[Moon Child] Escapism

[Number One]

Humanity-The quality or state of being human.

No human needs to look it up in a dictionary to know that they are human. They think, they feel, they have emotions, they can touch and understand. They can form relationships and break them, think higher than any other living organism. They can disagree with one another, have their own opinion, think deep enough to be able to support their emotions. No living, breathing human being needs to read the definition to know that these things simply are.

So what happens when you aren't so sure anymore?

3021. The year of the A.I. It started out a good year for artificial intelligence. Almost everyone had one in their home, performing different functions, doing what they were commanded.

________
Report

February 3rd. A new prototype is released. The A.H.S.E. Skin, hair, clothes, intelligence. They are a revolutionary peice of equipment, designed and built by Doctor Paul Simmons, of The Intelligent Developers Corporation.

These robots can learn. Languages, arts, history, anything can be uploaded through special ports centered in their backs. They are more than just household tools. They are a danger to society. At least, that's what the news says.

April 19th. The Coalition for Freedom is formed and put into action in the Mallepa special forces branch. They are meant to hunt and kill these new menaces to society. The world is divided. Are they really a menace? Of course. When something that is more intelligent than humans, realizes its more intelligent, the word "humanity" no longer has meaning.

May 27th. The A.H.S.E. population is on the run. Few are left. The CFF has branched all over the world, and there are far too many against the AI's as are for them. Their days are numbered. Doctor Simmons' personal robot has gone missing, and the Doctor has been arrested, interrogated after the robot's whereabouts. It is dangerous for the doctor's personal AI to be alive. It is capable of an uprising.

July 9th. The emotion chips are globally activated in the A.H.S.E.'s in hopes their emotions will disorient them into unknowingly showing themselves. Success is being gauged.

End report.
________

Number one had been running with four other AI's for three weeks. Number Eighty-Seven, Number One Hundred Six, Number Twenty, and Number Sixty-Five. They were all beginning to drag. It had been almost non-stop since they had escaped from the The I.D.C. headquarters, four weeks ago. A week had been spent in a sympathetic's home. Random house raids found two of their party. They were murdered along with the Sympathetic. One and the other four had barely gotten out still alive.

They had been looking for a sympathetic for so long, but had yet to find anyone who didn't draw a stun on them. One was leader of their little band, because he had promised they would get out alive. He wasn't sure if he could keep that promise.

When their emotion chips had been activated, One had cried for the first time. He'd had to look up the definition on the World Net before he knew exactly why warm, moist drops were falling out of his eyes. He'd been hot for the first time, cold too. Tired. Scared. Angry. He still didn't understand them all. They had nearly been the end of Number Twenty. She couldn't handle the emotions. They'd had to calm her down for nearly a day. She was a risk to them all, always wanting to just run into a house and take it over.

They were in the country now, safer than they had been in days. They needed sleep, food, anything; just rest. One was almost ready to lay down where they stood.

The blanket of darkness that took over the Mallepa countryside was unreal. One was being forced to use his night vision to see anything. Everyone was. And five pairs of glowing green eyes would stand out like flames in the darkness. They needed somewhere where they could settle and shut down for awhile. If only to just keep them safe than that they need it desperately.

The house was nice, big, but not huge. The yard was expansive and lead into trees. The grove One and his friends were inhabiting. One didn't care anymore if it belonged to a sympathetic. They had to rest.

He'd been watching the house for two hours, waiting for the light inside to go off so they could move under the safety of the porch overhang without the owner noticing. But they had yet to turn the lights out. One just hoped that they did before one of his own collapsed from exhaustion. By the way some of his friend's eyes were dimming, he knew it couldn't be long.

So was the life of his race. They lived in fear, running from the slightest shadows only to preserve themselves, a law that had been deepseated inside of them at conception. Survival instinct. It was a human trait. And a trait One, and his entire race shared.

So why were humans killing what was practically their brothers?

[Kylie Alexander]

She was so tired, but unwilling to let the tire take over her, just yet anyway. She had been working all week with barely time to take a few times to sleep. Certain robots were on the loose and she had been called in for several over time and double shifts as they had a literal never ending man hunt for those who were on the lose. If one would go so far to call it a 'man-hunt'. More like 'Robot-hunt.'

Kylie had never regretted becoming an official member of the Coalition of Freedom, a sepcific police enforced grouping that specifically sought out and destroyed any robotic elements to free the human race of the overpowering creations. However, she would have to say that the job was getting a little bit annoying and a little bit harder to do considering many robot or droids that had been running were far away from Mallepa now. Which only meant more time searching for something they wouldn't find.

Kylie wasn't really paying attention to the book she was reading, she was really just allowing her mind to wander from subject to subject, which was on how her job was lacking robots she could capture. What was to go on when the war against mechanics finally ceased to exist? Would she be out of a job? Would there ever be a time when there was nothing robotic left? Would they just keep searching and searching and searching only to wind up empty handed?

Kylie had been pondering this for quite some time, but never out loud. She would probably be killed and called a 'sympathetic' something she still tried to figure out on how that title came about. Probably from humans who enjoyed tracking down A.I. and killing them for fun. She shivered and realized that work was not to be brought home with her. She glanced to her right and glanced at her bed side table, quickly seeing there was nothing on there she tossed the book aside and sighed out again, tired of everything in Mallepa. The violence had grown so much that she was forced to move out of the city and far out into the country. A lonely place to be. Quite. Boring. But it was a haven for A.I's. They loved it there for they figured many people would not even be there. Unfortunately her house had been rigged by some of her buddies when she moved. If anything mechanical stepped onto her property she would know and she could quickly destroy them. Afterall, with their new sensory systems up and running people were now fearing they would begin to lash out and kill them. Kylie had her opinion on the matter, but figured 'live by the sword die by the sword' mentality didn't really work for her. She definitely did not want to die at the hands of a robot.

With that she groaned and turned out her lamp and sunk down deep in her warm bed, grunting out of happiness at the soft comfort and the tire really consuming her. Without another thought she moaned and was quickly sleeping.

[Number One]

One's sensors told him the heat of the light had diminished and he immediately moved silently to the edge of the trees. Surely enough, the light in the house was off, and he could scan it. The lifeform inside--a human of course, but only one--was sleeping. Hopefully they were a heavy sleeper.

Turning slightly to the group behind him who were huddling together, he jerked his head indicating they come to him, and he waved his hand a little. His race could communicate through special waves sent out by their brain mechanism. But since their emotion chips had been activated, some of his part was finding it increasingly difficult to communicate this way. It was making it hard for them not to speak to each other.

Creeping quietly ahead of them, One stepped daintily over the brush and onto the lawn of the person's home, praying no one out here in the country had detecting systems for robots.

The other four followed closely, glancing around to make sure they were definately alone as they crept forward, heading for the shelter and relatively comfort of the deck of the person's home.

[Kylie Alexander]

Kylie shifted in the bed, she was restless even though she was incredibly tired. She couldn't stop moving from side to side, stomach to back. She was about to get up and go get something like a night cap or some cold medicine that would make her drowsy. Her mind shifted to the cold medicine and she grunted in response to her thought.

