A nauseating wave of colors flashed across her brain, "Please, terminate the rewiring process!" she pleaded, but her voice came out warbled and distorted. "What have you done to my audio system?"
"Don't be alarmed, Pascale," Calvin coaxed. "The degauss required me to temporarily rearrange a few wires, which may interfere with some of your primary functions. Only momentarily, though." she heard several clicking noises, indicating that more wires were being rearranged.
"And, please, how much longer will that take?" she inquired, twisting her head to catch a glimpse at what he was doing back there.
"It's hard to say," Calvin admitted, and Pascale tingled a bit as he reached further into the panel in her back. "After all, you are one of the first and most complex cyborgs on the face of the Earth. It's difficult to-stop fidgeting, will you?-difficult to calculate the exact...amount of time..." he faltered, apparently distracted by his work. Pascale patiently turned her head back around and waited for him to finish. She focused absentmindedly on the digital clock built into the wall, and let her mind wander to thoughts of WALLE and his revolutionary endeavors to strengthen the bond between man and machine by creating cyborgs out of those born with defects only machinery could replace. She had been one such person; born with a defective leg, a defective eye, a defective heart...(the list went on)...only the technical wonders of cybernetics could compensate for the parts of her that she should've been born with. They gave her a new leg, a new eye...and a new heart. She used to be weaker than the rest of the human race, but now she was stronger, and it was a chance for her to have a new start. Calvin, being an expert in technical wonders and one of the leading mechanics in the Cyberbionics Program, was naturally in charge of her maintenance.
"You know, Pascale..." Calvin began, initiating another conversation. "I've never met anyone quite like you. Both in the world of robotics...and in all of humanity. You're one of a kind."
"Thank you," she replied gratefully, unsure of where Calvin was going with this.
"I know this may sound strange, but..." he faltered again, pausing for a moment. "No...no, I shouldn't tell you right now..."
"Tell me what, Calvin?"
"You needn't worry about it. I'll tell you tonight. Or tomorrow. Or sometime...Right now I need to concentrate on this. Your degauss."
Pascale shifted uncomfortable from foot to foot, "A degauss that takes this much time seems inefficient and not very worthwhile."
"If we don't give you a degauss, your vision will continue to degrade until you can't see clearly."
"Surely WALLE and EVE don't require tedious degausses?"
"WALLE and EVE aren't cyborgs," Calvin countered. "Now will you hold still? Jeez, it's like you've got ants in your pants or something."
"I feel strange," Pascale explained.
"Probably a side-effect of the degauss," Calvin murmured. "Hang in there, I'm almost done...Just a couple more wires...you should start feeling back-to-normal now, Pascale. All your systems are functioning properly again except visual receptors, which will be erected as soon as I finish..."
Pascale tingled again, eager to have the freedom of mobility once more.
"Almost...dang it!" he slammed a fist on the floor and cursed under his breath. "I'm sorry, Pascale, it appears I'm going to need a couple more tools." he closed the panel in her back-it wasn't safe to leave such vital wiring exposed-and rose from his position crouching behind her. "I'll be right back, but try not to move around too much. Your degauss hasn't been completed just yet."
Pascale nodded dizzily as another flash of color danced across her vision, "Thank you, Calvin."
Cal grimaced, "Don't thank me yet." he walked over to the metal door and slipped out. Pascale's iridescent gaze followed him longingly. It had been a while since she'd been outside. She yearned to feel fresh air on her face. But she was still in the experimental stages of her newfound bionic physiology, and Calvin said it was best to stay inside until she settled into her new skin. Reluctantly, she let him go without a word. She carefully arranged herself in such a way so that she could lean against the wall comfortably, but, almost as soon as she had settled in, her closet door began to rattle.
"Calvin?" Pascale called, taking a hesitant step towards the closet door. "Calvin, is that you? If you're attempting to frighten me again-"
"Hullo! I'm Sid, and I'm here to wreak havoc on this dimension!" shouted a red-haired boy as he leapt out of the closet. He stopped dead and stared. "Blimy, are all these dimensions full of kooky sheilas?"
Pascale opened her mouth, formulating a response.
"Nevermind that, just come on with me," he grinned. Without another word, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her through the door.
Her degauss may not have been completed, but she knew she wasn't hallucinating what she saw next.