Lori Fitzgerald and Hannah Frost are both sleeping soundly in the beds of their dorm room. The clock at Lori's bedside displays 2:23 in the morning. The calm silence is suddenly pierced by the loud glaring noise of an alarm. Both instantly shoot up in their beds with Lori reaching for the toy bow-and-arrow she keeps hung up next to her. The alarm continues and she forsakes the bow in favor of covering her ears groggily. Hannah does the same, desperately trying to figure out what the noise it. To top the situation off the filing cabinet rattles along before a burst of light emits.
Lori tries to piece things together, furious. "Is it the fire alarms? I swear if someone burned popcorn again…"
Hannah pulls it together enough that her eyes widen. "No. It's my computer." She hops down and throws it open, frantically scanning it. "Lori, its Finch vitals," she informs her roommate, clearly very worried. "They're all over the place pretty rapidly. If whatever's happening keeps up it might shut her down for good." Lori is instantly up and on her feet.
"Damn it. She went to the meeting." She throws her shoes and coat on quickly and efficiently, grabbing the book from the filing cabinet. Hannah does the same thing even faster while typing frantically.
"I'm tracking her to the library."
Lori is already at the door. "Text the others this is an emergency! Now!" she orders, completely focused and serious in her leader mode. Hannah nods and types the message before grabbing her laptop and following Lori. They both run out the door, slamming it shut, and take off down the hallway as fast as they can manage.
XXX
So follow me down
Lori stands with the glowing Disney Encyclopedia. She sighs and pulls out her phone.
Where to?
Outta this town
Charlie examines his map and grabs his flashlight.
With you
Girl, you're movin way
Hannah is typing away at her computer.
Too slow
So follow me down
Michael grabs his first aid backpack and throws it on his shoulders.
Which way?
Down, down, down
Ben looks at his phone, adjusting his tie.
I'll show you around
Kaity is drawing pictures of the group absently in her dorm room.
Okay
There's a place we gotta go
Finch puts the two fingers to her temple and her eyes glaze over.
Follow me, follow me
Lori, Charlie, Hannah, Michael, Ben, Kaity, and Finch are running through the preserve, freezing once on each of their faces.
Fa la la la la
Follow me, follow me
Fa la la la la
Lori comes to a halt and the others crash into her, sending them all to the ground.
Lori Disney? (Not Likely!)
Episode Four: You Give Up a Few Things, Chasing a Dream
XXX
Moments later, Lori sprints to the library door at a frantic pace- literally having to skid to a stop to avoid crashing into it. Hannah is right behind her monitoring things on her laptop and the other Companions- Kaity Klingbeil, Ben Prescott, Charlie Prescott, and Michael Harms- just as frantically follow, coats thrown hastily over their pajamas. Ben uses his security key to unlock the building and they all pile into the atrium- Lori squeezing by first. They all flinch and look around wildly as Finch's screams of agony echo throughout.
"She's not doing so good!" Hannah shouts as the levels on her monitor start to turn red.
They all enter the main library where the screaming is even louder. Lori hugs the book tighter to her chest, furious. "Oh when I get my hands on them…"
Charlie points up the stairs. "It's this way!"
"PLEASE!" The group comes up the stairs and the scene comes into view. Finch Hale is on the ground crying in agony as men in black are shoving electric sticks into her side. Others watch including Commander Lucas, who has a twinkle in his eye that is terrifying.
Lori wastes no times as soon as she hits the top of the stairs, running forward. She takes a book to one of the men's heads, causing him to crumple to the ground. She kicks the stick away and doesn't have time to react as the other punches her in the eye. She recoils back, but Hannah is instantly there to bring her laptop over the back of the guy's head. He falls to the ground as well and she smirks, completely satisfied with herself before helping Lori up.
Ben has meanwhile gone straight to Finch, kneeling in front of her. "Are you okay?"
The projection briefly pixilates but forces everything back together, taking long deep breaths. She looks up at him, obviously terrified but also so relieved now that everyone's here. "I'm a little scrambled, but I'll be fine now," she admits. He helps her to her feet and she sees everyone else has formed a protective semi-circle in front of her, blocking her from the reach of Commander Lucas. He merely stares in shock as Lori gives him her best hard stare from the front of the pack despite one eye now being swollen shut.
He pulls himself together and coolly takes a step forward. "Ms. Fitzgerald, I-"
The sword is instantly in her hand and she holds it up between them. "I suggest shutting up this instant," she threatens, voice like ice. Her eyes never leave his, completely locked onto him. "Hannah?"
"Her stats are returning to normal," Hannah informs her with a relieved tone as the levels on the screen become green once again.
"I'm fine, Lori," Finch insists, trying to play the event off casually. "They just wanted information on us. It didn't comply with my primary objective so I refused to release it. He just-"
"You have some nerve," Lori cuts her off, completely focused on the almost scared Lucas. "You want us to accept your help when you go to the desperate means of trying to brand my friends traitors and then torturing one of us?" she almost spits.
Lucas tries to rein the situation in, feigning charm. "Ms. Fitzgerald, in all respect to your pet robot," he begins, making everyone recoil in disgust and horror at his wording, "the projection was created to obey-"
"No, she wasn't," Lori argues. "She is not just a projection, because as you just saw she has feelings and emotions. She is and will be treated as a person. She is meant to protect just like she has time and time again when we've needed her. She my Companion and I don't take that very lightly."