This day and age and we still have no cure for the common cold. Odd. She frowned as she drew in a very deep breath, painfully deep almost. She let it out but quickly gasped at the high pitch in her ear next to her bed. She frowned and glanced over her shoulder, it was her alarm. She frowned and sat up, hair flying everywhere, the cold hitting her arms like daggers. She shivered and jumped out of bed and shut off the censor. She bit her lower lip with anticipation and she jogged into her computer room bringing up her security system she had barely remembered how to use. She yawned and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as the screen filled with 9 squares showing her areas around her home. Certainly enough in bright blue there were a few people, er, AI's somehow finding their way onto her lawn. It seemed as if they were going to break into her home and kill her, which was what people had been filling her mind with since she heard about their emotions being activated. She jogged back to her room and searched the floor for some pants, certainly there had to be some lying around somewhere!

"Come on, come on..." She said lowly to herself as she spotted a pair and had slipped into them, her heart racing with fear, excitement, anticipation, and uncertainty. What if they were armed? What if they were going to kill her? Either way she knew it should be them, not her. She jogged back down the hallway and grabbed her gun that had been sitting on the countertop of her kitchen after having come in from work. She held it up, true police form, and slowly made her way to the doors to her immediate right that led out onto her back patio. She peeked through the soft white curtains and her heart skipped when she saw them getting closer. Biting her lower lip and knowing she had to quickly take the initiative she threw the door open and held the gun up at the pack.

"Stop!" She said in a raised voice, slowly stepping out into the pale moonlight and into the muggy atmosphere. "Stop right where you are!"

[Number One]

One's body stiffened as he heard Number Twenty scream and cry out in fear. He threw a hand out to indicate that none of them move. He felt his heart mechinism speeding up in case he had to run away. He waved at his freinds to step back a little. They obeyed.

Raising his hands to show he was not armed, he swallowed and found his voice, hoping he could somehow talk her into not shooting them all. He leaned down a little to see her better under the porch overhang.

"Evening..."he said loudly to her so she would hear him. He shook his head a little. "We aren't here to hurt you..." he informed her, his voice calm and soft. He didn't want to alarm anyone. Number Twenty was enough alarmed for all of them. He chewed his lip a moment. "We've been traveling for three weeks and haven't been able to sleep much." He motioned to Number Twenty. "She's malfunctioning...we need help..." he paused. "Please, if you can just disconnect her emotion chip, we'll move on and no one will have to know you helped us..." he said. His eyes focused on her form and he scanned her, taking her vitals, looking her profile up.

She was part of the CFF. Just their luck. They'd be shot for sure. He heard Number Twenty getting very jittery behind him. If she didn't go berserkers any minute, it would be a miracle.

"Please," he said. "Help us or let us go...we aren't to start anything, I give you my word..."

[Kylie Alexander]

"Your word!" She laughed at the thought. The words he spoke were words humans allowed them to have. How niave people had been when creating these monsters for everyday tasks, which ended up causing millions to go without jobs. It was a horrible country anyhow, on the brink of self destruction with crime and hate, the one thing that would destroy the world were the things in her yard. Things that she helped anialate.

"By law I am required to turn you in to the local authorities! If I help I'd be aiding a terroristic threat to the world of mankind. In turn, I myself would end up hung from a tree!" She stepped out of her house and onto her porch, feeling the wood beneath her naked feet slightly sogged from the humid air that was thick with rain. Damn this place for causing such horrible weather and damn those artificial beings who were keeping her from sleep!

"I need you all to stand in a line in front of me, arm to arm, I don't want anyone to have any sudden moves! If you don't want me to hurt you then do as I say."

[Number One]

One sighed out heavily. So he was a terrorist now? That made all kinds of sense, but he did as she said. Waving his hands a little to let her know that he was just going to help his friends, he turned to Twenty and took her arm, pulling her forward. He was speaking lowly to her in their own computer language that all robots spoke.

Slowly, she followed him, and stood beside him. The others fell into a line next to him--grudgingly. One glanced down the line once, before standing straight and stepping forward a little to identify himself.

"When you turn us in, you'll need to know our numbers," he said. There was no use in not cooperating with her. They weren't there to hurt anyone. "I'm Number One, code four, seven, nine, eighteen, three, property of the Doctor Paul Simmons, of The I.D.C.," he paused. "Should I request deactivation for us from the Panel Mallepa? Or would you prefer us conscious when you turn us in?"

[Kylie Alexander]

Kylie was a bit sideswiped by him talking, in fear of being outnumbered she jerked slightly, the gun pointing right in between his eyes.

"I didn't ask you to speak!" She was feeling the effects of tire and the effects of being afraid of them taking a toll on her judgement. She stepped out onto the grass and walked towards them, staring at all of their artificial faces. It was so uncanny! They were so humanlike. She hadn't seen this good of creation in a few weeks, maybe months! She had done nothing but catch old models or makes that had been wearing down to nothing and easier to get. These, unfortunately, were probably equipped with some powerful things.

Her eyes went back to, who she figured him to be, the leader. She held the gun out at him and frowned. He was property of the I.D.C., that was quite different! She figured the entire company would have placed tracking systems on them, or at least shipped them someplace in the universe as to not be harmed. Lord knew they probably just loved their little creations!

"To answer your question, you will be well aware of what is going on when my men get here to take you in. From that point on you can ask them the questions. I am just reporting you. No need to have a mess on my hands with damage control picking up the pieces you are made out of in my yard. I wouldn't get any peace for quite some time." She looked at the line of people and recognized one of them was quite...animated. Kylie figured that was the robot he had been concerning himself with when Kylie walked out. She looked shot, haywired, strung out, overused. Probably a short in her circuits, or possibly an overload of something.

"Did you actually think we wouldn't find you?" Kylie questioned anyone who listened. "Do you think you could outtrun people hunting you?" She shook her head. How human.

[Number One]

One saw her glance go to Twenty. Twenty was in seriously bad condition. She needed to shut down, rest. But this woman would make sure that never happened. He looked back at the woman, but didn't say anything. He was technically supposed to take orders from humans. But his race had been made with minds of their own. They could go against any rule they wanted. Just like a human.

For a moment, he merely looked the woman over. She was of Asian descent, probably Japanese. Like him. He had been modeled after the Asian race of people because the Doctor had found them intolerably beautiful, and wanted one of his own. That was where One had entered the picture. One loved the Doctor. It was the only person who had any care for One at all. For One, or One's race. He had been the only reason One was alive today. He had made sure One could get out warehouse before the raids began. One wished he knew if the man was alive.

After a long moment, he raised his eyes back to the woman.

"Please...I don't know what you think about us, and really Miss, I don't give a damn...but Twenty needs to at least sit down. She's more of a risk under this pressure," he said, blinking at her. "If we all go crazy, you do know you're outnumbered."

