The Complications of Life

By: Nightelfcrawler

Disclaimer: I do not own, merely covet adoringly.

Authors' note: This is a re-telling of the movie-verse, given that do not assume any of it happened the same way. I'm writing from scratch with all new secrets. And while certain characters have been included, do not assume end results.

Warnings: Contains a background of slash relationships.


Chapter Three

Her head jerked up as the realization hit her with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Suddenly it made sense. These feelings weren't her own… and that meant it could only belong to one person… the same person who had injected her with a strange substance, which theoretically could be responsible for this happening in the first place.

It was the alien's consciousness that was feeding these feelings to her, knowingly or not. She was feeling HIS pain, HIS confusion, HIS fear.

The realization of the situation should have frightened her, but instead it had the opposite effect. She found herself focusing in on the feelings, trying to sense more, trying to figure them out. The pain was there primarily, flickering and fading in and out with groggy awareness. Within that awareness was confusion as to where he was, what was going on, and a fear of something else that she couldn't place. As she now realized what was going on and could focus on it, she tuned in to those feelings and listened to them, felt them. At first it was overwhelming. Feeling emotions that weren't her own was a strange detached experience, but as she tuned in she began to feel empathy for this alien being. No matter what it had done to her, she had a feeling that it was for a reason. She found herself trying to impress her own feelings towards this alien consciousness, trying to spread a sense of calm towards it. The anxiety did ease a little, and she smiled slightly realizing that this emotional bond extended both ways. This could be very helpful, she realized as she opened her eyes. This could be a key in learning to communicate.

It was also more than a little disturbing, being connected to someone on such a personal level.

After regaining her composure, she headed back down inside, keeping her mind calm in an attempt to soothe the anxiety and fear plaguing the back of her mind. It was only half there, as if the alien was still half conscious and not quite coherent. Though knowing it could be risky, she made the decision to go to the viewing room. She was lucky that there was no one else there, and she chose a seat, staring out the window with intense green eyes.

The mechanics were busy studying and working on the mech. Cold air was being vented into the room, the yellow-suited technicians apparently immune to the chill with their suits. As they worked they did not seem to be aware of the dim red light glowing from the alien's strange eyes, or rather eye. The other was dark, only one lit up. Alexis leaned forward, staring intently through the window with unhidden curiosity, and some of that must have transferred through this new link, for the alien's head slowly tilted her direction, the eye shifting until it was locked directly on her own. She felt a thrill of excitement run down her spine, as a small tingle of recognition itched at the back of her mind. It knew her. It recognized her. Not only did that mean it was awake, but that it was clearly intelligent.

She met it's gaze unblinkingly.

A tingle at the back of her mind drew her attention. Curiosity again. She smiled a little, and wondered just what it must think of her. She leaned forward, watching as the light flickered in it's gaze, its version of a blink. It's mind was still groggy, half-aware of that which was happening around it. She realized how disconcerting this must be for an alien. He had crashed here on a foreign world, might not even know a thing about where he was, or who they were, and now he was in a strange place, chained down like an experiment, being poked and prodded and who knew what else. No wonder it was confused and afraid. Abandoning any pretense, she stood and pressed herself as close to the glass as she could, trying to better get a look at it. It's physical condition was horrible, now that she studied it closer. Though they appeared to have stopped it's fluids from leaking, she could only compare to what a human might be suffering. If a human lost too much blood it still could be deadly. She wondered if it operated under similar circumstances. Certainly any sedative made for humans couldn't possibly work on an alien, though the cold atmosphere within likely was the cause for making it sluggish. It continued to stare at her, unblinkingly, the curiosity still tickling at the back of her mind. Curious as to it's intentions, she stretched towards that feeling, and abruptly felt a strange sensation as another part of her mind tingled. At first she pulled back, the feeling stopped. But when she pushed back again, it grew stronger. Curious, she opened her mind, and almost instantly felt a flood of thought flood into her own. It was disorienting having the feeling of someone rifling through her thoughts, her mind, but the probing was not forced, but purposeful. She realized nearly immediately what he was looking for, and let him. Within moments, the feeling receded, pulling back and leaving her feeling slightly dizzy. She re-focused her eyes and stared back at the alien, noticing that it's eye seemed dimmer, flickering slightly. As she watched, it stopped flickering, and re-brightened, focusing back on her. And that's when it happened.

Hello.

The voice seemed to reverberate from within her, tickling her mind like the deep sound of audio bass turned up, but there was no sound to her ears. The voice was large, enveloping, and had a strange echo to it, almost like a digital reverberation. It was strangely flat, emotionless and empty, and it sent a chill down her spine, both from the excitement of what she had just experienced, but also from the slight anxiety of the strange toneless voice speaking to her in her head. She leaned forward, whispering under her breath. "Hello." Her green eyes sparkled with excitement. What did one say to an alien who initiated first contact.

Where am I?

"You're inside one of our military facilities." She whispered softly under her breath. "We brought you here from your ship. Do you remember that?"

Yes.

