Chapter 7 - One Last Time

Aerith wouldn't let go of his head, fingers wrapped around his eyes. Due to the woman's much shorter height, she was pulling him down all the while pushing him forward with her body. Despite the imbalance in weight distribution, there was a low risk of collapsing as long as he spread his legs. "No peeking, Connor."

"I won't. Pinky swear," Connor replied, disabling his optic units while Aerith's laughter rang in his ears. Even without vision, he could simulate any environment he had already mapped. As long as the starting point had exact coordinates, routes can be reconstructed in real-time via his compass. Of course, his human friend wasn't aware of this.

"Guess where we are now," Aerith grabbed Connor's shoulders and spun him twice 360 degrees and the third one at 272 degrees. The android could sense Aerith's movements as she stepped in front of him and waved her hands, testing if he was peeking. Even without vision, it was easy to make visual simulations based on her movements, her face, the movement of her hair, and the muscles that moved when she smiled.

"I don't get dizzy, Aerith," Connor said as Aerith spun him one last time.

"I'm not trying to get you dizzy, just wanna surprise you," the woman giggled.

Despite the attempt, Connor knew they're going into the abandoned church. It was all familiar - the wooden floor, their footsteps echoing in the open space, and the absolute silence in contrast to the streets of Sector 5. The smell of flowers, Aerith's scent, lingered in the air. It was peace in its very definition.

Aerith ushered him inside, both hands pulling his. They stopped twenty-four degrees to the west of the building. Something was different. His senses picked up a buzzing noise along with the sound of liquid. Aerith took his arm and leaned on his shoulder. Ever since the date, she initiated more physical contact with him, her stress levels lower, and her eyes brighter.

"Can I open my eyes now?"

"Nope, not yet." Aerith chuckled. "Lemme ask first: What do you think about having a baby?"

Truly she was unpredictable. Connor thought of many ways to respond. Not only reproduction was impossible for him, but he was also not designed to be a parent. He had no means to provide basic needs such as food, shelter, and childcare. He was unsure of Aerith's intent and if it was her way of normalizing a human interaction with him like she was doing the past weeks. Was this a normal conversation between friends?

"I believe I'm too young to be a father," Connor replied and Aerith laughed at the response.

"Well, I'm thinking of a different kind of baby, no need to worry about commitment. You can open your eyes now."

Dewey was inside a ninety centimeters wide, forty-five centimeters high tank, with an estimated water volume of one hundred forty-two liters. Pieces of coral and limestone were stacked to create a miniature cave supported by five centimeters of sand at the bottom. The water flowed through a filter that was installed along with an oxygen pump at the upper left part of the tank. An automatic feeder was placed on the upper right corner. It looked stable and placed strategically away from direct sunlight, the water clear. But how about bacteria?

The android dipped his hand to check the temperature. Aerith grimaced as Connor dabbed his wet fingers on his tongue.

"Eww!"

"I'm analyzing the water. Sorry about that." Connor said, turning back to face the woman. The bacteria were within safe levels. In the middle of calculations, he estimated the total cost of the tank and the maintenance in the next few months. Aerith spent on this.

"Do you like it?" Aerith stared at him expectantly, waiting for the answer as she dusted the glass. Dewey swam towards her hands. Fish can be curious too.

Answering a "yes" or "no" would be both dishonest. The gesture was unnecessary. His memory log showed twenty-six visits to Dewey. Aerith must have observed this and drove her to make the decision.

"I can see you're thinking a lot about it. Well, Connor, this is a gift." Aerith touched the android's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. "It's a thank you, for everything."

"A gift." Connor repeated, scanning all the definitions of the word in his internal drive. He understood the meaning behind the act. He knew all the appropriate responses - the kind words, appreciation, gratitude - but none of them quite captured his conclusion.

Whether or not he deserved a gift didn't matter, Aerith did it out of affection, for her own happiness as well, which was something she'd like to share with him. It served no greater purpose and there was no responsibility expected from him in exchange for the gift.

"So?" Aerith leaned forward, focusing intensely on his eyes.

"I think it's beautiful," Connor replied in a soft voice, staring back at the human before him. "Says a lot about the one who gave it," he added with a smile.

Aerith visibly blushed and looked away, a reaction that he instantly saved in his backup memory. It would never be deleted no matter what happens, safe in an encrypted space that no one in Shinra will ever discover. He kept a happy expression on his face to mimic the woman, keeping his LED in yellow. It's easy for Aerith to read him through his ring, thus he learned to manipulate the colors.

He listened to Aerith talk about decorating the tank, maybe adding another fish so Dewey wouldn't be alone. The woman explained how Connor wouldn't need to worry about taking care of Dewey. All he needed to do was enjoy the company. It cost her little as she paid in flowers. Aerith definitely did her research, all because she wanted to give this gift to him. She had so many plans, places to go to, things to talk about.