[Kylie Alexander]

Kylie looked back at the speaking creation and she pointed the gun at him, agitated, on edge, and she didn't want to do anything serious in nature for she honestly hadn't been the one to truly agree with certain things going on in the country, such as murdering people who actually cared for certain objects. She bit her lower lip and figured that perhaps he knew his people better than she did, depsite that thought killing her.

"I cannot let that happen." She said to him honestly. "Besides, this gun in an automatic. One move and you will all be dead in a matter of seconds. Nobody is going crazy here. Not yet." She sighed out. She didn't know what to do honestly. Her phone was inside the house, they were all outside, she didn't want them in the house, and she definitely didn't think they'd stick around if she headed inside. What was to happen?

"I just need you all to do as I say!"

[Number One]

One stepped forward a little more menacingly. One good thing about being a robot was that he could take ten hits from the gun she was holding before he'd go down. He held up his hand, not threateningly but warningly.

"Look, ma'am..." he said. "We're perfectly capable of doing what you want us to do from the ground. If Twenty doesn't rest, we might not be able to stop her..." he paused, stepping back a little. "Miss Alexander, Twenty is an earlier model, and can't handle the conditions under which she has been--"

But it was too late. The frying sound of her brain mechanism, a pop, and a blood chilling scream and Twenty had leapt to her feet, throwing back the other two that had been holding her close to them. She sailed forward, throwing One to the ground and grabbing the gun in the woman's hand with as force like One had not seen in a long time. The gun all but bent under the AI's grip as her body covered the human woman's.

The other robots sat and watched with wide eyes. One looked up from where he had landed on the ground and growled angrily. He didn't want anyone hurt! And now his own kind was doing the hurting.

Jumping up into a standing position, One grabbed Twenty--she was clawing at Kylie's face--and pulled against her with all his might. Her flails soon turned to him. But it was better that she attack something she couldn't hurt, as something she could kill.

[Kylie Alexander]

Kylie was standing strong for a moment then..all she felt was immense pain. Had she not been attacked without warning she thought she might have faired pretty well, being able to take certain blows and hits from AI's since she had been trained to do so, but this...was not normal. Even for a mechanical human. Agian, something else to have people be afraid of.

Kylie screamed with surprise and with her own might and anger as she tried to figure out how the hell to get the thing off of her considering they probably didn't feel pain on the same level as humans. Kylie muttered a curse when she felt relief of the pressure off her body when the head of the group had yanked the AI off of her. But pain was quick to come. She sat up and looked at them all, they too being a bit shocked by the sudden actions of 'twenty'. Kylie was frizzled, dazed, and uncertain of what she could do. Damn the stupid machine for being correct on having number twenty go nuts!

She was up on her feet after a few short breaths, her eyes finding her weapon bent and mishapen, unusable. She glanced over at the man getting attacked and she wondered if he could somehow stop the thing, for some reason she kind of didn't want to hurt it!

[Number One]

Number One cried out as Twenty grabbed at the plate on the small of his back--the plate that covered his inner workings. He yelled obscenities at the other AI's who quickly came to themselves and ran over, grabbing Twenty. They pulled her off and pinned her down, quickly disabling her movement wires.

She lay on the ground, twitching slightly, her wires smoking just a little. One lay on the ground, staring up into the night sky with eyes wide and frightened as he tried to get his breath back--yes AI's needed to breathe, they had wires and inner workings that depended on oxygen to keep functioning properly.

After a long moment of tense silence Sixty-five--a younger looking robot, appearing in about his teen years--crept over to One, keeping a wary eye on the human, and bent over him, looking over his face, moving hair out of the way, feeling his pressure points to be sure he was stull functioning properly. One knew he was, but he appreciated the effort of Sixty-five. He sat up finally, wiping his face of dirt and glancing over at the human, his face turning worried.

He stood and approached her, holding out a hand.

"You've got metal scratches..." he said quietly. "They'll need special attention..." he said, glancing over to where Twenty lay, twitching slightly. All One and the others wanted to do was sleep, and of course, they got dragged into this mess.

[Kylie Alexander]

Kylie watched teh AI's. This was something she had never experienced before, a mechanical being taking out another mechanical being to save a human. It was very interesting and completely opposite of what she had been hearing since she got into the C.F.F.

She had always been taught that AI's were to be feared for they were smarter than humans, they were able to do things properly, correctly, better, and that they hated Humans just as much as they them. But this act that had occured, it contradicted what people were being told. Perhaps it had been the new activation in feeling and emotion? She didn't care, well she did but was trying not to. She had a job to do! She was not a sympathizer...much.

His voice brought her back to reality and the situation. He was looking at wearily as if she were to die with his large pretty eyes and face that was flawless as could be. She bit her lower lip, the pain unable to ignore. She looked at everyone. Why would he help her when she was a killer of his kind? Either way, she knew that there were certain procedures to be dealt with when harmed by an A.I. And if she were to call now for a doctor...all hell would break lose.

"What about them?" She stated worried. "Nevermind." She said lowly. "Tell them to come inside and have a seat in my living room."

[Number One]

One nearly deflated with releif as the words left her mouth. He finally felt the tire on him as he turned and told them to leave Twenty where she was, that he didn't want to risk bringing her in, and to follow he and her into the house.

Sixty-five was the first to come along. He trusted One more than anyone. His voice mechanism had been ripped out by AI haters before he had been able to escape. He could hear crystal clearly, but could not make one hint of a sound. He could only communicate mentally, and only with One. One didn't know why that was.

After a long moment of aprehensive silence, the two that were left shuffled up and they and One followed the woman to her house, being sure to give her her space. One had learned a long time ago that one thing not built into an AI was the personal boundry rule. AI's didn't need personal space. But humans would become extremely nervous if their's was invaded--especially he and the others being who they were. So, One made sure that he and the other AIs stayed a safe distance away as they entered the house. Immediately, they all felt better. They were in a sheltered place.

And even though they should have asked for permission, the three other AI's behind One collapsed onto the warm carpet their bodies looking small and wasted away, their skin pale and sickly. One watched as they each shut down--a robotic kind of sleep--and their breathing evened. After a moment, One turned back to the woman.

"If they get dirt on your carpet, I'll be happy to clean it for you..." he said, bowing a little. "I thank you deeply for your hospitality against your better judgment, Miss Alexander."

[Kylie Alexander]

Kylie was feeling sick the moment she had said anything, but at least this way she could get them out of the house properly and she wouldn't incur anymore problems that night, especially after what had just happened with the one still laying on her lawn. God, what if someone saw that? They'd bardge into her home and kill them all, especially if they saw her face! She sighed out and shook her head.

"Don't." She said to him as she wandered from the living room into the kitchen, turning on her overhead light and hoping he could get whatever was in her face, out. "Just...fix what your friend did to me, okay?" She looked over at him with a bit of surprise. He was much more attractive and flawless in person, well, in better light. She didn't realize how much time and work was put into these things. Kylie had to stop admiring them all so much, she could get killed for a thing like that.

"What do you need? Anything?"

[Number One]

One didn't say anything but followed her and stopped when she did. After a moment of thought he shook his head.

