Highstrung Robot

Chapter Six: A Broken Robot

"Son of a bitch." Angrily picking up his cup of coffee and taking a large gulp, he pushed back from the desk, spinning his chair around so that he was facing away from the incessant bright glow of the screen, counting down the hours until the, so far, inevitable end of the total 48 hours.

Jake hadn't gotten any sleep that night, whatsoever since he was dead set on stopping this before worrying about his health, or anything else as insignificant as that. He turned back around setting his empty cup down next to the computer, his face emotionless and hard, the screens highlighting his worsening eye bags and dark circles.

Addie had stretched out in her sleep, reaching out for something that wasn't there. She instantly woke up to only the feeling of her sheets, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. She got up and shuffled out of the room, opening the door to the control room and seeing Jake faced towards the computer screen. "Hi..." She said, standing by the entry way.

He didn't respond to her, not noticing her presence. He was still looking at the monitor, lost in thought and irritated at his failed attempts from the night. The time was now 32:38:55, still counting down since he hadn't found a way to stop it., his fingers tapping the desk surface roughly.

"Jake...?" She walked closer to him, putting a hand on his back. She peered at him, trying to get a better glimpse of his face.

"What?" He asked with an edge, not processing who it was correctly. He kept looking at the computer, not quite paying attention to the actual screen though and more of looking through it, his mind working rapidly trying to think of anything he hadn't done yet.

"Are you alright?" She asked, her voice still calm and gentle.

"Yes, I'm fine." He said dismissively, rolling his shoulders so her hand fell off of his back. He went to type, his fingers hovering above the keys for a couple of seconds before sighing angrily and leaning back in his chair. He ran a hand down his face and letting it drop into his lap, drumming his fingers against his thigh.

She stood there silently, keeping her hands by her sides. She watched over him, concern and worry written all over her face.

Jake suddenly stood up, annoyed by her staring. He walked out of the room and into the kitchen, pouring another cup of coffee for himself. He was slightly confused as to why he got so worked up over her being there, but pushed the thoughts down, deciding there were more important matters to think about at the moment.

She walked out of the room as well, rolling her eyes at his sudden change of attitude. She walked to her office, taking her laptop with her to leave him alone.

"Doubt. Here!" He called, walking back into the control room and sitting down with his coffee in hand. He hadn't seen the cat much over the last couple of days, a bit worried that the tense and hostile environment was bothering him. The cat came trotting into the room, jumping into his lap and purring loudly, seeming normal. Jake set his cup down, cuddling the cat into his arms and staring at the computers again, his mind going back to focus on work.

Addie stayed in her office, playing on her...laptop. "THAT'S IT!" She exclaimed, practically jumping out of her chair and bounding into Jake's office. "Jake, they didn't get to my computer!" She showed him the normal screen. "I'm sure you could use this, right?"

He turned to look at her, shock obvious on his face. "I could try. It may not work, but it's worth a shot." He put the cat back in his lap and took the laptop out of Addie's hands, putting it in front of him. He started to pull things up, typing fast and steady.

She stayed by the door, anxiously waiting for something to happen with the timer. She began to rapidly tap her fingers on her thigh, staring at the gigantic screen with anticipation.