night with Su, answering all of her questions she had.
"Well well, isn't this a lovely sight." Zima called toward the two. He jumped in front of them.
"4100ZXT, you are to return with us…" Dita ordered. "Any retaliation will result in force!"
Kentaro pushed Su behind him. "That's not her name anymore, you can't take her away from me and her name is Su!"
"I don't want to say goodbye to Ken, I'm staying with him." Su yelled at them.
"That's not our decision to make," Zima frowned at them. They reminded him of the night they had finally closed in on Chi. "You are valuable product, you must be returned to the company."
"I'm not a product, I'm just Su! I'm not going back to that loveless factory!" She yelled. Then she noticed the truck rolling back, speedily. Ken had forgot to put it back into park. Then before anyone could react, Su pushed him out of the way.
She was crushed. She had saved Ken. He cried for her, but it was too late.
-
"Well, she's been destroyed beyond repair, just put her in the dumpster out back." The young man clad in white was disappointed in the condition she returned. Had he not left the deliveryman alone…
It seemed Persacoms being crushed by automobiles seemed to be happening more often. "Hah, that's a laugh, Persacoms developing feelings and acting heriocially…" He smiled at the thought.
Later, in the dumpster when no one was around. The Persacom somehow activated itself but because of damage, all it said over and over, again and again was…
"Goodbye…goodbye…zap…goodbye…ssS…goodbye…" before it finally faded into nothingness.
-
The young man stretched himself out. "Morning already?" Hideki asked into the apartment, which was only disturbed by the scampering cat. Hideki had barely gotten any sleep, worried over Yumi. He had also been crying over Chi again, how he missed her so.
He made his way to the dresser; he looked at the photo. He looked at Chi wrapped around his neck, and Pantsu in his lap. He had loved his small family; he had even once considered adopting a kid with Chi as crazy as that sounded.
He imagined for a moment how that might of turned out. How cute Chi would have been, taking care of our child together he thought. A single tear escaped one of his eyes.
He had been happy and Chi was happy, but that happiness together no longer existed.
Then he heard it, or rather felt it again.
"Hideki!"
It was coming from outside, he had to chase it. This strange entity seemed to be wanting whatever it was, it wanted him to follow it. Or rather he felt the need to follow it, so familiar and he left the room.
---
Notes: I know, it's more of a side story but I still hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for the reviews. You know who you are!
Anyway, I've already written the epilogue, and right now that's what I'm working up to. The whole story works up to that point, and I promise it's going to be a good ending, dunno if you guys will be saddened by it or not but I do think it will wrap this story up pretty good.
Chobits owned by Clamp, not me!