Author's Notes: Don't you just love it when I go out of town for three weeks? I get so much done. But now I have to settle down and start the painful part… typing. I've got a chapter of this fic, a new one-shot, and the end to another fic all awaiting typing, plus the ending of another chapter for this fic and another one to write out. Shesh, I've been busy.

On a sadder note… Mourn with me the loss of over ten hours of FFX-2 game play my sister deleted.

Well, onto the story.

Note: Mini-cams in the FF7 universe and used by the Turks is mental-property of Ktrenal. Atreylune has the mental property of both work and the hidden personal Turk cell-phones. I love you two a lot!
Note2: The italics show translations to the Wutain being spoken.

Chapter 4: The Robot

'Dreams, both ambitional and subconscious, are what make us ourselves.'

They say curiosity killed the cat, but really, it is the bread and butter of my existence. Almost everything I do is spy work, and few suspect the cute, cuddly feline atop a toyasaurus would do anything like that. Even I wouldn't, and I'd never suspect that not only was I used by Turks, but created by one. Well, unless I was me that is.

My creator is here now, lounging on the expensive leather couch that had been a favorite of the former Tarshil executive. I find this choice interesting because of what we both know about its history. Right now Reeve is conclusion the tour of Shin-Ra with an introduction of myself and a minor tour of Reno's own office. It is obvious, to me at least, that Reeve is very taken by the red-head's loveliness. Yet it's just another fling like he always had. I know this because long ago I implanted special devices in his blood stream. These things tell me everything from his vital signs to the last time he had any 'fun' or got drunk. All those devices recorded no change except for a minor, albeit increasing, state of lust for this one. And from the way he's acting, to get it from Reno before Sephiroth can.

Reno was blushing faintly because of some lewd comment or other about his father and the couch. Reeve was laughing, though not as he would have in front of Rude or Tseng. Never known my Reeve to be considerate or compassionate to others before. It is rather… what is that word? Endearing I think.

A phone rang and Reno jumped. With a resigned sigh reeve pulled out his work phone and answered it. Imagine the surprise on his face when there was still ringing. I could have told him it was his personal cell and not his work on, but I'm too busy enjoying the attention from Reno to care… What? I can enjoy being pet even if I'm only an artificial intelligence program in a cat form!

"Hello?" Reeve hazarded into the phone he pulled out of some other hidden pocket.

There was a low growl picked up from the phone, only Reeve with the phone at his ear and me with an increased sense of hearing could pick it up.

Reeve quickly slipped into a Wutain dialect I could easily translate, though his voice was barely a whisper. "Tseng-sama," he greeted in Wutain.

"You are with him, are you not?" the Wutain native returned in the same tongue.

Reeve quickly covered the phone and stood. "I am sorry Reno-san," he spoke, not completely able to shake himself out of Wutain and that resulting in the 'san' bit, but it is understandable. I can read anger in his vitals. "I must take this call. I will be back as soon as possible."

When Reeve left the room I tuned my internal sensors to the frequency of the phone to hear the conversation.

"Tseng, how did you get this number?" Reeve demanded angrily, but the words were still beautiful. Such is the form of Wutain.

"So, do you have a name?" Reno asked me suddenly.

"No," I replied as Tseng pointed out that the number was kept in Reeve's file.

"Then what do they call you by?" Reno asked in shock.

"Twenty-three," my response came as Reeve began to rant at Tseng.

"Why twenty-three?" he asked, questing for an answer that would satisfy him.

"I am the third model that was created… They gave the first one the number of 21. I'm still a prototype really. When a superior model is completed I will be destroyed."

Reno frowned, "You deserve a name."

"To name is to express a desire to retain. That would be pointless for me because Reeve is already making my replacement."

"I can spend time with him if I want too. Kid, you aren't my keeper," Reeve hissed in anger greater than before.

"Well, I'm going to name you anyway. How about Cait Sith?"

"Really Reeve? When was the last time you cooked for yourself? Or spent the night alone? Or even stayed in your own apartment?" Tseng shot back.

"Cait Sith?" I questioned.

"The mythical king of cats. Also called Stray."

"Tseng, back the hell off. I don't need this from you. And I'm sorry if you thought we were in a serious relationship, because we aren't. I don't know if you thought you were special or something, but I do know you know I don't do serious relationships. I expect our transition back to a purely professional relationship will be easy."

"I like that name," I said, but I noted his frown.

"You'd let them take you apart?" Reno asked.

"Yes. It is my purpose after all other purposes fail."

"Of course sir," Tseng mumbled before hanging up.

"Reeve would take you apart even though you have a mind of your own?"

"Does the creator of humans not do the same?"

"But, we humans have souls, and those live forever, even without our bodies."

"My memory and personality chips will be stored away and last forever."

"But these can be destroyed!" Reno insisted.

Oh, this was familiar. Reeve and I had this debate once, not long after my creation and initial study of spirituality that I could better understand the humans I spied upon. I knew the proper response, one Reeve had used against me.

"So can the human soul," I replied coolly.

Reno's eyes widened, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Take Sephiroth and Reeve for example," I quoted from memory, nearly verbatim. "Though they are called Shin-Ra's Angels of Death, they are no such thing. Both are people who have been conditioned to their tasks. And in this conditioning they lost two critical things, at least in the eyes of 'normal' people. Their 'eternal' souls and almost all emotions were lost to them, forever probably. They are heartless, soulless bastards."

Reno paled, which was something shocking to me. "How can you say such things!"

"They are true!" I insisted.

"No they aren't! Reeve is a nice guy!"

"Reeve is a Turk," I corrected him. "Any Turk would slit your throat were you to look at them wrong. They are thieves, liars, kidnappers and murderers. They have no friends, need no love, and frown at such 'niceties'."

"Tanière!" Reno shouted. Yet the language was foreign to me.

"He is not a liar," came Reeve's voice from the doorway. Damn, I didn't notice him there. "Twenty-three cannot state falsehoods unless ordered to do so."

"Well I don't believe it," Reno declared. "And neither should either of you. Everyone needs love and friends!"

Reeve frowned slightly, "I have had no friends since I left my home in Mideel over half my lifetime ago."

Reno took this into account for a few minutes and then smiled widely, "Then I'll be your friend."

This honestly threw Reeve off. Apparently the new executive was more naïve than he had assumed and had really made things harder for the Turk.

"Uh… Okay," Reeve agreed.

"We can go out tonight and you can show me around Midgar," he happily suggested.

Once more Reeve agreed and then excused himself. I quickly followed. This would be interesting.