Collaboration between The Roman07, YoshiSkittlez and GhostShadow --------------------- After what seemed like hours to her, they finally arrived at Jack's apartment, the layout of the entire area vastly different than what she was used to in District 4, the lowest she had ever been was District 10. Still though, she tried not to judge as Jack opened the door for her and stepped inside the small apartment. "So what’s with the box?" She asked, clearing her throat feeling her shakes subside slightly for the first time that evening, and feeling...just a little more safe. She couldn't help but to let her eyes wander around her new surroundings. The main room was small, yet cozy. She could see a kitchen attached not too far off that looked just as small, yet still efficient. Select other doors along the walls indicated a bathroom, and Detective Roman had mentioned a spare bedroom. All-in-all, not a bad place for the lower districts. Sektor quickly escaped the facility after its massacre. It followed quickly, finding Jack and Kate not too far ahead. Sektor ran quickly, eventually catching up. "Mission profile was a success. Assailants were eliminated, 100% efficiency." Sektor stated upon arrival. "This unit is...glad that Katherine Saunders made it out alive, there was a 89% statistical chance you would survive. This platform sees the probabilities have played out in its favor." Sektor finished with a sharp nod. As soon as Sektor caught up Jack grabbed him by the chest plate and jammed his pistol right into the soft spot under his circuitry. "I swear to fucking god if you ever kill another cop i will PERSONALLY PULL EVERY SINGLE LIMB OFF YOUR BODY and make sure your online to collect the data." Jacks eyes grew wide with anger. It wasn’t their fault they were ordered around by a corrupted asshole. There was no need to kill them. Sektor flared into action once Jack grabbed it, its own arm grabbing the pistol and squeezing dangerously. "You. Will. Not." It responded in a frightening tone, quite literally pushing the pistol out of the way. "This unit has one directive: to protect Katherine Saunders mobile platform. If Detective Jack Roman becomes a threat to the prime directive, this platform is authorized to return with lethal force. Your emotional turmoil and personal code are not variables within the equation. Kate is this unit's to protect, at all times." Sektor vowed, the autonomy of its voice not wavering; Sektor had every intention of carrying out this threat, if need be. "DETECTIVE ROMAN!" Kate screamed out, the fear once again returning to her body at the sudden turn of events. The Robot was strong, but that didn’t affect Jacks disposition. "Get this clear in your brain. Ever kill another cop and I PROMISE I will be a threat to you Android, So put that as a fucking directive." Jack said pushing the robot a good distance away from him. Kate was unable to just stand by any longer. She moved herself between Sektor and Detective Roman, keeping her attention on Jack. "Look, he was just trying to help okay? Just like you suggested. He only killed those cops because of the way I ordered him to protect me, so if you're going to point that gun at the real killer then that stupid thing should be pointed at me instead." She hissed, her eyes narrowing at him, in an odd turn of events, [i]she[/i] was aiming to protect Sektor. Sektor remained silent as Kate yelled at Jack. It had never observed her being this angry before. "Detective Jack Roman added to suspicion list, any form of treason or aggression will be met with lethal force." Sektor stated aloud, the modified repair laser still in its hand. However, after that Sektor was silent, struggling with its own turmoil...feelings of - guilt? Sektor passed the calculations innumerable times within its databanks. Guilt was an organic response to having done wrong. But Sektor did nothing wrong, it was following its programming. The robot looked about weakly, almost wishing it could offer a reassuring smile to its maker. But it couldn't...it shouldn't. Why? Jack backed down and breathed deeply before attempting to calm himself down. He wasn’t going to blame Kate but he was damn well sure he would be keeping a closer eye on that robot. Giving off a long sigh attempting to clear his mind of today’s events. "Welcome to my humble abode." Jack said sarcastically. Kate's nostrils flared angrily, but she held her tongue from saying anything more. It's not like she had anywhere else to go anyway; aside from her own home, her parents would be the next logical choice for the cops to search, and Kate was never too good at making friends. "Database." Kate then said, seemingly out of the blue. "Sektor has a database, not a brain." She