Chapter three: Because I'm programmed to.
Call understood the need to proove one's exisistence to oneself. That was always the easy part. The hard part was prooving you existed to the others, and maybe in the end, the world.
It still left her ssurprised though, that at the end of her day, Kirk was waiting outside the station in his cadet reds. He had tken the shuttle last year and excepted the Captains' challenge.
She had smiled in Glee wincing only slightly when she thought of all the trouble he would be causing elsewhere for a while. A while, because she knew that once summer break came around, he would come back to the small Iowa town to visit his mother.
"You didn't think you'd be rid of me that easily did you, Nine?" Her comm crackled her answer even as she walked past him, refusing to shake her head at his arrogance. He would enjoy it too much. He snickered and proceeded to follow her down the street.
She stopped by her bike and turned her head towards him, he was examinning the cracks in the sidewalk with an awkward frown on his face, as if he was pretending to be busy. If Call remembered correctly Jim had gicen his bike to a ship dock worker the day he enlisted. It was five miles to his house.
She smiled under her Helmet, that was so James Tiberious Kirk, to come back with his chest puffed out like a rooster strutting back, only to deflate when he realised he couldn't fly yet. "Citizen, do you require a ride back to your residence?"
Jim looked up in suprise, but then he grinned, and slapped her back. "That would be awesome man! Thanks!"
"Thanks are not required, I am only doing my Duty." She trew her leg over and gestured for him to get on behind her.
"Hey, your like...not Vulcan or something under that helmet are you? Because I've heard there's one on campus that talks like a computer on auto piliot, and I noticed that you do that somtimes...so are you?" Jim rambled, Call revved the engine.
"Are I, what?"
"Vulcan."
"Negative."
Jim waited for Call to elaborate, but Call didn't because sometimes she liked to 'one up' Jim...and others, but mostly Jim. She went the neccessary speed limit til they reached the edge of town, and then she went over it.
"Holy Shit!" Jim yelled, gripping her around the waist, her body armor stopped him from noticing her slim shape, and her from feeling the strength in his grip. "Speeding is Illegal, you know!"
"I am the Law." she smirked, and although Jim could not see it for obvious reasons, she was sure that he knew that she was.
-.-.-.-
Wionna was waiting on the porch, she sighed when they pulled into the drive way. "What did he do this time, Officer?"
Call shook her head, because Kirk hadn't done anything other then needing a ride (and Jim was explaining this to hiss mother), and this was the first time in a long tme that she had dropped Kirk off at his residence and he wasn't in trouble.
Wionna offered to let her stay and eat with them, they were celebrating Jim's successful year, but Call shook her head. She had promised Ripley a long time ago before she died that on the day of her death every year she would tell her what her grandchildren were doing. Mostly Call read their files, snooped around on the Internet sites they used and told Ripleys grave what they were up too. She didn't understand why.
"James, will you be in need of assisstance on September fifth, getting to the Shuttle Yard?"
Jim had that suprised look on his face again, but he waved after a moment, "I'll give you a call, if I still do."
"Have a good night, Officer," Wionna waved her away as well.
-.-.-.-
A long time ago, Ripley had smiled even though she complained "Jeez, your goig to make me listen to you even when I'm dead? Your supposed to let me rest in peace, thats the whole point of dying isn't it."
Her question was rhetorical, but Call had answered anyway. "Death is too final, besides I have to make sure they don't ressurect you again. Might as well entertain you and me while I do it."