Chapter Thirteen

Tom Jensen is the CEO of The San Francisco Chronicle, one of America's longest-running media sources.

He is also something of a collector. Over the years, he has gathered a rather impressive collection of Pulitzers, Emmys, and other journalism awards. His latest collection, something he holds dearer to him than any award he's ever coveted, is a collection of tapes labeled 'Lunch Date'.

To most people, that isn't much of a collection. But to him, these tapes give him power over the story of the century: Infiltration Unit Zeta.

For over two years, a robot with the ability to mimic the people it kills had been running wild across the country. All attempts to capture and fix it have failed miserably, thanks mostly to a teenage girl who should be in school rather than helping a robot run from its creators. It seemed as though there was no way to stop them.

But one day, Jensen just happened to pass by Casey MacCurdy's cubicle, and imagine his surprise seeing him talking on the vid-phone to a young woman. Keeping track of the news enabled Jensen to recognize the young woman as the robot's traveling companion. Amazingly, the young woman, Rosalie Rowen, is Casey's long-lost sister. One would think that Casey would want to do everything he could to rescue his sister from the clutches of a killing machine. Jensen was even willing to give Casey the promotion of a lifetime, making him The San Francisco Chronicle's youngest executive ever. All he had to do was help Agent Bennet capture the robot. His sister would have been returned to him, avoiding prosecution, and all Jensen wanted was the exclusive rights to the televised capture. People everywhere would have breathed a sigh of relief knowing that the runaway robot was finally off the streets.

But, as Jensen suspected before, Casey was too green to be trusted. He actually helped them escape! He blew the opportunity of a lifetime just so his sister could keep running with a crazy robot. (I suppose it's hard for a smart-aleck teenager to say goodbye to anyone who has an unlimited cred card.)

And then he did the unthinkable. He had the gall to write an article about the synthoid saving the trolley and make him look like a hero. The e-mail commentary showed people actually rooting for Zeta, saying things like 'the government should just leave the poor thing alone'. (That synthoid's cred card comes from the people's taxes! How could anyone want to have such a thing running wild at their expense?)

All Jensen could do since then was assume Casey was keeping in touch with his sister, but Casey was covering his tracks like a pro. It shamed Jensen that Casey was betraying him like this. Even the more faithful co-workers were unable to get him to spill any beans in random talks.

Then just a few weeks ago, Jensen noticed that the pictures of Zeta and Rosalie Rowen had been removed from the Most Wanted List. And yet, there were no reports of them being captured; as though they were never there. It looked as though after two years of pursuit, the government decided to call it quits. If they haven't caught them by now, they never would.

A few days later, Kevin overheard Casey on the phone with his sister. She and her boy toy were coming to stay with him. One would think that one little interview wouldn't be too much to ask for, but as usual, Casey wouldn't hear of it. But if there was one thing Tom Jensen learned most of all while climbing his way up the corporate ladder, it was to be patient. It would be just a matter of time before an opportunity fell within reach.

The opportunity came yesterday, when Kevin returned from an extended lunch, explaining he was on his way back when he spotted Casey meeting his sister at Tony's. He was able to get a table near them without being seen and recorded the strangest conversation ever. Jensen received the shock of his life when Kevin played the recording.

Delivering such a wonderful gift would guarantee a promotion to an executive position. But, since Kevin was already an executive and Jensen's most trusted right-hand man, he was awarded with a huge raise.

Last night, Jensen wanted to celebrate like never before, but he knew better than to pour out the champagne too soon. He knew that when he confronted Casey with the recording, he had to do it right. That's why, when the moment finally came, he kept looking forward. It took everything Jensen had to contain his excitement. If Casey saw his face, he would have sensed what he was up to. And sure enough, Casey grabbed the recording and smashed it to pieces. All it took was a look in a drawer filled with tapes labeled 'Lunch Date' to put him in his place. It didn't matter that the original was destroyed. A true journalist was prepared for anything…

…And right now, Jensen has to prepare himself for tomorrow morning's exclusive interview with one of the country's most famous former fugitives, Rosalie Rowen.

He's almost ready to leave when a thought occurs to him. Casey knows about the drawer, and this is, after all, about an infiltration unit. What's to stop Zeta from trying to sneak in and destroy the tapes? This is something Zeta was built for! Rather than take any chances, Jensen puts a few of them in his briefcase, leaving the rest of them locked in the drawer. This way, even if Zeta does break into the office, it won't stop Jensen from going through with his plans.

