by zapdragon555 » 11/19/2016 3:53 AM
Rudy supposed he should've felt relieved when the robot's hand removed from his forehead. But he didn't. He didn't want to ruminate on the fact that he missed the contact already. He'd been doing just fine (a bitterly hilarious overstatement) without any sort of interaction for weeks, at that point. Why was it different, now? A few simple touches, a few familiar words? Rudy was beginning to wonder if the robot even worked at all--if any of this was even real. Perhaps it was all a giant hallucinatory delusion. Perhaps. That would make things simpler, anyhow.
Rudy didn't meet the robot's eyes, even when his shoulders were grabbed. A wrecked house indeed--but the robot was clearly trying to turn the lights on to have a look around at the damages, at least.
Something about the robot's questions made him angry. This robot was nothing, should be nothing--but that was a lie. This robot was Rudy's conception, Terrence's brilliance, their coupled teamwork, two pairs of hands working side by side, late nights with far too much coffee and too much laughter, too many tears when things went up in smoke. And for what...? For what? "You... are... a very, very important project," Rudy finally said softly, his eyes locked on his knee, dark, thin brows knitted, "that a very... close friend of mine, and I, poured a lot of work into." He drew in a slow, deep breath, unraveling the tension in his heart thread by frayed thread. "For your first directive... you've been nothing but a success. Being a helper, a healer... all of that. And then..." He cringed at himself. This was wrong. This robot's intelligence was artificial, yes, but Terrence had claimed that the robot might be able to feel, too. Thinking and feeling aside, it was cruel to tell an individual who it was, who it was supposed to be. "And then my friend was diagnosed with cancer. I'll... assume you know what that means, given your medical database."
Rudy almost smiled at that. Almost. He recalled the hours of work Terrence had planned out for himself, the extensive research he was planning to code and shove into the robot's main memory. Was it really necessary, Rudy had wondered? This robot wasn't going to become a doctor, or anything. Just an assistant. Ah, but you never know, had been the airy answer. You never know. "The thought of losing him... I-I couldn't accept it. So I tried to move his... his... well, him into... into you. And it didn't work." Rudy said this last part far softer, his almost-smile long gone, his expression turning hollow once more. It had shined just a bit, during that. Whatever light had been there was gone, now, Rudy wilting slightly in the robot's hold. "It... it didn't work. And now Terrence is... i-is dead."
But there will come a time
You'll see, with no more tears
And love will not break your heart
But dismiss your fears
Get over your hill and see
What you find there
With grace in your heart
And flowers in your hair
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