((All characters are copyright of the creators of Metropolis. In other words I don't owe them, so please don't sue me))
Chapter 1
Kenichi stumbled as he felt yet another robot push him from behind. He didn't understand any of this, but for some reason it was making him happy. He had just been scrouging around among the wreckage of the tower desperately hoping Tima might of survived. When none other then Fifi had walked up to him.
"Tima..." he whispered to himself lightly as he looked at the small electronic heart he held in his hands. Where did Fifi find this? Why did he give it to him? I don't understand...
He once again looked do the robot procession around him. They were slowly walking in a small group among the rubbish and hunks of metal that had been left by the fall of the tower. To where they were going though...he didn't know.
"Where are they taking me," he wondered "One moment Fifi seems to have come back to life, the next their carrying what I believe to be Tima's parts and crying "Tima! Tima!". I don't understand any of this. I have to know though."
Suddenly he reached a clearing where he could see many different kinds of robots gathered around in a circle. So thick was the crowd that he was unable to see what was going on. Once again he felt that happy feeling, as if he was right in his decision to stay in Metropolis.
"Must be a pro-robot demonstration or something...." he thought out loud, looking up to Fifi.
Fifi looked down at him and waved its arms around in a happy gesture.
"I don't understand, where are you taking me?" he asked yet again, but this time he needed no answer. For what he saw next made his jaw drop.
"T...T....T.....Tima!" he cried out as he saw what the robots were gathered around. Lying there on a small levitated hunk of metal were the remains of Tima's body. She looked even worse off then when he last saw her though. Her legs were seperated from her body, almost her entire face had been torn off revealing the black mechanics underneath and those red soulless eyes. But even with the many broken parts he could still reconize the mysterious girl he had met not but a few days ago.
He looked from left to right slowly assessing this situation when he realized something, something that came to his utmost shock and surprise.
"They're....re...rebuilding her!" he cried out in his own mind as he realized that robots were surrounding the girl's body and slowly doing repairs to her structure. Already her left leg looked as good as new.
"But...but how?" he asked as he looked up to Fifi, who had now taken a spot directly behind Tima's head.
Fifi made a small beeping noise and almost smiled at him when the little trash bin in his stomach opened up, and out he pulled none other then Laughten's notebook.
"Beep!"
"The notebook!" he yelled out once again. He realized he had been yelling a lot in the past few minutes. He just couldn't believe this. Tima had meant so much to him. He had cared and protected her every second since her activation, and not only that, she had somewhat returned the affection that he had showed to her. As his mind drifted to thoughts of the past few days, they suddenly turned dark as he remembered what had happened only the day before.
"Duke Red...." he grumbled under his breath as he remembered what he had done to her. Watching as her innocense had been turned to insanity. How once she gotten joy from just writing their names, and wearing funny clothes. Had later tried to kill him without hesitation.
He was pulled out of his thoughts as Fifi tapped him on the shoulder.
"Beep beep!" he sounded as he pointed down at the notebook, than towards Kenichi.
"You...want me to help?" he asked as his face started to brighten up again, "Sure! Of coures I would. Just tell me what to do!"
It was so curious to him. These robots who had always had to follow the precise rules set forth to them, otherwise be destroyed were doing something none of them were ever accustomed to. He then realized that the Marduk didn't exist anymore. These robots had nothing to fear from the government anymore. They must of realized that Kenichi and Tima had something to do with the destruction of the tower, thus were to thank for their freedom from the Marduk. Whatever the reason they were helping them, and he was beginning to formulate a way of life in his head that was based around one new fact, he liked robots. He liked robots very much....
"Tima...."
For weeks they worked on the girl. They were forced to move their operation in a nearbye tunnel for securities safe against the seeing eyes of the public, but none the less they kept on working. Kenichi was slowly starting to form close personal relationships with the robots. He didn't understand why people hated them so much. They laughed, were sad, happy, and angry. They undrestood each other's needs and the needs of Kenichi. How many times a day Fifi would leave and bring him food and water was inumerable. Yet he didn't seem to mind since Fifi cared for Kenichi and Tima.
Another week had passed in their effort to repair Tima. The notebook was amazing, it had everything immaginable about Tima's infostructure. Without it they would never have been able to fix her.
Kenichi thought about this as he sat in his tent. This tent was one of the same tents the robots used to protect themselves from the rain and wind that they didn't very much prefer. Tima had been moved into one of these tents as well. In fact it was the same tent that they had given to Kenichi to live in, since for some reason it seemed to calm the young boy to have her near.
At the moment he was working on the delicate circuits of one of Tima's eyes, and was feeling very tired to boot.