shook her head a bit, rubbing her thumb and forefinger over the bridge of her nose. "Do you have a computer?" "Yea your right... He don't have a brain." Jack snapped back. She could stand in front of him and make every excuse in the book, but there's no excuse to kill a cop unless they are corrupted. Ultimately confused about who to trust and who to watch. It was an eerily thin line between good and evil yet so many seem to walk the gray area. Jack unbuttoned his coat and took off the worn red baseball cap and tossed both onto the nearby couch. He wasn't the tidiest of people as one could obviously see from the amount of dishes in his sink and empty Vodka bottles scattered throughout the house, but he wasn't a slob. Kate asked if he had a computer and Jack gave a slight nod. "There's one in the spare room but it old and the battery is dead. You'll have to plug it in." He said as he walked towards Michelle’s room. Hesitating for only a moment before pushing on the sliding door. The room was clean but dusty and obviously a girls room from the various decorations and posters on the walls. Old Detective adventure books leaned against an upright tablet with an external keyboard and actual glass screen. No holographic emitter on the ancient piece. Jack couldn't help but wonder if she still had the picture of the two of them at the precinct pretending to be behind bars with stupid faces on her desktop. It was one of the better moments he remembered of her as she came along that day for a ride-along. "Closet may have something that fits you and some towels too of you want to take a bath." Jack muttered in a low almost inaudible tone. Completely lost in thought as he watched old memories play back in his mind. "If you need anything else feel free to help yourself, I'm going to give Rin a call and see how things went down after we left." Kate didn't hesitate to follow him down the hall and into the spare bedroom, her mind only on getting to that computer so she could link it to her AI back at home so she could check on things. Her rather abrupt walk halted the moment she reached the doorway, the smell of dust reaching her flared nostrils as her eyes looked about the immaculately...different room. Something that felt like a stone sank in her gut as she observed the room, it hadn't been used in a very long time, and specifics told her that a woman had once stayed here. Slowly approaching Jack as the computer booted up, she stopped just behind him to take a look at the welcome screen, finding her hardened and once angry face melted into a soft smile, matching the genuine smile of a younger Detective Jack Roman and a woman behind bars, obviously having a fun time about it in the picture. "She's pretty." Kate said softly from behind Jack, unable to keep her green eyes off of the woman in the picture. This girl was obviously very special to Jack at some point; and maybe she still was. Her gaze finally went from the screen to Jack, having to look up at him because of the near foot he had on her in height. She lifted her arm hesitantly, and then outstretched her hand to place on his shoulder, feeling the padded bullet-proof vest under her hand, unable to tell just how far the prosthetics went. "Are you okay?" Jack watched as the memories trickled into his frontal lobe and displayed before his eyes. Michelle sitting at her desk reading "Sherlock Holmes" on paperback. A birthday gift for her 19th birthday. "Aww Jack thanks! You'll see, I'll read this and be a better detective than you, hard-ass!" Michelle jokingly laughed as she spun around in the chair. Jack felt a soft hand on his shoulder and instinctively jumped snapping him back to reality. "Huh? Yea I'm fine..." Jack said trailing off and walking towards the bathroom. "I... I think I'm going to take a quick shower first before you." He said before walking away. Pulling off his vest and yanking at the tight fitting black t-shirt underneath, showing off the mixture of cybernetics and scars formed from shrapnel all over his chest and back. His lean body complimented the augments as they seemed to mold into his shoulders, replacing his deltoids and upper back muscles with synthetic fiber. All thanks to the masterworks of Rin and Taurus Tech. Tossing his shirt and vest into a nearby hamper, he took the silver cigar box and laid it on his kitchen table before stealing a couple clothes from the nearby closet and jumping into the shower. "Detective..." Kate called out hoping to stop him, if just for a moment. Her eyes had immediately widened as she caught a glimpse of his bare back before he slipped out of the spare bedroom. It was hard to tell in that split second, but it looked as if the prosthetic arms extended seamlessly