Elsewhere on the planet there was a broadcast being beamed down by one of the planets satellites.
"We interrupt this broadcast for the following announcement." The first news broadcaster said.
"Good evening: We've just received word that, as of eleven p.m., U.T.N. time, the economic agreement has been signed at last. Mars and Earth have signed the treaty. Officials from both powers are quoted as saying: "This the first step toward one world, one nation." The second news broadcaster said.
Back in the habitat, the sun is beginning to rise and I can feel its rays warming my naked body. Sometime during the night I grabbed my trench coat and used it as a blanket to cover us. As I'm beginning to wake up I hear footsteps approaching us. I open my eyes, and turn to see who it was, it was D'Anclaude.
"Follow me there's something I'd like to show you." D'Anclaude said.
D'Anclaude head backs to the elevator and waits for us to get dressed. As we're approaching the elevator it opens and the three of us get on. We take it back down to the lab we were in yesterday. I see D'Anclaude bring up one of those holding tanks we saw yesterday. Kensi is still trying to wake up, or she's still feels the sting from yesterday.
"Where's the doc?" I ask.
"This morning, he's with his alives. He's concentrating on further hybridization. He intends to continue and complete the initial terra-forming plans." D'Anclaude says.
"But, that's impossible." I say.
"Yes, rational thought would agree." D'Anclaude said.
Kensi looked up as the bubbles in the tank were clearing. I stare in shock at the lifeform that is in the tank, while Kensi lets out a gasp when she sees it. In the tank is another robot that looks exactly like Kensi.
"Don't worry." D'Anclaude says. "The unborn sister poses no threat. Dr. Granger gave up weapons production. He left this new model unfinished. But why? A difference of opinion with his partner Professor D'Anclaude."
I feel a tugging at me jacket sleeve. "I—that's enough. Let's go." Kensi says, not wanting to hear the rest of D'Anclaude's story.
"Is there something else?" I ask, wanting to get to the point of the conversation.
"I brought you here because I felt you had previous knowledge of the Third's being created as assassinroids." D'Anclaude said, said facing the tank, but turned back to face us.
"Nice upgrade. Go on." I says cautiously.
"It's the unfinished work. Professor D'Anclaude began work on the female "assassinroid," which would in some way complement the multitude of my brothers. Along with myself and Kensi, we were the pinnacle of robotic creation. Although our strength and abilities far surpassed humans, it was quite simple to assimilate ourselves into their society. Then Dr. Granger used us as a base of the synthetic organisms in developing the Thirds, programming creativity and life instead of the directive to destroy. Unfortunately, all the prototypes had and imperfection. There were many instabilities within the logic boards of the Third C.P.U. Of course, Dr. Granger's present state of mind prevented him from ever quite perfecting the female models." D'Anclaude said.
"I'm nothing. He couldn't even finish. I'm useless. He doesn't even care!" Kensi exclaimed, running from the lab.
"No, wait!" I call after Kensi.
Useless my butt. I didn't come out here for this. I think. I follow Kensi out of the lab, giving her some time. There's nowhere to go, except the habitat, so I take my time and allow Kensi a moment of privacy. D'Anclaude is following me. I find Kensi sitting under a tree, while staring at her reflection in the river that was in the habitat. Never notice the river earlier. I thought. Kensi contemplates her viability in light of this new information that she has received. She blinks her eyes a few times while she continues to stare at her reflection.
While Kensi is gathering her thoughts I continue our conversation from earlier. "I don't understand. Why even create a Third type? I mean the Seconds were good enough, even on Earth." I say.
"Perhaps being from Earth, you do not have the knowledge of the difficulties there are with low Martian birthrates." D'Anclaude says.
"No. I've heard—what's it mean?" I ask.
"Any colony desiring independence requires a populace. Otherwise, they can't develop a new identity. And Mars will continue to be weak as long as it remains dependent upon the Earth for its immigration." D'Anclaude said. At first he was staring off into the distance when he first gave his speech, but by the time he finished he was staring right at me.
"Well, what about Conception? There's got to be more behind it than just the money that's involved, right?" I ask.
"Indeed. Manufactures of Thirds, which can give birth, gain strength through numbers. The more people they represent, the stronger their position grows." D'Anclaude says.
"Logical. But then the assassinations make no sense." I say, as if I had D'Anclaude in a jam.
"They do. If you're the government and hope to sign a treaty with the Earth Federation." Kensi says joining the conversation.
Kensi words stop me in my tracks. Back in St. Lowell the citizens are gather on the streets of the city to welcome the head of the Earth Federation, as she makes a victory lap on through the city. "Nah, they couldn't. Do you really think they've done it?" I ask.