"I'd like to commend you for the quality of the water," Connor interrupted, trying to find the best way to exit the conversation. The timer was ticking.

"That's what you found out with your testing method?" Aerith licked her lips. "Pretty impressive tongue."

"I understand the design can elicit disgust from humans, so I'll be more discreet for now on." Connor's stress level rose. There were only marginal chances for future interactions.

Aerith waved her hand. "Oh, humans put all sorts of things in their mouths all the time," she smirked and sat down on one of the pews. She crossed her legs and beckoned Connor to sit beside her. The android accepted the invitation and watched Aerith straighten her skirt, her eyes fixed at a spot on the floor. "So... when we kissed, what did you find out?"

That he was unable to feel pleasure, satisfaction, or desire. Aerith already knew that. It definitely wasn't about the lipstick she wore or the temperature of her mouth. There was only one thing they haven't talked about. "I learned new things but I know what you wanted to ask. Although I've always known you're an Ancient. I knew it even before we kissed."

"I see, " Aerith replied quietly, head bowed. "Better than taking blood samples. Yours is more convenient." She laughed weakly. "So… what do you think about it?"

Whenever Aerith asked him his thoughts, he had to choose among hundreds of conversations he simulated in his processors. Aerith was sharing a secret. She's made herself open and more vulnerable to him. The knowledge that one was the very last of her culture would be a burden to anyone. She was imprisoned simply due to her heritage and there was a high likelihood of emotional trauma from the experience. The situation required an empathic response. Or facts. "You share 99.99% of your DNA with other people."

Aerith tilted her chin slightly. "What does that mean?"

"I do not find reasons to conclude that your genetics possessed an inherent value." It was Shinra that designated Aerith as a being different from humans, based on the resource they wished to harvest through her. Her value was determined based on the profit she could bring. The political power that could come from the Promised Land was impossible to quantify. If it did exist. Based on Connor's observation in the past weeks, the only goods that can be obtained through Aerith were flowers.

I do not know everything that transpired between you and Shinra, but I do know the fact you were once held captive with your mother. I think it's a terrible thing and I'm sorry for what happened. Connor constructed the sentences in his mind, things he would have said to Aerith if he wasn't restricted by protocols. Connor leaned forward and softened his gaze. "Do you want to talk about it? You can tell me anything."

The corner of Aerith's lips curved slightly, halfway between a smile and a longing look, still looking at a spot on the floor. "No, it's fine. I shouldn't have brought it up." She turned to face him again with a wider smile. "As you said, it's not really important."

"That's true. You don't have to tell me everything. I spent my time with you because I liked to." Connor replied, looking at Aerith intently.

"I'm just irresistible am I?" Aerith's face brightened as she stood up. She kept her cheeky grin on Connor as she stepped back to the direction of the exit as if urging the android to follow her. "So, what's for today?"

Connor shifted his eyes somewhere in the ceiling, stabilizing his systems as his hardware's stress levels rose. The android had complete control over the emotions his face can display, but Aerith was very adept at reading facial expressions. She could recognize any anomaly, anything that could break the consistency of his personality.

The past weeks they spent together, Connor manufactured a personality to allow it to integrate, engage, further improve its social features and ensure a mutually beneficial partnership with Aerith. Every word and interaction with her was constructed to elicit positive responses - to make her talk, joke, laugh, blush, and encourage honest conversations. All of these things made a friendship. Even a romantic date was made possible.

Aerith became attached to Connor because of this. If the relationship was dissolved, it would cause her emotional distress. He simulated saying goodbye hundreds of times and they produced similar results. Aerith would not accept flimsy excuses and yet he could not reveal her the truth. There was no outcome to make it easier for her or bring her closure. "Sorry Aerith, I have to report back to the barracks. I have some work to do."

"Oh, I understand." Aerith looked slightly disappointed. "How about tomorrow?"

"I don't know." Connor lied. All of his tasks were defined and set to be accomplished. Fulfilling his purpose was inevitable regardless of delays. He walked over to Dewey, taking one last look at his baby, as Aerith called it. The fish stared back at him and swam until it was stopped by its cage. "Thanks again for Dewey. I appreciate this, I really do."

"Glad you liked it. Just let me know if you need help with anything. You know where to find me, right?"

Connor nodded, gave a final smile, and walked away, keeping his lights blue. From the church's doorstep, he plotted his destination. No more visits to the market. No more unexpected chores accompanied by manufactured smiles. The act was over. He completed his objectives in Sector 5 and proved to be efficient to Amanda. With the information he collected, he passed standards and was deemed capable to perform more advanced objectives.

Collect data for Shinra profiling initiative. Satisfactory.

Search for information about Avalanche's hideout. Satisfactory.

Identify and report suspected Avalanche members. Satisfactory.

Eliminate key members of Avalanche. Mission commenced.