into his back muscles. Such technology shouldn't have existed yet...there were still people out there with failing prosthetic limbs; always some sort of malfunction...and yet...Detective Roman's seemed absolutely flawless. But she was too late, the door had already closed and she could hear the shower water running. Sektor quietly followed the duo into Jack's apartment. Offering no noises aside from a few odd clicks, Sektor sat down on the couch, examining its modified laser. It 'sighed' audibly, sounding much like the sound a computer makes when shutting down. "This platform is following the prime directive, 'friends' are not within the parameters of this unit's programming. Why do the core computers suggest betrayal?" Sektor asked aloud, to itself, cupping its hands together. Sektor accessed all the information it had stored in its databanks, specifically, the emulation program. Images appeared, rushing at lightning fast speed, but Sektor observed them all: scenes of couples holding hands, kissing, laughing. Sektor looked down at its own hands, the awkward amphibian-like 3-digit hands meeting its gaze. Sektor looked down once more, picturing itself perhaps holding someone's hand. But such feelings were illogical, incompatible, against every computer or programming built into its platform. "The emulation program is gaining dominance." Sektor observed in a nearly-silent tone. "This platform will be...human? Negative, it shall think it is human." It kept speaking, not caring who was in the vicinity. Jack attempted to wash away the thoughts in his mind. Using the white noise and scalding hot water dulling the senses as it covered him like a force field, isolating him from the world around him. Images kept flashing in front of him of the fear in Michelle’s eyes, watching slowly as the fire pulled at her flesh. Even under all the hot water he could still smell the stench of charred skin. Every part of her was charred within seconds, hair, skin, and shortly after the eyes... the emerald green eyes that stared at him the entire time in fear. Calling to him, asking for his help. Jack collapsed onto his knees like he did that night. The hot water felt like the flames that were so close yet didn't touch him. He wanted to scream out loud out of pure anger and pain but he knew that Kate and Sektor were here. Gritting his teeth and grasping the sidewall of the steel tub and wrinkling the curvature into something resembling a hand print. He should of been the one to die that night, not her. He deserved it. Jack walked out in a set of old jeans with his green T-Shirt draped over one of his shoulders not ready to put it on just yet. He noticed Sektor sitting by the couch playing the old board games he had stuffed in the closet. "Forgot I even had those." He said casually. Much calmer and laid back now that he was cleaned up. "Just be careful with them..they are antiques." Jack passed by the kitchen to grab the metallic box before making a quick stop near Michelle’s room. Watching Kate for a minute work on the computer before leaning in and giving a light knock on the drywall. "Everything ok?" Kate had since went back to the computer, pushing the penetrating questions from her mind about the girl on the screen and worked on charging the battery. If she was going to build up the program to reach her defense system back home on this antique computer, she would need full power. She hadn't even thought to check on Sektor, but how much trouble could one little bot get into anyway? She found herself staring blankly at the progress bar, waiting...waiting...waiting...by the time Detective Roman had finished his shower, she had fallen asleep at the computer desk but was then awoken by a quiet knock on the wall inside the bedroom. Swiveling around on the chair, she couldn't help but to contain a blush creeping over her cheeks noticing him, yet again, shirtless. But this time she was able to see the front and not so much the back. Her green eyes then wandered back to the peak of her curiosity beforehand, and looked over the workmanship of his prosthetic arms. She knew she probably stared too long, and quickly snapped out of it looking back up to meet his eyes. "Yeah, just a little tired." She admitted before standing up from the chair to walk over to him at the doorway. As she neared closer, a whiff of his body soap and shampoo filled her nose, filling her senses with such a clean, manly smell it nearly made her knees buckle. The only man she had ever smelled in such closeness was her own cousin, so any sort of thought of sexual arousal was automatically turned off when she was around him. But Detective Roman... She swallowed hard again, feeling that lump coming back to