>Welcome to "DIGITALE part 1: Man vs. Machine". I assume you read through 01's introduction, or this fic wouldn't make much sense to you. If you didn't, and you're too lazy to read the introduction (don't sweat it, I don't read intros either) I'm going to tell you a little bit of what you missed: 1. Heero's a robot who doesn't know what he's been built for. 2. This story takes place in AC 195.... just like in the original GW TV series.... but the future is totally different. Robots have taken up almost every job, acting as free laborers and making businessmen rich. On the other hand, with no work, a lot of people have no money, so there's a depression. 3. The middle class has disapeared, leaving only two classes: The very rich, and the very poor. The rich have taken away all knowledge, and kept it for themselves so the poor wouldn't grow knowledgable. But some poor people have seen the problem: robots.... and have started rioting against them, a few even arguing that robots are human and are being abused by the rich company owners. Now that you know all that, enjoy reading 'DIGITALE PART ONE'!!!!< ============================= It's hard to awheel A finger's gotta feel Lead it to a complicated Smile I'm spinnin on a wheel I slide to the right I felt you like electric Light For our love For our feel I got a machine head It's better than the rest I walked away From my machine I walked away From my machine -Machinehead by Bush ============================= DIGITALE: Man vs. Machine: part 1 A boy with a torn green tanktop and spandex pants that were almost as old as he was sat by the side of a deserted highway, looking at the ground, almost as if he was counting every dust particle on the ground beneath his feet. The wind played with his messy hair, and his pale skin seemed even brighter because of the strong sunlight. A vulture screamed in the distance. The boy known simply as 01 looked up. Many vultures were flying all into one direction. Having nothing better to do, 01 followed them. What met him at the end of the vultures' flight would have horrified any normal person.... a boy, about age fifteen, laying on the ground half naked and bleeding heavily, his long hair sprawled across the rocky/sandy desert floor.... a dagger deep in his side and blood flowing out from his mouth.... this site would have shocked any normal person, but Heero wasn't normal, and he wasn't a person. 01 calmly bent down to see if the boy was still alive. Feeling a pulse, 01 lifted the boy over his shoulder and calmly carried him away as if he was carrying a small log. After a short while, 01 stopped and put down the boy, who had meanwhile lost most of his blood. With his thumb, Heero made a hole in a cactus and collected some water in his hands. He put in to the boys mouth, and poured it down the unconscious boy's throat. After he collected more water, 01 cleaned the boy's wounds, but didn't remove the dagger in the boy's side. From somewhere he remembered that more blood would flow out if you remove an object secured tightly in an animal's or a human's body. Taking a long plank of wood he had found along the highway, 01 eyed it, then broke it apart into exactly two halves, as easily as if he was snapping a twig. He dug them deeply into the desert gravel, one on each side of the boy, just a few inches from his shoulders. Putting his arm to the boy's forehead, 01's eyes grew slightly wider, and he quickly took off his tanktop and balanced it on top of the two sticks. The mysterious boy was dying.... but not only of his wounds.... the harsh sun was dehydrating him.... he was losing more water than he was gaining. Probably 01's small tent wasn't much help, but at least the boy was sheltered from some of the sun. Just then, a pick-up truck drove by. 01 quickly stood up and ran after it. And after surpassing the large truck in speed, he ran in front of it, one arm forward, his hand in 'stop' position. The truck driver, not noticing him, drove on. When he saw the shirtless, dust-covedred boy standing in the middle of the highway trying to tell him to stop, it was too late. There was a loud screech as the truckdriver tried desperately to stop, his foot slammed on the break, his teeth clenched together, his eyes tightly shut, fearing for the worst.... when suddenly he heard a crash and the car, and the car was halted. Blinking, the car driver looked out the window. The boy, who had not gone out of his 'stop' posture.... had his hand slammed into the front of the truck, where a big hole was now punched in. The boy, not the least bit suprised, just looked up at the driver,"Are you going to stop?" he asked in monotone. Hearing this, the truckdriver giggled nerveously,"Stop?! You just wrecked my car!" he said, passing out shortly afterwards. 01 blinked, then removed his hand from the hole in the truck. The truck was damaged, but the motor still functioned, meaning the truck could still run. Running back to where he had last left the unidetified boy, 01 noticed something peculier. His tanktop was on the ground instead of being on the sticks, where he had last left it, a bloody dagger was laying nearby, and the strange boy was gone. As 01 was about to examine the scene, he was knocked over by a strong blow. "And who do you think you are?" 01 looked up. Though the sun was blinding, he could make out a pale figure with long hair and fiery violet eyes. 01 instantly recognized it as the boy he had saved earlier. Currently the youth was holding a pistol, and aiming it directly at 01's heart.... or at least where 01's heart should have been had he been human. "Are you the one who built that tent?" asked the boy, not loosening his grip on the pistol, his finger on the trigger. "Yes," replied Heero,"I found you bleeding to death 10.7 miles from here two hours, fifteen minutes, sixteen seconds, and ten milliseconds ago." The violet-eyed boy blinked, obviously confused,"Are you trying to joke with me?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. 