Bundle Accumulation

"Thanks!" I say cheerfully as I finish paying the driver, giving him a wave and a smile as he drives off. I turn, killing the smile, and walking the couple of blocks needed to get to the Roof. I didn't want him knowing my destination, because he was a security concern. He was asking too many questions. I don't blame him, I would do the same in the same circumstances. But the Roof is something I wish to keep secret for as long as possible.

I get to the main doors, and I reach for my-

Oh. I've not got my keys on me. They would be in my room. The one in the burnt house. Luckily, I have the master key with me.

I get out my Sonic Screwdriver, feeling the cracked surface of the main body, looking at the ivory coloured and feeling the texture of ivory it has. I've never really looked at it before. I've always taken it for granted. I activate it, the blue light whirring to life from the metal end. There, a click. I quickly pull at the handle, and go inside. No, I don't want to use the lift. I politely decline the young couple's offer for me to get in the lift with them, and quickly run up the stairs. I get to the top floor, and walk down the corridor just as the lift opens and the couple get out. I turn to look at them, noticing their confusion at me getting up the stairs so fast.

I carry on down the corridor, and to the door at the end. I hear the murmuring of the couple, because they know what this door leads to.

And the Roof has a bad reputation.

The whirring of my Sonic clicks all five of the locks, allowing me to get inside and switch off the alarm system. How many... four. I've enough time to get to the parcel depot. Keys. I get to the safe, and open it, taking out one of the three spare sets ready cut, and the emergency wallet. The walk back to the front door is quick, and my fingers fly over the alarm keypad. I need to get to the parcel depot as fast as possible. I don't want any of my packages to be sent back. Especially after how much some of them cost me...

I am going to need more sleep than usual. I was off-line for several hours, but I didn't repair myself in that time. And I've done a lot of walking today, which hasn't really done my organics a lot of good. It's strange. I think that my being off-line has altered me further. I'll check into it when I'm back at the Roof. Woah. My knees suddenly buckle. My chip... something is going on with it. I feel my hand tremor slightly. There's a surge going on in my chip. Time. I need to get there...

Fifteen minutes to spare. Good. And the tickets are... yes. Got all of them. Barging inside, I rush to the counter, and slam the receipts onto the wood, making the bored guy in his mid thirties a big jump. He's staring at me, startled, until he recognises me. He's looking at me nervously. Then again, the first time I came for packages, he'd been officious. Until I had decided to get the packages myself. By tearing the reinforced door open, and searched the packages myself. Single handed. Because the other hand was being used in lifting him off the ground to stop him attacking me. And made sure he knew not to tell anyone. I was very emphatic on that note.

Since that time, he's very eager to get me my packages. Sometimes, he's giving me other people's packages as well by mistake.

"Hi. I've got some packages waiting for collection," I say cheerfully. I'm hoping it's cheerful. I'm not a natural at smiling, and sometimes I get it wrong without intending. I did have it all together, but the time jump to the present year messed me up, and I never figured out why. He's gone and taken the tickets very quickly. And rushed off without saying a thing.

My body suddenly bucks. I gasp, trying to process the sensory overload that's just exploded in my chip. I blink my eyes tightly shut as I pant, my right leg twitching a bit. Heat. There's so much heat built up in my chip- no, it's just one section. Oh. A damaged section. Badly damaged. And it's been trying to repair itself, based on the function data that was stored in that area. Thing is, I've no clue what that function data was. I've no idea about my chip any more. The inventories that would tell me what sections perform particular actions are either corrupted, destroyed, or incomplete. I rake my hand through my hair. I don't know what's going on. But my body wants something. I don't know what though...

"You okay?"

"My chip is malfunctioning."

"You've got a chip in your brain. Figures." Wait. Someone- Oh. It's the parcel guy. My head snaps up, my eyes wide, my vision disrupted by the hair in front of them. I quickly brush it out of my face. I give him a quick smile, hoping I can soon stop my eyes from being so wide. Oh. Packages. I look at them, checking them.

"This one isn't mine," I say, pushing one back without looking. The bubblewrap envelope is interesting. I can detect... What? Something. It's like it's awakening or something. I try not to buck too much as I stare at the package. Weird... it wants to know who I am. How is it talking-

Oh. Hidden Wi-Fi. And set at the same frequency as the contents... And I seem to have codes it recognises. This whole situation. It's... It's...

I know. Totally whack. Maybe I'm breaking down or something. Great... I've got no way for getting help, either...

"Er... Miss? I've found the package," says a familiar, nervous voice. I jump, my head snapping to the parcel guy. I take it, and put it with the others, staring at the package again. It wants me to tell it what to do.

"Is... there something wrong? With the package, I mean. You seem to be staring at it a lot," he says. I shake my head, still staring at it.

"I'm trying to work out what it wants from me," I explain.

"What it wants?"

"Yes."

"I don't-"

"It seems to recognise it, and I seem to have codes that are useful in communicating with it."

"You can talk to your parcel..."

"No, just the contents." My left hand starts to spasm again, and I start to pant again. The heat has returned back to the previous level. I shakily collect the packages, and walk to the door unsteadily. I turn to look at the now scared parcel guy.

"Have a nice day."

All he can do is nod.

I get out, the coolness of the evening air hitting my face. I move as best I can to the Roof again, fumbling with my keys a couple of times. This time, I use the lift, crossing my legs and rubbing my back against the wall with no railing. I start to pant again, licking my lips. The doors open, and I hear a gasp.

Oh. It's the couple from earlier. I walk crookedly out, and into the corridor. I look at them as I pass them, as deadpan as possible. I don't want them knowing I'm dying from embarrassment.

"I'm having one of those days." They just nod, open mouthed at my explanation.

I just carry on walking. Well, staggering. Sort of. I think it's really lurching. Whatever. I just need to get inside.

Getting inside takes forever, because I can't stop my hand shaking. In the end, I resort to using my Sonic. I stumble inside, and claw my way up the wall to shut off the alarm with my Sonic. I kick the door closed, and as I rock myself with my legs crossed, I open the packages.

The first is just some junk. Clearly nothing to interest me. I toss it aside, and open the second package. oh. I was right to buy it. It's a damaged CPU. Looks like a T-800 to me. Skynet altered the chip design with the Triple Eights. The third package is another hand. Too many of these seem to be cropping up...

The final one is going to be really interesting. It said on the product info it was from a cyborg, and this was the only part that was saved before the coroner shipped the body for cremation. No, parts. Two small, pill-sized capsule shaped objects. Which are communicating with me somehow through a Wi-Fi I never knew I had.

Capsules that are now saying that I have been confirmed as Skynet.

They are asking me what I want them to do.

Definitely one of those days...