Teaching a Robot to Love

-Notes-

If you thought I was going to go with an amnesia plotline you were WRONG! Haha that's actually one of my least favorite cliché plot devices ever. So, no worries! Instead I decided to go with something a little different. Plus as always, thanks for all the feedback and good wishes towards my schooling. Midterms next week!

Chapter 14: Not a Human

Sole woke up to the familiar soft ding of the Institute's morning bells, indicating that it was time to get up. She sighed. X6-88 was still gone and she still could not think of a solid plan to get him back. Now she was going to have to face Father all by herself. She swung herself out of bed and cleaned up her catastrophically messy appearance before exiting the room.

As the doors to her room slid open, a courser leaning up against the wall straightened at the sight of her.

"Good morning ma'am, my designation is X9-"

"Good for you" Sole interrupted, walking past him as she strode down the corridor. The courser shuffled to keep up and with a brisk pace beside her.

"X9-27. I have been assigned as your new escort after the unfortunate removal of X6-88" He finished coolly. Sole was doing her best to ignore him, but his last comment made her eyebrows twitch in irritation.

"Well don't get used to your position. X6 will be back in no time" she asserted curtly as she ascended the staircase to Father's office. X9 kept up with her closely, she could tell by the strong smell of his hair gel.

As much as she hated to admit, her stomach flipped as the doors whooshed open and Father's welcoming smile brightened his old face. It suddenly occurred to her that she was going to be publicly declaring herself the director of the Institute. The same Institute that the Commonwealth feared. The same Institute that kidnapped people in the middle of the night and replaced them with synths. The same Institute that sent armies of gen-2s to scout the surface to obliterate everything in their paths. This is who she was allying herself with.

Father extended an arm to her and she slowly walked up to him, returning his side hug with empty affect. X9 remained by the doorway.

"Hello mother, I hope you had a pleasant sleep. This should all be over soon. We have prepared some remarks for you to record. Once you're finished, we'll broadcast them to the entire Commonwealth" Father explained leading Sole over to a table where a piece of paper was laid out. "Use the microphone here, and follow this script. It's quite simple. I'm sure you'll do fine, mother."

"Great" sighed Sole, sitting down uncomfortably in the cold metal chair. She read over the script and immediately disliked it. Typically she would have offered to make changes but the oppressive feeling of Father's presence over her shoulder was crushing her spirit. Father wanted to purge the surface to make way for the future. All she had wanted to do was convince him out of it but she was on a short leash with this one.

Sole's thoughts briefly flashed back to all her friends she had made throughout her travels. Most of them had multiple reasons to hate the Institute for what they had done. Now she was to be the future director. Their faces stricken with betrayal and horror made an imprint on her mind. But it was too late to turn back now.

With a huge sigh, Sole flicked the microphone on.

"For years now, you have suspected that the Institute still exists, that we are among you. It is true, but it is not the whole truth. We're here and we are…" Sole started with a strong and even voice. She paused at the line that read 'in control.' Not going to happen. "…here to help." She finished.

Father shifted behind her but said nothing.

She was going to have to change up the wording a bit but probably would have to be careful. "Our superior technology represents the future of the Commonwealth. Today, we activate our nuclear reactor, ensuring that we will persevere long after the world above ground ceases to exist. Ensuring that mankind has a future. We have no desire to interfere in the unimportant details of your… personal freedoms (pointless struggles). We simply insist that you do not interfere with Institute operations. To do so would result in unnecessary difficulties (dire consequences) for all involved. Rest easy. Know that the future is… looking bright (in safe hands) and that mankind will thrive under our guidance."

Sole flipped off the microphone as the script ended, her calm demeanor with it. Holy shit. What had she done? Her heard pounded in her ears dizzyingly as the anticipation of her actions begun to sink in. She had just declared on record that the Institute was going to wipe out the surface. How the hell was this going to impact her?

Father's hand to her shoulder snapped her back to reality. He leaned down to get closer to her ear. "Well, that was… interesting. Perhaps not what we'd originally intended, but it will certainly get your point across. Now it's time to make sure that everyone hears it" he said calmly.

Sole remained staring down at the script and microphone, dreading that she had just started something terrible. Father put his hands behind his back and looked down at her. He continued. "How would you feel about making a little trip to Diamond City?"

Did she even have a choice? Sole cautiously asked, "What do you want with Diamond City?"

"Nothing with the city itself. This is a bit of a shortcut, actually. The radio station in Diamond City is listened to by many in the Commonwealth. If we'd like the people to hear what we have to say, it's the best way to reach them. Before we… preempt their broadcast, we need to ensure it reaches the maximum range possible. I've been assured that the necessary parts are on-site. You'll just need to install them to boost the broadcasting power." The doors to his office slid open quietly but Sole refused to move her gaze. Father continued, "Report back when you're done. We should be ready by then."

Sole didn't have a choice. The guilt weighed her stomach down like an anchor to the seat. It was as if she was a child that had just done something terribly wrong.

"Designation X6-88 reporting for duty Father" a soft voice spoke firmly behind her.

Her ears pricked up and all the negative feelings she had dissipated like the morning fog. Believing her ears had deceived her, she swiveled her head around. It was true… There he was! X6 standing there, hands folded behind his back, standing as erect and still as an agent would.

Sole stood up, her legs almost caving in as they trembled with a rush of emotions.

"X6!" She shouted, running up to him and tackling him in a crushing hug.

"Mother, we have made some modifications to this courser unit. I realize how important this was to you and that adjusting to Institute customs might take a while. I am pleased to say that with the installation of new behavior monitors, he should be more efficient than before" Father explained.

Something was… off. X6 didn't move. Usually when she got all affectionate around him or invaded his personal space he would grimace or shove her away or make some deadpan comment about how inappropriate she was being. But this time he didn't do anything. He stood as still as a statue, not even acknowledging her presence.