Lucas forces a smile and nod. "Ms. Fitzgerald, your affection for this… her is clear, but-"
Lori takes a step forward, forcing him to take a step back. She clearly has all the control of the situation. "I'm going to make this really simple. You're on my bad side- like really on my bad side. And remember what I said about you needing me but my not needing you. I'm the one holding the book. I will always be the one holding the book. You need to keep me happy and right now I'm pretty far from it."
She now looks at all of the men in black, sword vanishing as she puts her hand to her side. "So listen up, all of you! You touch any of them in any way ever again and it will not only dissolve any hope of me trusting you but I will end you. Take that into consideration." She turns on her heels and exits without another word, everyone silently following. Once they have exited the library she finally turns her attention to Finch, showing her concern. "How-?"
"I'm fine. My functionality is completely normal," Finch assures her, still a little taken aback at her and everyone's reactions.
Lori nods. "Okay then. Then I don't mind doing this." She goes to punch her shoulder but phases through. "Don't you dare pull a stunt like that again!" she lectures harshly. "I told you not to go to them!" Michael moves in to look at her now back-and-blue eye.
Finch shakes her head. "It was for your safety."
Once Michael has finished looking her over she continues her lecture of the projection. "Next time- listen. You're the one I never expected disobedience from because you have the soundest judgment." Everyone looks at her offended. "It's true!"
There is a long silence as everyone takes everything that just happened in. "Well, that was intense," an unfamiliar voice finally says. Everyone turns to see the robot B.E.N. is behind them and jumps back in surprise. He turns and looks behind him, confused.
"Where the hell did you come from?!" Kaity vocalizes.
"Well, one minute I was with my best friend Jimbo," B.E.N. begins, putting an arm around her that she instantly throws off. "I had accidently switched the gravity off and the boom! All of a sudden I'm in a room with a lot of books!" He starts jumping around wildly to act out this story as everyone just watches, wary. "So I did the most natural thing… I hid. And then there were all the noises and screaming so I did the logical thing… I kept hiding. But then all of you swarmed in and I got so caught up in the action I found myself swarming with you. I think we made a pretty great team back there, if I do say so myself," he finishes, hands on his hips.
"Who is this thing?" Ben whispers, completely lost.
"B.E.N.," Lori answers.
Ben looks at her, confused. "What?"
She shakes her head, it clearly being too early for this. "No, him. From Treasure Planet. Bio-Electrical Navigator. B.E.N."
Ben catches on, nodding. "Oh. I really need to watch this movie."
"I actually quite enjoyed it when Lori showed it to me," Charlie admits.
B.E.N. has sprung to attention, literally jumping on Ben's shoulders. "Did I hear Treasure Planet? Because that is where I was, and Jimbo needs me so I have to get back as soon as possible. PASA! The c-c-c-c-centroid of the m-m-m-mechanism!" he says with a skipping voice, green eyes going fuzzy before pulling back.
Everyone blinks at this outburst. "Oh, he is so staying with the boys," Hannah decides.
"No, he's totally yours," Michael argues back. They start walking back towards the dorms; B.E.N. remaining perched on Ben's back despite efforts to shake him off.
Hannah nudges Lori. "Let's turn this over to the leader."
"Leader says he goes with the boys," Lori instantly agrees. The boys groan.
This makes B.E.N. hop down and block the path in front of her. "Leader? Your majesty." He bows and kisses her hand.
"I don't know if I want to watch this movie anymore," Ben admits.
"In its defense, he's only in the end," Charlie explains as the robot is now running down the street wildly.
XXX
A few minutes later, everyone has tiredly gathered in the living area of Lori and Hannah's dorm. All are in various states of awareness, ranging from Lori pacing wildly to Charlie dozing off on the arm of the couch.
B.E.N. spots a device on the wall and makes his way to it curiously. "Oh, what's this over here?!"
Hannah sighs as he starts hitting buttons. "That's the thermostat. Don't-"
"Just leave him," Lori yawns. "He can't get into too much trouble. Alright, so we need to talk about where we're going from here."
Kaity raises her hand, earning a nod from Lori. "I vote we play them."
Michael shakes his head. "This isn't the time to be playing games, Kaity. They basically just tried to kill Finch."
She crosses her arms. "I'm aware of that. But imagine what we could do it we had her pretend she forgave them and had come around. We could tell them what we want them to believe. We should use the advantage we have," she argues, though everyone clearly isn't a big fan.
"I don't like that idea at all," Hannah says politely. "They could find out and then we'll all be dead."
Charlie raises his hand but doesn't wait to be called on. "I vote we just stay away from them and go back to the way things used to be. It was actually simpler somehow," he admits.
B.E.N. has completely removed the thermostat from the wall and tosses it over his shoulder with no one noticing his antics. "Oh, now this is interesting." He starts playing with wires in the wall behind it.
Kaity tries to make eyes contact with the pacing Lori. "Or we could turn this whole thing around and get to the root of this whole business. You made him desperate. He'd be willing to buy anything."
Hannah shakes her head. "It's too dangerous."
"It's her choice," Ben admits, nodding at Lori. "She's obviously got something turning around in that brain of hers. Lori gets to make the call and we'll follow it."
"Definitely," Michael agrees. "We know this is all very confusing and upsetting that is all didn't work out the way you wanted it to, but just do what feels right."
"I need to think on this one," Lori admits. "We-"The lights suddenly go out and they turn to see B.E.N. has pulled about five wires out of the wall and is completely tangled in them.
"I think I may have messed up a few things," he admits. Lori peeks out in the hallway to see the light have turned off.
