Chapter Fourteen

Bucky sighs. "Let me guess… She's pregnant."

Bennet can only stare at Casey who, after five long minutes of searching for his voice, finally asks, "How… What makes you…?"

"When I was examining Zee, he told me that Ro mentioned about his body feeling very solid the night before. You don't have to be a genius to figure out what that meant. And judging by the way she's been massaging her stomach, it's safe to say that some of the nanonites have entered her body. If she was to see a doctor…"

"NO! Good God, no!" Casey is now on his feet, pacing in a circle. "Ro cannot be pregnant! She can't be! Jensen's expecting to interview her first thing in the morning! If she really is pregnant, and if he finds out…Dear God! This can't be happening!"

Bennet can understand Casey's dilemma. If he hadn't seen the evidence for himself, he would not have believed it. But one thing is for certain: he can not risk the NSA hearing about this. Zeta is afraid of the NSA as it is, mostly thanks to him. He can't promise that the NSA scientists will be as gentle as Bucky was… And there's no telling how they'll deal with Rowen giving birth to… (a robotic baby?)

Ro, meanwhile, is undergoing the greatest dilemma of her life. She was finally free to rebuild her life. She had her brother back. And she found someone to love her as she has always wanted to be loved, even though he's…not like other guys, to say the least. Before she knew it, their relationship went to the next level…only now to discover that everything is falling apart in less than twenty-four hours.

And, to top it all off, she has the worst case of nausea in medical history as her stomach tries in vain to expel what is deep within her womb.

Ten minutes later, an exhausted Ro slowly makes her way to the bed, hoping not to stumble on the floor and become nauseous again. For now, she is too weak to change her clothes or get under the covers, so she just rests on top of the bed hoping to get at least a few hours sleep.

The day started so wonderfully. Zee was no longer on the run, so it was safe for her to get on with her life. She had just enrolled in correspondence courses so she could finish high school. But when she returned to the apartment, everything went bad. That low-life Jensen finally gets the goods to blackmail his way into an interview, putting Casey on the verge of a nervous breakdown. (What does Jensen expect me to talk about?) The last thing she wants is to be on TV talking about her life on the run. But if she does not show up tomorrow, Jensen will talk about infiltration units. (I just know he'll start a panic. Zee won't be able to walk the streets again. And the NSA…! They'll hunt down Zee just to save face to the public.)

And then Bucky explains how Zee is becoming solid because millions of tiny nanonites are crawling all over him, each one programmed to create the human body he's been wanting ever since he…fell in love with her. And now who-knows-how-many of them are crawling in her body...and it has just occurred to her that her period is late!

She gently massages her stomach again. (I'm pregnant? Can I actually be…pregnant?)

She slowly gets off the bed and stands before the tall golden mirror. She can't keep her hands away from her stomach. (Bucky's usually right when it comes to technology, but for me to be pregnant, these nanonites would be infusing with one of my eggs like sperm cells. And if that really is the case, then the child I'm bringing to this world will be…half-robotic!)

Ro does not want to throw up again, but the threat of tomorrow sends a chill down her spine like nothing before. (What am I going to do? I can't do this interview, but if I don't…) She looks out the window. As the sun sets over the horizon, the streets below become buried in the darkness of night. (Everything's happening so fast. It's too much! I need you, Zee. Where are you?)

All Ro can do now is try to get some rest. Hopefully tomorrow won't be so bad. Maybe the guys will come up with an idea. She, however, is in no condition to do any heavy thinking. She goes back to bed. This time, she goes under the covers; but not before she kicks her shoes under the bed. An unexpected 'thump' startles her. When she bends down to see what it was, she lifts the bed skirt to see a long, white box with a red ribbon. She's never noticed it before…but then, Zee's always been the one who makes the bed.

She takes the box out from the bed for a closer inspection.

Suddenly she hears Bennet shout "Zeta!" She shoves the box back under the bed and heads downstairs to find Casey and Bennet lugging Zee to the couch. It looks as though Zee has been in a fight, and lost.

MEANWHILE…

(I can't believe it's come to this… Everything's moving too fast…)

B.D. Commander is not happy.

