How We Move On, Part 1

Max was surprised when he walked into the dark office to find Jenny sitting alone on the floor. The woman who always seemed larger than life now looked small, and sad. Quickly bringing up old programming, the freebot walked across the room to sit on the floor beside her.

“Ms. Jenny?”

Jenny looked up from the silent datachron. There was a second where disappointment crossed her features at realizing it was Max. “…I’m fine, Max.”

Even he could tell it was a lie. Puzzled, the freebot rested a comforting hand on her back. “You should take the day off, Ms. Jenny. Take your bike. It might be a good day for you and Master Jeremy to go for a ride.”

Her gaze shifted to the hoverbike in the corner that hadn’t been touched in weeks. Shoulders sagging, he could have sworn she was about to finally take his advice when Jenny’s datachron buzzed.

“… It’s Morovichi.”

Max frowned, the expression deepening to what might be interpreted as anger as she rose and went to her desk.

“Ms. Jenny, I advise against this.”

“It’s not up fer discussion.”

“Do you even see what it’s doing?!”

Jenny’s expression had hardened now. Chron set aside, she pulled a sticker from a drawer and smoothed it over the inside of her bare arm. The effects set in instantly. Her shoulders relaxed, her posture straightened, and as she sighed a luminous mist billowed past her lips.

“I see fine. Please escort ‘im in, Max. We have work t’ do.”

____ ____ ____ ____ ____

It was a foreign sensation to the Freebot. He enjoyed new things, learning and feeling as he evolved under Mrs. Murdoch’s care, but Max was very certain that he did not like the Void. It was beautiful, and curious. He appreciated the golden chord binding him and the Mordesh monitoring Jennys vitals, keeping them from being driven mad… or worse. The more he watched, however, the more he was sure that this went against his programming.

“Maxamilliano,” came Morovichi’s stern, unconcerned voice.

The Freebot’s gaze rose from the shimmering landscape. “Yes, sir.”

“How is the progress compared to our previous tests?”

Max’s attention shifted to where Jenny experimented a newly deciphered rune. He frowned. “There seems to be a greater output of energy than the last several tests, and she shows no signs of struggling to perform any of the more advanced spells.

“Good, good.” Morovichi made several notes on his tablet. “Mrs. Murdoch! We can move to the next round, if you will.”

Jenny’s attention snapped up. Her blue eyes glowed like the brilliant dimension she bound them to. Void energy leaked out past her lashes and dripped down her cheeks. Rune etched hands outstretched, the Void around them shifted to someplace warped and alien. Her fingers twitched. Shimmering light rose from the ground, drawn to spiral around Jenny and form into runes, but even as she worked on building up her spell a harrowing growl shook the ground around them.

Morovichi didn’t even blink. “That was the third test in a row?”

“Fourth,” Max replied, visibly shaken. He looked around, fully expecting to see the hulking beast prowling out of the shadows.

“Do not fret, Master Freebot,” Morovichi reassured. He looked back up to observe Jenny Void jump through several dimensional layers, all the while dragging them along with her. They landed with ease, and Jenny cast out her hands, a vortex of spells rising around them as alien void creatures born of emotions crawled out from beneath her feet.

The growl sounded again, and evolved into an otherworldly howl.

“…Sir, I believe my power cells are going to be reaching a critical low soon.”

Morovichi’s glance to Max was skeptical at best. Nodding once, he called out, “Ms. Jenny, your assistant wishes to be returned.”

Mist rose from her lips as she smiled, and while not intentionally twisted, it shook Max to the core. Jenny lifted a hand, and as gently as if she were scooping him up, Max was suddenly out of the Void, and standing in the empty inner hall of the raceway.

Why were his hands trembling? It took him one hundred and seventy-two seconds to get his limbs to move. Void effects: 0%. Structural integrity: 97%. Battery life: 82%. Pivoting, Max marched to the locker holding Jenny’s things and took up her datachron. For several minutes his finger hovered over the ‘call’ button underneath a picture of Requisitions. Then, reluctantly, he set the chron back down, and shoved it away. The research folder was gathered up. Every note, and data drive, determined to make moving forward as difficult as possible.