Ladies and Gentlemen: I apologize for taking so long to write this chapter. This one has to be the most challenging, and the longest, I've ever written so far. I hope you enjoy it...I really do.
Chapter Eleven
(This isn't happening! This just can't be happening!)
For over two years, Agent James Bennet had to deal with what should have been a simple mission. He had to retrieve Infiltration Unit Zeta. He had stopped following orders during an assignment involving terrorist group Brother's Day. It was believed that Zeta had been discovered by the terrorists and had been reprogrammed, causing him to run wild. It was Bennet's job to hunt Zeta down so he could be reprogrammed.
But after finally tracking Zeta to the Nosis, the lab where Zeta was created, Bennet discovered that Zeta was reprogrammed not by Brother's Day, but by his own creator, Dr. Eli Selig.
In the end, all Zeta wanted was to talk to his creator so he could learn the truth about his existence. If he wasn't meant to be a killer robot, then what was his true purpose? What plans did Dr. Selig have for him? So many questions that may never be answered, because Titus Sweete, Brother's Day's top agent, wasted no time in blowing up the secret lab, or shooting down Dr. Selig in his escape pod. Bennet never really forgave himself for what happened that day. He could have searched Sweete more thoroughly when he had the chance. He could have listened to what Zeta had to say when he tried to talk to him. He could have insisted that Agent West be fired, or at least reassigned to some other, less important assignment.
As far as Bennet was concerned, he could have done a lot of things differently, but he couldn't undo the past. All he could do now was what he thought was right. The only problem was what he thought was right and what Commander Lemac thought was right became two different things. If Bennet was going to plead his case and still keep his job, he needed solid evidence. Fortunately, Zeta gave him what he needed: a copy of his memories on a disc. Bennet nearly kicked himself for not thinking of it when he had the chance. Nevertheless, it was all he needed to enforce his decision...
...He allowed Zeta to stay with Rowen while the NSA examined the disc.
After a grueling hour-long 'discussion', Lemac agreed to honor Bennet's decision. In the meantime, he gave Bennet something else to do: overseeing salvaging the remains of the Nosis, in the hope of recovering the bodies of Dr. Selig and Andrea Donossa. They were the only two people unaccounted for. Days later, the search went on with no success, and then he received a call from Lemac to return to the base, only to be told that Sweete had escaped while being transported to his arraignment hearing...and Agent West, off all people, was assigned to transport him. Now Titus Sweete was on the loose again. Bennet could only hope that this assignment would be easier without West coming along for the ride. After this screw-up, West would certainly have to be let go.
Bennet, meanwhile, had to leave one mess to clean up another. Zeta's memory disc enabled him to find the docking area Sweete used to load up his submarine. But by the time the NSA arrived, there was no trace of any activity. Brother's Day must have cleared it out as soon as the sub had left on its mission.
With Titus Sweete as the new Priority One, Bennet had no time to waste. Sweete had to be stopped before he destroyed the new infiltration unit base; and he was going to be much harder to track down than Zeta ever was. Sure enough, the days after that had him buried in his work and that meant he wouldn't be able to attend West's surprise going-away party. It wasn't as though he had a long speech for West, but the least he could've done was wish him good luck in his new career...preferably something not-so government-related. When Agent Rush popped her head into his office, he wasn't surprised; she did promise to save him a piece of cake. But when he asked her how the party went, she gave him the most shocking news...
...West was not fired! Instead, he was placed in charge of Project: Zeta! His mission is to monitor Zeta's cred account to prove Rowen unfit to have Zeta in her care. As far as Lemac was concerned, Zeta is still government property. Not only is the conscience module, made on company time on the company dime, the only clue to Dr. Selig's plans for him; but he and his girlfriend are living off a company card. And if it meant risking Rowen going on the mother-of-all shopping sprees to prove she's an unfit guardian, so be it.
After that, Rush hurried out of the office, leaving a very dumbfounded Agent Bennet with the thought of West leading the charge after Zeta sending a chill down his spine like nothing else. (What was Lemac thinking? West is a greater threat to National Security than Zeta will ever be.)
Bennet had to do something, and he had to do it quickly. From what he knew of Rowen, she didn't seem like the crazed shopaholic type, but being on the run doesn't leave much time for checking out big sales. When he hacked into Zeta's account (Access denied? Yeah, right!), he went straight down to the bottom of the list, where the most recent transactions would be found. There he noticed bus passes to San Francisco, where Rowen's brother, Casey MacCurdy lives. But then something disturbing caught his eyes...a wedding dress.