her throat, and decided that if she didn't do something quick, she was going to do something stupid. She lightly reached her hand up, as if asking for his own hand to be placed in hers. "May I?" She asked, wanting nothing more than to just examine his prosthetics. Jack looked at Kate as she put out her hand. "May I?" She asked. Jack just looked her dead in the eyes. "Be gentle, I’m ticklish." He Joked. Jack took the green shirt off his other shoulder so Kate could get a closer look. "Rin said they are the closest to the real deal that didn’t put looks before functionality. Most civilian prosthetics get the skin tone matched and whatever else to not draw attention... I personally could care less." Jack muttered. Kate took his hand in hers, examining every exposed wire right down to the very material that the palm of his hand was made from. "It's incredible..." Kate agreed as he went on explaining. She moved her hands up to the wrists, up to the biceps where she spent more time studying, turning his arm gently this way and that to watch the gears and such click into place before moving her hands up into the deltoids. She leaned in to get a closer look at the skin that met with the metal, and had him rotate his shoulder a few times to watch how it worked. Her approach then turned more gentle as her study continued on, finding drill holes that had been plugged up by the same material across his chest in certain areas. She pressed on his chest firmly in these few places, finding the connecting cords that continued all the way over from his chest back to his arms. Complete and full functionality, just like he said. She blinked a few times before looking back up at him into his eyes, now with the one thought going through her mind. "The surgery...I can't imagine it feeling very good." She said lightly, not wanting to push any buttons that might cause him to get angry or remember something he didn't want to. "But frankly...this level of detail...this...mapping they used...it should have killed you..." She went on, the light humor in her voice completely gone, replaced by nothing but worry and concern in both her voice and eyes. Jack's face got slightly red from Kate getting so close to him. He couldn’t help but jump a bit as she traced his wires into his chest. Looking away for a second when she asked if it hurt. "To be honest I didn’t feel a thing, I was unconscious most of the time and whenever I awoke I was heavily sedated... and for almost killing me, if not for Rin i would of died anyway. If I died on the operating table, they would just take them back and save it for the next unlucky soul." Jack looked down as he spoke. "What really hurt was the dent in my salary to pay for the things. Rin helped with a major discount but... well I’d say it still cost me an arm and a leg... but." Jack smiled at Kate. Holding up his left and watching his hand as it made a tight fist. "Physical therapy was the hard part, took me a month alone to hold a cup without crushing it into powder." Jack stretched out his hand and tried placing a thumb onto Kate’s cheek softly. "The only part I don’t like is the lack of feeling. It’s like.... wearing a thick pair of gloves, you know what’s there but there’s no detail." 2 seconds. Sektor had immediately crossed the living room and into the bedroom in about 2 seconds, growling darkly towards Jack. "Physical contact is forbidden." It warned in a threatening tone. "Statistics suggest you have a 22% chance of harming Katherine Saunders. That, this platform will not allow." It finished cooly, glaring him in the face; its stance stiff and threatening, standing to its full height. The slight blush on Kate's cheeks reddened as Jack's thumb went to her cheek, the lump in her throat now just threatening to choke her. She held his gaze for a few short moments, feeling her heart hammering against her rib cage to the point where it began to hurt. She took in a deep breath, and then shakily exhaled, taking a few steps back from him as Sektor entered the room. "Well, for what it's worth, I'm glad you didn't die on that operating table." She said feeling that lump subside somewhat and then returned back to the computer, finding that the update had finally finished. "And Sektor...it's fine. Detective Roman was simply giving me a demonstration on his prosthetics at my request." She said, feeling much like the owner of an attack guard dog at that moment. She had to resist from saying 'Down Boy.' And that in itself proved to her that she was in a much better mood than she had been in a long time. “Good evening Katherine. You have three missed calls and one new message.” The metallic male voice sounded as soon as Kate booted up the program on the old