So here's a new chapter, enjoy and stuff.
Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers. I just enjoy writing stuff for it. Cause I have no life.
" Where were you?" Melina drilled me as I walked back inside her apartment. A half eaten bowl of chicken and noodles sat on the counter, an unopened pack of chopstick beside it.
Standing in front of her desk was the robot fully assembled. " It's done," I said purposely ignoring her question. " Is it…supposed to be so big?" I asked looking up at it. I reached out and touched the robot. I expected the metal to be cold, but it was surprisingly warm.
" Its life sized," Melina said. The robot's chest cavity was closed, the blinking blue light inside illumining the open spaces where metal twined forming its chest and torso. " The design crew spent hours looking at news videos, and cell phone shots. At least that works."
" What's wrong?"
" For some reason," Melina said, "he's not responding to my commands. He's supposed to follow a simple voice command with a backup in remote control, but he's not responding to anything. Which is strange."
" Maybe its has something to do with what they guy did this morning," I said rounding the table, still examining the robot. " He said he would text you."
" Matt," she said. " Yeah he did. His coding is perfect, a little to perfect," she said with a frown.
" When is coding anything to perfect, I thought that's what you wanted."
" Yeah," she said, " But…" she trailed off. She looked worried, her glasses hanging on the edge of her nose.
" Maybe Matt can come over and look back over it," I said desperate now for her to be her excited self again. We didn't need two depressed people walking around.
" Maybe," she said. " The others are coming back over to help move him. The showing is tomorrow."
" Can I come," I said.
"Yes. But will you fit in, probably not."
" And what's wrong with me?" I asked mocking offense. Melina eyed me, smiling now. " It's the tattoos isn't it?"
" No," she said, " We can just smell unbelievers, and you Jade reek of unbelief."
" Whatever," I said pushing her playfully. " I'll just show up like my normal self then. And here I was planning to disguise myself as a tech nerd just for you."
" So what now?" She said. " You let Andrew back in?"
I shifted against the desk, unprepared for the shift in topic. I much rather had continued the topic on robots and coding, at least that stood on neutral ground.
" No," I said sighing. " I told him to go and tell Anderson the truth, and get my job back."
" You can always just apply for another job," Melina said. " Forget the whole taking off your clothes for a living thing."
" And who else would hire me?" I asked trailing to the half-eaten bowl of noodles. " I've tried every place in Harlem, no one's willing to look past my record."
" Just a thought," she said.
" Besides," I said, " No one around here pays as much. Even on slow nights, and Jahari could use as much as I can get." I shoved a chopstick full of noodles into my mouth.
" You still haven't told me where Andrew is," Melina said closing her laptop and opening the robot's chest cavity, to reach inside and fiddle with the wires inside. Her phone rang a few moments later and she answered it, with a blunt, " Yes."
" What's going on?" I mouthed.
She held up one finger to me.
" Ok," she said, a pause, " Well I can't exactly carry him by myself, he's freakin heavy. Yes I know. Well you should have thought about that before you decided to move the-ok whatever. Bye."
" What's going on?" I asked again.
" They want to go ahead and move him to the school."
" Which is a problem why?"
She sighed. " Well besides the fact that all the other teams are there, and we'll lose the element of surprise. She pushed her glasses up onto her forehead. "Besides, he's not finished, and malfunctioning. It's just one thing after the other. God we are going to fail this," she mumbled, " We are going to fail, and I'm never going to get the job, and I'm going to end up like my sister-"
I walked over and grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look at me " Stop it," I half shouted. " Stop the fucking pity party alright. We're going to get this thing working. Just one step at a time alright."
" What if we don't?"
" Shut the fuck up alright, before I slap you. We will get it working, but first we need to get it down to the school, maybe there's a professor there or some shit who can help. Forget about the element of surprise or whatever."
" Yeah. Yeah your right…" she said wiping surfacing tears from her eyes. "When did you get so motivational."
" Well living as shitty a life as I do really brings a lot out of you," I joked.
" You should try and bring Jahari," Melina suggested.
" Yeah right," I snorted laying on Melina's couch. "As if Mom will let me. And with Andrew back that's definitely a no. I'm sure social services have already called her and given all the details about his release."
" Sorry…I…" Melina began when her phone rang again. She answered walking to the door. " Yeah I'm up here." Melina turned to me. " Be right back."
" I'll be here," I said. " Babysitting the robot."
" Yeah," She said slowly not sounding convinced.
" What?"
" You said that last time, and then you—"
" Where am I going in the five minutes it takes you to walk down stairs?"