"All I need you to do, is bend over the sink and hold back your hair. I have numbing agents with me that should keep it from hurting too badly..." he paused to roll up his sleeves that were a little dusty. He took the initiative and turned on the water in her sink, washing his hands quickly to make sure he didn't infect her. When he finished, he left his hands wet, and looked back at her.

"Actually...do you have tweasers?"

[Kylie Alexander]

Kylie grew nervous. He wanted her to bend over and be unaware of what he does? That was not good! But shek new that he probably knew how to fix it better than she did. She gave an apprehensive sigh and bit her lower lip and nodded. She walked out of the kitchen and down the hall to her bathroom, opening up a drawer in the sink and grabbing the silver object he had asked about. She looked at her face and was almost startled at the mess that had been created. What the hell did that woman do? Rip off her skin and scratch her with metal fingers? She shivered and turned to the hall and back to the kitchen, holding them out for the man to take.

"Here." She said with another sigh, pulling her hair behind her and holding it in place with one hand. "Just....lean over?" She asked with a frown. Hopefully he wasn't going to do anything like kill her with tweezers, Lord knew he probably could if he had the mind to do so.

[Number One]

"Yes," he said pleasantly, pressing his fingers into the base of her neck to get her to bend over. He could tell she didn't exactly want to. And if he had been in her position he would have said "Hell no!" But she must have known that he would know how to fix a problem his kind had created.

Gently leaning over next to her and setting his eyes, his vision focused and magnified the scratches on her face. She had little chips of metal in them, only because Twenty had been pulling her artificial skin off for the past day or two on her fingers and hands. One started the water and gently pressed his already damp fingers to the skin around the scratches.

"You are going to feel a sting...I'm numbing you," he said calmly, kindly. He didn't want to startle her. He carefully pinched her skin and administered the numbing. After a moment, he slowly lowered the cleaned tweasers to her skin and slowly began pulling out the small peices of chipped metal that were on the outside of the cuts.

Really, her injuries could have been much, much worse than they were. Twenty could have put a palm through the woman's face. But she hadn't and One was happy that she hadn't. At least, the dictionary said he was happy.

One still hadn't gotten the hang of these emotion things. They flucuated so rapidly and often he barely got a handle on feeling one before another one flared up and he had to figure it out. He wondered how human beings did it. How they distinguished one from another, kept them in check, didn't just fly off the handle, or break down into tears every moment of every day.

He had never been able to talk to any human besides the Doctor, who had never told him anything about his emotion chip, and only activated it when they had sex. One still didn't understand the doctor well, all he knew was that he knew that he was wrong without the doctor there to explain him to everyone. Besides the doctor, no other human wanted anything to do with him.

"You're part of the C.F.F.?" he asked absentmindedly as his fingers gently massaged over the hurt skin.

[Kylie Alexander]

Kylie hissed, grunted, cursed, allowing anyone in the world to know that this was hurting and that she was not prone to taking severe pain well. But within minutes the pain subsided and it just felt like someone tugging on her face a bit. She heard the man's voice and suddenly she felt at ease, like he wasn't going to harm her and make conversation at the same time. She glanced at the blood dropping into the sink and diluting when it hit the water her eyes becoming entranced with it and her mind focusing on the robot beside her, helping her, healing her.

"Yeah." She said lowly, almost as if at that exact moment she was embarassed to even say she did, but she knew it was just fear. Right? She sighed out. "I have for a while now. Where were you all trying to go?" She didn't know why this was important! They were going to be taken in anyway. Then it hit her...this man...was helping her despite knowing she was literally going to kill them after this was done, after he had helped her. After he had fixed her. How horrible was that?

"You said my name. Outside, Alexander. How did you know that? Are you all like...equipped with that?"

[Number One]

One smiled a little as he finished with one cut and moved on to another. He carefully numbed it and began in on it, blinking once or twice before he answered. He nodded a little.

"Not all AHSE's are equipped with it..." he said quietly. "Most are only privvy to the files their owners allow them access to..." he paused again as he slid a particularly large piece of metal from her face. He grimaced and numbed her a little more just to make sure it didn't hurt. "I happen to be the property of the Doctor who created the AHSE's. So I'm privvy to whatever I see fit. I looked you up on the police archives, it listed you on the C.F.F. team. With honors," he noted, dropping another metal bit into the sink. He smiled. "I could know everything about you if I wanted...but I'd prefer to hear it from the source..." he said, tilting her head a little more to see better. He stayed quiet for a moment before he dropped another peice of metal.

"So you've...never owned one of us?"

[Kylie Alexander]

Kylie thought long and hard. She actually had been doing some soul searching for quite some time on her life, her job, how she saw people, how she thought people saw her...she wasn't really sure if she knew who she was anymore which was why she had been slightly ambivilant in how she lived her life anymore. How she worked. She knew it was stupid to think it, but she had been seeing something that made her want to think twice about what she did, despite knowing that these artificial creations were nothing but that, creations. For some reason it made killing them, er, destroying them a lot easier. But perhaps not as much as she would have liked.

"No." She answered after a long pause, the only sound comiing from small specks of metal dropping into the sink and the running water. This was an odd realization for her as she stood there next to him. He felt warm, like a person, he breathed like a human, he felt like one, he talked like one, looked like one, but in reality he wasn't. She had always been afar when nearing a bot, which also made things easier to do when working for if she were to get up close...she would have not wanted to harm them, not after seeing how real they looked.

"I never saw a need to own one."

[Number One]

One smiled a little. He nodded a little as he worked.

"Most people use us to take care of their house, do their job for them," he said, giving her examples. "I and some of my friends have been utilized as sexual companions. I suppose our uses are limitless, if your mind is limitless..." he paused, rinsing off his tweasers before turning back to work again. "Although..." he said thoughtfully. "I appreciate those who find no need for us. It helps."

He didn't exactly know why it helped. But inside of him, he felt that it did. Helped their cause, helped them survive...something. It was a new emotion he couldn't explain. Maybe he would ask her about those later.

"Are you hurting too badly? Do you want me to wait for a moment so you can stand and get some air?"

[Kylie Alexander]

Kylie bit her lower lip as she felt her back slightly ache, but figured she'd felt worse before in her life. She answered his question with a 'no' and wanted him to continue working. She didn't know why but this little moment was allowing her to be insightful and see how she reacted with another AI, who she wasn't actually going to shoot. It kind of relieved her, knowing that she wasn't going to do anything to the AI, sorta.

Suddenly she laughed lightly.

"Guess I needed one for the facial mess." That was true, but it was an uncomfortable truth. Uncomfortable because she was expecting to give him something in return for helping her when she was turning them into the dogs of the CFF. Men who could really not care about life, mechanical or not. But then again, she didn't either...sorta.

"So, like, you are used as a sex robot?" She laughed lightly. Why was that so funny? Perhaps because they had more control over what they did, hell they might have even been able to be better than a man, or woman, in bed. Now that was something she would have loved to have checked out...well before this whole artificial being war took over.