Bennet sat frozen in his chair. His eyes may have been staring at the computer screen, but his mind was back in the Ground Wire, when he went to fetch Agent West, and found him transfixed at Zeta and Rowen as they kissed each other like newlyweds. He couldn't resist saying to West, "I dare you to report this."
He knew Zeta had a conscience. He knew Zeta and Rowen developed a bond. He knew about the kiss. But he never thought it would come to this. He logged off the program and called Agent Rush's extension. He asked her to walk by West's desk to see if he was still there. Surprisingly, he was. Even Lemac couldn't ignore something like this. A robot was marrying a human! And a human was marrying a robot! Why hasn't Lemac set up a team to go after them? There's no way he'd stand for this. Was he waiting for a preacher to say 'if there is anyone who has reason why this happy couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, let them speak now, or forever hold their peace'? (This can't be happening! This just can't be happening!)
This is why, right now, at this very moment, he is outside Casey MacCurdy's apartment, face-to-face with Zeta.
"Don't be so surprised, Zeta. I did say that I'd check on you."
Just seconds ago, Zee was happier than ever before. And now his worst fear was right in front of him. Bennet was not always in uniform when he chased him. Bennet being here means only one thing; and it's making his dreams slowly shatter before his eyes. (No, Bennet... Don't do this, please...no...)
Bennet, seeing the fear in Zee's eyes, decides to tread carefully. "It's alright, Zeta. I'm not here to take you away. I promise. But I do need to talk to you. Can we go inside?"
Zee tries his best to be calm and collective, but Bennet can see how Zee's hands are shaking as he unlocks the door. Bennet can also see how Zeta looks more human-like since their last encounter, but he does not need holo-viewers to know that underneath the human appearance is a body made of metal and wires, not flesh and blood. And no conscience module will ever change that.
As they enter the apartment, Zee does not see Ro anywhere. On one hand, he's relieved that she's not home yet; he does not want to put her through this, not while she finally has the chance to rebuild her life. On the other hand, being alone with Bennet reminds him of his nightmares. He needs to have her beside him, to feel her warmth and support. He feels so cold he shivers... (I can't go back to being a robot again...I can't...)
Bennet maintains his poker face, but he can see Zeta is shivering. (No doubt about it...he's terrified. I can't really blame him. I've been hunting him down for years.) "Zeta, the NSA doesn't know I'm here, and I'd like to keep it that way. You're not Priority One anymore. I'm supposed to be hunting down Titus Sweete, but..."
"Sweete?!" Zee is taken aback. "But...you caught him at the Nosis, right after he... he..." Memories of Dr. Selig's escape pod crashing into the water floods his mind. He was so close to learning about his true purpose, and Sweete took it all away. If not for Ro, would have gone mad from grief. His hands become shaking fists as he wishes he could get his hands on Sweete and make him pay for what he did.
Bennet can't help but stare at how Zeta was acting. If he didn't know better, he'd say Zeta is indeed a human being. He's displayed shock, fear and now anger. He can only assume that Ro has taught him well. Speaking of whom... "Is Miss Rowen around? She needs to hear this as well."
It takes a moment for Zee to calm himself. Everything is happening so fast. Bennet's presence, Sweete escaping, memories of Dr. Selig, the chill running down his back... (Why is this happening? Why is my world falling apart?) "She's...not home yet."
Bennet knows he can't stay too long. If Lemac finds out about this, he's as good as gone. "Look, Zeta... I can't stay much longer, so I'll get right to the point. Titus Sweete escaped our custody while being escorted to his arraignment. He's a higher priority than you right now. Even though we understand that you weren't reprogrammed by Brother's Day, Commander Lemac isn't quite ready to let you go. Dr. Selig left no clues as to what his plans were for you. He said himself that your conscience module was made on company time. And he was right when he said the government would have stopped him if they had known about it. As far as we knew, you were designed to destroy terrorist organizations by mimicking suspects..."
"...And killing them, as well. Yes, I remember." It is hard for Zee to think back to his previous life. It just makes him feel colder. "But Eugene Dolan was innocent. Sweete said so himself. I couldn't kill an innocent man."
"I understand that, Zeta. The disc you gave me confirmed that. But until we figure out what Dr. Selig was up to, you are still on Lemac's list. And there's another matter...your cred card. You've been making some questionable purchases lately..."