She grimaced at the short response. "I'm sorry." She said feeling a twinge of regret. "We weren't sure how to best help you. I know it doesn't seem like we're trying, but we couldn't just leave you out there. It's just… I don't think they understand how to help you. We've never run into anything like you before. They tried to stop your… uh… fluids from leaking out. But I'm not sure they know what else to do."

There was a long hesitation, and she saw it's eye flickering again, and had the impression that it was trying to figure out just how badly damaged it was. After a moment, it's gaze brightened again, and focused on her. They have managed to stabilize my critical systems.

"That's good. So you're going to be ok?"

I am nowhere near… ok. Came the rather testy response. She couldn't help but smile a little. It then made the attempt to move it's one functioning arm, which unfortunately was a mistake. The chains shifted, drawing the attention of every person in the room, and chaos ensued. Alexis cringed as the techs were on him, swarming and shouting orders, which didn't help ease his anxiety, as a spike of alarm flooded through her.

"Just calm down." She urged trying to impress her own sense of calm upon him. "Getting riled up isn't going to do you any good at the moment. Just relax."

I do not like being held here like a prisoner.

"I know." She winced watching the techs tightening the chains, which made the robot's eye flash warningly. "But right now there's nothing we can do. You're too injured to go moving around yet, and if you tried to leave they'd stop you and put you under heavier security than you are now, and probably me as well. We should just take it one step at a time. Now that you're awake we can see about making sure you're fixed up, then we can worry about what comes next."

I do not like this. I am being restrained against my will.

"I know." Alexis sighed, feeling an empty ache in her chest. "I don't like this situation much either. I think that they could have handled it better, but considering we didn't know anything about why you were here or what you could do, would you blame them for being cautious?"

There was a long hesitation, before the reply came calmer but a bit grudging. I suppose that logic is not flawed. Very well… I will remain here while they repair me.

She relaxed a little, watching as it's glowing eye flickered off, and it fell still, leaving the techs to wonder if it had gone back into a state of sleep. However, she knew better as she could still feel it's awareness tickling at the back of her head. "Good." She said under her breath, slipping out of the room, thinking it was best to hold any conversation with him in the privacy of her own room. "I'm sorry for how things happened." She said softly, shutting the door behind her and locking it to be safe, sinking back onto the bed and laying down. "I'm sure you're very confused."

I understand the situation, though I do not like it.

"So… the reason you uh… injected something into me… it was so you could communicate, wasn't it?"

It was necessary. You were the first intelligent entity that I encountered. I did not want to take the risk of not being able to understand those around me, should this exact thing happen.

"I understand." She murmured. "It was a bit startling to them, but I understand why you did what you did. But I have to ask… will it do anything to me? The doctors have no clue what it was you did, and they're pretty paranoid about it. I'm not being permitted to do anything. They seem to be afraid I'll be compromised."

A reasonable deduction. You have been compromised.

She smiled. "I suppose I have."

You will not suffer negative side-effects, if you are concerned. I injected you with nanites programmed to enable you to become compatible to our technology, and enables you to communicate with me. It will have other benefits to your frail human body.

She lifted an eyebrow. "Frail?"

Your bio-organic life-forms are so small and easily damaged. How do you suffer living in them?

"We make do." She said, corners of her lips perking up in a smile. "I think you'll find we're not as frail as you think."

I have been studying your life-forms for quite some time. I am aware of your limitations.

"Really?" she asked curiously. "You've been studying us?"

There are few planets capable of sustaining life. Your organic life-form is unique and a curiosity to our scientific fields. It has long since been the topic of many studies for our people.

"How long have you been studying us?"

Since we discovered your existence before you were classified as intelligent species.

She lifted an eyebrow. "What classifies us as intelligent?"

Your ability to construct mechanical machines and other technology.

She smiled at that. For a robot, it made sense. Intelligence meant creating things like themselves. "So not that long, huh. And you never made contact with us before."

Your level of technology is still well beneath our own. There was no need to disturb your natural progression.

"So you're not hear to invade us like all the doomsayers claim, eh?"

What point would that make? You have nothing of interest to the majority of our people. We would not have interfered normally.

"So what changed?"

There was a long pause. Our planet has been at war for a very long time. Things have not gone well. I caught the end of a critical blow to my ship. I was just able to warp out of the battle. My engines gave out before I could pull out of my sharp descent, and was forced to crash here. It was not my intention to reveal myself.

"War…" She murmured softly, the idea of alien robots fighting sending a chill through her. "How long has your planet been at war?"

Long before I was sparked. Was the quiet answer. Far too long. It has ravaged our world nearly to complete destruction.

"That sounds horrible." Alexis said quietly, unable to completely understand the full impact of what a whole world at war must be like. "We have wars here, but to imagine the whole world impacted…"

It has been destructive.

"So you're not a soldier fighting then?"

I am not. I am a scientist. I refuse to take sides in the war. Unfortunately this comes with a dangerous price. Both sides target those who remain neutral.