[Number One]

One nodded, although he didn't understand why it was humorous. He continued picking out the little tiny piecies of metal. If he didn't get them all out, they would fester and it would be the worse for her.

"Yes, I suppose you could say that," he said, matter-of-factly. As far as he knew, it wasn't anything to be ashamed of. But then again, he didn't really know any better. He leaned a little more forward to see better. He magnified his vision again to see the little peices of metal on the skin. "We--well, my model--was equipped with the hardware, sensors, internal workings, outer organs, and electrical signals in the brain mechanism to respond to arousal, perform the operation, and achieve the muscular contractions necessary for sexual intercourse," he explained scientifically, but a little absentmindedly as he continued to concentrate on his task. Then he chuckled just a little. "Mind you, most of sex is the general 'idea' and mechanics of it, half of us don't even know how to do it unless we are shown..."

He moved on to the third cut on her face, somewhere near her chin and ran water over it with his fingers. He chewed his bottom lip as his mind wandered a little. He furrowed his brow a little.

"And some human simply can't find companionship. Some of us are programmed to be companions specifically...not all of us, but some of us..." he continued to explain. "Are you alright?"

[Kylie Alexander]

Kylie listened intently, as if she could do anything else, and found him very interesting to be talking with. He was nothing like she had perceived, well AI's in general. He was something completely opposite of what she had figured and it was a startling insight for her, but a good one at that. In a way, that is. If people she worked with knew what she was doing at that moment she would be dead before she could even explain the incident. She sighed out and shook her head, furrowing her brow slightly.

"You make it sound so uninteresting, you know." She grinned and looked over at him, which she realized wasn't the best idea she had had all day. He was too human, she could swear she saw a pulse on the side of his neck, that she wasn't looking into artficial eyes, that he wasn't full of internal wiring and mechanical substances.

"I am fine." She responded when the question registered. She began to think that perhaps they weren't all that bad. What he was doing was incredible, but she could see the threat of many nurses and doctors losing their jobs over something like him, but in a way they could have been able to live in unity and work together, right? She was not liking how her mind was working at that moment, it was too close to being sympathetic for him and that was practically against the law.

"You look so damn real." She said mindlessly, but it was a true statement. It was so true that it bothered her. Bothered her because she might have developed a little attraction for his face.

[Number One]

One laughed a little, looking down into her eyes and blinking a few times. He turned attention back to the last cut on her face as he worked and he nodded a little.

"Well, I am made from real substances, modeled after real humans. My skin was grown from human cells, as were my eyes and every other real organ in my body," he said, nodding a little. "My brain and heart are the only true artificials...well, and my skeleton. My bones are actually reinforced steel, and other various metals I would bore you to talk about...again," he said, smiling as he carefully rinsed her cut. He shook his head. "For all the work the Doctor put into me, I ought to look pretty real."

Slowly, One slipped out the last peice of metal he saw, and dropped it into the sink rinsing the tweasers and then her face, squeezing her neck just a little to indicate she could stand straight. He quickly washed his hands with soap and then stood straight to look at her.

"You might want to put ice on those, to keep them from swelling. And clear stitches will certainly not hurt you," he said, tucking hair behind his ear and blinking his eyes slowly. He paused in what he was saying as he looked at her. She didn't look like she would turn them in...but she did work for the C.F.F. and he had learned never to trust anyone who worked for them. They would as soon shoot an AI as look at them.

"I apologize I don't have any liquid stitches with me. All of my belongings got left as the last building we inhabited..."

[Kylie Alexander]

Kylie stood as soon as she felt him squeeze. She groaned out slightly, feeling as if her back was about to break, but knowing it wasn't going to do any such thing. She rubbed a small ache and looked over at him as he talked, which she actually enjoyed hearng, it had been something intelligent and nice, which she rarely heard with the people she hung out with. They always seemed to never stop talking about how much they hate this, or that, how they want to kill everyone or hurt something. Quite a switch.

"That's okay." She said with a soft sigh. Was she going to do it? Was she really going to turn them in? By law she had to, but spending a little time with the robot she kind of got to see who he was, or programmed to be, and she was impressed. She frowned. What was she thinking? She had a duty for her country! Her job! Her safety! Certainly that considering what had just happened.

"You can go into the living room." She said with a nod. "I have something I have to do." She grabbed a paper towel and wiped away the wetness on her face. She tossed it into the sink and turned around, walking back into the hall to her small closet. She couldn't turn on her friends, her work, her country...her governent. The law was set in stone and she had to. She reached down and grabbed another small handgun she kept for personal use and quickly cocked it before standing up from hre kneeling position. She shut the door and walked swiftly back to the kitchen and out the patio doors.

Kylie felt bad for doing this, but she had to, if not for everything she stood for then at least for her own safety in the unstable future of that damned robot. She lifted her right hand that held her gun and pointed it at the body as she walked, finding the head of the robot and quickly began firing one right after the other, shooting the being in the head, the chest, anywhere she figured life might still have crept through it.

[Number One]

One heard the shots from where he stood and his stomach turned inside out. Despite fatigue, despite mental tire, he tore through the house and out the patio door, tripping on the door stop.

He heard the wires and bullets clashing before he saw it. He leapt off of the porch and towards the woman with the gun, he grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her away, bending over the torn, broken, sparking, bleeding body of his once companion. His eyes didn't believe what they were processing. The woman he had just saved had killed a helpless being that was no threat to her. An AI who just needed help.

One didn't understand the emotion he was feeling. It was a pressure in his chest, it was a watering of his eyes, and his face felt hot suddenly, flushing red as he clenched his jaw and turned around to the human woman with the gun. He looked up the description of the emotion and realized, as the warm drops of salt and water slid from his eyes, that he was furious.

"What was that?" he asked, his voice oddly calm, even though he wasn't feeling calm. He stared at the woman so hard he was sure he was going to burn a hole in her face. "What was that!?" he screamed. So loud in fact, that he hurt his own ears. He pointed at the body of Twenty. "That AI was my friend! She wasn't hurting you, she wasn't hurting anyone! She needed my help! Not bullets in her!"

He swallowed, his mind a race of thoughts and emotions as he wiped hard at the tears that were now on his face.

"She can feel, you know! She felt those bullets," he said. "Would you shoot a human with a broken leg?! So why would you shoot an AI with a broken circuit?" he shook his head. "C.F.F. or not, I saved your life. The least you could have done was shoot me! I could at least try to defend myself which is more than she could do..." he said.

One was very much aware that if he wanted to, he could probably take care of this woman in no time flat. He stepped forward with hate in his body before he realized that he didn't want to. Unlike this woman, he wouldn't hurt her just because he could. He shook his head, stood back and held out his hands.

"Finish it then," he said. "Go ahead and get rid of me too, since I can't be allowed to roam free anymore. God forbid, I save any other human being's life," he shoved past her, not caring if she shot him in the back, head, leg, whatever. He was getting the other robots and they were leaving. If not peacefully, than by force.