01 stood up,"You are going to die of dehydration if you continue to use energy at the pace you are now on." "Shinigami doesn't die." replied the boy, still aiming his pistol at 01. "Is that what you call yourself? Shinigami is not an existing name.... it means 'God of Death'." "I know what it means." snapped the violet-eyed boy. "Isn't the God of Death despised? Are you despised?" "Too many questions.... I have one for you.... why did you rescue me?" 01 didn't reply. "I asked 'why did you rescue me'," repeated the boy named Shinigami. "You wouldn't have been pleased if you wouldn't have been rescued. I hear people fear death." "I am death." "That does not compute.... death is not a being, it's a happening." Shinigami's eyes shifted. This guy was probably some kind of nutcase. "There is a truck one mile from here. I could carry you for you seem to weak to walk that far, but only if you desire." explained 01. Shinigami turned around,"I have my own plans. I do not wish to partipate in any sick games you have planned." with that, the boy with the violet eyes turned around and started to walk away. He had barely walked three steps when his legs gave in on him, and he began to fall. Instantly 01 rushed to catch him. Shinigami opened his tightly shut eyes. He was held safely in his savior's arms, instead of lying face down in the desert gravel. He muttered a word of thanks, not bothering to look into 01's face. In a few hours, the boy named Shinigami and 01 were driving in 01's stolen truck, the former truck driver in the back and still unconscious. Everything was silent, and Shinigami was in too much pain to talk. 01 handed him a washcloth,"Here." "What's that for?" "To cover your wound. You will bleed out if you don't." Shinigami grabbed it, and put it over the now infected blister. Then there was quiet. Again. Shinigami eyed 01, who was driving the truck at exactly 70 miles per hour. Shinigami eyed him, then thought of what he could say to make conversation. "I didn't catch your name," he said. Silence. "Could you please tell me what your name is?" Shinigami said, trying to sound polite, even though the stranger was creeping him out a bit. 01 thought a while,"I do not recall having a name." Silence. "Is there anything you like to be called?" asked Shinigami. "I don't recall having something I liked to be called by." Shinigami was feeling more than a little frustrated. His savior acted almost like a robot. "Can I give you a name, then?" "Do what you want." replied 01, not taking his eyes off the road. "Fine, then I'll call you...." Shinigami paused,"Heero." Silence. Again. "I had a friend named Heero once," said Shinigami, thoughtfully. 01, newly Christianed Heero, didn't say anything. "He died." One thing Shinigami couldn't stand was silence. Although it hurt to talk, it was much better than listering to ear-deafening, nerve- wrecking silence. "Say, where are we going? I know a place where a friend off mine lives.... he knows medical procedures.... where are you going, anyway?" "I am driving to wherever you want." replied Heero. "Well, I'll just stick with you. I don't remember where my friend lives." After a few hours, Shinigami had fallen asleep, and Heero was still driving. The robot looked thoughful. This 'Shinigami' person was weird. He belonged to an allience called The Sweepers Group, which insisted robots had feelings and were being used as technological slaves. The way he talked about robots and how he strongly believed that those hunks of metal had mind almost made Heero feel human.... but he reminded himself it was technologically impossible for robots to feel emotion on their own unless they were programmed to do so. But it still would not be real emotion.... Or would it? When Shinigami awoke, his bleeding had stopped, but his wound was still infected. After the violet-eyed boy began to complain from the pain, Heero pulled the car over to the side of the road. "Why are we stopping here?" asked Shinigami. "You complained your waist hurts." "So? Then why are we stopping?" "Because you complained your waist hurts and I'm going to try to dull the pain." explained Heero. "Now don't tell me you specialize in medical techniques too, I mean----" "Lay down," instructed Heero. Shinigami obediantly did as he was told. Almost effortesly Heero tore off a large strip of his tanktop. "What are you doing?" asked Shinigami, watching as Heero tore off another strip. "Arch your back," Heero ordered to the puzzled Shinigami. Shinigami did this as well, ignoring the pain that rippled through his body. He didn't have to suffer long, though, because Heero quickly slipped both stips underneath the wounded boy, and tied them together in the front, making a well-to-do bandage. As Heero resumed driving, Shinigami sat up and stared at Heero,"Um, thanks...." "You have to buy some clothes. It is said to be inappropriate for humans to go around one eighth covered. You also might get a "cold", as humans call it. Though I do not see why it is called that." Shinigami cocked his head,"Aren't you human?" Heero shook his head,"No, I am a human simulator.... a cyborg most likely programmed to act human." he said in monotone. To his astonishment, Shinigami began to laugh,"It's not that hard to believe.... man, some luck I have. I'm with driving to who-knows-where with some nutcase who thinks he's a robot." "I have not given you inaccurate data." protested Heero. "You even talk like a robot!" said Shinigami, nearly falling over from laughter. Heero just dismissed the boy as hyper. Two hours and sixty miles later, the pair had stopped at a gas station. "Wait here." said Heero. Shinigami shrugged,"I'm half naked and wounded. It's not like I can go anywhere." Heero said nothing, and just slammed the car door shut. After filling the car tank, he went inside the gas station's general store. The cashier at the front desk eyed Heero suspicously,"May I help you?" he asked in a distrusting tone. TO BE CONTINUED >Hm, I kind of like how that turned out. It's a bit nicey-nice, but I guess it'll do for 'DIGITALE: part 1'. I'm working on part two as you read this, and I'll post it soon. Till then, enjoy reading the other fanfics on my site.... or just let me know how much you hated this fic (^_^). Don't feel ashamed to tell me what you think.... but just remember, I know where you live (^_^). Anyway, don't worry about bickering about my fic to other fanfic readers, I'm doing that behind your back, too. >sighs< Us GW fans.... We're all like one big happy FAMILY!!!!< To make your average GW fanfic author happy, flatter them with a ton of positive feedback. To make them mad as a bull, write them flames. So, be a good dragon and write your share of flames to me here! Don't worry, I won't hurt you. I spend the majority of my time glaring and kicking my PC, so I will not have the energy to be angry at you (^_^)! But your efforts will be appreciated. |
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