"Great," she grumbles, clearly exhausted. "It's the whole building."
"Back you go!" B.E.N. attempts to fix the situation, placing a wire back. Nothing happens."I may require some assistance here. I seem to have broken it." He starts playing with more of the wires and the fire alarms starts blaring through the whole building. Everyone groans as he jumps back. "That wasn't my fault!"
XXX
The next afternoon, Sunday, a much more rested and now in one of his familiar ties Ben enters his dorm room. He sees Michael on the couch filling out something for a notebook while Kaity sits across from him, clearly annoyed.
"Hey," she greets him cheerfully before turning sullenly back to Michael. "I'm all good then."
He looks through everything before nodding. "It looks like everything checks out fine. I appreciate it."
She is instantly on her feet. "Then I've got better places to be." She starts out but pauses by Ben, smiling and twisting her hair around her finger. "How was your day?"
"Great," Ben says with an equal smile. Michael rolls his eyes in the background. "Yours?"
"Good, despite my weekly appointment with the Doctor." Michael grumbles to himself, but they both ignore it. "I'm working on something pretty cool. You should stop by the art room later."
"I will. Definitely." She nods and exits, his eyes following her.
"You can ask her out, you know?" Michael says with a smirk after a moment.
B.E.N. looks up from the corner where he is playing with, otherwise known as breaking, a toaster. "Ask who out? Because I'm open to anything."
Ben shakes his head at his roommate. "She doesn't think she can have a relationship, Harms. I'm not going to-"
Michael rolls his eyes. "Prescott, she's doing pretty great." He flips through the notebook. "Her mood's stabilized tremendously since she was taken off the bench and you two are both clearly in pretty deep with one another. She's ready whenever you are," he tells his friend gently, clearly rooting for him.
"You're one to talk."
"My track record hasn't been the best," Michael admits, "which is why you should listen to me when I tell you to go for it. Valentine's Day is a week away. You're the big romantic. You should go for it before you end up never doing it." There is a pause as he thinks of something, eyebrow shooting up. "Or is this about Lori?"
"No," Ben says with honesty. "I can say with certainty it isn't. I haven't thought about her like that… let's just say it's been a while. Plus, she has Shawn… for now. I just… I don't want to take Kaity out of her comfort zone," he admits.
Michael rises to put the notebook away. "Sometimes we need to expand our horizons though, especially when it comes to someone who makes you happy." There is a knock at the door. He opens it to find Jolene Dean, who gives an adorable wave. He is instantly red and flustered, amusing Ben greatly. "Oh, hi! I-I wasn't expecting you!" He realizes something and instantly closes the door.
"What was that about?!" Ben hisses.
"Is-is everything okay?" a concerned voice comes through the door.
Michael nods at B.E.N. "We need to hide the tin can. She can't see him." Ben instantly nods and starts ushering B.E.N. to the bedroom out of sight.
"Oh, she sounds lovely!" the robot argues. "Can I meet her?! Pretty please?!" Once they're gone, Michael takes a deep breath and opens the door again.
He runs a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry about that. I just wanted to… tidy up so you didn't think I was this huge slob."
She looks around him at the slight mess and beams kindly. "It looks impeccable." She kicks the carpet, looking down. "Listen, I was wondering if you wanted to do some studying over hot beverages for our exam. I know it's sudden, but-"
"I'll always make time for you!" Her head shoots up as she beams. "Give me one minute!" He closes the door again but opens it a second later. "You can come in while I put my coat on. That was rude of me."
She giggles to herself, entering. "Thank you." She spots something in his hair. "Oh, you've got something…" She picks it out and he is very aware of how close she it to him. He takes a deep breath and goes to lean in.
"But I need to see her!" B.E.N. shouts from behind the closed door, causing him to step back and ruining the moment. "It's important!"
"Who was that?" Jolene questions.
He shakes his head, pushing her out the door. "Nobody. Let's go." He manages to trip over her feet and is sent tumbling onto the hallway carpet. "It seems I've fallen over you." He winces at his wording. "Oh, this is just terrible." She kneels down as he sits up and dusts him off.
"No. I personally think it's pretty adorable. And my opinion is the one that matters here." She helps him up, linking her arm with his. "Shall we?"
"Yes," he says, trying to appear calm.
"Shouldn't you grab your coat? It's below freezing out there."
"Ah, I'll be fine. I'm pretty good when it comes to cold," he lies with bravado. "Plus, we are studying frostbite. Why not give a real life example to examine?" She laughs and they head out together.
XXX
Very early Monday morning, Hannah is working at her desk on her laptop when Finch enters. She turns to her with a kind smile. "Hey, how are you feeling?" she asks, picking up on some unusual fidgeting and nervousness of the projection.
"I'm fine," Finch lies. "But I need to discuss a very serious matter and I know you're the one who will comply with what I shall ask."
Hannah blinks. "I don't know if I'm flattered or insulted," she jokes lightly.
Finch doesn't crack a smile, diving into it. "I am still very much attached to the DIZ mainframe. And now that I'm not complying that means they're going to try the forceful route in terms of getting all the information I have," she says logically. "Commander Lucas is going to pillage my mind and there's nothing I can do to stop it."
Hannah takes that in, nods, and starts clicking away on her laptop. "Okay. Well… we can put up firewalls and-"
Finch closes it on her. "Negative. That will not be enough." She taps her forehead. "They still technically own my mind. I cannot let them retrieve anything on Lori Fitzgerald," she says adamantly. "I will fulfill my primary objective."