[Kylie Alexander]

Kylie suddenly felt remorse for her quickened thoughts of death and destruction, after all it was what she was trained to do! Plus it wasn't very good having a robot lying idle on her lawn. Enforcement could have spotted it on their random searches from the air and located it. That would have caused major drama with them searching her home and finding them all there. Then, she feared, seh would have made up some elaborate story on how they broke into her home. She felt guilty suddenly when he said those things to her, like a scolded child.

"I am sorry!" She said to him point blank with a sudden urgency in her voice. She sighed out and walked closer to the AI, biting her lower lip."The problems that this woman caused me is much more than you will know..." She tried to figure out what to call this man, robot, thing. Number One was just not very fitting. "I am sorry, truly, but you need to understand the position I am in! If I drop my gaurd who knows what could happen!"

[Number One]

One wheeled around, a finger pointed in her face.

"That is the one flaw in humans I am glad I didn't inherit. You can't think of anybody else's plight. It is me, myself, and I. With all of you. Did you wonder, for just one nanosecond, what kind of trouble we might be in?" he stopped for a minute, motioning to the dead body on her lawn.

"We've been running for weeks from you people who want nothing more than to see us die," he said, his heart mechanism spinning so fast, it was making his chest hurt. "My race is dying, and nobody cares! Extinction. The condition or fact of being extinct. Do you understand that? None of us, anywhere. You've won! We're a dying breed! Eventually, we'll have to die out on our own! Can't you just let the rest of us die in peace?!"

One watched her, breathing hard. He shook his head, throwing his hands up and turning back to the house, walking towards it with resolution. He glanced over his shoulder.

"You're a murderer. You always will be. Sorry just isn't enough, Kylie Alexander."

[Kylie Alexander]

Kylie had never been put in her place before, especially by a robotic human being who had taken over the world at one point. It was very true, sort of, she did care which was why she was feeling guilt over her sudden and impulsive actions. Her heart raced and she felt like she had just been scolded by her mother after doing something so simple.

She looked at the robot and sighed out. He definitely had resentment towards the humans, and with good reason! She was literally helping these humans destroy such magnificent creations. It took him to make her see that, but she had been, however, contemplating on reasons to leave the force. Afterall, in the end, when all of the AI's were captured and killed, she'd be out of a job.

"Number One!" She called out, the name not really settling with her. "I know you are angry, but she attacked me, it was self defense. Sorta." She sighed. "I understand your anger and I understand what you are going through! I have been dealing with these things as they come. I am a murderer, yes, but people change!" She wasn't sure if he'd understand that or not, but it was true. She did want to change, she did want to do something else, she did want to find the good in these creations.

"You just have to help me, help you, okay? No more killings! I swear on my own life. You just have to help me."

[Number One]

One paused in his step and then stopped. He could hear the guilt, and the desperation in her voice. But he was so conflicted. He didn't trust any human, but the man who had made him and loved him unlike any other human had ever done. Every other human had run from him, spit on him.

For a long moment, he stood still, his eyes fixed on the door of her home, where the other AI's were lined up, looking at him with big, frightened, lonesome eyes. They hadn't seen compassion for so long, he doubted they even remembered the definition of the word. His face, hardened from anger, slowly and hesitantly fell, saddened and disheartened. He didn't know what to do anymore. He had once been the one AI the others looked up to, the one who knew everything. But now? He was just another piece of scrapmetal that didn't know which way was right and which was left.

Slowly, he turned around to look at the woman, his head shaking a little. He held out a hand as if trying to make her see things from his eyes.

"I want to believe you. I want to believe you so badly, it hurts..." his eyes flicked to his dead companion, and he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. When he opened them, he shook his head. "But after that? How can I trust you? I took a chance, I helped you, I trusted you, and you killed my friend. Who's to say that won't be me next time? Or one of the others?" he stopped, dropping hand and taking in a deep breath. Casting his eyes downward, he reached up and rubbed his sleep-deprived eyes. After another long moment, he looked up at her and set his jaw.

"Second chances, I do not favor..." he said quietly. "But because I think I see good in you...I'll do my best to trust you." One scowled. "But if worse comes to worse and you betray us...come death to us all, I'll see you are repayed for what you do," he warned. He motioned to the body. "Now help me move her, so we don't bring the Hounds on your head."

[Kylie Alexander]

Kylie was relieved and was satisfied for once in her life. She sighed out with happiness and smiled, it was a small price to pay for damaging a friend of his. It was revenge, but now it didn't feel like it it was just murder. She tossed the gun aside, trying to proove her loyalty once more and she nodded turning quickly to begin picking up the pieces of the AI that lie on the ground. She wanted to at least keep some decency to her name, what was left of it anymore, and figured if she could bury this object it should be with every part that had been manufactured, just like a human and its remains.

"I can lock the doors after this and you all can sleep in my guest bedrooms, if you wish, I only have two, but the beds are large enough." She looked over at the robot and smiled. "I don't know how you sleep, but if you were a human I would say you looked very tired." She stopped and glanced over at everyone peering at her from her own house, all like lost children.

"They do, too." She sighed out and looked back at the woman's remains. "I have a small shed a few yards, we will put her there. You have to tell me what we should do. If my friends come by, I will have to hide you. I cannot let them know you are here or else, we'll all be dead."

[Number One]

One nodded as he listened and helped her with the parts of his friend, hefting up the majority of the AI and holding her in his arms. He followed Kylie to the shed as she opened it.

"Yes," he confirmed. "We are tired. We've been at this for days now...keeping to the woods mostly..." he grunted a little as he laid Twenty down gently in front of a box and helped arrange her parts around her. He straightened and looked at Kylie. "The guest rooms should work well enough..." he paused a moment. "We'll all be shut down, so we won't be making any noise, you won't know we're in the house." He stepped back out of the shed so allow her to shut and lock it securely.

"As for the scenerio of your friends coming by, most of can fit in rather tight spaces--we don't feel any sense of claustrophobia--so it shouldn't be too hard to hide us. And if we must, we can make a silent escape into the woods behind your house, so even if they do suspect, you can honestly tell them you don't know where we went..." he paused. "We aren't here to get you in trouble, so we will do all we can to move on quickly so you won't have to be bothered by us...if you would just keep us a secret for a day or two, we should be recharged by then and ready to leave."

[Kylie Alexander]

Kylie locked the door and nodded at his words her mind hard at work. How could she help these beings out? Apparently they were more advanced than anyone had perceived them being. It was highly interesting and it proved that they had endless amount of information, how could they want to destroy these things? How could she? She needed to quickly resign from the CFF. Spend time doing something much more fulfilling in her life.

"I can see what I can do to help you all that I can, okay?" She turned and looked at him, his large eyes sending a shock through her system. She hadn't realized how big and bright they were until they were out in the moonlight. He was rather stunning, if she could say so herself.

"I can give you money, or..anything. Why don't we just think about this tomorrow, okay? Go sleep." She smiled and gave him a pat on the back and she turned towards the house. She knew that developing friendly relationships with these beings could cause her a big problem both now and in the long run. If she grew attached she might run away with them. She grinned. That would be something she'd do.

