Jay had been miserable these past few days. Sure he had been going to school, but his attention was drawn away from learning or tinkering or was dissolved completely. He couldn't stop thinking about all that had happened, more importantly Zane. He was missing, the synth was missing, and the manual was missing, all gone on the same day. Now here he was at school and his friend was missing as well. Suppose it was bad enough that he only noticed now when he was leaving after the final bell. Maybe he really did love zane… maybe what Cole said was wrong… maybe Zane did love him back… he wouldn't know, and now he was becoming afraid to. Hopefully at home he will be able to work on something, though progress on anything these few days were slow.
-o-o-
"Wooaahh!" Lloyd sat upon Zane's shoulders, short cape drifting behind in the cold wind, "I only saw the city in pictures, I never thought it would be so big." his eyes darted around to all sorts of buildings and signs, people and vehicles. The city was buzzing with life as it did, puffs of white smoke escaping into the cold winter air. Lloyd didn't mind the cold, he was used to the more frigid temperatures the mountains had, heck he even wore his hoodie around his waist. Zane seemed invested on following the coordinates he was instructed, ever drawing near as he walked calmly. It struck him as strange that his brother would be all the way on the other side of the city hiding somewhere, but maybe he wasn't hiding at all. He wasn't sure Echo even cares that he was moving about, he was asleep for a long time, maybe he went to explore. He was a curious little droid after all.
Before long he found himself staring at the front door of a pawn shop, the case strapped to his back. Zane knelt down letting lloyd off his shoulders before pushing open the door that chimed. The man with the red hat beamed from the counter, Echo emerging from the back room. Dareth floated nearby, Lloyds eyes immediately going to him first before getting a better scope of the room.
"Ah, glad you made it, come in We've been expecting you," the clerk smiled letting the words run off his tongue. Zane stepped into the room more, kneeling down as the small droid ran and jumped into his brothers arms. The synth tapped on Lloyds shoulder and pointed at Echo, who smiled and offered his hand.
"Hello! I am Echo, I am a personal assistant and radio! What is your name?"
"Oh, my name's Lloyd, I'm just a kid." He shyly shook the droids' hand, his radiant smiling too inviting to deny. "Uh, so what's a radio?" The droid chuckled, going to explain while Zane picked both of them up in his arms. Glancing around awkwardly, he swiveled on his heels and made his way back towards the door.
"Aye- HEYwWaIT-" Ronin skidded to a stop in front of the door, "I don't think you'll be leaving with him," he pointed to Echo. "You see, I can't let one of you leave, that's losing a profit, an asset. One has to replace the other uhh-"
Dareth facepalmed, "You didn't practice your lines, did you? You got excited and you totally messed this up. Just let them go." Zane stared through the thief who was sweating bullets, thinking. If he leaves then these Lloyd doesn't get a friend, and Echo stay here without a new friend…. But if he stays.. Then they both are friends and can make their way back to the mountains or wherever. He didn't want to go back to the mountains, it was farther away to Jay than from here, and he was really starting to miss that guy. Besides, the likelihood of Jay coming here than there was greater, so maybe… Zane set the two down and stepped back.
"There we go, see? Not that hard," Ronin opened the door and let the two out, Echo giving Zane a worried glance before the door closed, "Now, just make yourself comfortable, I have a phone call to make." Dareth seemed to be in disbelief that all of this was working out.
-o-o-
Cole sat behind Pixal on the moped as they sped down towards the large spire in the middle of the city. She hadn't been there since over a year ago for her yearly checkup. She missed it last time, but better late than never. Stepping up the stairs into the building, the man at the front counter waved them down. "Hello! Can I help you?"
"Yes, This is Cole Brookstone and this is my droid, Pixal, we have a checkup scheduled today?"
"Oh yes, right away. I will just mark that you're here and you'll want to head up to level 42, he's waiting for you there. Have a nice day!" The elevator ride was silent, they both seemed to be lost in their own thoughts. Pixal stuffed her hands in her pockets as Cole had done with his own coat, the door opening with a ding. Hopefully she could get the right replacement part, maye then she'd stop feeling so strange and all over the place. Silently walking down the corridor, Cole went over by the window letting Pixal head to the door to his office.
'It's the real deal, Doc.' the voice caught her off guard. She had never heard it before, perhaps there was a mix up with scheduling? Stepping in, her eyes locked on the man with the red straw hat… It was instant, from her arm the revolver popped from her plating that flew to the ground, the shot ringing out piercing through his skull as he spiraled and slammed against the floor. Before she could reload another shot rang out, the bullet shattering her hand before another blasted her arm clean off. She braced for the next shot that never came, Ronin holding the gun shaking, his eyes looking beyond her to the shaggy-haired man with the face a spitting image of the man he had killed. Cole grabbed Pixal and ran down the hall, his thoughts racing faster than his actions as he slammed the buttons in the elevator vigorously.