computer. “Relay messages Adam.” Kate said with a yawn, feeling her heart finally starting to beat normally again. “Missed call from, Mom, 5:32 pm. Missed call from Mom, 5:34 p.m. Missed call from, Mom, 5:45 p.m. Missed voice message from, Mom, 5:46 p.m. ‘Hey Katie, its mom. I haven’t heard from you for a couple days so I just wanted to pop in and say hi! Oh! By the way, you’re father and I have been having some troubles with our computer lately. Cold showers, burnt toast…our entire house seemed to be on the fritz. But we didn’t want to bother you, since you’ve been busy with your school work; we are still very proud of you; so we hired a Technological Consultant to help us out. He’s really a nice boy, about your age I believe. Anyway, I gave him your number so he could take you out. Your studies are important, but remember, Katie, your father and I want grand children before we die you know, and you’re slower than a snail on molasses when it comes to the dating game. Anyway, he seemed a little shy when I gave him your number, so I’ve attached his number to this message so give him a call tomorrow if he hasn’t called you already…or…oh! Maybe he already called you…and the reason you’re not answering is because you’re too busy…oh…oh okay, well honey I’ll leave you two be. Have a good night!’ End of message. Attachment will be printed to your location's nearest printer.” Kate felt her forehead slam onto the computer desk in embarrassment, and the printer next to her whirred to live, spitting out a small piece of paper with a phone number on it. Sektor looked up curiously upon hearing the message. "This unit would be grateful if Katherine Saunders were to spread out her mates to another, more trustworthy source." Jack couldn’t help but cover his mouth to stop him from laughing out loud. "Heh, yea if you want to use my phone feel free, he sounds like a 'peach'." "Too bad I don't like fruit." Kate said dryly, with her face still embedded into the computer desk. Jack took the cigar box and placed it down next to Kate. "I wonder what Rin gave us..." He muttered. Kate then lifted her head hearing the metal box being set down on the computer desk next to her and looked from the box and back to Jack. She wanted to make some smart-ass remark about it being her will if she were to ever commit suicide, but felt that would be in bad taste so she kept her mouth shut and just waited for him to open it. Jack waited for a response but she obviously was too deep in thought about the "tech boy" whom her mother figured was perfect for her, so he reached over and pressed on the tiny metal lock. the lid slowly lifted by itself and inside lay three syringes, a hypo gun and a holorecorder. on the inlay of the sidewall next to the syringes had the initials R.E.S. and a tiny printed label that read: Lucid Prime. Kate peered over into the box as it began to open, not really sure what she was expecting, but when she saw the syringes...and the label to boot, she jumped back, falling out of the chair and onto the floor...clearly shocked by the contents within. Too surprised to even register the pain that now shot up through her arm as she had tried to catch her fall with it, she looked up to Detective Roman with wide eyes. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT DOING IN THERE?" She screamed out, unable to keep from doing so. Then the pain set in, a thousand needles pricking into her left arm and about twice as many poking into her tail bone and couldn't help but to mutter out a quiet "Ow..." Sektor swooped into action. As soon as Kate fell, the robot was at her side. "Katherine Saunders, speak. How many fingers is this unit extending? Relay the extent of your injuries. This platform is trained in most medical emergencies in the case its creator is in danger or injured." It held up a single hand with only two fingers extended at the time, clicking in worry. Jack was just as shocked as Kate, but didn’t fall back off the chair like she did. After watching Sektor pick her back up he reached over for the tiny holorecorder and pressed it on. The recorder lit up and a green hologram of Rin popped up on the table. Humming and static was blocking out background noise as a robotic voice narrated journal entries: Journal entry #12 - "Nanoserum No.113 has passed animal trials with flying colors. Subjects show a 30% increase in response and maze tests were completed in less than half the time." Rin's Voice sounded much younger and brighter. "If this keeps up then we will finally find a cure for those with impaired senses..." *End recording Journal entry #16 - "Human trials got off to a rough start. Serum needed to be slightly toned down due to low level lighting causing massive headaches