"Mars has no other recourse. The Earth Federation is now strongly feminist. A robot that can conceive contradicts the basis of the Terran party's position of basic humanity. For Mars to agree, Mars must eliminate the Thirds. They are now an obstruction." D'Anclaude says. Kensi stands to her feet as D'Anclaude finishes speaking, looking off into the distance.
"Is that what you think, that I'm just old Martin garbage to be thrown out? You're wrong, I'm going to stay alive for as long as I can." Kensi says sternly, as she turns to stare at D'Anclaude.
"Exactly. Your programming for self-preservation is exactly equal to ours for eliminating your kind." D'Anclaude said. He turned from looking at me, to looking at Kensi when he spoke again. "But I am now refined. Unlike my brothers, I respect your wish for continued life."
Suddenly there's a beeping noise. It was emanating from the receiver I commandeered from Eddie.
"Hey, Eddie." I say, as I turn the receiver on.
"He's on suspension." Hetty says.
"Huh?" I ask.
"For aiding a fugitive: section ten." Hetty continues.
"No, ma'am, not if I force him into it." I say, defending Eddie's involvement in our disappearance.
"Perhaps he'll be pardon. I'll submit it." Hetty says. "This Dunwich Hill dome has become a military attack point." Kensi and I are on edge after Hetty mentions that we're about to be attacked in the very near future. "The government has made its own connections between you two and the terrorist attack at Shenora. This is an official notice. You're a threat to the government. M.P.D. officially denounces all of your activities."
"So Eddie freakin' squealed." I say more of a statement, than an accusation.
"He didn't. How could an officer I put on suspension say anything at all?" Hetty asks. Off screen Eddie was making motions with his hands of choking himself, while sticking out a tongue and closing one eye.
"Thanks a lot." Kensi says, looking into the receiver over my shoulder.
"I'm sorry." Hetty says.
Kensi was taken back Hetty's statement, more appropriately she was disgusted by her statement. "Sorries aren't good enough. So what are we gonna do now?" Kensi asks.
"Survival. It's basic training." Hetty says, cutting Kensi off. "Hetty, and friends… signing off." Behind Hetty I saw Eric, a new woman who goes by the name Nell, Eddie, and the guy who gave the briefing at the outset of the case.
"Great." Kensi says.
I shut the receiver down. "You're in charge. What now?" I ask.
"We gotta get my father out." Kensi says.
Elsewhere on the planet, a large contingent of the military is making its way to Dunwich Hill dome. On the television sets back in St. Lowell, a male announcer is giving this speech. "Good morning, and this morning is our day of new hope. Our planet, often beleaguered with nightmarish social confusion, has been finally pieced together again with the help of our true home world. Federation chairwoman Everhart has taken two planets and given us one world, one nation. Today we are reborn as a unified humanity."
While the speech is being given, they switch between the military unit that is moving on our position, scenes of Everhart's procession last night, and they even show the reactions of the crowd, which is mostly of people celebrating. Back at Dunwich Hill dome, our attempts to get Dr. Granger to leave are going poorly.
"Listen to me. They're going to wipe this place off the map." I say urgently to Dr. Granger.
"My alives are not yet ready to leave." Granger says. A few feet away from us D'Anclaude is watching the scene as if it isn't important, while Kensi is keeping quiet.
"They're going to be your tinder logs in a few seconds." I shot back.
"Papa!" Kensi says, resting a hand on Granger's shoulder.
"Wilbur, get the important work into the old storage back up system." Granger says.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be safe. It's you I-" Kensi began.
Halfway through her sentence Kensi hand had bumped into a picture frame, knocking it over. We both look at the picture in the frame, but it hits Kensi a little bit harder: it was that same picture I saw in my room of both Kensi and Dr. Granger outside by a fence. "Maybe you are a nut, but I'm your daughter and you know it." Kensi accuses Granger, who had the decency to look ashamed of his actions for the past twenty-four hours. "This a police order. Evacuate." Kensi says, point her gun at Granger's forehead.
"You're still a little fireball, aren't ya, my Kensi?" Granger says.
Kensi gasps at Granger's moment of mental clarity, while I'm somewhat suspicious of this change, given my relationship I had with my father. Kensi lowers her gun, and holsters it. "Papa!" she exclaims and launches herself into Granger's open arms. The share a look, before Granger ever so gently, touches the base of Kensi neck with a taser.
"Ah!" Kensi exclaims.
"Kensi!" I exclaim.
"She' all right. You must think I'm a great coward, Mr. Deeks, but if the alives and myself are to die, I must at least save one thing." Dr. Granger says. I watch the trench coat fall off of Kensi lifeless body, her hand still around Granger's neck. "Poor child." I watch in awe as Granger cradles Kensi body, and speak his next lines. "Daddy will fix it. Daddy will fix his little girl."