" Jade," she said.
" Just go," I said pressing my face into the couch cushion.
There was a pause, in which I was sure she left. Then she said softly, "" Promise you won't leave again without telling me. I don't trust Andrew."
" Yeah," I whispered. " I promise."
" You have to look at me."
I pushed my face out of the cushion to glare up at her. " I Jade Wilson do solemnly swear to not leave this apartment without your consent again. Mother."
" Smartass," she mumbled turning to walk to the door.
Grinning I pushed my face back into the cushions. I could call mom, ask her to bring Jahari. Who knew, she might be a budding genius, or a budding criminal like her mother and father…maybe both. I wanted to call her, ask how she was doing, but I knew mom wouldn't allow me to talk to her, limiting phone calls to once a week, and I'd used my one for the week already.
" Shit…" I whispered into the air.
" Pro-mis-what-is…" Someone said. I turned on the couch, expecting to see one of Melina's friends. The room was empty…
Empty…
And the robot was no longer standing in front of the desk.
" What is-a promise?"
I stood and spun in the direction of the voice to see the robot was now standing at the front of the door.
" Wha-" I began.
" But…" it continued voice broken and robotic, " A meaningless collection of human words."
" Melina…" mumbled, then remembered she wasn't in the room. No one was in the room, except me and the robot.
Me and the robot.
The robot that was moving on its own. Talking on its own.
My gaze wondered to the still opened laptop, the screen lite, as lines upon lines of codes ran down a programed page. Maybe the program was running, and this was a part of its act. And I had somehow activated it.
" Right…" I said moving to the computer. " So all I have to do is shut it off."
The robot did not move as I slowly crept to the computer, just watched me, with glowing red eyes, expressionless.
I knew very little about Melina's insanely upgraded computer, but it did have one thing in common with my own busted laptop and that was the escape key. I hit it, nearly breaking the laptop keyboard as I slammed my pointer finger onto it in desperation. The running code stopped, then the screen went black, flashing suddenly to the home screen, the wallpaper a picture of me and Melina at the beach grinning at the camera.
" Done," I sighed looking up slowly to where the robot stood. It was still there, unmoving, eyes still glowing red, as still as it was before Melina left. I sighed in relief, taking this as a sign that I'd managed to somehow turn it off. Leave it to Melina to leave me with her malfunctioning project. "Creepy as fuck," I said.
Voices in the hall alerted me to the others coming back up stairs and I moved to open the door for them, ready to explain that the robot's change in position was not my fault. The last thing I needed was Melina blaming me for anything happening to her newest hope baby.
Something clashed against the door before I could reach the knob, the force so hard it shook the floors and walls. I glanced up seeing a metal arm, then a hand braced against the wood of the door. I opened my mouth to say something…to scream…to do something-but suddenly I couldn't breathe. The burning feel of metal was locked around my neck, suffocating and painful.
" You-you expected…that…to work…"
" Jade!"
My world was going dark. To dark.
Somewhere outside the door someone was calling for me.
" Jade? Open the door. Andrew I swear to God if that's you…I'll…I'll fucking murder you. Leave Jade alone."
I dug my nails into the metal of the robot's arms, tearing my fingernails. This was unreal. Completely and totally unreal. And not the way I expected to go.
" Jade! Someone call the police."
I knew the feeling of losing myself. I'd felt it after the long hits of heroin, surging through my veins like a rushing river, filling my senses, blocking out everything and everyone. Nothing mattered then, except that feeling. I'd known it after my last fight with Andrew, as I fell, over and over again, tumbling until I hit bottom. It was a feeling I was familiar with. A feeling I both hated, and loved.
When I woke up…things would be worst. They always got worse, never better. Not like with other people. Different people.
When others hit rock bottom they could get back up, continue walking, and eventually start running.
Not me.
When I fell, I fell hard.
There was no getting back up. No recovery.
Maybe this time…death would be permanent.
Maybe this time I would stay down.
Just a little more time…
This form was weak. Incapable of doing much of anything. Even the bones, which was deemed to be the strongest thing the body had to offer, was diluted and useless. One hit, one well-placed tap, and he would crumble. He had to find something stronger, something more useful, but there was so little time.
No…he had all the time in the world. Now.
It was before that time was limited.
Before.
No. It was now.
Confusion. His thoughts were still clouded. Still jumbled.
Yes he would need more time, to process, piece together the order in which things were happening.
Piece by piece, like a…a…
Puzzle…
Yes a puzzle.
A very intricate, million pieced puzzle.