Zee feels more trapped with each passing second. When he bought the wedding dress, all he thought about was the moment when he would see Ro wear it. He never thought for one minute that anyone in the NSA would be keeping track of his account. He sits on the sofa near the coffee table and buries his head in his hands. His world is falling apart, and he's helpless to stop it. (Will I have to return the dress? If I do, then my dream won't come true. If I don't, the NSA will take me away, and I'll never see Ro again.) Zee lowers is head. (I should have known this would happen. How could I have been so stupid?) "Ro...doesn't know about the dress."
Bennet raises an eyebrow. Here is Zeta, a machine, lowering his head like a child caught in a lie. It's one human trait after another. "How can she not know about the dress? Didn't she pick it out...?"
"She doesn't know!" Zee shouts. "I purchased it while she was having lunch with Casey. She doesn't know... She doesn't know..."
Bennet's glasses are designed to give him improved vision, but he can not believe what he's seeing right now. Here is Zeta, sitting on the sofa with his head in his hands. If he didn't know better, he'd say Zeta was...crying. "Alright...alright, Zeta...," Bennet says calmly, He needs to tread more carefully. If Zeta runs again, Lemac will show no mercy. And the possibility of West in hot pursuit makes him sick to his stomach. So, at the risk of asking a stupid question... "Why did you buy the dress?"
As Zee lifts his head, Bennet notices Zee's eyes look...wet. A moment later, Zee answers, "I bought the dress...to make a dream come true. It... It all started after Dr. Selig...was killed. Later that night, I had nightmares because I felt responsible for not being able to save him. But Ro...soothed my nightmares... She helped me deal with what happened. That's when I realized...how much I loved her..."
Bennet remembers that from scanning Zeta's memory disc. It still amazes him that this robot is capable of dreaming, or falling in love for that matter. But he reminds himself that he was going to give Zeta a chance to explain himself. So he lets Zeta continue...
"...After you said that I could stay with Ro, the nightmares were gone. It felt like everything was changing for the better. I was changing, too. Being close to Ro gave me a sense of warmth I've never experienced before. I can actually...feel her. Her skin is so warm and soft. Her hair is so smooth..." Zee remembers the warm sensations, and he maintains these thoughts to give him the strength he needs to face Bennet. "And that's when I started having better dreams, and they all have Ro appearing in the same white dress. A few days later, I saw the dress in a window display. I knew for certain that it was meant for her, so when she met Casey for their lunch date, I went back to the store and bought it. I've hidden it in the bedroom, waiting for the right time to give it to her. It's no secret that I was born a robot, but when I'm with Ro, holding her in my arms... She makes me feel like a human, and it feels wonderful. I want it to last forever."
Bennet is fully aware that Rowen has been teaching him how to behave like a human, but now it seems Zeta actually believes he's human. He takes out his holo-viewer and aims it at Zee. Without it, he sees the Zee image. He looks through it and...
...he still sees the Zee image. He checks to make sure it's on, but it still shows Zeta as Zee. Why isn't it working? Zeta has never fooled the holo-viewers before. Why start now?
Now Zee raises an eyebrow. "Is something wrong?"
(The holo-viewer must be broken. That's the only explanation.) Bennet has no choice but to remind Zeta that no matter how well he looks and acts like a human, he will always be a machine. "Zeta, will do me this one favor? Will you please shut off your hologram?"
"I can't..."
"Just for a moment, Zeta..."
"But I can't shut it off. Look, I'll show you."
Zee stands and takes off his jacket and shirt. Bennet examines the clothes. They are definitely real clothes. They even have designer labels. (Okay, so he's purchased real clothes. But his skin is still a hologram.) Holding the clothes with one hand, he places his other hand on Zee's chest. His hand does not phase through the hologram. He can't feel the titanium alloy. It's...solid...and warm...human skin!
Bennet quickly moves his hand away and takes a step back. "Who are you? You can't be Zeta! Is this some kind of joke?"
"Bennet, I know this is hard to believe, but I am...was Zeta. I'm...evolving. First I experienced warm sensations from feeling Ro's body. And then one morning, I woke up in my human form, and I've been stuck this way ever since. I can't even morph clothing anymore. Everything I wear has been bought from stores..."
"Stop it! Just stop it!" Bennet tosses the clothes to Zee, who catches them and holds them close to his chest. Ro had bought them just for him, and he will not have them damaged. Bennet, meanwhile, wants to tear him apart. "Listen, you...whoever you are... If you think for one minute that I'm going to fall for this, you're crazy! There is absolutely no way for a robot, even a synthoid, to evolve into a human being. I came here to inform you... No, I came to inform Zeta and Miss Rowen that getting married is strictly out of the question. Lemac has assigned Agent West, of all people, to monitor Zeta's cred account. There's no doubt in my mind that Lemac knows about the dress, and there's no way he's going to sit by and let those two make marriage plans and expect the NSA to foot the bill. And you...I don't know who you are, but if you insist on claiming that you're evolving, then you're going to find yourself 'evolving' inside a padded cell, understand?"