Hannah crosses her arms. "So what're we getting at here?"
Finch takes a breath before going for it. "I need you to perform the task you were about to last semester. I need you to terminate my program," she says cool and calm, trying to keep Hannah so. But it doesn't work as she is instantly on her feet, adamantly shaking her head. "It will be the only way to permanently prevent Commander Lucas from gathering any information."
"Do you know what you're asking?!" Hannah shouts, almost offended. "Do you understand what you are asking me to do?!"
"Affirmative," Finch says, trying to remain emotionless. "I'm asking you to terminate me."
Hannah shakes her head. "You're asking me to kill you," she says coldly. "You'll die, Finch."
Finch nods. "It is a sacrifice I'm prepared to make. My primary objective-"
Hannah is now very wound up, throwing her arms all over the place as she speaks. "You're not bound to that anymore, remember?! You have free will now. You're taking classes. You're making friends."
"And I'm sorry you had to put that effort in. Let me assure you that this is my choice. This is what needs to be done for the good of everyone and will carry it out as I have everything else," she says with determination.
Hannah crosses her arms, narrowing her eyes in both anger and desperation. "I-I can't. I won't. You're our friend. We'll figure something out."
Finch makes eye contact. "Hannah Frost, my mind has been over every possibility and this is the only option we have. And I believe deep down you know that. That is why you are so hesitant… because you want to protect Lori Fitzgerald as much as I do. That is why we lied to her last semester together." Hannah looks away, just shaking her head. Finch continues. "I will set everything up including withdrawing from school. It just didn't work out for Finch Hale. Can I count on you to do what needs to be done?"
"I don't want you to go," Hannah say suddenly, voice very sad. "I want you to stay here with us," she pleas almost like a child.
"I want to stay here too," Finch admits, letting a little emotion show through before pulling it back. "But perhaps that was never an option. Tonight then," she concludes.
Hannah puts a hand to her head, taking in a breath. "Jesus. At least give it a week for all of us-"
"Negative. It has to be done tonight before they start trying. We don't have very long. You cannot tell the others either."
"You can't expect me to keep my murdering you a secret!" Hannah lashes out. "They're going to kill me!"
Finch shakes her head. "They will not understand at first and will be clouded by their hearts. But in time they will see it needed to be done. I will return this evening. I recommend you start getting everything ready."
Hannah sits, taking a long breath. "I don't want to do this," she says, voice warbling. "I don't want it to be me. I'm… I'm not a murderer," she chokes, tears in her eyes.
Finch goes to put a hand on her shoulder but it goes right through. "Remember… I'm just a collection of one's and zeros," she comforts. "There's nothing to kill." She exits and Hannah breaks down crying at the thought of what she's going to do.
XXX
At breakfast about an hour later Ben rises as Kaity and Hannah continue eating. "Alright, wish me luck," he says as he chews his last bit of bacon.
Hannah waves a hand at him, desperately trying to appear normal. "You'll be fine. Business is like the simplest of the Majors- a monkey could do it. Which means you'll especially be fine."
"You're a comedian," he deadpans.
Hannah puts a hand to her heart, pretending to be offended. "Oh, that wasn't an insult. You're literally a primate. We're discussing the best way to go about teaching Science courses in my Elementary Learning class."
"At least it's not Art," Ben kids. "They don't even have to be right- they just have to feel things and do the best they can." Kaity smacks him on the arm playfully.
"Show some respect. We happen to be the ones who move the world forward with our creativity!"
"And we fit the bill," he shoots back, kissing her on the cheek before walking away. Both immediately realize what he's just done, but he keeps walking. Kaity sighs as she watches him go.
"So what was that?" Hannah inquires with a knowing sing-song voice.
"I… I have no idea," Kaity shrugs, though she can't hide her smile. "He's only done that after the Banquet."
Hannah goes back to her pancakes, pointing a fork at Kaity. "You two need to get together like now. I'm pretty sure this whole room is feeding off that sexual tension."
"I'm not saying I'd say no if he asks me," Kaity admits, blushing as she takes a sip of her milk.
Hannah practically does a flip at this admission, but points at her with the fork again instead. "Kaity, this is the twenty-first century. Women burned their bras so you could have the right to take initiative and ask Ben out so you can start making out with him immediately."
Kaity chokes on her milk. "First of all, I can't believe any of those words just came out of your mouth. Second, what can I say? I'm a bit old-fashioned in that regard," she admits, playing with her hair. "I just really want him to be the one to ask me. It's very… traditional and I don't get a lot of that."
"Okay," Hannah concedes, taking a bite. "I can work with that. You need to start dropping hints though… have you considered a flashing neon sign?"
"What do you think my next art project is?" Kaity says with sass.
Hannah looks at her a long moment. "You really want this- a relationship with him?" she asks, now serious.
Kaity nods, serious now as well. "Yeah. It'll be tough, but I'm in a good place and I think I'm worth it. I won't be ready by any stretch of the imagination, but he seems like the type to stick around and figure things out with. I picked well."
XXX
Meanwhile, Finch sees Ben heading down the hallway and runs to catch up with him. "Benjamin Prescott, I need-"
"Don't worry," he says politely, though clearly in a hurry. "I'll be there after class like always."
"No, I need to discuss-"
He gives her a look, a little less polite. "Finch, I really need to get to this test. We'll talk later, okay?"
"Alright," she says sadly, stopping. "Thank you for everything and being my first real friend. Good-bye… Ben." He hears this and hesitates, but by the time he's turned around she has already ducked into her class. He shrugs and keeps walking.