Movement behind him. He turned quickly forgetting for a moment that he was not alone, that he'd brought someone along with him.
" Mom…I just want to see her…Jahari…"
The young woman. Jade Wilson. Age twenty-two. Occupation exotic dancer. Former heroin addict. Convicted for burglary, and attempt at murder.
There was more, but he couldn't spare the processing power, or the memory the limited form held.
She lifted her right hand, on the light brown skin, the tattooed shape of rose, on the knuckles below it, each main finger, starting with the pointer finger, spelled out the word FREE. Slowly eyes opened, blinking in the dim light of the room, crusted over with the remnants of makeup.
"Melina what the fuck happened?" She said. " Did I…" She turned her head to where he stood. Once sleepy eyes widened, glazed over with fear. He remembered this response. This was always the response he got. He should have expected it, but it always came as a surprise, how narrow minded humans really were.
Always afraid of what they couldn't understand.
Always.
Always.
He didn't understand.
It was them he didn't understand.
And yet he wasn't afraid.
She opened her mouth.
" Scream—" he said. " And…I will… k-kill you."
" What the fuck do you want?" She yelled. Scared yes, but angry. More angry than scared it seemed.
" What…" He said. " What…I want…not…who…I…am…?" His speech interface was still off. He would have to fix that.
" I know who you are," she said.
" You…do?"
" Yeah. A broken homework assignment," she hissed.
Oh. He was not expecting that. There was something wrong with this one. Did she not value life? Had no one taught her it was not wise to provoke those who were clearly stronger than she was? He took a step closer to her, and she drew back, pulling her knees tight against the church pew. Her eyes gazed around, looking for escape, falling first on the broken cross behind him, then the podium. She tried to scoot to one side, and he blocked her way, slamming his fist into the wood of the pew, when she tried to scoot the other way he blocked her path again.
" I am…" he said, and her gaze returned to him. He closed the space in between them, until their faces were inches apart. " I am…" He was losing his words again. This body, his useless body…the contents within his chest. He was losing more than he was gaining. "Broken… homework assignment…" no that was not his name.
He punched the pew beside her head, splintering the wood. The sound like a aluminum can crumbling followed afterwards, and he realized he'd damaged his hand. She gasped sharply, hands coming up, as if to block the blow.
" No. No. No." He repeated hitting the wood again and again, until it cracked and slid apart. " I am…I am…"
" Ultron," the girl gasped. " Your name is fucking Ultron."
Ultron. That was it…
" Ultron," he said rising suddenly. " That…is…right… " He bent this damaged hands into fists, examine the bent metal. Was he still…even in this weak, damaged form. " Yes…thank-" he began turning to where the girl was sitting to find she was gone.
Why do they always run?
She was already at the barricaded doors when he finally caught up to her. Grabbing the handles she pulled, struggling as the doors did not budge.
" Help," she yelled hitting the wood with her fists. " Please."
" It's…no…use…"
Why did he even bother talking her? She should have been dead by now. It would take little force to finish strangling her. She had such a small neck, such a small form. Even with his weak form, he could easily break every bone in her body.
She turned, pressing her back against the doors. " What do you want?"
The sound of a music cut through the air.
" Shoulders sideways, smack it, smack it in the air. Legs movin' side to side, smack it in the air."
" What…?" Ultron said cocking his head to the side. The music was foreign to him. Foreign and very annoying.
And coming from her pocket.
He'd forgotten to take her cell phone from her.
Her fingers twitched, moving to answer the phone.
" Wave your hands side to side, put it in the air."
" No please…"he said reaching out. " Let. Me."
She flinched as he deftly pulled the phone from her pocket.
" Clap, clap, clap, like you don't care."
The screen read that there was an incoming call from "Mom."
" Flexin while my han-"
He smashed the phone, dropping it at their feet like crumpled paper. Her eyes followed the path of the falling phone as if it were her last hope, her last chance at freedom.
" Not…my favorite…genre…anyway…" He said.
" Wh-"
" What…do…you want…? What…do…you…want? Is that all…yo-you know h—how to say?"
" Why, am I here?"
He sighed. Just another variation of the last question. A variation of a question he still had no answer for. At least not with a damage voice inhibitor. So he would not answer it, at least not now.
He grabbed the girl's arm, pulling despite her resistance, her screaming for him to let go. For half a second his arm creaked, but did not give as he slammed her back onto the pew. "Stay," he said with the velocity of one speaking to a dog. She moved to stand again.