"Oh man I'm so tired..." he said with a yawn. Then looked over towards Tima's near complete body.
"One more week Tima. Only one more week and you should be finished. All we have to do is finish up the final delicate circuitry, then reinsert your most important component." he looked over to a the small mechanical heart that had been placed inside a protective glass casing. It was odd that such an important and delicate piece of equipment was now settling on top of an upturned box. But they were living without the comforts of life. Therefore it would have to do.
"Beep beep!" came the happy sounds of none other then Fifi entering the tent.
"Oh hello Fifi, come to say goodnight again?" he questioned, since Fifi had been visiting him regurlarly to wish him a good night.
"Beep beep..." he sounded shaking his head.
"You didn't? Well then what's up?" he asked putting down the eye and look towards his mechanical friend.
"Beep beep beep beep beep?" the robot bleeped as he nudged Kenichi a bit. Strangely over the course of the past few months he had learned to understand what robots were saying.
"What do you mean, why am I helping her? I'm helping her...because....I'm worried about her. She's only a few days old ya know. She just started life, and I want to help her is all..." he said weakly, his voice drifting off.
Fifi shook his head and crossed his arms in disbelief.
"Beep beep beep!"
"What?! What do you mean thats not how I really see her?!"
"Beep beep..."
Kenichi gasped, his face turning red.
"Take that back! I do not...lo......well you know!" he yelled, glaring at the machine.
Fifi shrugged lightly as he gave him a suspicious glance that made Kenichi even angrier.
"Boy angry...human sign of embarrasment. Original theory proven. Task completed" Fifi's mechanical mind thought to itself. He may have made Kenichi mad but Fifi didn't care, the seed had been planted, and he knew that Kenichi was lying to himself. He really did care for Tima deeply, and Fifi knew it. Sastified with completed mission the machine left the tent making an almost laughing kind of beep as he went.
"Robots....who needs 'em..." he grumbled, then he once again looked at Tifa's lifeless body.
"I do...."
".....Erk!" he yelled as he clasped his hands over his mouth, hoping no one had heard that.
He grumbled to himself as he balled his hands into fists.
"I have to forgot about all this nonsense! "Worry about the task at hand then worry about everything else", thats what uncle used to always say. Alright now lets go Kenichi!" he said with a confident air to his voice as he picked up the eye again and began to work on it.
Chapter 1
Kenichi stumbled as he felt yet another robot push him from behind. He didn't understand any of this, but for some reason it was making him happy. He had just been scrouging around among the wreckage of the tower desperately hoping Tima might of survived. When none other then Fifi had walked up to him.
"Tima..." he whispered to himself lightly as he looked at the small electronic heart he held in his hands. Where did Fifi find this? Why did he give it to him? I don't understand...
He once again looked do the robot procession around him. They were slowly walking in a small group among the rubbish and hunks of metal that had been left by the fall of the tower. To where they were going though...he didn't know.
"Where are they taking me," he wondered "One moment Fifi seems to have come back to life, the next their carrying what I believe to be Tima's parts and crying "Tima! Tima!". I don't understand any of this. I have to know though."
Suddenly he reached a clearing where he could see many different kinds of robots gathered around in a circle. So thick was the crowd that he was unable to see what was going on. Once again he felt that happy feeling, as if he was right in his decision to stay in Metropolis.
"Must be a pro-robot demonstration or something...." he thought out loud, looking up to Fifi.
Fifi looked down at him and waved its arms around in a happy gesture.
"I don't understand, where are you taking me?" he asked yet again, but this time he needed no answer. For what he saw next made his jaw drop.
"T...T....T.....Tima!" he cried out as he saw what the robots were gathered around. Lying there on a small levitated hunk of metal were the remains of Tima's body. She looked even worse off then when he last saw her though. Her legs were seperated from her body, almost her entire face had been torn off revealing the black mechanics underneath and those red soulless eyes. But even with the many broken parts he could still reconize the mysterious girl he had met not but a few days ago.
He looked from left to right slowly assessing this situation when he realized something, something that came to his utmost shock and surprise.
"They're....re...rebuilding her!" he cried out in his own mind as he realized that robots were surrounding the girl's body and slowly doing repairs to her structure. Already her left leg looked as good as new.
"But...but how?" he asked as he looked up to Fifi, who had now taken a spot directly behind Tima's head.
Fifi made a small beeping noise and almost smiled at him when the little trash bin in his stomach opened up, and out he pulled none other then Laughten's notebook.
"Beep!"