Finch takes her usual seat next to her twin friends Robert and Karen Rowell.
Karen smiles upon seeing her. "Hey, we wanted to talk to you about this weekend. Our parents are very big on holidays, so they're doing this Valentine's Day party," she begins.
"They said we could invite whoever we wanted to join," Robert continues.
Finch realizes what they mean and is quite shocked. "You're inviting me?
"Of course," Robert says as if it's obvious.
"You're only the best tutor in this entire school," Karen gushes. "Seriously, you're brilliant."
Robert gives her a look. "But more importantly, Karen, she's our friend. What do you say? We can even give you a ride."
Finch shakes her head. "I would love to, but unfortunately I will already be gone by then," she admits, trying to hide her disappointment.
"Gone?" Karen questions. "Where are you going?"
"I'm transferring back," she lies coolly. Both of them just look at her. "Things just aren't working out here."
Karen covers her mouth. "No!"
"You just got here, Finch," Robert echoes her sentiment.
"Today's actually my last day," Finch admits.
"Why?" Karen questions. "Is someone giving you a hard time or-?"
Finch tries to rein the whole situation in with her calm. "Nothing like that. It's just something that needs to be done."
They all sit in silence for a moment before Robert speaks up. "That really sucks."
Finch can't help but nod. "I will miss the both of you. You have been very nice to me and I appreciate it."
"This is so stupid," Karen huffs. "This is literally good-bye. I didn't…"
"I'm sorry," Finch cuts in as the professor enters.
"There's no other option?" Robert whispers to her as class begins.
"No," she whispers back. "I desperately wish there was though. I don't want to leave," she admits, almost to herself more than anything.
XXX
Lori is heading up the stairs of the dorm building, Organic Chemistry book in her arm. She passes Finch on the stairs and stops. "Where are you off to?" she questions playfully.
Finch keeps walking. "I need to visit Hannah to check on some diagnostics after the incident a few nights ago," she says, the most robotic she's been in a long time.
Lori picks up on this. "I hope she works her magic. I'll see you later." She starts up again.
"Good-bye Lori." This makes her pause, baffled, but when she looks back down Finch is already gone. She shakes her worries off and knocks on the boy's door for Ben to answer.
She holds up the book. "Is Michael in? I'm having trouble with some of the homework problems." He lets her in immediately with a smile and she heads into the bedroom where Michael and Charlie are in front of the television with B.E.N.
The robot sees her first and waves dramatically. "Lori! Hello! We're watching How It's Made. Ah, I do love some classic nostalgia television," he sighs, eyes glued back onto the screen.
"We can change it," Michael practically pleads. "It's not nearly as exciting as he makes it out to be."
B.E.N. leans in real close. "Next they're going to do candles. Candles!"
Charlie rises to hug her. "Thanks for letting him stay in our room, by the way."
Lori ruffles his hair with a smirk before turning to Michael. "I actually came for homework help."
He gestures to where the book is already waiting. "I told you she'd be coming," he tells Charlie as she takes a seat on the floor.
Charlie shrugs. "I had confidence in you abilities."
Lori ruffles his hair again. "Well, I appreciate that." Michael opens his book and she moves next to him. "I also appreciate you being realistic. Number seven?" He looks it over as Ben drifts in.
"How's Finch?" he asks as he plays with his tie. "She wanted to talk to me this morning, but I had the test."
"I saw her on my way down," Lori says, attention focused on the problems. "She wanted to check something out with Hannah. It seemed like she had a few circuits loose."
B.E.N. hits his head, gesturing to the empty part in the back. "Boy, do I know that feeling. I mean I literally lost my mind. Have any of you seen it?"
Michael points to some figures, in tutor mode. "Alright, so the Hydrogen bond will not work here because...?"
"I have no idea," Lori admits, flipping through her book. "We practically skipped this part in our notes."
"What makes you say she has some circuits loose?" Ben follows up, worried.
Lori hasn't noticed the second question, finding what she was looking for. "Okay, this one the Oxygen cannot lose its double bond without upsetting the entire molecule so that's my first guess."
Michael nods. "That would be correct."
"I told you she was smart," Charlie cheers her on. She pours over it more.
B.E.N. is back to admiring the television where a newly made candle is now being packaged. "Look at all that wax!"
"Lori," Ben asks again, a little impatient.
XXX
Meanwhile, Finch lies back on Hannah's bed, taking a deep steadying breath. Hannah pulls up the code on her laptop, very fidgety and unsure of the whole situation.
"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" she tries again, almost desperate.
"Affirmative," Finch says without hesitation.
"Can I just say you're taking your death very well?" Hannah says almost bitingly.
"I'm trying too," Finch admits, staring up at the ceiling. "I am trying to embrace the program part of myself rather than the human portion so as to minimize any feelings."
"Why's that?" she questions harshly.
Finch blinks slowly. "I worry that the fear will get the better of me. Because even now I'm scared."
Hannah's anger instantly vanishes. "Finch…" She goes to touch her but her hand goes through.
Finch refuses to look at her. "Please. Just do it." Hannah nods sadly and turns back to the computer, trying to take steadying breaths. Finch squeezes her hands together over her chest. "It'll just be like going to sleep," she whispers to herself. "It'll just be like going to sleep."
Hannah pushes the button with a choked breath and the bar starts to fill. She instantly grows very weak bit keeps repeating the phrase to herself. "It'll just… be like… going to… sleep." Hannah, meanwhile, starts rocking back and forth in her chair- trying to hold it together.