All he wanted to do was stop killer robots from walking the streets. The government had the audacity to waste the taxpayers' money building these monstrosities in a base floating out at sea; money that could've been used to create something worthwhile, like affordable housing.

This was why he sent Titus Sweete to destroy that floating factory. Not only did he destroy the Nosis, but he also enabled us to capture Dr. Selig and his assistant. Despite being captured, he did the job. B.D. Commander expects nothing less than the best from his agents. He has no regrets arranging Sweete's release.

For a while, his biggest challenge was to convince Dr. Selig to be more cooperative. No doubt the government was still trying to create their metal monsters in another secret location. To this day, the old fool still won't listen to reason. (What is wrong with him? Doesn't he realize that these synthoids will destroy humanity if this continues? The NSA thinks he's dead? Who's going to rescue a dead man?)

But then one of his agents at the NSA sends him information about one particular synthoid: Infiltration Unit Zeta. This robot was reported to be doing what B.D. Commander feared the most: running wild, disobeying its 'directive', and avoiding capture. If one robot is capable of doing this, imagine if a whole army of them did this. The result could mean the end of the world. But much to his dismay, the government decided to let it run loose. (So this is Bureaucracy at work. When things get tough, they just call it quits and forget about it. Why didn't they just let the thing run loose in the first place? Maybe they would have saved some money…yeah, right.)

So the government threw in the towel… Brother's Day will do no such thing…

…Especially since Zeta was spotted in a bridal shop in San Francisco. His spy in the NSA confirmed the purchase…for a wedding dress! And then, Agent Jack reported a purchase in a jewelry shop. He won't get official confirmation until tomorrow morning, but it's safe to make a guess what type of jewelry Zeta bought.

But just as he thought things couldn't get any worse, Agent Jack had something new to report. It seems that an old buddy of his works at the San Francisco Chronicle, and according to him, CEO Tom Jensen arranged an interview with Rosalie Rowen by blackmailing her brother, Casey MacCurdy. Either Rowen agrees to the interview, or he'll use the information he has to start a nation-wide debate about the infiltration units… And it's scheduled for first thing tomorrow morning!

Time was not on his side. He needed to stop Jensen.

He needed Titus Sweete.

And, sure enough, Sweete pulled through.

So now, B.D. Commander sits at his desk and activates his computer screen to show Tom Jensen sitting under the spotlight in the Dark Room. At least he's not making a fuss…unlike someone else he could think of.

Tom Jensen is not making a fuss because once he had opened his car door he had been grabbed from behind and shot in the back with what must have been a stun gun. The last thing he remembers before passing out was being thrown in the back seat of his own car, wedged between two guys covered in black, while a third guy wearing his coat was in the driver's seat.

And now, he wakes up in a dark room with the only light shining on him from the ceiling. Fortunately, his years of investigative reporting have taught him not to crack under pressure. So even though he's been brought here against his will, he decides to keep his cool. With luck, he might be able to talk his way out of this and still make his interview with Rosalie Rowen.

"Excuse me, Mr. Jensen?"

The voice sounds as though it's bouncing off the walls, so he can't tell where it's coming from. Nevertheless, he's in no position to be rude. So with a wary eye he replies, "Yes. Yes, I'm Tom Jensen. What can I do for you?"

"I apologize for the arrangements, but it's very important that I speak with you. It concerns your plans to interview Rosalie Rowen about her adventures with Zeta."

Jensen suddenly froze on the spot. (How does he know about this? There were no promos. Is there a leak…?) "Casey? Is that you? I don't know how you're doing this, but…"

"MR. JENSEN! Casey MacCurdy has nothing to do with this! I assure you! Do you honestly think he has the resources to pull this off…on his salary?"

A chill down Jensen's spine brings him to his senses. Casey lives on a tech-writer's salary. He still takes the trolley to work. This is way too big for Casey… (So who are these people?)

"And now, Mr. Jensen, let me continue. Tomorrow you plan to either interview Rosalie Rowen, or start a nation-wide debate about the infiltration units. I brought you here because I cannot allow you to go through with this. You must cancel the interview. It's for the greater good."