Ronin sluggishly looked around the room, the chunks of his skull and blood splattered across and what seemed to be a silvery object. At least the bullet went through, but from where? His head was screaming as he ran his fingers along the backside of it. No, no hole.. His eyes went up to the man in the wheelchair that had hid himself behind the tall tarped figure before, the glasses reflecting pure white that hid his eyes and face. Vision swimming from it all, the world around him melted and faded away….
-o-o-
"So you're a ghost?" Kai asked, mystified by the floating green rockstar.
"Yeah, no one can see me though, no one besides other people. Echo over there? Not even a sound." He nodded his chin to the sleeping droid and Lloyd who had used a box and a few pillows for comfort. Dareth was quick to invite them back in when Ronin scurried off, but it had been a few days now and the thief had no show. "Kinda bummed about it, would love for him to put on a few stations and jam." The topic at hand was masking his worry. In fact, it was masking everyone's worry. Not even Nya was asleep, and normally by now at 3 AM she would be beyond it. No one knew what happened to him, but perhaps that was just the plan, get the synth and leave high and dry.
"How did you end up here of all places?" Nya absentmindedly asked from the counter.
Dareth thought about it, "Well Ronin killed me, I was just doing one of my gigs when my bandmates and I were poisoned to death. Now I haunt him until he… well, until I'm done haunting him I suppose, I dunno I only died once and I never really know how these things work. I think I'm cursed to an object in here but I can't remember." the two siblings exchanged equal glances of disbelief. "What?"
"It's not that you're wrong Dareth, I just can't see him doing that. He's not a murderer, he's a thief. Are you sure it as him?"
"Oh yes I know it was him, he had red on his head, so I know it as him. He can keep trying to deny it but I never forget something like that."
"Red? Was he wearing any other colours?"
"If it was Ronin who killed you and your bandmates, don't you think they would be here too?" Kai added to the conversation.
"Maybe they got lost- and uh, no he was just wearing red and black. Red gloves, black attire, red hat."
"And when has Ronin ever worn black, he always wears these camouflage colours but never black." Dareth paused, thinking about it. Yeah, that is a little weird, he had never seen the thief wear dark colours like that before. In fact, he had never seen any sort of poisons or weapons around aside from the revolver and a few switchblades. Maybe he really didn't do it…
"Well shoot, then I've been making this guys life hell for no reason haven't I? Uuhg! Shoot!" he bellowed, sinking into the floor and grumbling.
-o-o-
"There you go, that should be it." Jay flicked his goggles up, snapping the white plating into place and putting the arm back. The mirrored replica arm was snapped into place as well, although the colour itself was off. He didn't have any white paint that would've matched the rest of her body, luckily the arm wasn't too intricate. Cole tossed the busted socket around in his hands, digging his fingers into the metal and wires.
"You can't paint it?"
"No, Cole, I told you for the upteenth time, I don't have the right paint color. You're just going to have to explain to your mom what happened and get it over with." the ginger sighed, going to the back of her and pressing the buttons down under her neck plating. The circuitry lit up green as she straightened and opened her eyes. "There, can you feel that now?"
She flexed her other hand, it was a little stiff starting out, but as she moved it Jay applied oil to the joints. "Yes, this will do perfectly. Although fingers 1 and 2 tend to want to move together…"
"It's perfect Jay, thankyou" Cole assured, holding Pixal by the shoulders. Jays hard tired gaze fell back to the tools that he started to clean up. "Now how am I going to explain this to her, she comes home today from her trek… Who was that person Pix?"
"I will explain it all, do not worry Cole. We are not going back there until this is all situated." She assured, Jay throwing a wrench into the bucket loudly.
"I always thought Borg was this cool scientist guy, but it turns out he's just a huge jerk!" he tossed another harsh wrench into the bucket, "The worst part is I don't even know where Zane is, and now this on top of it? Uhg!"
"Perhaps Mr. Borg has him. When I went in, I heard the killer talking about 'the real deal', there was a tarped object of some sort. I would not deny that that wasn't him-"
"GREAT! So on top of making deals with shady people, scaring my parents AND letting your arm get shot off, he stole zane?! Peachy, just peachy!" He flailed his arms, kicking the bucket over. Cole and Pixal exchanged glances.
"Oh come on now jay," Cole started, "If you want I can save up for a new droid for you- it can be customized and it'll be brand ne-"
"NO, COLE," he shrieked, "Zane can't be replaced! You know, I've had a lot of time to think about what you said to me before all of this started happening and you're wrong! Zane was never just some rare synthesizer worth a fortune, to me he was worth nothing, he was priceless, he made me smile when I felt bad, sure he was a little creepy sometimes with all the starting, but he never meant harm. I think you're mistaken Cole, Robots can love, and it's not based on coding or 'how they are', not everything that's a droid is a machine, they're just as human as you or I Cole, and telling them they're not just hurts them more. I love him Cole, I love him and maybe he already knows that, but I don't want a replacement, there'll never be a replacement from the hole his absence has created in my heart." Jay panted, wiping his eyes. "Go home Cole, I fixed her arm so just, go home." he sputtered.