XXX
Back in the boy's bedroom, Ben tries again to get Lori's attention. "Lori!" She looks up from the problem, trying to remember what he asked.
"Oh, sorry. It was-uh- the way she phrased things. It was really unnatural for her."
"How so?" Charlie inquires.
B.E.N. flips so he's facing her curiously. "Yes… please explain. You see I speak robot quite fluently," he brags.
Lori rolls her eyes at him before looking at Ben, trying to explain. "Well… she just called me Lori with no last name. She always uses the last name. And she sounded more robotic than she has in ages- like since she was activated. Plus, she told me good-bye. She never says anything like that. I hope Hannah straightens her out."
She goes back to her problem, but Ben speaks up- something striking him as not right. "That's weird. Because we had a similar conversation." Now he has everyone's attention. "She told me that I was her first real friend and then told me good-bye. But the robotic part… it's like she was-"
"Holding back," Michael reflects. "Same thing. She visited here right before you did."
"Me too," Charlie adds, sounding worried.
"Well… she didn't talk to me at all," B.E.N. cuts in, breaking the mood and earning ire from everyone. He folds him arms. "I'm actually a little offended."
XXX
In his office at the same time, Commander Lucas is sitting at his desk drinking heavily for his sorrows and failures when a researcher comes running in
"What is it?!" he slurs, already angry.
The researcher hesitates but spits it out. "Sir, it's them. They're- they're deactivating the DIZ v2.9 program."
Lucas is instantly on his feet, sobered up. "What?! How much have we gotten out of it?!"
"Nothing, sir," the researcher admits, head hung low. "We were going to start extraction in the morning per you wishes. You gave us all Sunday and Monday off after-"
"Stop them then!"
"There's nothing we can do- they're in the program code," he explains, terrified of his boss. "If they go through with this then there will be nothing to retrieve."
"Get out of my sight before I shoot you!" Lucas growls, causing him to run off as fast as he can. Lucas pulls out his phone and dials, desperation showing through. "Come on. Pick up. We can fix this. We can get back on track."
XXX
Hannah watches through her hands as the bar hits about seventy-five percent. As this point Finch starts seizing in pain on the bed-teeth gritted to keep from crying out. Hannah is instantly on her feet next to her.
"Finch!"
"It'll… just be… going to… sleep," she forces out. It gets to be too much at eighty percent as she lets out the smallest and most pathetic of cries. Hannah reaches for the laptop. "Don't stop," she orders, noticing the motion. "It won't hurt for much… longer." Hannah just keeps crying.
XXX
Lori and the boys are now reflecting heavily upon their conversations with Finch. "Why would good-bye suddenly be in her vocabulary?" Lori asks B.E.N., hoping the robot will be good for something.
"That is peculiar," he admits. "I could swear Flint used to say it sometimes… like when we pillaged and plundered. But I don't know for sure," he shrugs.
"Okay, he's really starting to annoy me," Ben admits.
B.E.N. doesn't pick up on this, still thinking. "I'd say it to Jimbo, though. He's going to fix me when he gets the chance."
"If we're lucky the screwdriver will slip and he'll end up terminating you," Ben says under his breath.
"Not that was uncalled for!" Charlie calls out his older step-brother. Lori is about to agree when she feels her phone vibrate in her pocket.
She looks at it, puzzled. "It's Commander Lucas…" she whispers to herself. "Why…"
B.E.N. is still arguing with Ben. "I'm very offended right now!"
Michael also sides with the robot. "That was a little uncalled for."
"I'm sorry," Ben apologizes sincerely. "It slipped out."
Charlie comforts the robot. "It's going to be fine. No one's going to terminate you."
Lori has been staring at her phone, but drops it when it all crashes into her at his words. "Terminate!" She shoots to her feet as everyone turns to her. "That's why she said good-bye!" She takes off at a run and the others follow, still lost but sensing her urgency. Lori sprints past a confused Kaity on her way up the stairs.
"What's-?"
The others pass her as well. "Come on," Ben says, pulling her along.
"She's going to have Hannah terminate her so DIZ can't get her files!" Lori shouts back at them, frantic. "That's why she said good-bye! It was good-bye for her!"
Charlie goes pale. "Oh no."
"Hold me!" B.E.N. shouts panicked, hopping into Kaity's arms and practically sending her to the floor. She manages to keep running with him though.
Lori throws open the door and runs into the bedroom, taking in the scene just as Hannah is about to push the final key once again, the bar having been filled. Finch is seizing rapidly on the bed, eyes screwed shut.
"Hannah!" she shouts, scared and surprised and all over the place. The others fill in behind her as Hannah notices all of them, tears flowing. "What are-?!"
"I'm sorry," she hiccups, crying. "I don't want to do this."
"Then don't," Michael tells her, just as shocked.
Hannah shakes her head, burden clearly weighing on her shoulders. "It's the only way though. This is what she wants."
Lori is now furious and pulls out her booming leader voice. "I don't give a damn about that. Stop it this instant!" she commands in a way that she is not to be messed with. "We're not killing her!"
"Don't you see it's her primary objective," Hannah fires back. "She's going to protect you." Everyone takes this in as Finch lets out a cry. Hannah returns to her laptop. "We're just prolonging her pain by arguing."
"Hannah, don't you dare!" Lori shouts. When Hannah doesn't stop she lunges towards her, but Ben holds her back by pinning her arms behind her back. She is instantly frantic, struggling and kicking with all her being. "No! No! Let go of me!"