I watch as Granger put Kensi in a tank, and brings up a new program that I have never seen before. I watch as he slaves away at the computer for about fifteen, twenty minutes. When he finishes I see him lean back in his chair and let out a breath. "There. It's finished, Kensi. Now you are real." Granger says.
He opens the tank, and I cover Kensi in the trench coat before pulling her out. When I turn from the tank D'Anclaude motions for me to follow him, and we run from the room. He takes us through a few winding corridors that dumps us into a garage. In the garage was a flatbed truck that already had a load on it. "A parting gift, from Dr. Granger." D'Anclaude says.
I nod to D'Anclaude, and run over to the passenger side, open the door and strap Kensi in. I shut the door, run around and jump in behind the wheel, and get strapped in. By the time I fire up the truck the garage door was opening. I throw the truck in gear and gun the engine. We must be running out of time before the military launches its initial strike on the facility.
Just as we're entering the canyon Kensi starts to wake up. On the other side of the canyon one of the many tanks that is coming to destroy Dunwich Hill dome fires a missile. Back in St. Lowell, a news reporter is speaking live. "Last night's slogan of "one world, one nation" has blossomed into a new Martian thought towards "two worlds, one humanity."
As the missile is fast approaching Dunwich Hill, both D'Anclaude and Granger are in the habitat watching the alives. From a distance we can see the aftermath of the missile strike. Inside the facility, alarms are blaring, the roof is collapsing, and fire is already setting the habitat a blaze. Granger doesn't even try to run as the world around him is collapsing. He doesn't even see the section of the roof that is about to fall on top of both him and D'Anclaude.
About a quarter-mile from the facility we get out and say a silent good-bye to the doctor and D'Anclaude. "Hey, listen. I think that Eddie knows a guy who can hide us as cargo on an Earth shuttle. I still got a friend who can get you a new I.D." I say.
"I don't want that. I'm going back, back to St. Lowell." Kensi says, her back to me.
We hear the blades of an approaching helicopters, looking for possible survivors. One trains it's camera on us, and identifies us, but Kensi took it down with a single bullet from her gun.
"I don't wanna see you die." I say, as the wreckage of the helicopter falls to the ground.
"You won't have to. We'll say good-bye here." Kensi says with a smile as she turns to face me. "I thinks it's a great idea, don't you? It's a pretty place if you just ignore the smell from all the bombs."
Kensi telling me to part ways her and leave her behind is making my anger start to rise until it reaches critical mass, and explodes. "Kensi you know I hate when talk like crap that way!" I yell at her.
I can hear Kensi gasp, and I can see it in her eyes that she's about to cry, whether because I yelled at her, because of her cavalier attitude about life, or both, I'm not sure. "So what?" Kensi asks.
I grit my teeth, but I try to calm my anger. "The whole planet hates your kind without any reason at all. Just like I did." I said.
"I know they do. But if," Kensi begins, but stops midsentence, sniffling. "There's someone else—Oh, Deeks, I love you so very much."
I know that Kensi loves me, she told me last night, but to hear the pain in her voice stopped the fury cold. Kensi is crying by the time I approach her, and pull her into me for a hug. "Hey, go wherever you want, but you're never gonna lose me now." I say.
The news feed is showing the same footage of Chairwoman Everhart's procession from last night, and a cheering crowd, but after a while the cameras switch to the government forces out on the plains as they gear up to kill us. Every screen in St. Lowell is about to air our battle. Out on the plains, we come out of a service tunnel that takes near the troops. I pull the truck to a stop and Kensi jumps out to survey the troop numbers. The wind is blowing from the west as I get out and pull the tarp off whatever was beneath it. It was that same suit we saw in the labs yesterday, except this one is fully-operational. There's a canyon between us and the government forces.
"Two thousand." Kensi said.
I get in the suit and activate it. A few seconds later a little screen is thrust in front of my right eye and it give me a tactical read of the troop numbers and position, Kensi location, and the technical read out of the suit. I see Kensi is at the bottom of a small hill, and I slide down it stopping next to her. We just stood there staring at the opposition, just waiting. Then Kensi says. "Look what dad gave me."
"What?" I asks.
Kensi pulls of the trench coat to reveal that Doctor Granger gave Kensi two laser cannons that attached to her shoulder blades, and wings that are attached to the base of the cannons. The outfit was a bit of a step up from her usual get up. Every part of her body is covered, the only concession is that it reveals a lot of cleavage. Not that I'm complaining. I think. "It's a little too angelic for my taste. But now I've got some real power." she says.
