His Synthetic Pulse

Chapter Four

Things ran smoothly for the next 3.4 weeks, check ups and data transfers coming and going normally. Though every time I past that one, unlit hallway, I was pulled into it and interrogated by Vriska. I came to welcome the ignorant darkness and looming shadows of the stretch of linoleum, only lit by Vriska's wide, knowledgeable, cerulean eyes. She told me all sorts of things about the world and the scientist, all while avoiding subjects of it's current state. She seemed to be leading up to something. Or waiting for me to ask. I just listened though. Vriska seemed fine to blabber on and leave me to listen.

The other thing was the tremors. At least twice a day, a quake would rock the Cellar to bits. Occasionally, a light would flicker or a tile would be chipped. I never saw an imperfection more than once though. Vriska and my scientist remained ignorant though, claiming them to be some sort of earthquake from above. I didn't take it though. Something was off.

"Hey," I spoke off, cutting off short when I realized I couldn't call a name with it. My scientist looked up from his computer, an eyebrow raised and camouflaged into his loose hair. That was something new also; My scientist came in everyday looking more raggedy and unkempt than the day before. I knew it was his brother, but he feigned ignorance. 

"What's your name?" I asked slowly, immediately regretting the question as my scientist's face hardened. I clutched the edge of the metal table, swinging my legs eagerly. 

My scientist rolled back in his chair, resting his knuckles on his knees. I noticed they were white and wrinkly. "Why do you want to know?"

I took a breath. I didn't need to, but hey, it happened in movies. "Why don't I have a name?" I ignored my scientist's question. I needed to receive answers, not give them. I looked at my scientist in where I thought his eyes were behind his glasses. His face remained unchanged but his knuckles were void of any of it's normal pale color. I swallowed.

"Why would you need one?"

Because I was supposed to be human. I was supposed to be like him. What human didn't have a name? He just thought I was another robot. Vriska was right. I shouldn't trust him. I shouldn't.

"Look at me."

I resisted the urge to look up. I wouldn't listen to him. Not anymore. If I was supposed to be human, why not act like one? Humans don't take orders.

There was silence. Long, awkward and tense. I was so nervous. I said the wrong thing. He was going to dismantle me and make me into someone else. I'd never see Vriska again. 

"Dirk."

I looked up. My scientist looked even more disheveled then before. He sighed loudly and turned back to his computer. "My name is Dirk." He then muttered something incoherent but I didn't dare ask what. I remained silent, watching his white fingers type quickly and urgently on your keyboard. 

I opened my mouth again, drew a second breath and spoke. "What's my name?"

Dirk stopped. It was tense again. I bit my lip hard, welcoming the jolt of pain from the sensors in my bottom lip. He opened his mouth, as if to speak, but remained silent. I waited patiently.

"Where's this coming from? What's going on?" Dirk sounded quiet. Not his normal, loud, proud self who always seemed confident and wellspoken. I felt as though I should ask the same question. I almost felt bad for how bad he looked. His mouth had planted itself back into it's normal straight line. He was waiting for an answer now.

I was tempted. To tell him about Vriska. So I did. Dirk listened, but I could tell he was growing angry. He had told me to lay low and I had threw his orders aside. I kept talking, but I suddenly felt small and trapped in the room. I didn't like it. After I was finished, Dirk looked down, pushing his hair back and off his forehead. It just fell back and into his eyes.

"I don't want you associating with her anymore, okay?" His jaw hardened, and he turned back in his seat and towards his computer, unable to look me in the eye.

I jumped from my seat. "What? No!" I almost yelled, pulling at Dirk's shoulders to look at me. This was the only other person-robot I could talk to except him. "You can't do that!"

Dirk just simply shook his head. He patted at my shoulder and smiled weakly. "Please, for your own sake." 

I just glared at him, pulling his arm off my shoulder. Thank god it was nearly eight thirty, or me pushing the door open and striding quickly out of his office would have been highly out of place. We both knew that I wouldn't listen.

I was technically human, after all. 

An Unusual Understanding - Chapter 4

I welcomed the cold arm that pulled me into the hallway. I embraced the darkness, eager to talk with Vriska. She smiled broadly and slyly at me and I smiled back. She was just like me. Dirk didn't care for me the same way she did.

"Hey, 413." She greeted me normally, as if this was a normal thing on a normal day and we were normal humans. I waved and leaned against the wall. "You learned your scientist's name?"

That was another thing about Vriska. She could read minds. All robots could read emotions, that was standard programming, but Vriska could read exactly what you were thinking and feeling. It was a lot of pressure not to think anything that would get her angry, but I got by. 

"Yeah," I said, hoping the crack in my voice wasn't obvious. Vriska just grinned again, her tongue darting across her blue lips. She motioned her finger downwards and I slid against the wall until I was sitting, Vriska shortly following. 

She shook her head half heartedly, her teeth still showing from her lips. "'Told you not to trust him. Just 'cos you learned his name, you can tell him your whole life secrets." Her fingers were playing with the dust on the floor, but her eyes were staring into mine, the LED light glaring and unquitting. "Dirk is a cool name, though."

I let a smile play through, but it slowly softened. I cleared my throat. "I dunno'. I've known him my whole existence." My voice was as quiet as I could manage. "It's hard to just not trust him." I felt so comfortable with Vriska. 

"Well, obviously. But it's just not safe. Equius has told me about up there." Vriska spoke, her voice louder than mine. She pointed up towards the ceiling. I followed her eyes and then returned to her face. I wanted to know more. Was she finally going to tell me more than the normal stuff? But Vriska's eyes shifted and she left my gaze.

I sighed loud enough for her to hear, and pulled my knees to my chest. "Can you tell me out Equius, at least?" Vriska's smile returned, nodding eagerly. She moved to sit next to me on the wall. She then began to talk.

I've seen Equius, or Vriska's scientist, plenty of times, opening the door for her to walk out of his office or carrying clipboards and boxes down a hallway as I walked by. He was scary. He was big and burly, big, tan arms bulging. His hair was raven black, hanging loose and stringy down at his shoulders. His eyes were hidden by tinted glasses, which had a long, spiderweb crack along the lens. Vriska confessed meekly it was her fault. Equius was always sweating also. Sometimes his hair was a little damp and his shirt was stained, but others, his forehead was beaded with visible sweat and he was holding a towel to his forehead. It was at this point Vriska told me there was always a supply of fresh towels in his room. I managed a laugh.

Vriska said Equius was different though. Alike Dirk, he figured how to create a different chip that gave her a mind, or a soul, as Equius wished to call it. He, unlike Dirk, had named the chip. Scorpio, after the month he created it or something. He was very skilled in making robots and prosthetics. In fact, Vriska boasted that he had made her arm after the original had blown up in a malfunction in her manufacturing.  

He was also different personality-wise. Vriska said he was nothing like he looked. Easy to fluster and quick to change things she didn't like. He was always underestimating his strength and smashing clipboards or snapping a scalpel or wrench in half. He constantly needed replacements. 

Eventually, we realized it was nearing eight fifty, and rushed to get up and get to the Dorm. With a quick goodbye and final smile, I found myself having to concentrate on my steps. Eventually I made it back and prepared to lay down.

Only this time I noticed something.

Experiment 412 was gone.