Love and Robotics - Part III
Part II
“Gabe, stop freaking out. I’ll be okay.”
“Yeah, but with vampires that send Butch running and computer hackers trying to kill our housekeepr out there, I can’t help but be a bit concerned. I’m not going to lose a job because I wasn’t there for you.”
Greta sighed as she pulled her hair out of the back of her jacket. “Look, if I die tonight, which I highly doubt will happen, you can keep the compound and rent it out. It’ll be my last payment to you.”
“Yeah, but what would I do without you?”
Greta grabbed her purse and opened her door. “Y’know, I’m sure you’ll be okay.”
Gabe leaned against the doorframe and looked down at her. “But what would you do without me if something were to happen to me?”
Greta pursed her lips as she put her purse over her shoulder. “I’d miss you, but I’d be okay. Eventually.”
“Same for me. Now do something that’ll make your bodyguard slash roommate feel better, okay?”
Greta sighed, walked back to her desk and pulled a taser out of her desk drawer. Gabe’s mouth dropped open. “You kept the taser I gave you in your desk?”
“I go to music school in a practically rural area. I really don’t need a taser.”
“Greta, I am hurt by your complete disregard for your own safety. Expect my resignation in the morning.”
Greta rolled her eyes as she stuck her taser in her purse. “Where will you live after that?”
Gabe paused and held up his hands. “I retract my previous statement.”
Greta smirked and in a move that was surprising even to her, she stood on her toes and gave Gabe a kiss on his cheek. “Don’t worry. I’ll use my taser if I have to. Plus, you can survive a night without me. KITTY keeps good company.”
Gabe grinned as he backed out of the doorway. “Can I get another one of those before you leave?”
“I’ll see you later, Gabe.”
“Please?”
“Goodbye, Gabe!”
She went down the stairs and disappeared into the kitchen. Gabe sighed and looked down the bannister at KITTY. “Well KITTY, it’s just you and me tonight.”
KITTY looked up at him expectantly. “Do you wish to do something together, Mister Gabe?”
Gabe paused and pondered for a few seconds. “Is it too late to do some target practice in the back field?”
“There’s still an adequate amount of daylight outside as well as strong artificial lighting in that field.”
“I’ll take that as a yes. C’mon KITTY, let’s go shoot some shit.”
-------------------
Greta remembered why she didn’t remember the Spring Wheel festival to be that exciting.
It really wasn’t.
“Popcorn?”
She looked up at Patrick as he offered her a bag. She took a bit off the top and popped it into her mouth. “Thanks.”
“So are you enjoying yourself, Greta?”
Greta shrugged. “Not really. I’ve been to more interesting festivals. There was one in China I went to where the dragon and lion costumes had been enchanted to move on their own.”
Patrick’s eyes widened. “Wow, that sounds amazing. Sadly, this is the biggest I get.”
Greta nodded and stopped to let a group of kids pass by. Patrick looked over at her. “So you say that the cartoon was inaccurate?”
“Extremely,” Greta said, “The most it got right was that I was a daughter of an overachieving superscientist with a robot companion.”
“So KITTY existed? That’s pretty rad.”
Greta nodded and took another small handful of popcorn. “I guess. I got in a lot more danger than the cartoon lead on though. I lost count of how many times I almost died before I started high school. That’s when I finally convinced my dad to stop dragging me on his crazy adventures. Like I ever wanted to go on them in the first place.”
Patrick sucked at his teeth before he looked over at Greta. “Did you actually like your dad, Greta?”
“Oh Patrick, you’re a nice kid now that I’m getting to know you, but I’m just going to tell you that for your own sanity not to open up that can of worms. You’ll never get it closed.”
She started to walk ahead of Patrick, but then he quickly grabbed her arm. “Hey! I think I see Janelle over there. Janelle!”
Greta looked over to see one of her classmates walking towards them. Instead of waving and smiling at them, she kept a steely glare and sped up towards them. “Uhhh... Patrick, is Janelle usually that angry looking?”
They both looked up to see something spark in Janelle’s eyes. Greta gasped and pushed Patrick out of the way. She then removed her taser from her bag, turning it on. “Patrick, please understand why I’m doing this.”
Janelle jumped out towards her and Greta quickly thrust the taser out towards her. It made contact with her stomach and Janelle’s body jerked at the voltage. Greta saw the sparks in her eyes fade as she fell over onto the ground. Everyone stopped and stared at Greta as she lowered the taser. Patrick walked back over to her. “Greta, what just happened?”
Greta held up a hand. “Patrick, I don’t even know. I just have a feeling that something is off.”
The crowd fell silent as Greta knelt down beside Janelle and listened to her chest. Instead of a heartbeat, she heard the whirring of gears. Greta quickly jumped up and pushed Patrick behind a booth. “She’s turning back on!”
“Wait, she’s a robot?!”
“Well now, apparently...”
Suddenly, the crowd gasped and Janelle stood up. She stared at Greta for a few long and silent seconds. Greta heard a click, then Janelle quickly ran off into the crowd. The crowd looked after Janelle, then turned back to Greta as soon as she was out of sight. Greta took a long, awkward feeling breath, then turned back to Patrick. “Ummm... it’s probably better if I leave now, Patrick.”
Patrick bit his lip and looked out at the crowd. “I understand. I’ll see you on Monday.”
Greta then patted his shoulder and ran off towards the parking lot. This was turning out to be the weirdest week ever.
Or at least one of the weirder ones for Greta.