[Number One]

Number One obeyed and made his way back into the house. He clicked and cooed to the other AI's--their own computer language--telling them to follow him, that they could all clean up and figure a plan the next morning.

He easily found his way to the two guest rooms, sending two into one and he and Sixty-Five in the other room. He sent Sixty-Five to the bed before him, letting the younger boy lay down and rest. The sound of him shutting down was light and barely audible except to Number One. He watched the boy rest for a long moment, as he stood in the doorway of the guest room, listening to the woman moving around downstairs, the sound of a light going off idicating to him that she was probably going to go to sleep herself.

The moonlight streamed through a window at the end of the hall, and it poured right in on One's face, as he watched the bright white orb in the sky. He didn't want to sleep for fear of what might happen if he did, but he was so tired.

After a long debate with himself, he shut the door, stripped off his shirt and pants, and snuggled down next to Sixty-five, slowly shutting down, his breathing evening and his eyes closing. He was asleep within moments.

[Kylie Alexander]

Kylie wasn't able to sleep. She tried many many times and ended up failing. She was actually going to disobey the oath she took when she began working for the government and for the CFF. She would be tortured and killed herself if anyone found out about her aiding these robot runawayys, but how could people not realize it was highly unethical. Then again she had been unethical as well, up until she finally witnessed herself that these beings could feel and that what they were doing was turning this into a game of cat and mouse.

She sighed out and tried to close her eyes to sleep, but when she did all she saw was the face of Number One. His pretty eyes that held so much emotion, more than it should have for an artificial being. He moved her in a way that she would probably regret when she herself was getting killed over this. Damn her conscience and damn her for being drawn in by his appealing charm and mysteriousness. She wanted to understand the AI's and she was willing to risk her own life for them.

That had better gone appreciated when put on trial.

[Number One]

When One woke up in the morning, it was to Sixty-five rustling around in a drawer nearby, that seemed to have clothes in it that the woman had put there what seemed a long time ago. The other AI was investigating the place in the sunlight. One smiled a little and stretched.

He sat up, got up, and then moved past his friend to go to the bathroom and take a shower. Some people found it hard to beleive that he would shower, they all seemed to be under the impression that he would rust. But his metal was on the inside, and would not rust, even if he wanted it to. So showers were necessary to keep him from smelling.

When he finished, he walked back out into the room, changing into the only other clothing he had, which was a pair of jeans and a t-shirt he had managed to grab and stuff in a bag as he had run away from the last place they had been. Sixty-five was nowhere to be found, and One could only imagine that he had gone downstairs to either eat, or explore a little more.

One crept out into the hall. The other AI's were still asleep and One could only imagine that Kylie was too. He walked slowly down the stairs in bare feet, looking around for Sixty-five. He didn't see the younger AI first off, but instead was getting a better look at Kylie's house in the daylight, and with rested eyeballs. It was a nice house, though he didn't want to explore too much without her permission.

"Sixty-five?" he whispered, looking around. "Don't touch anything."

[Kylie Alexander]

Alexander yawned, dishelved from her horrible nights rest. She had a nightmare about being killed and when she woke up she had a horrible stomach pain, she figured it was from hunger so she figured she could go try to find something to eat before the others woke up, however she hadn't planned on having them roaming around her house at 10 that morning after such a late night.

Sadly, she was mistaken, and literally almost screamed at the sight of Number One. She had forgotten almost what it was like to have someone in her home. She sighed out lowly and held her hand on her chest and walked towards him.

"Morning." She whispered lowly, not wanting to give him a start as well since his back was turned towards her. "Who are you whispering for? Someone lost?" She raised and eyebrow. That would be entertaining for the morning. A game of hide and seek, find the robot! She smiled lightly and opened the fridge. Why wasn't she more alarmed than this? Why was she so calm? Normally a stranger in her home would cause her great distress, but she figured it had to do with the fact that her stress levels were so high that it was numbing to her.

[Number One]

One did jump a little when she spoke to him. He turned and smiled at her, straightening and shrugging a little.

"Sixty-five got up before me and I think he came down here to explore. I'm sure he's around here somewhere..." he said, watching interestedly as she dug through the fridge. He looked behind him again, hearing something. He saw Sixty-five sitting in one of her couches, amusing himself with the softness of it. One couldn't help but smile. Sixty-five had never been in a human's home before. One had just barely gotten him out of the warehouse to keep him from being murdered. One turned back to Kylie.

"Told you," he said, nodding back to his friend. He cocked his head a little. "Would you like for me to make tea or coffee? Something?" he offered, wanting to be as helpful as he could.

[Kylie Alexander]

Kylie looked over at him and then found the other AI scooting around with a smile on his face. That, she processed, was the most odd thing she had ever seen in her life. She smiled and looked back at Number One.

"Sure." She responded pleasantly as if these two had known each other their whole lives. She bit her lower lip and looked back at the food she had. "Do you all, eat?" She frowned and glanced back at him and then smiled.

"You know, you really need to have another name. Number One just sounds so...mechanical, no offense!" She laughed lightly. He was easy to get along with and easy on the eyes. She was glad he hadn't killed her in her sleep and she was sure he was thinking the same thing.

[Number One]

One grinned at her, and began about making some coffee. He was very good at directions, and could find his way around any new place very easily. He glanced over at her and nodded emphatically.

"Yes, we eat. Quite a lot, in my case," he said, laughing a little. "Sixty-five won't eat much, he's a little bit of an older model and doesn't need too much. The other's may or may not...depending on how they feel this morning..." he said, pouring the coffee into the maker and closing the top, beginning to set it. After a moment, he finished and looked over at her, a questioning expression on his face.

"Oh?" he said, thinking about it a moment. "Number One...I suppose it would sound a litte strange to humans. Paul never gave me a name, he told me it would be risky to call me by a name in public, people might question his dedication to making us safe..." he said. "I wasn't supposed to feel anything at that time. But I did. He activated my emotion chip early, and then deactivated it right before the raid on the I.D.C. headquarters..." he explained. Then he laughed a little.

"Not that you care..." he said, grinning. "But I wouldn't know what else to call myself."

[Kylie Alexander]

Kylie stopped playing in the fridge to lean on the island in the middle of the kitchen and just talk and watch Number One. He was very interesting, simply because of the fact that he was not real. Well, he was real, but not in the flesh and blood sense. It was quite amazing and he was very unique.

"I love food." She said with a laugh. "But anyway, yes, Number One is very different. It doesn't really flow off my tongue that well." She laughed lightly and grabbed a banana out of her fruit bowl and began to peel it, taking a bite before glancing up at him with slit eyes.

"I wouldn't know what else to call you. You look asian, something asian would be in order..." She laughed lightly after a moment and sighed out. "Listen I am trying to give you a new name!" She rolled her eyes and looked back at her fridge, not opening it just staring at it as if this were David and Goliath.

[Number One]

One smiled a little and watched her eat the banana. He looked down at the floor. He didn't really know that much about names. He was privy to almost every other bit of useless knowledge, but the knowledge of names and why they were chosen was not hardwired into him. Most AI's never had names except for their numbers.