With his office secured and his briefcase in hand, he heads for his private elevator. But rather than take the direct route, he decides to take a 'detour' past Casey's cubicle. There was no sign of him. He can only assume that Casey was with his sister, getting her ready for tomorrow morning. So he decides to let it slide…for now.

He walks down the hall toward the elevator when Kevin approaches him. "Mr. Jensen, sir? Studio A5 is all set for tomorrow, but there's one thing I don't understand. Why haven't you broadcasted any promos? I mean, you've done that with all the other celebrities."

"Yes, but this isn't just any other celebrity we're dealing with. She's famous for aiding a abiding a killer robot and it's safe to say that she may not cooperate, or even show up. If that happens, I'll activate Plan B and start a national debate about the infiltration units. Okay, so maybe this won't be 'live', but Casey MacCurdy owes me an exclusive on Zeta, and one way or another, it's going to happen."

"I agree, sir," Kevin says as he eyes the hallway. It appears that they are alone, but he lowers his voice anyway. "You should also know that the newscasters were fighting over who you would pick to do the interview, but then you announced that you were going to take her on personally. Not to doubt your abilities, sir… but… are you sure you want to do this?"

Jensen can't help but chuckle. "Kevin, just because it's been years since I've ridden a zoom cycle, doesn't mean that I don't remember how it's done. When you've been in the business as long as I have, it becomes second nature. Besides, it's my duty to remind them of the proper procedures. I've been watching them for a good while now, and frankly, they've been rather sloppy. There's no way I am going to let them mess this one up."

With that, Jensen presses the elevator button. As the doors open, he steps inside and says, "If they want to be there to watch how it's done, it is fine by me. In fact, I recommend it. They might learn something."

The doors close, leaving a slightly dumbfounded Kevin wondering how he's going to break the news to the newscasters.

Jensen, however, is as cool as ever…at least until the elevator begins its descent. He has to be careful about what he's going to ask Rosalie Rowen about her relationship with the robot. He still can't believe it. Casey was accusing the robot of…raping his sister? The very idea! Synthoid rapes accomplice! Who would believe that? When Bennet was there, he allowed Jensen a brief look at Zeta's specs. He was not designed for that sort of thing. How was it possible? He would definitely have to ask Miss Rowen about that during the interview.

He just couldn't understand it. (What could possess anyone to fall in love with a killing machine?)

Suddenly, it hit him…Stockholm syndrome! (Yes, of course! When the hostage is under the captor's control long enough, the hostage can become attached to the captor. I should call some psychologists to discuss Stockholm syndrome for a follow-up segment. If this isn't a prime example, then what is?)

The elevator comes to a halt and the doors open to reveal the underground parking lot. Jensen can barely contain his excitement. Even though it's been years since he's done a televised interview, this is one assignment he is not going to leave in the hands of cocky amateurs. This will be the greatest achievement of his career.

He is so wrapped up in his plans as he heads for his car; he is totally unaware of the shadowy figure approaching him from behind…

MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE APARTMENT…

Bennet is dumbfounded. "Zeta's module is giving him more than just a conscience? What does that mean?"

"It means," Bucky answers, "that Dr. Selig put a lot more work into creating Zeta than we thought. Not only did he want to give Zee a conscience, but he was also experimenting with nanotechnology."

Bennet was at a loss for words. (Nanotechnology… Selig, what have you done…?)

"Excuse me, guys, but…what exactly is nanotechnology?"

Bucky and Bennet turn to see Ro standing just outside the kitchen holding two empty glasses ready for the sink. Casey is right behind her. It was safe to assume that she and Casey heard their little conversation.

Bucky tries to explain. "Well, it's… uh… maybe I should show you what is. It's all on my laptop… Hey, wait a minute. Hasn't Zee shown up yet?"

Bennet checks his watch. "We had all agreed to report back here more than half-an-hour ago. He must still be searching for Miss Rowen, but with his internal clock he should be keeping better track of time than this."

"True," Bucky says, "but a human does not have an internal clock like a synthoid does."

Ro beats Bennet to the next question. "Bucky, what exactly are you saying?"

"It's just like you thought earlier. Zee is evolving into a human…thanks to molecular nanotechnology." Bucky prepares his laptop while the others take their places on the sofa. "Okay, now… Everything, including DNA, is based on a molecular structure. Imagine being able to take the atoms in coal and rearranging them like building blocks to create diamonds."

