His Synthetic Pulse

Chapter Five

Shit's about to hit the fan :o

I remember this day like it was yesterday. Well really, every day feels like yesterday since I could recall any moment in time through the chip in my ear. But today was important. Today was special. I'm not too sure if I'm glad that today happened. 

My chip flicked on in the morning and I rose robotically, normally. Stifling a sigh or the ache to stretch my joints, I began my daily regimen like I normally would. My eyes barely graced over where 412 once was, his metal table empty and lonesome. I have no idea where he went. He might have malfunctioned or something, meaning the scientists would have to take him a part. My body racked with a mechanical shudder at the thought.

I hesitantly made my way down to Dirk's office, contemplating skipping and going to find Vriska. There's no way I wouldn't get caught, obviously. But a robot can dream, can't he? Well technically I don't dream, so that metaphor doesn't work for me exactly.

I entered slowly, the door squeaking and alerting my scientist of my arrival. I had expected him to be distraught as he's been for several weeks, but now it was different.

His hair was completely flat, instead of it's normal stiff and pointy up-do, worry lines creased his face like a bent sheet of paper and his glasses, still dangerously hanging from his face, had one large crack running from the top to bottom. My hard drive worked diligently to sense his emotions, only to end with an error. He was completely unreadable, staring at me blankly. My mouth hung open.

"Hey." Dirk deadpanned, eyes hidden behind his cracked glasses. 

"You're glasses are broken." I whispered sheepishly, attempting to step back out of the door frame. Dirk rose from his chair and flash stepped towards me before I could, slamming the door shut faster than my sensors could pick him up. I gasped loudly, his long, white arms on both sides of me, caging me in. "D-dirk!" I almost yelped, trying to gain my angered scientist's attention.

"You ignored me." His accent resembled poison, dripping from his tongue and intoxicating me in regret. "You went to see her." 

My mouth was still open, trying to form words caught in my artificial throat. "How do you know?" My voice was distraught, it's normal vocal setting mixed with mechanical whirring. Was it always like that? 

"That scientist-Equius or whatever- is with them, kid." Dirk spoke slowly, ignoring my shaky question. 

"Who are they?" 

"Everyone controlling this place, kid." Dirk sighed, softening his voice slightly, his arms retracting back to his sides. "The other scientists. She's a spy, probably." 

"You don't know that! I've been talking to her forever! Don't you think something would've happened?" 

"Kid-" 

"Stop calling me kid! If I have a name use it!" I spit, stopping Dirk from finishing his sentence. He stepped back, surprising me. Pulling his hair off his forehead and removing his glasses, Dirk sighed again. His eyes were just as frazzled as the rest of him, hard as fiery orange steel.

"Something is going to happen. Soon."

"When is soon? Wouldn't we have heard something if you're so sure?"

"Those tremors! Are you not paying attention? It isn't all peaches and cream up there." Once, again Dirk pointed to the ceiling, the universal code for the surface. Where normal humans lived. Where Dirk lived. His voice had become cold and hard, anger boiling in his strong accent. "They have my fucking brother!" 

I froze, staring at Dirk. He glared back, intensity lining his jaw. "Your brother?" I whispered, desperately trying to calm my scientist. It was too late though. He was already broken.

"So what if he was 'showing signs of aggressiveness' or a 'possible revolutionary'! He was my fucking brother and I'm so fucking worried!" Dirk gasped. I noted the tears streaming steadily from his face. I did nothing, staring, my back pressed flat against the door.

Dirk cried, gasping for air for several minutes. He was always cool. Emotionless and stoic, save for a skeptic smirk thrown my way when I would attempt to make a joke, or spit some sort of fact from my internal hard drive. But here he was, Dirk, my scientist sobbing at my feet. And I couldn't help him. 

An Unusual Understanding - Chapter Five

==>

He rose finally, wordless. "We should run your tests." He spoke plainly, sitting again at his wheeled chair. I sat on my table, laying back soundlessly. 

"I'm sorry, Dirk." I whispered, before my circuits were shorted and my crystal shut off.

An Unusual Understanding - Chapter Five

==>

I woke up as I normally did from the tests, my circuits running a bit slower and my eyes not as sharp. Only, I knew something was wrong. The air was thick and not as easy to breath. The whirring of my scientist's computer was non-existent.

Neither was his steady breathing.

A tremor had rocked us in my electrical sleep. Dirk lay motionless on his desk, covered by metric tons of brick and rubble.

"Dirk!" I screamed. He wasn't breathing, his face covered by his arms. I raced to remove loose cords, jumping off the table and struggling to remove him from the mound of foundation. 

I gasped, my limbs numb. Stupid sensors. Stupid sensors sensing my emotions and making me nervous. Why couldn't I be a mindless robot like in the media Vriska showed me? 

Finally, I removed my scientist's limp body from the pile and dragged him onto the floor. My databases were filled with information, filling my brain at miles an hour, but I couldn't even find something fast enough to save Dirk' life. My breath was thick and fast and I could barely see.

Defibrillation.

The word came from my databases. I knew about him. Shock Dirk with your internal wiring. I wasn't thinking straight, grabbing my silicone hand and pulling it until it was only hanging by sparking wires. My circuits were shorting, white blasts of electricity jumping from my technical wound.

I held it near Dirk's heart and then thrust it onto his chest. A snap filled the room and the next thing I knew Dirk was gasping for air, coughing hoarsely.

I gasped, laughing. He was okay. I saved Dirk's life, though my hand was barely hanging onto the rest of my body. 

I sat next to Dirk, helping him to regain his breath for a couple minutes in the rubble of his formal office, until I heard his door open.

I rose quickly to defend us, meeting the eyes of a boy. His skin was similarly pale to Dirk's, the same constellation of freckles and sandy yellow hair. He also sported a pair of round sunglasses. He was bruised and bloody, a silver sword hanging in his hand. 

"John?"

Tee hee (^-^)