The Girl and Her Machine

Chapter 7- Zero

It was a strange feeling that passed over Dani. A look of awe yet concern cascaded over her as if water from a bucket dumped all its contents on top of her. 
All the zeros, and he was the first. He was the first? The first of what though? He knew the word ally but not friend? 
    “ Is your name Zero?” She questioned, he shrugged and nodded side to side. He was picking up her language at an alarming rate. She thought of how she could try to continue this conversation, but past what she had already done she wasn’t very good with charades. However, Raelle was, but, she was sure of it, that Raelle wouldn’t have pleasant feelings about this whole scenario. He could be dangerous. The very presence of him being here was dangerous. He was part of the group that  burned Raelles and Jameson’s home down, so why on Rhea would she ever want to help?
    “ Curious,” Dani muttered to herself as Charlie hovered. One’s eyebrows arched together as he poked his head out further in deep investigation of Charlie. He held up his hand, the palm facing up relaxed and open. Charlie took a seat. Dani sighed, “ This is Charlie. Charlie this is Zero,” 
    The young man shook his head once more, his rough hand plunging through his hair, his thick lips in a thin line as if he was attempting to make sense of it all. Charlie's owl eyes flitted between the two of them, the lenses focusing then relaxing as he was processing something though she wasn’t sure what. “ Dani I don’t believe his name is Zero I believe that was his assignment.” 
    “ An assignment? How can someone be assigned zero, Charlie, how are you communicating with him?” 
    “ He was the origin. Not just Zero. Zero doesn’t have any meaning to him. And through Binary Dani, it’s a simple yes or no, and the rest of the information is coded. It makes sense to him.” Dani clenched her jaw, not appreciating the both of them talking in secrecy, and in a pitch she didn’t recognize or even hear in her human ears. Though her head started to pound and she grunted her hand going to her forehead. The back of her head started to stir, she didn’t like it. All of a sudden the late nights and the lack of fresh air, with the dizzying amount of newcomers and more then stressful situations came crashing down on her. She felt sick, sick to her stomach. She clenched her hands trying to focus on her breath leaning against the side wall. “ Charlie, fetch a maid to bring some ginger.” She said weakly. Zero’s reactions, albeit not recognized by the pailing Dani who struggled with her weakened state, were very unexpected.
    Zero spoke to Charlie, in their code, wondering at her quandary. 
“Charlie, what is wrong with Dani?” the gears clicking, “ She doesn’t look the same as a few moments before, is something the matter?” His bright blue eyes studied her, he reached out as if he had known her for years. She clung to her head, which started to spin. 
    “ She’s nauseated, something that is common for an illness but its not good.”
Charlie chirped trying to get Dani’s attention whom grumbled and covered her face. She staggered up, leaning against the wall, she needed a bathroom but just where would one be in that large manor? It was hers, but she still got lost in it, it was easy to do.
    Zero got up with cautious hands in the air, he was well aware of how much she had helped him when he was offline. Very aware. 
    He gripped onto her side and raised her arm around his shoulders, with a quick glance to Charlie, the little robot owl led the way to the kitchen, knowing that both of her necessities were there. A bathroom closeby and something soothing to nibble on. 
    Her feet scuffled across the floor at impressively slow speeds, she would groan, make mumbling and nasty sounds as Charlie would describe it, then stop, gathering her breath, only to start the whole horrible process over again. 
    “ Just how large is this place,” Zero growled in his native tongue, something that wasn’t binary, and something that sounded rather human. There weren’t many consonants, but if there were they were hard sounding, though every vowel was soft. It was an odd mixture of language, but not so foreign that it to the untrained ear could be mistaken for earth’s.
    They made it down, treacherously slow to the foyer room, where Jack and :Jameson were having an easy chat, Raelle was working with the maids in placing platters of delicious food on the table for the other guests that were there. Their rescues. 
    Zero clenched his jaw passing by the group as Charlie led, continuing to speak in binary about who these people were in reference to Dani. Just as Charlie had introduced the group, Jameson, who was facing towards the staircase, turned to see Dani’s sick figure grasping onto a stranger for support. 
    “ Dani! What happened?” Jameson shouted, nearly dropping his glass of choice drink, “ What is it James?” Jack jumbled startled by his outburst. Jack quickly turned around to view the sad scene of his sister, as they stepped down towards them. Charlie tittered and spoke for Zero, keeping his identity secret. Charlie was never one to hide the truth, it wasn’t in his programming; but he recognized  this needed to be done. 
    “ Oh Jack! James! Good to see you both in proper health, unfortunately here Dani wasn’t so lucky. She swiped a purchased snack from the markets while out and unfortunately it hasn’t gone too well for her as you can see.” Charlie jeered, his posh accent coming into play. Jack nodded as James’s face faltered from the story. Charlie knew that he had skills to be a human lie detector, something Jack found very useful and would be put to use in his new position. But could he tell when a robot was lying? Would it be obvious to him, or unreadable? 
    Jack sighed, “ Ah well it seems so, is she alright? Who's this newcomer here?” He pointed to Zero, who froze, his breath caught in his throat. Zero opened his mouth but Charlie intervened.  “This is another rescue, his name is Haden. I’m afraid he’s mute for the time being because of the atrocities of war. Poor fellow Dani found him all alone, about to die. She brought him in when he was unconscious.” 
    Zero jumped by his real name being used, but nodded his lips pressing together in a thin line. Charlie paused, all of that was true, maybe he was better at this lying thing than he thought. 
    Jack wrapped his arm around Haden who attempted to step away from his grasp. “ Ah Haden welcome to the Leathersby residence. Grateful you’re here taking care of my sister after she took care of you. May you find sanctuary here and once you’re settled in we will put you to work.”  
    Haden went wide eyed a bit, his breathing catching up to him finally and nodded once more quickly, not understanding but feeling that it was the best thing to do in this situation. Jack let go, sensing the poor guy’s uncomfortability and realizing that again, his sister was in great need of respite, he ushered the both of them towards the maids for them to tend to the problem. James watched as Haden went, supporting a struggling Dani. He couldn’t help but to squint, his teeth clenched at a distant thought of something, a sense of dread coming over him. He wasn’t sure why but he definitely didn’t like this Haden fellow. “ I didn’t remember Dani talking about Haden in any of her letters that she sent to the coal mines,” He grumbled, Jack punched his arm and chuckled,  “ Well Dani doesn’t need to keep you updated she’s supposed to come to me first,” he sighed with a sly happy smile. “ She always had a soft spot for rescues though, always wanting to help. Why, are you feeling a bit green yourself my old friend? I told her she needed to start becoming a lady and attract some proper attention for future courtships.” 
James’s face grew a brilliant red his voice stuttering as he argued with Jack who chortled about, “ No-no! Not like that James! Isn’t Dani a little young for that?” 
Jack raised his eyebrows, “ Well James you might be the last to know but, she’s coming of age to date in a few days, and next year serious courtships will be considered. She’s not far off.” James nodded, something toiling inside of him. 
    “Alright, Alright. I see your point, she’s a budding young woman.” James sighed placing his hand on his face. It wasn’t like he noticed though, still treating her the same even though she’s grown up. “ She looks,” he whispered looking off to the doorway where the both of them disappeared. “ She looks beautiful.”
    Jack nodded,  “ She does, just like my Mums photos when she first met Dad.” He sighed, “ Ah, they would be proud.”James patted Jack’s back, his tone more somber, “ Somewhere inside. I know they are. Not to worry my friend. Not to worry.” 
    **********************************************************