He doesn't let go. "Lori, I hate it as much as you do. She's my friend and I was her first. But she unfortunately knows what has to be done," he admits.
Lori still flails wildly, all composure lost. "No! No one is dying for me!" she shouts, tears coming to her eyes.
Michael steps forward to help when Finch's robotic voice rings out and halts everything but Lori's struggling. "Negative…. Lori Fitzgerald…" she forces through gritted teeth. "Thank you… for everything… Thank you… for being… my friend… Please… make it end…" she asks calmly. "I'm… ready…"
"Stop! Stop!" Lori continues to fight. Hannah cannot take it anymore and hits the key- Finch instantly going limp. "No!" Lori cries in pure agony. Finch's body disintegrates into pixels floating all about the room. Lori breaks down sobbing, falling to the floor when Ben lets go of her.
Ben kneels to comfort her, but she shoves him back. "Don't touch me!" she shouts through her sobs. "I could've stopped her! You killed her!" She breaks down as Michael is able to engulf her in a hug and Charlie joins an instant later with an apologetic look at his step-brother. Ben then starts to cry himself and Kaity wraps her arms around him for comfort. Hannah completely breaks down at her keyboard, pounding it.
Lori rocks back and forth in her friends' arms. "She died because of me. It's my fault. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Finch," she chokes.
Michael pulls her closer, chin atop her head. "Shh, it's okay."
"I'm sorry!" she shouts at the pixels.
XXX
The researcher enters the office once again. Lucas regards him expectantly. "Well…"
He shakes his head. "I'm sorry, sir. But the DIZ v2.9 program has officially been terminated. It's all gone where we can't get it."
Lucas remains surprisingly calm, nodding. "Alright then. You may go." The moment after he leaves and the door is shut Lucas lets out a roar and proceeds to start throwing things across the office in blind fury. He rips the picture of Lori from the wall and proceeds to shred it before collapsing at his desk and taking another sip of whiskey in the remains of his ruined office.
XXX
Lori continues to sob with Michael and Charlie hugging her, but she is out of tears. She looks up at all the pixels, hiccupping, when she notices something. She runs to the filing cabinet and pulls out the glowing book. The pixels all react as if getting yanked back and suddenly Finch is on the bed again. The book stops glowing and Lori wipes her nose as at the same moment Finch sits up with a coughing heave of a breath.
She takes a step towards her, not quite believing it. "F-Finch…?"
Finch looks at herself, baffled. "I'm- I'm still here." She looks at Hannah, who looks about to faint. "Did you-?"
She nods, trembling. "I terminated it. You're gone."
Finch shakes her head in realization, aware that all puffy eyes are locked on her with varying degrees of shock and disbelief. She seems very surprised and touched by how upset they all look on her behalf. "No, the DIZ v2.9 part of me is," she deduces, rising easily. "Only the part of me that was tied to the DIZ Corporation. The part that came from the book- the me part- it's still here. I'm still here," she laughs to herself, smiling. Lori looks down at the book.
"So are you like human now or something?" Kaity asks, a little lost. Finch makes her hand pixilated with ease.
"Not quite. I don't think there wasn't enough magic for that. I'm just severely limited in my abilities now without the program to back me up," she frowns. "I already feel weaker and this alone takes more energy." She brings her hand back to its normal form and flexes it. "But at least I can still feel. It all has to stay in my own head now." She puts a hand to her temple in her characteristic manner. "No wonder I have a headache." She turns to Hannah, smiling kindly. "You didn't kill me. In fact, all of you saved me. By allowing me to become more human I tied myself more and more with the book than my program to the point it could sustain me. This was all through your actions."
Realization dawns on Hannah and she jumps up. "I didn't kill you!"
Everyone moves in, celebratory, but Lori puts her hands up between the two groups. "Hold the phone!" she says with clear anger, turning to the projection. "Before we start celebrating your Disney Death I have a serious bone to pick with you. What the hell were you thinking?!" she roars.
Finch flinches, not expecting this. "My primary objective-"
"I don't care! Around here, we don't go killing ourselves because it is more selfish than staying! We thought we lost you!" She smacks her shoulder, making solid contact.
Finch looks at her shoulder, examining it. "It appears I'm more solid now as well."
"Hey!" Lori snaps her fingers at her. "I'm yelling at you here! Don't you ever pull a stunt like that again!" She whirls on Hannah. "And you and I will have words later, Frost!" She then turns to Ben. "And don't think I've forgotten your part, Benjamin!" She whirls back on Finch. "I don't care what your objectives are! You are just as important as me- as all of us!" She sighs, calming herself. "We need you."
Finch looks down, honestly ashamed and overwhelmed by this. "I'm sorry. I thought-"
Lori shakes her head. "Well, you were wrong." Finch flinches as she comes closer, but is surprised when Lori throws her arms around her for a tight hug. "You must be pretty human now because you were so unbelievably stupidly wrong."
"Now's the part where celebrate the Disney Death?" Charlie asks. Lori nods with a small laugh and he instantly joins the hug. Everyone follows suit, including B.E.N.
"I can feel the love!" the robot shouts at the top of his lungs. "Maybe I could just stay here."
"No!" everyone replies at once.
He frowns, pulling away. "But now you guys could really use a new pet robot."
Lori fumes. "She is not our pet robot! For the last time!"