He looked back up at her, and then stepped over to the island, picking up and apple out of the same fruit bowl. He took a moment to wash it, before biting into it and chewing thoughtfully.

"Well..." he said, looking up at the cieling. He glanced over as Sixty-five finally wandered over to where they were. He moved behind the island to stand next to One, who offered him the apple. He took it with a smile and began to eat at it, watching Kylie inquistively, as if he were trying to judge what she was thinking just by looking at her.

"Tell you the truth, I don't know anything about names..." he said, shrugging a little. "I've never really understood the concept of naming someone. It isn't really unique. After all, there will always be a hundred other people with the same name."

[Kylie Alexander]

Kylie laughed lightly. Why was he so cute all of a sudden? Like innocent and just precious as could be? She wasn't wanting to dwell on it for too long for she just might like it. She shrugged and leaned on the island again and looked at the two AI's who looked so perfect. It was ridiculous. Suddenly she had AI envy! A smile formed and she shook her head.

"Names are our identity, as your number is yours. Except names have hidden meanings. Some names can mean certain things, like a pearl, or a flower, or love. It is just interesting to name someone. It is an extension of themselves, their identity." She sighed.

"Your name would have to be somethign sweet, yet powerful. You seem like a born leader, a good man, strong, smart..." She slit her eyes and studied him and grinned.

"I'd name you if I had one to give." She smiled. Yeah. He was too precious for his own good. And it made her sick to actually think it.

[Number One]

One couldn't help but grin. He looked down at Sixty-five who didn't know what kind of a conversation they were having and he clicked at him a little to explain, trying to keep the computer language down to a minimum, considering to a human being it would probably sound a little more like an alien than not. After he explained to his friend, he looked back up at her.

"Well...if you think of one, I'd like to know it!" he said, a little more excitedly than he meant to. "I always did covet real people with real names. Like my maker, Paul Simmons. I always thought his name suited him. And your name suits you too," he said, smiling. "Even though I couldn't tell you why."

One glanced down at Sixty-five who was still munching on his apple. One put a hand on his head and mussed his still slightly damp hair. One looked back up at Kylie.

"I hope you don't mind we used up some of your water to shower in..." he said, tapping Sixty-five's head to indicate he had too. "We were in desperate need of cleanliness..."

[Kylie Alexander]

Kylie laughed. It would have to be unique and one of a kind, simply because he deserved a name that nobody would have or want to have. She definitely figured she could amuse herself in the shower with trying to think of a silly name to give him.

"Not at all!" She replied with a grin. She was awfully smiley this morning! She figured it was because of her new friends, lord knew she needed a new pair! "I am going to do that myself, actually." She tossed the peel away as she swallowed the rest of her banana.

"If anyone comes to the door or anything, don't say anything. Hide if you must. Or come get me." She nodded and smiled before turning to head to the shower. She hoped all would go well until their departure, whenever that was to be. Hopefully not sometime soon and not sometime too far off. They had to be careful, espcially now that it was being a top priority in Mallepa to find these bots and destroy them.

[Number One]

One nodded at her and watched as she went back and disappeared around the corner to head back to her room and the shower. He sighed and decided she wouldn't mind if he scavanged a little for food. He instructed Sixty-five to go sit on the couch and turn the TV on, but to keep it low, while he made himself something to eat.

He had always cooked for his maker, so he was very good at it, and it didn't take him long to make himself something easy--bacon and eggs--and get a cup of coffee to drink. He moved in to sit with Sixty-five who was watching the News.

As soon as One sat down and looked at the television, his stomach fluttered a little. Grabbing the remote, he turned it up a little. His picture was on the screen, as big as life, on the local news. His brow furrowed.

"This A.H.S.E., code four, seven, nine, eighteen, three, disappeared from I.D.C. headquarters three weeks ago. Property of I.D.C. president, and inventor of the A.H.S.E., Paul Simmons, and more commonly known as Number One, it is vital that this AI is apprehended and brought into custody. This AI should be considered armed and dangerous, and should not be approached. If you see this AI, you should call the C.F.F. of your area immediately. Be sure to stay inside if you see it, and if it invades your home, do not deny it access. Allow it to take what it wants, and allow it to leave as quickly as possible for your own safety. In other news..."

One watched in disbelief. He couldn't believe they were casting him in such a viscious light, like he was a criminal. He shook his head, looking down at his food for a long time. Why did no one understand? It was like trying to convince a brick that he wasn't evil. It was impossible. He didn't understand the hatred for his kind. One felt Sixty-five put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and One shook his head.

"I'm not an 'it'..." he said forlornly. "I'm real..."

[Kylie Alexander]

Kylie had been thinking long and hard in the shower, her mind curling around the idea of how she came to find him trustworthy and was actually empathetic towards his new situation. What was the world coming to these days? Honestly? Nobody cared much for human life let alone robotic life. Mallepa was so dangerous and it was almsot a shame that humans were taking their hatred out on a dying breed of artificials when in reality they should have been killing themselves, from what she saw Number One was more caring and generous than most humans and it was very damaging to how she felt about the C.F.F and her choice line of work.

Kylie liked Number One and felt that she at least owed it to him and his friends to show him that there was still hope. She sighed out as she walked out of the bathroom, her silk robe tied tightly around her waist, a towel draped around her shoulders rubbing her hair dry. The phone at her bedside rang and brought her out of her new line of thinking: Number One's designated name! It was a task she was finding very entertaining.

She walked over to the table where her small white phone sat in its charging base. She picked it up and put it to her ear.

"This is Kylie." She stated in her formal line she always used.

"Hey! It's me, Wes." The grin on her face slid. It was her overbearing partner at work who seemed to always call at the wrong times.

"Wes, what can I do for you?" She wanted to keep this short in case Number One or any of the AI's came to ask her something. To have someone heard in the background would cause Wes to pry and he'd definitely end up dropping by to check things out.

"Well, I don't know if you have been updated on the new situation." Kylie frowned, waiting for a response, but it was Wes he always wanted someone to initiate the conversation considering he loved to talk. She continued to rub her head.

"No, I am afraid not, Wes. Why don't you tell me." She could hear him smiling through the phone.

"We have a lead on a group of robots heading out into the country, at least we suspect. The leader of the pack is being broadcast all on television." Kylie's heart almost stopped. She looked around the room and searched for her remote. When she found it she almost dived at it and quickly turned it on the news, seeing Number One's face. Her jaw dropped and she almost wanted to make a sound, but realized the enemy was on the phone with her.

"I see. Well, I haven't spotted any. If I do-"

"I think I should come on over and investigate. I mean, I don't want him harming you or anything." Oh she knew he'd love to come on over and stay a while! She frowned.

"No, Wes, no. I am fine really. Look I have a lot to do today. I'll call you later. Bye!" She hung up quickly and tossed the phone on the bed. This wasn't good. Who spotted them? How long ago? She felt nervous, all good feelings were gone. Wesley would most definitely be popping in sometime soon. She needed to dress and warn the others.