"That's horrible." She murmured, her emotions blending with his as she sympathized with his situation. "What will you do once you're out of here?"

There was a long pause. I have no choice but to return. There is nowhere else to go. Our people depend on certain energy sources that is not common to the rest of the universe.

"What kind of energy?"

It is called energon. Partically charged fluids that run our systems. It must be refined before we can utilize it. I have lost far too much from my crash. I must find some before I can even think about attempting to leave this planet.

"You can't make more of it?"

My body will automatically regenerate it, but it is a very slow process with such grievous injuries. Were my systems to be repaired it would go faster. However, it would take many rotations of your planet before I were strong enough to leave under my own power as I am now.

Alexis sighed. He truly was in a dire situation. "I'll see what I can do to help them repair you, but I'm not sure what I can do without arousing suspicion."

Can you work your world's repair tools?

"Yeah, but…"

Then let me handle the rest. I will inform you when the repair technicians have left.

"But..!"

You may wish to rest. This could take time.

Alexis blinked, feeling the presence suddenly retreat from her mind. She had the feeling that the alien had just shut her out. She sighed and closed her eyes. She didn't feel tired, though she knew she'd been awake for far longer than she should have. No undesired side-effects, eh? What about desired side-effects? So far she had lost the need for her contact lenses, been able to telepathically communicate with a space-alien, and who knew what else. He mentioned something about being compatible with their technology, whatever that meant. Right now, all of her training was screaming at her. She had completely thrown protocol out the window, but common sense also negated protocol. If she brought up what she knew, she was certain she would not only not be permitted to see him, but locked up in a cell of her own for her own safety. This was a breach of every rule and regulation made. But then, taking and holding an alien who had not threatened them in any way was a breach in her personal protocols. She understood the government regulations, but this was a bit much. She spent the rest of the day laying there trying to get some rest. Unfortunately she didn't seem to fall asleep until moments before the alien's voice broke her sanctuary.

Human. Wake.

She blinked, sitting up as she rubbed her eyes lazily. "Alexis." When there was no response, she pressed on. "My name. It's Alexis. You do have a name system on your planet, don't you? To tell each other apart?"

We do. My designation does not translate well into your language.

"Well, is there anything I can use to call you? I can't keep thinking 'alien robot' at you."

There was a long pause. I will consider an alternative. The technicians have left for their rest period. Now is the time to work on my repairs.

"Ok… how am I supposed to get in there? I don't have the pass codes."

I will take care of it.

With a sigh, Alexis rose and swiftly slipped down the hallways. No one was out, as it was late, so she had no problem getting to the door. Unfortunately, as predicted, the pass code kept her from opening it. She tugged on the handle, but it wouldn't budge. However, abruptly the light turned green just as she was about to ask the robot for help. Curious, she opened the door and slipped within, to find him watching her squinting with his glowing red eye. "That was handy." She commented aloud, slowly walking towards him. "How did you do that?"

Human security systems are based on a binary code, very simple to hack into.

She smiled at that, shaking her head. "Boy these guys are going to be in for a surprise when you're back up and on your feet." She stopped just at his elbow, peering up at him with unhidden curiosity. Being this close she could see intricacies that she hadn't noticed before. Deep gouges on his shiny armored shell, parts and cogs that moved when he shifted, the hot air that wafted out of his exhaust ports located on his shoulders. She studied him as he studied her, both wary of each other but fascinated all the same. She couldn't determine half of his workings, but she also knew that the damage he'd sustained was probably half the trouble. She slowly reached out and placed a hand over his massive hand that lay chained to the ground at the wrist. The metal was warm. Not hot, but warm, as if it were truly alive, which in fact it was, she realized with some awe, leaning forward. There was a large gash in the top of his hand, but as she leaned closer she could SEE it slowly being welded together on its own. It was slow, but a fresh scar shone across the part that had already been healed, the rest slowly being regenerated particles at a time. As he flexed his hand beneath hers, she could feel the metal moving underneath. It appeared hard and inflexible, but yet it seemed still able to move enough to allow him full mobility. She turned her gaze back upwards at him. "What can I do then? Tell me what you need done, and I'll do it."

It started with the simple things. She was no mechanic, so she practiced welding metal back together first. It left hideous welding scars, but he assured her his repair systems would take over on the lesser damage later. The first few days they worked on the small things, but after she managed to grasp the mechanics of his systems they began working on re-attaching his leg and his arm. During that time, she learned a little about him. When he wasn't groggy from the frigid air being pumped into the room, he was actually good conversation. He was a bit coarse and grumpy at times, but most of that she could pass off from the pain he was in. Even as she worked, she could feel it lingering in the back of her head. Every welding mark, every winch she turned registered. She felt horrible for causing him such pain, but she also knew this was the best and only way to help him on the road to recovery. While she couldn't get him out of the chains, their time spent simply talking was more than enough reassurance for both of them.

Unfortunately, she had known there would come a time when her efforts were discovered. After all, a robot self-repairing at such a rate was suspicious even given his self-repair systems.