Zee is not surprised about Bennet's hand not phasing through his hologram, but Bennet is acting as though his holo-viewers are broken. Couldn't he see his titanium body? Is this why Bennet is suddenly treating him like a total stranger? Does Bennet think that Zee is...human?
Bennet gets out his cell phone. "Now you are going to tell me who you are, and where they are, right now...before I start making some phone calls."
Zee has wanted to be human for so long, but if he's going to stop Bennet from calling the NSA...he has to become the robot once again. He stares at his hands, remembering how good it feels to hold Ro in his arms every night. Suddenly, he remembers something. "Bennet, please wait!" He holds out his hand to activate his holo-projector, but nothing happens. Zee cannot understand why it's not working. It worked fine this morning. Bennet starts dialing some numbers. Zee is running out of time. (Work... Please work!) He quickly massages his hand, using his opposite thumb to rub the palm...and the image of Ro in the white dress finally appears from his hand once again. Zee sighs with relief, but he couldn't deny that it was harder to project the image this time. He shows it to Bennet and says, "This is what I dream of night after night. It fills me with such warmth that I never thought was possible before. Please, Bennet...I'm begging you. Please don't take this from me."
Bennet freezes on the spot. He's one digit away from Commander Lemac's private line. This...person posing as Zeta has a hologram of Rowen projecting from the palm of his hand! It's just like Zeta's specs. Zeta is capable of projecting images like that for profiling purposes, but there's not a human in the world capable of this. And yet he felt...skin. It has to be skin. He felt no metal surface at all. The holo-viewers are designed to see through all kinds of holograms, but it showed him to be...solid.
Now it's Bennet's turn to take a seat on the sofa. He does not understand any of this. Once again, Zeta manages to contradict everything he's been taught about synthoids. He's actually becoming...human. "Zeta, how...?"
"Zee! Ro! Where are you?"
Zee's holo-projector shuts off and Bennet is on his feet at the sound of the door crashing open as Casey runs through the apartment. He stops when he sees Zee and Bennet in the living-room. "Zee... Bennet...? Oh, God! This can't be happening! Where's Ro?"
Bennet raises his hands in the surrender position. "Don't worry, MacCurdy. I'm not here to take anyone. I just came to..."
Casey's raises his hands to bury them in his hair. "No...! No...! You don't understand! Where's Ro? This can't be happening! This can't be happening...!"
Bennet grabs Casey's arms and brings him to the sofa. "Casey, calm down! Calm down! What happened?"
Casey tries to breathe normally as he says, "Please... We have to find Ro. Something terrible has happened."
Bennet and Zee stand over Casey, giving him a chance to calm himself. After a moment, Casey says, "It's my boss, Tom Jensen... I can't believe he's done this!"
Now Zee speaks, "What has he done?"
"Zee, do you remember when Ro and I had lunch together? We talked about the night... uh...where things stood between you and Ro. Ever since what happened at the bridge, he's been on my case about it. For the past few days, I thought that Jensen had finally gotten over it and moved on, but he called me into his office today and played a recording of our conversation in the restaurant. It had everything, word-for-word. He said that he's had people spying on me the entire time. His assistant, Kevin, heard me call Ro about meeting her for lunch that day and sat at a nearby table, recording the whole thing."
Bennet pretends not to notice the quick glance Casey gave him just before the "...where things stood between you and Ro" part. Something about that makes him wonder... (Oh, God! Let me be wrong! Please, anything but that!)
After a deep breath, Casey continues. "Now he's given me two options. Either Ro agrees to an exclusive interview about her life on the run, or he starts a nation-wide debate about Zee. Ro's gone to register for classes. She finally has a chance to reach for her goals. This is the last thing she needs right now!"
(Classes?) Bennet never expected this from Rowen. "She's going back to school?"
"She wants to take correspondence courses. She figures it's safer than going to classrooms surrounded by people who might still think of her as a fugitive." He turns to Zee. "She's not back yet? What time did she go?"
"Ro left just a few minutes after you this morning." Zee checks the vid-phone hanging outside the kitchen area. "There are no messages. She should have been back by now."
Casey stands and looks out the window. "If Jensen had spies follow me, then someone's watching Ro as well. He trains his reporters to be ruthless, and he's not going to wait much longer for an answer. Ro could be getting harassed right now. We've got to find her!"