"We'll need it." I say.
In the sky, I see a flash of light, I realize that it was the sun reflecting off the surface of an incoming missile.
"Let's show 'em." Kensi says, as we both jump off the ledge, as the missile explodes. I jump down to the next ledge, whereas Kensi takes to the sky and begins the attack. She charges up her lasers, and wipes out a tank on the ground. Fires both lasers, making two sweeps, at a group of helicopters destroying three of the four units. Kensi lands on the ground, and stares down the approaching army. Kensi is on every screen, whether private or public, back in St. Lowell. Back on the battlefield, I fire off a few rockets taking down a couple of tanks.
A round explodes just a mere centimeter from me, and I return the favor. Back in the city, there are people watching our battle for survival on the screens. Most of them are robots, their human counterparts not interested in our fight, as if it doesn't even affect them. On other screens they show the chairwoman again, with the words "One world, one nation" scrolling across the screen. Back on the field, Kensi charging the government forces in a hail of bullets, mortars and rockets, as her eyes change colors rapidly from blue to red, from red to green, and from green to yellow. In her mind's eye, she can see all the murder victims that drove us to this point. She was calculating the best plan of action to wipe them all out. When a rockets explode in front of Kensi, she used the black smoke as cover to take to the sky again.
Coming in from behind Kensi was a pair of helicopters. She dodged a volley of bullets, and two rockets. Kensi charged the nearest unit, jamming her fist into the helicopter's camera. Kensi activated a laser in her forearm, and causing the helicopter to explode. Kensi pulled away as the vehicle exploded. I see the explosion, but I don't know Kensi fate, so I zoom in on the explosion and I Kensi fly out of the smoke. I feel the ground shake all around me as mortar goes off next to me. I activate the thrusters, and get into the thick of things. I take out a troop, and then fire off a few rounds into the heart of the government forces. Kensi dodges a volley of bullets and takes out two tanks. She dodges two rockets be fire at her, which she dodges, and destroys that tank. Off in the distance a tank that was moving took a pot shot, and blew off one of Kensi' wings. I watch as Kensi falls back to the ground. In that moment of distraction, one of the troops destroys the left arm of my suit.
Kensi comes to as a tank is about to crush her under its weight. Kensi fire her laser and destroys the tank, and then flips out of the way of the wreckage. Kensi didn't move fast enough, and takes few round to the chest before returning fire. I open a compartment on the suit, and pull out a gun, and return fire. Kensi fires her lasers into the troops as she runs for cover, in the process of running she takes a few rounds that throws off her aim, but they didn't harm her. Kensi reacquires her targets, and returns fire.
The battle last until sundown, but back in St. Lowell, it's as if our battle isn't even going on. Some citizens are still watching the battle, while others are distracted by whatever the news is broadcasting, as if it's trying to distract the citizens from it. They're going on about their lives, as if this battle has no effect on them. As sunsets on the battlefield, and the battle has reached its conclusion, the news airs the chairwoman and the mayor of St. Lowell shaking hands, as if to say that the sun is setting on the city's nightmarish past, and a new era begins when the sun rises in the morning.
Sometime after dark, I found Kensi laying on the ground resting. I got out of my suit, picked Kensi up cradling her in my arms, and made my through the dunes until I was standing on an outcrop overlooking St. Lowell.
"Look at all the space we've got out here." I say to Kensi, who was still resting. "Room as far as the eye can see. I grew up in a small house, which was hard when you had an alcoholic for a father. It was always a battle when he came home drunk. When I became a man, I thought I'd live in some wide-open place like Arizona. But as I grew older, I realized that I belonged in the city, surrounded by the buildings and the bustle of the people. A place like this is too spacious for my taste. So long as I got the right partner, that's where I'll make my home. I won't care who my neighbors are, whether they're Martian or robots. A place we can claim for our own."
Kensi opens her eyes, and sit up in my arms, wrapping her arms around my neck. "Do you supposed there is such a place?" Kensi asks, and then sighs.
"If we can't find it, then, by God, we'll create a place just for the two of us." I say.
I can hear it in her voice, Kensi is crying. "Do you think there's room for three?" she asks.
I chuckle slightly at the implications of her question. "You're kidding. Well, when that happens, I guess I'll just have to think of something." I say, and then make my way slowly into St. Lowell carrying my lover, and the mother of my child.
A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long to post, I miscalculated how long it was going to take to write it. I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I enjoyed writing it, but I think this will be the last story I write where it's based off a movie. It took a lot longer to write than I was expecting, and I want to work on stories that are more my idea than something I saw in a movie or show. Now I might take a general idea from a movie or show, but I won't be writing another story based solely off a movie.