Bucky turns his laptop to face his audience. The screen shows the robotic form of Zeta with a glowing red dot in Zee's head. "We'll start with Zee's original specs. The red dot you see is the conscience module that enables Zee to understand right from wrong."

Bennet struggles to maintain his famous 'poker face' as he watches Bucky displaying highly-classified government information like it was a science project for school. Lemac was furious when he heard how he was hacking into the NSA system, and even more steamed when Zeta and Rowen helped him escape from the NSA airship. But right now, he needs answers about how Zeta is evolving. And, whether he likes it or not, Bucky is the only one who has them.

Bucky presses a few buttons on his laptop, and the screen now zooms in on the conscience module. "When my uncle and I were examining the results from Zee's examination, we came to this conclusion: While Dr. Selig was working on Zee's conscience module, he was also experimenting on nanotechnology." He activates a smaller screen displaying what looks like little robotic bugs crawling about. Ro can't help but cringe a little after seeing them.

Bucky continues with his presentation. "Nanonites are microscopic molecular organisms programmed with artificial intelligence. With the right programming, these organisms can be used to form into anything according to the genetic codes. When Dr. Selig was programming the conscience module, he had also stored programming for the nanotechnology. My guess is that since he was keeping the conscience module a secret, it served as a good hiding place for this other experiment."

(Tiny organisms that can form into anything…) Ro is having such a bad feeling about this. (Ever since the Nosis Disaster, Zee became more human than ever. First he had the nightmares, and then…he fell in love. And now his hologram feels like a real body…)

"Ro?"

She massages her stomach a little. It's starting to feel funny. (So real, in fact…)

"Ro!" Bucky says, "Are you okay?"

All eyes are on Ro as she answers, "Uh, yeah…Yeah, I'm okay. Go ahead. You were saying?" But she continues to massage her stomach, even though it does very little to ease the strange sensations churning from within.

Bennet and Casey maintain silence, but they can't help but notice the way Ro has her hand on her midriff. It reminds Bennet of the time he first saw his wife doing it, just before she told him… (Oh, Good Lord! It can't be! It's impossible!)

Casey, however, is fully aware of how Ro's relationship with Zee has escalated. It only takes him two seconds to come to the same frightening conclusion. (Oh, no… If what I'm thinking is true… and if Jensen gets wind of it…!) It takes everything Casey has to keep his composure.

Bucky returns to his laptop. A few taps on the keyboard makes the previous images disappear and be replaced by a new image. This new image of Zee's specs is giving off a glow not seen in the original. "Okay now… This is from the examination I gave Zee days ago. The glowing aura around Zee's body is coming from the nanonites. They are combining to create a human-like body based on Zee's holographic image…"

"Wait a moment." Bennet finds his voice at last. "Are you saying that the nanotechnology Dr. Selig hid in the conscience module is literally turning Zeta into a human? How can that be happening?"

"Well, the best theory my uncle and I can agree on is this… The Nosis Disaster triggered a traumatic change in Zee. He told me about the nightmares he had and how Ro helped him deal with them. It's no secret that Zee is in love with Ro. Apparently, these highly emotional situations have triggered the nanotechnology program hidden in Zee's module. Since Zee's robot body comes with a repair mechanism, the nanotechnology is interfacing with it to create the nanonites, which are now feeding on Zee's desire to become more human. They're creating a body for Zee based on the hologram he uses most: a man in his early twenties with black hair and blue eyes."

Ro remembers when she helped Zee creates that look. He needed to be more 'loose' so people would pay less attention to him. It took a while to fix his shoulders just right, but it became the ideal image for him. It suits him so well.

Bucky goes on, "And here's something else… Not only does his image feel solid, but he can also feel pain. It actually hurt him when I inserted wires into him." And now his laptop zooms in on Zee's right upper arm, showing an X-ray image of skin and nerve endings. "What you see here appears to be nerve endings, much like a human's. So the nanonites have also created a nerve system, and this nerve system begins from…" another image pops up on the screen showing the nerve system emerging from "…Zee's conscience module."

Ro can't take it any more. The sensations are too much. She leaps from the couch and runs upstairs as fast as her legs can take her. In a matter of seconds, she barges through her room and heads straight to the bathroom.

All's quiet downstairs until Bucky sighs and says, "Let me guess… She's pregnant."

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To be continued…