Finch pats her on the back, but still retains some strength as it nearly knocks her over. "Thank you. I appreciate it, Lori Fitzgerald."
"It feels good to hear you say my full name again."
Charlie looks up at Ben, content smile on his face. "I can't tell you how relieved I am that we're all still together."
Ben puts an arm around him. "Me either, squirt. Me either."
XXX
About an hour later, a very smug Lori enters the office and towers over a very drunk and pathetic Lucas. "So, funny story, but I believe I received a very frantic phone call from you a few hours prior," she laughs. He looks blearily up at her. "I was too busy being a blubbering mess about it, but I came with good news. She's still alive," she practically sings.
"What? How?"
"The book kept her alive," Lori answers. "And now she's disconnected from you and out of your grasp. We know about the phones and I assure you Hannah has taken care of it." She sits across from him and puts her feet up, clearly in control and mocking him. "I'm afraid you lost, Commander Lucas."
"Why are you here then?" he slurs.
"I made my decision about what to do with you. Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Nothing. We're going to go back to the way we used to do things and you're going to let us," she says, convinced it will be so. "Otherwise, we are going to chase you out of here faster than you can imagine. We're pretty strong and now we have the advantage. So I suggest you just sit back and enjoy campus. Perhaps we can re-visit this subject once you've had a great long think about what exactly you're doing."
"I can help you with the book!" he cries desperately. "I'm here to-"
She sighs, shaking her head at his dramatics. "Lucas, we were both kidding ourselves," she opens up honestly. "You thought you could have the book and I thought I could lose it. But we were just dreaming. The book is my responsibility and you're never getting your hand on it as long as I have something to say about it." She rises and gives him a hard thump on the back. "Have a good night."
XXX
The next day, Finch enters the classroom and takes her seat next to a very surprised Robert and Karen. "We thought-"
"You said-"
She smiles sincerely at them, pulling out her homework. "Everything worked out," she shrugs. After a beat she adds, "I'd be more than happy to go to that party this weekend if I'm still invited."
"Of course you are!" Karen shouts. "This is so great!" The professor walks in and they face forward.
"Hey." Finch looks over to see Robert holding out a stick of gum. "I'm glad we're keeping you around."
She confidently takes a piece and starts to chew it, happy no part of her is phasing. "I'm glad to be staying around."
XXX
Everyone is gathered in the girl's dorm room. B.E.N. is currently making his way down the line, exiting a hug with Hannah and standing in front of Lori. "Goodbye, Lori! I think I will miss you most of all." He throws his arms around her, sobbing.
She puts on her best smile, patting his metal frame. "I'll miss you too."
He backs up and takes them all in. "Just one more time around everyone."
They all take a step back and say simultaneously, "No!"
Lori grabs the book from the table. "I think the third time was more than enough." She opens the book to a glowing poem. B.E.N. gives a final wave and she at least gives a sincere smile back. "And I found something That was always there Sometimes it's got to hurt before you feel" He vanishes in a burst of light and they all stand there when she feels something odd. She looks at her sleeve and her eyes narrow. "He cried oil on my sweater!"
Finch reflects on the song. "That one hit close to home," she admits, thoughtful. Ben puts a friendly arm around her. "So we're really done with them?" she asks, hopeful.
Lori nods. "Yep. We're back to the old-fashioned way."
Charlie hugs her waist. "We still have each other."
She ruffles his hair. "We do. But I think that means we need to clear the air. There can't be any secrets from here on out." She turns to face the rest of her Companions. "So allow me to ask: how did I survive falling last semester when the Doctor was also out?"
They hesitate a beat before Finch speaks up. "The unlocked files revealed I had the capacity to heal you. I advanced your quite serious wounds until they were beyond needing medical care. We feared the reason it had been locked by the DIZ Corporation was nefarious and decided it was best to keep it from you."
Hannah nods. "And that meant keeping it from the two people who would certainly tell you. We did it to protect you, I swear."
Ben chimes in, seeing the faces of the trio. "It won't happen again."
Kaity puts a hand on his arm, nodding. "We swear."
Lori lets out a sigh. "Good, because I don't take well to being lied to. But I unfortunately understand. But now we're all square. No more secrets." Everyone nods, happy to now have her fuming.
"We promise," Hannah vows. "We're sorry to all three of you."
"I think I'm already over it," Michael reflects. "Charlie?"
He reflects. "I'm not quite yet. But I know how we can fix that!" He pulls the water gun out from behind his back, Lori and Michael doing the same. They begin running and screaming around the room as the trio soaks them.
Lori narrowly misses the book and stops to pick it up. "Let me put this away and then we can go get some ice cream." Everyone nods, still running about.
She heads into the bedroom and puts the book in the filing cabinet, pausing as she looks over it. "Listen, thank you," she whispers to it, adamant. "What you did for Finch… I really appreciate it. You're coming through loud and clear. He's never getting his hands on you again, I promise. I'll do whatever it takes. You're part of this and though I do still hate you I know we have a partnership. And I will honor that as long as it takes. I'm still going to complain because quite frankly you're annoying, but I'll protect you because you. Okay?" No answer. No movement. Nothing. But it seems to be enough for Lori. "I'll see you next time." She shuts the drawer and pauses before pulling it open again. "Don't tell anyone I said any of this. They'll never let me live it down." She closes it and heads out, turning out the light as she goes.
XXX
Tune in next week as Valentine's Day brings about a much-anticipated and highly-expected red-headed princess who throws things very much in the lurch for Ben and Lori in terms of what they want versus what they believe fate is saying.