and possible seizures...." Rin said in a slightly upset tone. "On the bright side, Rachel... although deaf from birth, could now hear low level humming and certain high frequency pitches." The sound of another voice from behind could be heard but not clear enough for the mic. "Okay Dad I'll be right there! ....Serum still needs some minor tweaking." *End recording Journal entry #24 - (the sounds of heavy breathing only for a couple seconds) "One subject kept requesting for Serum 113 today, he stated it wasn't helping him as much as it did previously. Requesting a higher dosage... maybe the nanomachines have a shelf life?" (The sounds of glass breaking and a man yelling in the background) "Sir... sir please get away from the counte-SIR!!! DAD HELP!" *End recording Journal entry #33 - (dead silence) "Human trials have ceased... the drug was considered too addictive. Its affects on an unimpaired individual makes one feel euphoric and oversensitive to their surroundings. One of them nicknamed it 'Lucid' in relation to the clarity it gave them. Serum No.113 needs to go back to the drawing board." *End recording Journal entry #35 - "Somebody broke into the lab last week and took... everything. Reports have been coming in about some new drug in Beta called 'Lucid'... Possible connection. My father is going to Beta to find out and possibly treat those affected. *End recording Journal entry #36 - (silence) ........"I miss you Dad....." (silence) *End Recording Journal entry #001 - "After a full year I have perfected it. A prime formula compared to the old nanomachines. No shelf life, no self-determination, no overstimulation. Formula No. 114 grants enhanced clarity and perception to the average person in hypothesis. Never cleared for human trials.... increase in focus and mental clarity allows information processed from all sensory receptors to be read in a more efficient manner. Hypothesis concludes that an average person would feel like time has slowed down around them." (A long sigh whispered into the mic.) "Serum 114 will never be cleared by me for moral reasons... if this gets into the wrong hands, it could effectively be turned into a weapon." *End transmission Kate used Sektor to get back up onto her feet, her ears carefully trained into the holographic recording. The more she heard, the less she liked it as was evident by the frown she wore plainly on her face. "I'm fine Sektor..." Kate hissed at him quietly, trying to shoo him away so she could continue to listen. Finally...it was all over. Her eyes went from the now completed holotape to Jack, trying to gauge some sort of reaction out of him first before she said anything. Jack just stood there speechless. He couldn’t comprehend why Rin gave him this. Was he supposed to look after it? Was he supposed to use it? Maybe leverage to get Kate her life back he honestly wasn’t sure. "I....I... dunno what to say." Jack looked at the both of them as if looking for an answer. Sektor remained silent when hushed by its maker, merely looking on towards the holotape and offering a few clicks. "Consensus not reached - more information is required." Sektor finally stated before looking Kate up and down once more. "Are you sure you are well? Bio scans show no permanent injury, but spikes in the nerve endings suggest you are experiencing pain. Let this platform help you." Sektor pleaded "I said I'm fine!" Kate snapped, clearly the aura of the room getting to her. She sighed, and looked to the machine with an apologetic expression, but didn't say anything on the matter. "I'm going to go take that bath now..." Kate said looking back to Jack. If he didn't know what to say, then she felt it was safest to not voice her opinion at all. A hot bath should surely help with her now ill-gotten temper, and it would certainly help her now swollen wrist, at least a little. Sektor did nothing but look on towards Kate, its posture hunched and weak. "Why can't..." it struggled for words, as if it wanted to say 'I' but couldn't. ”Why can't..." It repeated once more before growing silent and walking away. Kate sighed and then just pushed past Jack to head to the bathroom. She shut the door and rested her back against it for a good few minutes, just trying to remember how to breathe normally. It seemed as if her entire world had just flipped around entirely on her, and all at once. Sektor, Jack, that stupid update fail that made her a now running criminal, and now drug exposure. She swore after she had lost her Uncle to the stuff that she would never even associate herself with people that used it. She growled a bit angrily and finally moved over to the tub, instantly noticing the bent shape the side of the tub had been turned into.