Assault Chapter Part 9
We walked in silence, but I knew we were heading toward the part of the lab that held all of the high-tech robotic equipment. The vat that used to contain my human body was in there, too, but we had to move my body a while ago. After the first attempt of the soldiers to search the lab we decided to bury it. It was definitely weird visiting my own funeral. Thankfully the lab had specific parts that could completely be locked down so unless they decided to bomb us, we were safe down there.
We were almost there when we ran into a bunch of people, waiting to see what the next mission was. Gumi must have said something to them.
"Got something good for us, Miku?" asked Meiko, leaning against the doorway and yawning. I didn't hear the reply as my vision turned black and my legs crumpled underneath me. This time the white haired boy, Piko, looked straight at me.
"It seems you saw some of my memories when I hacked you..."
Hacked me!?
"But I guess it doesn't really matter. You'll be useless soon enough. I wouldn't be surprised if your friends killed you themselves," Piko ended with a very cold smile.
"You! What did you do to me?" I yelled, trying to reach my arms out at him, but he was just speaking to me in my mind.
"Well...maybe you'll just have to wait and find out," said Piko as he turned and walked away.
"Hey! Wait!" I yelled, but my vision was already clearing up. Len, Miku, and many other faces were looking down at me.
"What's wrong? What hap-?"
"Rin! Rin!"
"Is she all right?"
"Clear off for-"
"Rin, look at me!"
That was Len. I looked at him, still dazed.
"L-l-l-len, I'm be-e-ing hacked!" I tried to tell him, but my voice wasn't under control.
"Her voice is breaking up, this could be bad," Miku analyzed, but I couldn't look at her. I felt strong arms pull me up and start half-dragging half-carrying me down the hallway.
"What do you think it is?" Len asked on my left.
"I'm not sure yet. We'll have-" started Miku, but I couldn't concentrate as a flashing screen appeared in front of my eyes.
WARNING VIRUS DETECTED
Everyone's words began running together as my systems attempted to keep Piko out but he was ruthlessly jumping from one program to another. He was changing things to fast for me to keep up with and now I was shaking. It felt as if a bug was zipping up and down my wiring.
"I hate-I hate-I hate-I hate-" my voice repeated. I couldn't finish the sentence.
"Hurry!" Len yelled, looking into my eyes as Miku tried to find the right cord. I didn't even remember getting to this part of the lab.
"What's happening to her?"
"-collapsed, then yelling-"
"-said something about being hacked-"
"I hate-I hate-I hate-I hate-"
"I can't find the right one!"
"Rin? Rin-!"
"We'll have to shut her down,"
Len said that. The conversations were starting to get clearer but I wasn't sure that was a good thing...
"I'm sorry, Rin. I'll fix this, I promise." I forced myself to look at Len while he said that. He was holding me and reaching around the back of my head to my neck to shut me down.
REBOOT TO STOP VI-
"Too late," Piko or I said as I reached for the gun Len always carried with him and shoved him away. There was a silence as my mind flashed through the new orders.
SYSTEMS CHANGED
WARNING: ENEMIES
SHOOT AND KILL
KILL
It was no longer a choice. My arm moved by itself and took aim. It was Gumi, her eyes wide in terror. No! What was I doing?!
FIRST TARGET
"Now, go," Piko's voice echoed from the back of my mind.
And I shot. Her scream tore through me as fell to the ground. Everyone looked on in shocked silence before they saw my gun was aiming for another target. Quickly they all began to panic and run for the doors.
"Get out! Get out!"
"Get them out! Close the doors be-"
"-take care of it! Just move!"
I shot again. I couldn't see who it was...didn't want to see who it was. They couldn't leave fast enough as my gun followed their movements and felled two more of them.
"This co-co-couldn't... this can't be... I d-d-don't want..." I tried to say but my mind was in a haze. Did I...? Did I kill Gumi...?
"Come on! There's still more of them scurrying around!" Piko yelled in my head, disorienting me further. Before I could follow his next order bullets slammed into my leg, knocking me down. I looked around to see Kaito getting ready to shoot again.
"Wait, don't!" yelled Len as he grabbed Kaito's arms, trying to stop him.
"Get off me, Len!" Kaito said in a strained voice, avoiding Len's eyes as he said it. There were only five of us left in the room. Kaito struggling to get Len off him, Gumi's immobile form, and Miku-
"We have to, Len. She's trying to kill us," Miku was standing opposite of Kaito and Len, her gun pointing directly at me.
"No! We can't! What if you kill her?!" Len continued to yell, trying to get them to stop, but I could see it wasn't going to work. Part of me didn't want it to work. Piko had to be stopped... I had to be stopped. Promise...promise me you won't die again. His words floated up through me and it felt like I was being torn in two. I watched in horror as I unsteadily got to my feet. Piko was pointing me to my next target, Miku.
"Ready? You'll probably want to kill yourself after this one," Piko sniggered. My back arched, as if physically trying to get rid of him, but it was no use.
Was I going to kill them all?!
"I'm scared-I'm scared-I'm scared-" my voice skipped as my gun hand turned toward Miku.
"NO!" screamed Len as Miku shot at me. The bullets thunked into my arm and shoulder, barely missing my "heart," as I staggered backwards from the impact. Before Miku or I could shoot again Len ran towards me and threw his arms around me.
"Please stop, Rin," he whispered, tears falling freely as his fingers scrabbled at the back of my neck to power me down. I wanted to let him do it or at least have Miku stop me...
DO NOT SHUT DOWN
I ripped his arms away from me and shot. He seemed to fall away from me slowly, his arms spread wide and a red stain blossoming bigger and bigger on his chest.
"Rin..." he breathed out as he crashed to the ground. Kaito and Miku looked on in stunned silence. Len didn't move.
No. No.
He laid there.
No. I couldn't have killed him.
The blood seeped onto the ground.
No. Not my Len. My love, my hope.
He was dead.
I screamed.
"AAHHHHHH!" my hands jerkingly pressed to my head. He was dead. I killed him. I shot him. I killed Len. He was dead.
"NOOOOOO! AAAHHHHH!" I screamed. I didn't know what Miku or Kaito were doing, I couldn't see them anymore. Only Len's face as he fell...saying my name. I shoved everything out, even Piko's voice.
My right arm started to move again, the one with the gun, the one that killed Len.
"LEEEEEEEEEEN!"
Quickly I reached for my right arm and started pulling. The metal wrenched a part and a bullet that had gotten stuck in my arm fell uselessly to the ground. I stood there a moment with my detached arm in my hand before I dropped it. My mind was scrambling to figure out what happened.
Why wasn't I crying? Oh, that's right, robots don't cry. Robots don't feel pain.
What a lie.
Robots can kill. Robots can kill their friends...
Robots can kill the one they love.
Kill...
Len...
I should kill myself and hope that heaven will still let me in to see Len.
Rin...Promise me...
I ran.