There wasn't a trace of Connor the next day. A few people asked Aerith where the android might be, unusually high for a single morning. She would redirect them to other people who might know, usually the elderly vendors who needed Connor's muscle for lifting. None of them had seen the android. None of the children in the playground had seen him either.

Aerith couldn't help but feel uneasy. It's possible Connor was just staying at one of the Shinra barracks or warehouses for maintenance or cleaning, but normally he would have appeared somewhere in Sector 5, to help with some of the chores. The android had always made himself easy to find.

Connor would have at least said goodbye, right?

But what if he had no choice?

Aerith doubled the speed of her walking and sprinted to her customers whenever she could catch her breath. Lunch was only a sandwich she brought from the streets. A few minutes of rest was the only thing she could afford while seeking answers. She asked the laundromat, the grain seller, Aquamore's owner, and even one teenage infantryman guarding the west gate.

The feeling was quite familiar. When Zack stopped calling, Aerith was sick with worry. Her ex was constantly going to missions and one day just disappeared, leaving her with weeks of tears and years of unanswered questions. At first it was all about the heartbreak, the future that they could never have, and the sense of abandonment. She was young and naive back then and thought that perhaps, she was not enough for Zack to stay, or a fool to think that something was real when it never was.

Aerith wasn't a victim, nor was it her fault. The past however, should remain as the past. It's different now. An answer would never come and she refused to wait for it.

She regretted her last conversation with Connor. Their time together brought them closer but Aerith also wanted to ask so many questions. Perhaps Connor was assigned by Shinra to watch her? That he befriended her for that reason. She doubted everything that he had done for her, thinking of him as a machine with a task. The woman took a deep breath as she massaged her temple.

Why wouldn't Shinra just send technicians with advanced scanners? Why need to send something, no, someone, like Connor?

Why was Connor able to analyze samples?

Why was he equipped with technologies that can recreate reality?

Why was he capable of combat?

Connor mentioned he's not meant to be permanent, that anytime he might be recalled and never come back.

"At least you should have said goodbye." Aerith whispered to herself. Connor was her friend and she wanted him to know that. It didn't matter what he was made of, what he's capable of, or his purpose.

What if he needed help? What if she could save him?

Nightfall arrived, signalled by the chiming of eight o'clock bells. Aerith stopped and grabbed a nearby railing to support herself and catch her breath, feet sore and full of blisters. She covered all the directions of the sector and the train station was her final stop.

"Did you see a man in a blue jacket with a glowing ring on the side of his head?" Aerith asked with a hoarse voice, almost too loud.

"Ah the robot? It did board this afternoon, didn't ask where it'll go," one of the maintenance officers replied.

Aerith almost jumped at the new information. "I need to know where he went. Can we look at the cameras? Please." She needed a reason, an excuse, something urgent. Aerith took out a piece of metalwork from her bag, salvaged from a broken motorbike earlier in the morning. "One of his parts fell out when he slipped. We need to return it to him."

Alarms blared a few minutes after the train arrived at Sector 4, filling the train with blinking red lights. The passengers looked at each other with fear as the train slowed down but never stopped at the platform.

Sector 4 station is currently under lockdown due to safety concerns. Please remain on your seats for your own safety and you may disembark in Sector 3 for the meantime.

Aerith stood up and charged her staff. It definitely involved Connor, she was sure of it. One blast was enough to open the door, causing some gaps and screams among other passengers. Aerith ignored one of the train officers warning her and jumped on the platform. If she delayed a little longer, the train would be too fast and the fall would kill her. Aerith landed on her heels and rolled on the concrete floor. There was barely enough time to think about the pain as she ran away from the Shinra guards yelling at her.

Now where to go? The important thing was to get away from the guards, and she will figure out how to find Connor later. She ran wherever her legs took her, unfamiliar with the streets of the sector. All the alleyways felt like unending mazes, the comfort of her home gone as she navigated in the dark. Aerith leaned against a brick wall and allowed herself to rest momentarily until a loud explosion broke the peace. The sound of gunshots followed.

It's impossible to know how far the commotion was but it's precisely the place Aerith needed to visit. The direction of the noise was difficult to pinpoint but trial and error were better than none.

Wait. A flickering wall lamp above caught Aerith's attention, not only because it was her few sources of light, but a camera was attached right next to the bulb. Aerith stared straight at the lenses, never keeping her eye off until the gunfire stopped.

Aerith waited and she knew that it wouldn't be for nothing. She waited until the familiar person entered the alley. He wore the usual jacket, blue armband, with red rings glowing on his temple. There was a rifle on the man's arms.

"You shouldn't have come here Aerith," Connor warned.

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I decided to split the final chapter into two for quality control. You wouldn't have to wait for the final chapter for too long, it will be out in a week or two at most. Please let me know what you think and thank you for supporting this work.

Also: the artwork is drawn by Mimoru. I commissioned it.