Part IV
“Gabe, stop freaking out. I’ll be okay.”
“Yeah, but with vampires that send Butch running and computer hackers trying to kill our housekeepr out there, I can’t help but be a bit concerned. I’m not going to lose a job because I wasn’t there for you.”
Greta sighed as she pulled her hair out of the back of her jacket. “Look, if I die tonight, which I highly doubt will happen, you can keep the compound and rent it out. It’ll be my last payment to you.”
“Yeah, but what would I do without you?”
Greta grabbed her purse and opened her door. “Y’know, I’m sure you’ll be okay.”
Gabe leaned against the doorframe and looked down at her. “But what would you do without me if something were to happen to me?”
Greta pursed her lips as she put her purse over her shoulder. “I’d miss you, but I’d be okay. Eventually.”
“Same for me. Now do something that’ll make your bodyguard slash roommate feel better, okay?”
Greta sighed, walked back to her desk and pulled a taser out of her desk drawer. Gabe’s mouth dropped open. “You kept the taser I gave you in your desk?”
“I go to music school in a practically rural area. I really don’t need a taser.”
“Greta, I am hurt by your complete disregard for your own safety. Expect my resignation in the morning.”
Greta rolled her eyes as she stuck her taser in her purse. “Where will you live after that?”
Gabe paused and held up his hands. “I retract my previous statement.”
Greta smirked and in a move that was surprising even to her, she stood on her toes and gave Gabe a kiss on his cheek. “Don’t worry. I’ll use my taser if I have to. Plus, you can survive a night without me. KITTY keeps good company.”
Gabe grinned as he backed out of the doorway. “Can I get another one of those before you leave?”
“I’ll see you later, Gabe.”
“Please?”
“Goodbye, Gabe!”
She went down the stairs and disappeared into the kitchen. Gabe sighed and looked down the bannister at KITTY. “Well KITTY, it’s just you and me tonight.”
KITTY looked up at him expectantly. “Do you wish to do something together, Mister Gabe?”
Gabe paused and pondered for a few seconds. “Is it too late to do some target practice in the back field?”
“There’s still an adequate amount of daylight outside as well as strong artificial lighting in that field.”
“I’ll take that as a yes. C’mon KITTY, let’s go shoot some shit.”
-------------------
Greta remembered why she didn’t remember the Spring Wheel festival to be that exciting.
It really wasn’t.
“Popcorn?”
She looked up at Patrick as he offered her a bag. She took a bit off the top and popped it into her mouth. “Thanks.”
“So are you enjoying yourself, Greta?”
Greta shrugged. “Not really. I’ve been to more interesting festivals. There was one in China I went to where the dragon and lion costumes had been enchanted to move on their own.”
Patrick’s eyes widened. “Wow, that sounds amazing. Sadly, this is the biggest I get.”
Greta nodded and stopped to let a group of kids pass by. Patrick looked over at her. “So you say that the cartoon was inaccurate?”
“Extremely,” Greta said, “The most it got right was that I was a daughter of an overachieving superscientist with a robot companion.”
“So KITTY existed? That’s pretty rad.”
Greta nodded and took another small handful of popcorn. “I guess. I got in a lot more danger than the cartoon lead on though. I lost count of how many times I almost died before I started high school. That’s when I finally convinced my dad to stop dragging me on his crazy adventures. Like I ever wanted to go on them in the first place.”
Patrick sucked at his teeth before he looked over at Greta. “Did you actually like your dad, Greta?”
“Oh Patrick, you’re a nice kid now that I’m getting to know you, but I’m just going to tell you that for your own sanity not to open up that can of worms. You’ll never get it closed.”
She started to walk ahead of Patrick, but then he quickly grabbed her arm. “Hey! I think I see Janelle over there. Janelle!”
Greta looked over to see one of her classmates walking towards them. Instead of waving and smiling at them, she kept a steely glare and sped up towards them. “Uhhh... Patrick, is Janelle usually that angry looking?”
They both looked up to see something spark in Janelle’s eyes. Greta gasped and pushed Patrick out of the way. She then removed her taser from her bag, turning it on. “Patrick, please understand why I’m doing this.”
Janelle jumped out towards her and Greta quickly thrust the taser out towards her. It made contact with her stomach and Janelle’s body jerked at the voltage. Greta saw the sparks in her eyes fade as she fell over onto the ground. Everyone stopped and stared at Greta as she lowered the taser. Patrick walked back over to her. “Greta, what just happened?”
Greta held up a hand. “Patrick, I don’t even know. I just have a feeling that something is off.”
The crowd fell silent as Greta knelt down beside Janelle and listened to her chest. Instead of a heartbeat, she heard the whirring of gears. Greta quickly jumped up and pushed Patrick behind a booth. “She’s turning back on!”
“Wait, she’s a robot?!”
“Well now, apparently...”
Suddenly, the crowd gasped and Janelle stood up. She stared at Greta for a few long and silent seconds. Greta heard a click, then Janelle quickly ran off into the crowd. The crowd looked after Janelle, then turned back to Greta as soon as she was out of sight. Greta took a long, awkward feeling breath, then turned back to Patrick. “Ummm... it’s probably better if I leave now, Patrick.”
Patrick bit his lip and looked out at the crowd. “I understand. I’ll see you on Monday.”
Greta then patted his shoulder and ran off towards the parking lot. This was turning out to be the weirdest week ever.
Or at least one of the weirder ones for Greta.
Part IV