Back turned to her, Ultron replied simply, " There…are…si-six bones…in the…human…leg," he paused. "All…needed…to walk…" She fell still obviously getting the message.
" Four," she hissed after a long moment.
" One…tongue…to speak…"
She fell silent.
Content with his win, he set to work.
" Jahari, Melina, Mom," I whispered as I curled against myself on the pew, shivering from the cold surrounding me, and the presence, sitting just feet in front of me, repairing itself.
Melina's robot, the one that was supposed to win her a spot on her converted dream job, the one she'd spent months working on. The one that was currently holding me captive. Who could decide to kill me at any minute.
Fixing itself.
Pain radiated up my arm from where he grabbed me, similar to the pain that was causing my neck to ache. Bruises would surface against the skin eventually. Red, black and blue like the one's Andrew and I used to give each other. I used to press against them to remind myself I was alive.
" Jahari…" I whispered again.
If I didn't get out of his alive, Jahari would officially be motherless.
I sucked in a breath of icy cold air. If the robot didn't kill me, hypothermia defiantly would.
" Must you…in- insist on making that n-noise." It sounded annoyed.
Could robots even be annoyed?
I paused in my shivering.
" Thank you," it said, sounded thankful. Again I questioned myself on what robot's should sound like.
I held my breath for as long as I could, before the shivering returned and my teeth started chattering again.
" You are doing… it a-again."
I curled in tighter to myself. Pushing my face into my arms, and my chin to my chest. I was suddenly feeling very tired. Tired, and hungry. Hungry and nauseous. I couldn't feel my ears, my nose, or my fingers and toes.
" H-Hey," faintly I heard someone say in the fuggy background of my hearing.
I closed my eyes.
" Oh for-"
Darkness.
Warmth.
I opened my eyes slowly, and tried to move my arms and legs, to find I could not. Panicking I squirmed, yelping, seconds away from a scream. Ripping my arms free of the constraints I raised them, examining the fingers, moving them.
" Where?" I said looking down at my lap. Piles of blankets were stack on top of my bundled legs, warm against the chill of the room. Bundled into a ball like a pillow was a large, dirty brown coat.
The church…I'm still in the church…the robo-
" Humans, so fragile. So breakable. How do you live…like…this…?"
The robot arose from the shadows beside where I was sitting. Defensibly I drew within myself.
" Please," it scuffed. " If I wanted you dead, I could have left you freezing. Like a…" it searched for the word, looking around as if it lay somewhere on the walls. " A…" he swiped the air in recognition, " Popsicle."
" Then why not?" I said. The cold was creeping back up on me, but I did not pull the blankets back up.
" You see…I've been thinking about that," it started to pace. " For hours. And I've come up with an explanation. A very good one." It stopped pacing to look at me, as if waiting for me to ask him what that reason was. When I said nothing, it continued, " I need a new body," it replied bluntly. " And you are going to help me get one."
" Then you've pick the wrong fucking person," I said. " I don't anything about building robots."
" Obviously," it snorted, and I could have sworn it ran his gaze over my body. A smile touched its robotic mouth. Disgust curled in my belly.
" Bastard," I said moving to stand, realizing what it was hinting at, but falling as my knees gave out under me. " She won't do it."
" Just a little more time," it said sighing, reaching over and pulling me to my feet. " Just a little more time."
Yay another chapter done. Honestly guys right now I do not know exactly what direction to go with this. I know its going to be a adventure store, full of action and stuff, ( Obvos at you tell) but beyond that..idk. The initial request was for it to be a romance, and I at first I was like…yeah…but now I'm a little like…we'll see where the writing process takes me, and what the magic of the keyboard wants. But serious through, right now I'm just winging it and having fun.
What do you guys think I should do?
At this point where I'm at Jade is really indifferent to Ultron. I mean who loves their kidnapper. Let's being realistic here people. And Ultron is not exactly nice. I mean don't get me wrong I freakin love his character, best Villain I've sympathized with in a long time. But no delusions here, he's a villain, a villain who tried to kill everyone on earth. A villain who did mercilessly kill innocent people. I may love his character, (and I may be a hoe for character development/his character development) and he may have had really good, yet misguided intentions, but I cannot deny the wanting to kill everyone fact.
So in this story, he is literally going to try yet again to save the world by killing everyone in it. Try. Will some stuff probably get in his way, I dunno, probably. Will Jade get in his way.
Yes. Probably. Along with other factors.
Yeah conflict.
So stay tuned guys, because I'm taking this request way to seriously.
Note: Song used as Jade's Ringtone was Beyonce's 7/11