17Note: Thoughts are indicated by .
Chapter One
He's gone. Dr. Selig is gone.
As Zee watches the sun setting over the sea, Ro watches Zee. The ride back to the mainland was quiet. So much has happened in such a short while. First, they finally catch up to Dr. Selig, only to find it wasn't really Dr. Selig, but Dr. Edmund, who designed Zee holomorphics. But thanks to him, they were able to get to this 'Floating Fortress', where Zee was born. And there he was: Dr. Selig himself. Right then and there, he told them how he had planted the mystery module in Zee's head. He wanted Zee to have a conscience so he could rethink his programming. Ro secretly found herself wishing that Agent Bennet and his agents were there to hear this, to make them rethink their objective. But then everything began to explode around them. Zee never had the chance to tell him who he was.
And then the unthinkable happened; that Brother's Day guy fired a lucky shot at Dr. Selig's escape pod, and there was nothing Zee could do to stop it. Ro will never forget the look on Zee's face as the pod crashed. Even now, as he stares out into the sea, Ro still sees the expression in his blue eyes. She's seen that look before. In fact, she's had that look a few times in her life before. It is the look of someone on the verge of tears, the look of someone who has just lost everything.
Ro thinks back to the promise she made while in their escape pod. Don't worry, Zee. We'll find a way. But as she looks at Zee in the state he's in, she finds herself faced with a new dilemma. She can tell Zee is feeling miserable about what happened out there. She too is on the verge of tears, but she holds them back. If Zee sees her cry, he too will want to cry. But since he can't, he'll feel all the more worse for it.
He's gone. This is all Zee can think about right now as he stares into the sea that claimed his creator's life. One minute he was right in front of him, telling him everything about the module and the next he was gone, his pod crashing into the ocean. Why did it have to end like that? All he wanted was to talk to him, to explain how he and Ro have been looking all over for him. If only Dr. Selig was still alive, he'd be talking to Bennet, asking him to call off his agents. Then we'd know what kind of plans he had in store for me. If only the ship hadn't exploded. If only the escape pod hadn't crashed. If only.
"Zee?"
If only I'd.
"Zee! Snap out of it!"
Zee suddenly finds himself face-to-face with Ro, and the worried look she has on her face leaves him at a loss for words.
Ro sighs, and then she gives him a soft smile as she puts a hand to his cheek. "Come on," she says softly. "It's getting late. We should find a place to stay for the night. We'll think better in the morning." She holds his hand as they walk from the pier.
We'll think better in the morning. Zee usually believes everything Ro says, but right now he's not completely sure about that. The image of Dr. Selig, his creator, his father, crashing in the water continues to plague his mind as he walks with Ro through the city streets.
Once they enter their room, Ro sits on the bed as Zee heads for the window and continues to stare out into the sea with the same sad look on his face. Ro begins to regret having a room with an ocean view. Ro knows he's mourning the loss of Dr. Selig, but what can she say to him to help him feel better? Dr. Selig was their best chance, their only chance, of proving Zee's innocence. He was the only one who knew about that mystery module, Zee's built-in conscience. And now that he's gone. There must be another way.