Learning to Live

Chapter 2: Emotions

Emotions

I spent the hour and a half that Stiletto was gone programming my newfound information into my own systems.  I had no true idea on how deep these new ‘emotions’ would take root in my processor, but if human emotions were anything to go by, my day to day life would never be the same.  At first it was subtle changes in my systems, but as I adjusted my systems further, major things started to happen that I had not foreseen.  My power core started to flux in output depending on what emotion I was in, my processor would narrow to certain thought patters if I got stuck in one too long, and all the while the rest of my body was undergoing changes that were too numerous to count.

I barely noticed when Stiletto walked back in, her armor shining and smooth from her trip to the repair unit, though when she saw me sitting in the corner and leaning against the wall she immediately ran to my side, What is wrong Stratagem?  Are you malfunctioning?  Her scanner blazed across my body as she checked me over.  Your internal systems are going haywire.  You need to be seen by a mechanic right now.

I bared my teeth and forced my systems to calm down, my power core falling to normal levels and my processor clearing its cluttered data streams, I’m fine Stiletto.  I pushed myself to my paws, Just give me a minute.  I tried something new and it took me by surprise.

She tilted her head slightly, What did you try?

I looked over at her and realized that telling her the truth could get us into trouble.  There was probably a reason that we had not been programmed with emotions to begin with, so it would be best to keep that information classified, I wanted to see if I could boost my power output to make my strength and speed increase.

She nodded, I see, best to leave the experiments to the mechanics and techs.  Come, we just got assigned a new mission.  We’re heading to India.

I nodded and followed her out the door, my new emotion indicator in my vision relay saying I was calm.  We ran out of the base and boarded a C-130, once again bound for places far from home.  My emotion indicator fluctuated from nervous to determined and back again so many times I had to ignore it to stop my processor from overloading.  Stiletto and I powered down and waited to arrive at our destination, though I wasn’t able to fully power down due to my new programming being still active.  I had read about the terms humans used to define their power-down times, or sleep, and I would say without a doubt that mine was fitful at best.

We touched down nineteen hours later and immediately came under enemy fire.  The pilot ordered all personnel to evacuate and we raced out of the plane just as an RPG crashed into the opposite side.  The fuel tanks caught fire and a massive explosion rocked the airstrip, knocking Stiletto and I off of our paws and the soldiers to their knees.

I looked at Stiletto, my emotion reading as worry, Are you alright?

She shook her head a little and stood up, Just a bit rattled.  Let’s get moving before the shooter decides to use us for target practice.

I nodded, Head for the jungle to the North, I’ll stay here to help the wounded.

She looked at me with an expression that bordered on true confusion, Why?  They knew the risks and the medic teams are already on the way.  We have a mission to complete and nothing comes before the mission.