"What…" she began.

Father decided to finish her thought for her. "Just as a reminder mother. X6-88 is a courser, trained as an elite killing machine. He is not a human."

That sounded like a threat. Sole's eyes frantically tried to search X6's face, hoping for just a semblance of recognition or reaction. Nothing.

"Dismissed" Father waved his hand. X6 bowed slightly and finally turned his attention to Sole. "Let us go ma'am."

It was like the first time they had met at Libertalia. What did they do to him?

Sole had almost forgotten about the other courser in the room until he piped up.

"F-Father. With all due respect, this unit was down for maintenance. It is highly inadvisable to send him back to the surface so prematurely. I would be more than happy to-" X9 began.

"Silence. I will not have my synths talking back to me" Father cut him off as calm as ever. His words were slow but icy and harsh. "My jurisdiction as predecessor of the Institute is that my mother's happiness is at utmost importance aside from her heath, naturally. You too, are dismissed."

Sole almost didn't even register the exchange as her eyes were glued to X6 the whole time. She was so happy to see him that she couldn't even fathom what was wrong. She pondered on it the whole was as she followed him out. They couldn't have replaced his memories of her, could they? The thought was terrifying.

"Say X6… Do you um, y'know, remember me? What did they do to you?" Sole probed, tipping forward on her toes as they walked.

"Yes ma'am. My memories remain intact" he brusquely answered, not even meeting her gaze.

"That's good. So are you okay?" She asked.

Silence.

Okay this was bullshit. Sole grabbed the back of his jacket and pushed him as hard as she could until he hit the nearest wall with a grunt. She spun him around and clutched his shoulders with her hands. No one was around them thankfully.

"What happened? Why are you treating me so coldly? What was this 'behavior modification' they did to you? Were you tortured?" Sole interrogated, staring at his face for something, anything.

He didn't answer. X6 grabbed her hands and twisted them off his jacket, sending a little twinge of pain up both her forearms. He dropped both of her hands to her sides and held them there. Sole struggled a bit. She forgot how strong he was. It almost scared her.

Without another word, X6 released her and continued walking down the corridor, heading for the main elevator. Sole rubbed her arms, the feeling of his iron grip still lingered. What the hell?

The blinding blue light of the teleportation zap slowly faded away into the shape of the Diamond City wall. Sole tried to constantly engage X6 in conversation but only got one-word answers or grunts as responses. Eventually she fell silent as they walked around the perimeter, looking for the big green diamond doors. It kind of stung; the ignoring. He was right next to her and she felt lonely.

When they got to the front of Diamond City, Sole's heart started to pound. She almost forgot that she was here to basically declare herself an enemy of the Commonwealth, or at least that's how it would look. What was she about to do? Did she really want to do this?

X6 didn't even wait for her as he strode inside gracefully and descended the stairs to the market.

"X6 hold up…" She called nervously.

He stopped.

She walked up next to him and tenderly grabbed the crook of his arm. He made no movement.

"Let's just… walk a bit slower. I just want to enjoy one last walk in Diamond City before I'm probably kicked out forever."

Together they walked slowly. Thankfully, he matched her pace. She hadn't realized how much X6 was considerate of her before. He would always match her slow pace even though he could walk much faster. He would gently take her hand or arm whenever she needed it. He also covered her blind spots perfectly in battle as they swept buildings like experts. Now his arm lay limp and his face didn't turn down to her once. Now he was acting like a completely different person. Like… like a robot.

They reached the entrance to the Diamond City Radio trailer. Sole sighed as she pushed open the door. Travis (who seemed to have been dozing off) stumbled to his feet in surprise. Sole rushed up to him.

"Wha-" He began.

"Get out" Sole ordered.

"P-Pardon?"

"Get. Out. Now."

Sole shoved him and his blubbering mouth out of the trailer as X6 slammed the door behind him. His confused stammering eventually ceased and they heard footsteps retreating. Sole sighed and began searching the small compartment for the equipment they were going to need. Sole did not know machinery. Never was quite adept with technology. She could work it yes, but the assembly escaped her. There were radio things with buttons, dials, and tubes. After randomly shoving in the box doohickey in the hole thingamajig, she eventually found the right combination to turn the power on. Time to put in the holotape…

Sole held the holotape to her chest. It was time. This was it. When she put the tape in, her whole was going to change. She looked back at X6 who merely nodded in her direction.

Sole turned around and shoved the holotape into the slot. Deep breath. She flipped the machine on. Instantly she heard the distant hum of music shut off that she had not noticed before in a bzzt. Within seconds, the eyebots circling the city were now blasting her speech to Diamond City. Her heart slammed against her ribcage. What had she done?

A wave of loneliness and fear suddenly washed over her as she grabbed her arms. She missed X6, even if he was right here. She turned towards where he stood and put her head on his chest. He didn't hug her back. The rejection hurt. Her vision blurred with hot tears that threatened to fall. She thought back to the time at the Glowing Sea where everything between them seemed to be going so well. If only they had a fraction of a second longer, maybe they wouldn't be in this situation now.

She sighed and lifted her face to his.

"X6, even if you don't see me in the same way that you used to just know that my feelings haven't changed. To me, you are still the most important person and I… well I miss you" she said with a heartfelt choke.

Then with another sigh at his reluctance to respond, she stood on her tiptoes, leaned in, and placed a soft kiss on his stoic lips. She felt him twitch. Her heard did a tiny jump. Was he…? Suddenly the rapid beeping of an alarm sounded off from X6-88's watch, increasing with intensity every second.

"Shit" he muttered just moments before an unwarranted flash of blue light zapped him from where he stood.

What?