The maids hovered around Dani’s groaning body as Haden placed her on the table and stepped aside. He crossed his arms, he wasn’t sure on how to help in this situation or even if he should. For years he remembered back in the Tower all the reports of Earth’s militia coming in and protesting, or rebelling against them. It was a secret and gratifying relief to know that the mayor had just a few years ago surrendered the township to them. They were very much in a tense peace pact. But one the Rooks determined to keep, a term that the locals had given those of the Tower residents off of the ancient game chess. It was one of the components in particular that held great strategy and power. Something that Haden had found appealing. 
    It was then someone suddenly grabbed him by the ear, a rather odd form of torture one would belive. He had never experienced something of the sort before. “ You’re coming with me,” Raelle whispered into his ear, though he couldn’t make a lick of sense of it. Though with a quick look to who the speaker was, a young woman only two inches shorter than him but held such ferocity in her gaze, he judged it better for him to go. 
    Charlie, preoccupied with Dani’s well-being, broke his concentration realizing that Haden was no longer there. A robot, he knew had his duty to be with his mistress, but it was important that nothing drastic would come to this Haden fellow, he had grown to appreciate his company as a fellow robot that was much more complicated than a series of commands in programming designed to do simple tasks. 
    He excused himself from the maids, though they paid him no heed as they worked cooling her body and feeding her a tea made of ginger and lavender to soothe her mind and belly, it was an odd mixture but with honey it worked well enough. 
    He was able to whizz by quickly, being able to hover above their heads and at times when needed push through their large skirts to make headway into the private maids quarters where Raelle had Haden pinned against the wall by the collar. 
   
Her face flushed and furious by his presence, Charlie quickly intervened flying in front of her view, “ Charlie! I don’t have time for your games right now!”  She hissed attempting to swat him away like a simple fly. Rude. 
“ Raelle, he doesn’t understand you. The only common language he knows is binary, and whatever threat and worry about him you have is false.” His voice stern, the little owl’s eyes narrowed as he glared at Raelle. “ Your impulsiveness won’t do you any good. Let him go.” 
Raelle mumbled, “ But, but it seemed to me that...he nodded,” Her voice faded as she turned to Haden, who had nodded once again, biding his time till he was fully out of her fury. “ You can’t understand me?” Haden took a moment, pretending like he was thinking about it, yet nodded. Charlie noted to himself, this odd duck had humor. What a quack. 
Raelle huffed and then crossed her arms. She stamped her heel against the floor in utter disbelief. “ And you were just going along with it weren’t you! Ooof! You!” She growled and Haden pined backwards holding up his hands as if attempting to ease her frustration. “ This is ridiculous! Ridiculous! And to think you’re well mannered of all creatures of course a Rook!” He jumped at that lightly pressing his hands over her mouth, Raelle startled, shut up from the interaction. “ Haden is right, we shouldn’t talk about him or what he is here. At least not in public it isn’t safe. He’s not sure what you’re saying but he can get the gist from the simple words, and the commonly used term ‘Rook’ “ Raelle sheepishly folded into herself her atmosphere becoming less prickly, her body deflating. 
“ I suppose you’re right but wouldn’t you think he is the greater danger?” Raelle said with a side glare to Haden who had recoiled himself, finding the space comfortable enough to stand fully and upright. He dusted himself off, in a shirt and slacks that were much too small for him. Plaid pants with suspenders and a white button up blouse. Amused, Raelle smirked, “ Charlie, where did Haden find these clothes?”