"What do you mean, 'the greater good'? I was promised an exclusive on the capture of Zeta when he first appeared in San Francisco. If it wasn't for Casey, the robot would have been captured, the Chronicle's ratings would have sky-rocketed, and everyone would have breathed a sigh of relief knowing that that thing was finally off the streets!"

"The robot would have been off the streets. Is that what the NSA told you? Why do you think the NSA created Zeta in the first place? Sure, Zeta would have been captured, but then what? We're they going to melt him down into welding rods? NO! They would have simply reprogrammed Zeta to do what it was originally created to do…to kill people!

"That's right, Mr. Jensen. Zeta is a killer robot because the NSA made it a killer robot. And Zeta is not the only one. There are others…and more on the way. It's just a matter of time before the country is overrun with these monsters, and if they go haywire… Well, they couldn't catch Zeta, could they?"

Jensen couldn't ignore the ring of truth in what this guy was saying.

B.D. Commander continues, "I understand your desire to get high ratings for the Chronicle, but please understand that going through with the interview will do more harm than good. Think about the people. They think that Zeta is the only one of his kind, but there are others; all programmed to not only pretend to be humans, but to also take action if their positions are compromised. If the people find out about them, they can go into a panic. They'll want to make sure everyone they've ever been in contact with is really a human or one of the synthoids, and anyone who discovers the identity of a synthoid is as good as dead! Innocent people will be killed! Is that what you want? Well, is it?"

Jensen takes a deep breath. He wanted that exclusive so badly, but as hard as it is to admit it, the guy's right. "Okay, suppose you're right? What do you plan to do about Zeta?"

"My organization is dedicated to protect humanity, especially from robot technology. The NSA has gone too far with letting these synthoids loose on our streets."

Jensen suddenly remembers hearing about a floating base exploding at sea, with two people feared dead, thanks to a terrorist organization called… (Brother's Day! I've been kidnapped by Brother's Day?)

"These things are dangerous…especially Zeta. Zeta is very different from the others. He was programmed with free will, to think about what it does. That's why it ran from the NSA. It does not want to follow orders anymore. And there's more. The government is trying to make a new breed of synthoids even more advanced than Zeta. What better reason do we need? We want nothing more than to destroy these synthoids, but without causing a nation-wide panic. That's why I'm asking you, Mr. Jensen, to call off the interview…at least, for now. If our plan works, and I'm sure it will, not only will we be rid of a terrible menace, but you, sir, will have exclusive rights to uncovering the entire conspiracy. Interviewing Rosalie Rowen will look like small potatoes compare to this."

Exposing a conspiracy to create more advanced monsters than Zeta? How could Jensen say no to that? Although, it seems he really doesn't have a choice in the matter…

"I take it we have a deal? Good! Your escort is right outside."

The overhead spotlight goes out, leaving Jensen in total darkness. Ten seconds later, a door behind him opens, bringing some light into the room. Even though his eyes have not fully adjusted to the change of lighting, he decides not to put up a fight and approaches the doorway. Once he's out of the room he's approached by… "Titus Sweete!"

If seeing NSA's most wanted fugitive face-to-face isn't enough to stun him, the gun in Sweete's hand does the job nicely.

When Jensen opens his eyes, he's in his penthouse bedroom, snug under the covers and wearing pajamas. He can't believe what just happened. Was that really Titus Sweete? Did he really get kidnapped by Brother's Day? How did they know about his plans? How did he get home?

Maybe it didn't really happen. It was just some crazy dream from being so excited about tomorrow. He checks his alarm clock. It's 1:00AM. It had to have been a dream…

…So why is his briefcase on his bed?

Suddenly the phone rings. (Who'd be calling at this hour?) "Hello?"

"Hey there, Jensen. It's your old pal, Sweete. I'm just making sure everything's okay at your end. We wouldn't want the boss to worry now, do we? Oh, and don't worry about your tapes. We're keeping them safe for you. Be seeing ya!" Sweete hangs up and smirks at all the tapes piled on his desk.

Jensen is on the verge of a heart attack. (Sweete… This can't be happening! How did he get my number…? My tapes!) He hurries to open his briefcase and finds his 'Lunch Date' tapes… gone! They're all gone!

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There's more to come… Stay Tuned!