"The notebook!" he yelled out once again. He realized he had been yelling a lot in the past few minutes. He just couldn't believe this. Tima had meant so much to him. He had cared and protected her every second since her activation, and not only that, she had somewhat returned the affection that he had showed to her. As his mind drifted to thoughts of the past few days, they suddenly turned dark as he remembered what had happened only the day before.
"Duke Red...." he grumbled under his breath as he remembered what he had done to her. Watching as her innocense had been turned to insanity. How once she gotten joy from just writing their names, and wearing funny clothes. Had later tried to kill him without hesitation.
He was pulled out of his thoughts as Fifi tapped him on the shoulder.
"Beep beep!" he sounded as he pointed down at the notebook, than towards Kenichi.
"You...want me to help?" he asked as his face started to brighten up again, "Sure! Of coures I would. Just tell me what to do!"
It was so curious to him. These robots who had always had to follow the precise rules set forth to them, otherwise be destroyed were doing something none of them were ever accustomed to. He then realized that the Marduk didn't exist anymore. These robots had nothing to fear from the government anymore. They must of realized that Kenichi and Tima had something to do with the destruction of the tower, thus were to thank for their freedom from the Marduk. Whatever the reason they were helping them, and he was beginning to formulate a way of life in his head that was based around one new fact, he liked robots. He liked robots very much....
"Tima...."
For weeks they worked on the girl. They were forced to move their operation in a nearbye tunnel for securities safe against the seeing eyes of the public, but none the less they kept on working. Kenichi was slowly starting to form close personal relationships with the robots. He didn't understand why people hated them so much. They laughed, were sad, happy, and angry. They undrestood each other's needs and the needs of Kenichi. How many times a day Fifi would leave and bring him food and water was inumerable. Yet he didn't seem to mind since Fifi cared for Kenichi and Tima.
Another week had passed in their effort to repair Tima. The notebook was amazing, it had everything immaginable about Tima's infostructure. Without it they would never have been able to fix her.
Kenichi thought about this as he sat in his tent. This tent was one of the same tents the robots used to protect themselves from the rain and wind that they didn't very much prefer. Tima had been moved into one of these tents as well. In fact it was the same tent that they had given to Kenichi to live in, since for some reason it seemed to calm the young boy to have her near.
At the moment he was working on the delicate circuits of one of Tima's eyes, and was feeling very tired to boot.
"Oh man I'm so tired..." he said with a yawn. Then looked over towards Tima's near complete body.
"One more week Tima. Only one more week and you should be finished. All we have to do is finish up the final delicate circuitry, then reinsert your most important component." he looked over to a the small mechanical heart that had been placed inside a protective glass casing. It was odd that such an important and delicate piece of equipment was now settling on top of an upturned box. But they were living without the comforts of life. Therefore it would have to do.
"Beep beep!" came the happy sounds of none other then Fifi entering the tent.
"Oh hello Fifi, come to say goodnight again?" he questioned, since Fifi had been visiting him regurlarly to wish him a good night.
"Beep beep..." he sounded shaking his head.
"You didn't? Well then what's up?" he asked putting down the eye and look towards his mechanical friend.
"Beep beep beep beep beep?" the robot bleeped as he nudged Kenichi a bit. Strangely over the course of the past few months he had learned to understand what robots were saying.
"What do you mean, why am I helping her? I'm helping her...because....I'm worried about her. She's only a few days old ya know. She just started life, and I want to help her is all..." he said weakly, his voice drifting off.
Fifi shook his head and crossed his arms in disbelief.
"Beep beep beep!"
"What?! What do you mean thats not how I really see her?!"
"Beep beep..."
Kenichi gasped, his face turning red.
"Take that back! I do not...lo......well you know!" he yelled, glaring at the machine.
Fifi shrugged lightly as he gave him a suspicious glance that made Kenichi even angrier.
"Boy angry...human sign of embarrasment. Original theory proven. Task completed" Fifi's mechanical mind thought to itself. He may have made Kenichi mad but Fifi didn't care, the seed had been planted, and he knew that Kenichi was lying to himself. He really did care for Tima deeply, and Fifi knew it. Sastified with completed mission the machine left the tent making an almost laughing kind of beep as he went.
"Robots....who needs 'em..." he grumbled, then he once again looked at Tifa's lifeless body.
"I do...."
".....Erk!" he yelled as he clasped his hands over his mouth, hoping no one had heard that.
He grumbled to himself as he balled his hands into fists.
"I have to forgot about all this nonsense! "Worry about the task at hand then worry about everything else", thats what uncle used to always say. Alright now lets go Kenichi!" he said with a confident air to his voice as he picked up the eye again and began to work on it.