For
the next few minutes, our eyes were on Priscilla as she slowly began to crumble
under the weight of her grief.
When
we bots were created, a select number of us were given bot mates as an
experiment. Bot mates were created
to be a perfect match, complimenting each other in their thoughts, feelings and
personalities.
Unlike
humans who can meet someone else and remarry if they should divorce or their
spouses should perish, we bots are given one bot mate for life.
Only
our creator could possibly supply us with another, which is not possible now
that transportation back and forth to the Earth has been destroyed.
Mia
and I, both fortunate enough
to have been joined to a mate, found it very hard to witness Priscilla’s
emotional responses as she stood there realizing that she would be without her bot mate for as long as
she exists, which could be indefinite.
This
is something that none of us bots were prepared for. While we did lose a few bots a few years
after we first arrived due to harsh working conditions within the Crystal
Mines, loss is something that we have never had to face since then.
Priscilla
stood going through the motions of wiping away nonexistent tears.
“Goodbye
Aron,” she finally
whispered.
She
wiped her cheek one last time before backing away from what was left of her
mate.
A
cop from the police station arrived shortly after. She walked over and stood looking at
President Aron in disbelief.
“How
did this happened?” She asked somewhat rhetorically.
I answered anyway, “We were hoping you could tell us.” However, I realized that
nothing like this had ever happened here on Lunar Lakes. Even the cops were at a loss for what they
should do.
“I
guess I should take pictures of the crime scene,” she said, sounding very
unsure of how to proceed. I guessed that
she was just mimicking something that she saw on one of the TV shows that
streamed in from Earth.
Pedro,
the other cop that I recognized from my visit with Frida at the police
station came over to ask a few routine questions. I answered to the best of my ability.
“Do
you have any idea who could have done this?”
“Yes, probably half of the bot community,” I answered honesty, thinking about the
number of bots that may have been angered by the President’s announcement
yesterday.
“Let
us not jump to any conclusions,” the cop said.
“This could have just as well been a human.”
“Well
with the security portals in place, no human could get in. They would not have
access, especially access to city hall,” I answered feeling like I was doing
the cop’s job.
“Yes…well,
I am sure there are ways,” he answered back, realizing that what I said made a
lot of sense, but not quite ready to admit that a bot would do such a
thing.
He
continued, “Is there anyway a human could have access to the security portal
controls?”
“Not
unless they managed to get past security and all of the scientists within the
science building. And still it would be
impossible.”
“I
am sure there are ways,” the cop insisted once again. “I have no more questions for now, but please
be available in case I have further questions.
We will find the human
responsible for this!”
I found myself frustrated at the cop’s insistence that a human had done this,
but I did not protest any further.
Both
cops walked over to the president and stood looking helpless.
“What now?” the female cop asked in a voice that she did not intend for Priscilla and I to
hear.
“They
do not know what they are doing, do they?” Priscilla asked speaking for the
first time in a while.
“It
does not look like it,” I answered, watching the female cop take more pictures.
We
both watched her continue to bumble around the President taking pictures of his
desk, his feet, his computer…and anything else in an attempt to look as if she
actually knew what she was doing.
Priscilla and I sighed.
“Do
you see anything that will help you find out who did this to my bot mate?” Priscilla
asked, sounding irritated at the cop’s lack of real police work.
“Um,
not really,” the cop answered more honestly than she probably
intended.
“They will never find the killer. What
if they come after me?” Priscilla said; worry present within her tone. I could say nothing to reassure her.
Then,
a few things happened at once. The
female cop snapped one last picture…
…the
second cop stood idly by, trying to appear as if he actually knew how to
investigate a crime…
…Priscilla
continued to fret over the possibility that her bot mate’s killer would never be found…
…and
a new realization hit me like a rocket.
With President Aron dead, I was now the
President of Lunar Lakes.
Labels: Metallic Heart