Now Bennet steps in. "Alright, let's think for moment. Where would she have gone to register for classes?"
Casey heads for the phone book on the stool below the vid-phone. "There should be a branch office not too far from here." He flips through some pages until... "Yes! Here's one just three blocks up the street. Here's the number."
"Casey, wait!" Bennet intervenes. "If we call asking for Rosalie Rowen, someone there might think she's still a wanted fugitive. Not to mention Jensen's lackeys might close in on her. We need to go there and look for her ourselves. It's more discreet that way."
After Zee puts his shirt and jacket on as fast, and as best, as he can, he asks, "What about Jensen? If he lives up to his threat, Brother's Day will know about me. They hate synthoids. Sweete killed Dr. Selig because he created synthoids. I don't want him hurting Ro."
Bennet can't help but notice how Zee struggled to put on his clothes. It reminds him of when his son James was only two years old, and he wanted to show his daddy that he could put his shirt on all by himself. In the end, he had put it on backwards, but it was a good first try. "Once we know Miss Rowen is safe, we'll be able to concentrate on Jensen."
They are just about ready to leave, when there's knocking on the door. Casey feels a chill down his spine. "Dear God! It could be Jensen."
Bennet decides he should answer it. Jensen wouldn't dare threaten a federal agent. He opens the door ... "Bucky?!"
Bucky is just as surprised to see Bennet at the door. "Sorry, wrong address. Bye!"
"Bucky, wait!" Zee approaches. "Bennet's here to help. Ro's in danger. We have to find her."
"Bucky," Bennet says, "There's no time to ask why you're here, but maybe someone should stay here... In case Miss Rowen comes back before we do."
Bucky, still a little wary of Bennet replies, "Okay, but will someone fill me in on what's going on?"
"To make a long story short," Casey answers, "I'm being blackmailed by my boss. Can you wait here for us?"
"Uh, sure... But..."
"Thanks." Casey, Zee and Bennet head for the elevator, leaving Bucky in charge of the apartment.
As Bucky takes a seat in the living area, he tries to make sense of what just happened. Bennet's a good guy now? Casey is being blackmailed? And Ro is in danger? (No wonder everyone took off so fast.) All Bucky can do now is sit and wait for them to return. In the meantime, he takes out his laptop and goes over the test results, and ponders on how he'll be able to explain what he has discovered.
Thirty minutes later, at the Correspondence Registry Office, it turns out that no one fitting Ro's description has registered here today.
Bennet asks the registry clerk, "Are you absolutely sure?"
"Yes, sir," replies the clerk. "I've been here all this morning, and I've yet to see any young, blond women approach the counter. I'm sorry, sir."
"Thank you." Bennet makes his way to the lobby around the corner where Zee and Casey wait as patiently as possible. "According to the clerk, she never arrived here. Are you sure she was going to take courses."
Casey stands. "Yes! She told me all about her goals during breakfast. Now that you weren't chasing her anymore, she wanted her high school diploma."
Bennet didn't say it out loud, but he was proud of Ro. For so long he thought of her as just some smart-aleck street kid looking for easy creds. But now it turns out that she's a responsible young woman, willing to go through great lengths to help a lost soul, guiding him through a world he barely understood. And now she wants to continue her own education. But if she's not here, then where is she?
Poor Zee doesn't know what to make of everything that has just happened. Bennet's holo-viewer can't see through his hologram, and his holo-projector no longer works. Even now, as he massages his hand, he can't project anything from his hand. He's becoming human, but he's losing his powers. And now Ro is in danger from Casey's boss. Zee dreams of being human, but how can he protect Ro without his powers? He is so deep in thought he doesn't hear footsteps from around the corner.
"Excuse me, gentlemen?" The clerk Bennet questioned appears. "There's another branch office near the centre of town, just outside the shopping district. Its opening has been announced on television for the past few weeks. It's possible she went there instead." She writes the address on a notepad and tears off the page, handing it to Agent Bennet.
"It's worth a try, thanks. Let's go!" As Bennet and company head for the shopping district, Bennet's cell phone rings. Fearing it could be Lamac, he braces himself as he answers, "This is Bennet."
"Bennet? It's Bucky..."
"Bucky? How did you get this number?"
"No time for that! A message came on Casey's phone. I waited to hear Ro's voice before answering, but it turns out to be some guy named Jensen confirming Ro's appointment for 8 o'clock tomorrow morning. He said he has everything ready for her live interview."
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To be continued... I promise.