Project 02: Input

Chapter 7
File G: Delete

I could guess what that button could do. That button could shut me down, and there's nothing I could do about it. Who knows, maybe after he shut me down, he'd destroy that button so that no one could activate me ever again. No, I won't let him do that.

"You're going to shut me down?" It's a serious problem, very serious. I need to think of something, anything to escape from this bug (problem).

"Yes. I'm going to shut you down. There's no use of you anyway." I searched for options, what could I do at that situation? If I move my arms or legs, he could shut me down with one press of that button.

"But why?" She asked. That's perfect; I needed more time to think of options. Maybe for her to talk is a good thing. I know he'd feel as surprised as I was when I listen to her talk.

"As I said before, there's on use of him. He'll just cause trouble for the company." I looked down at my belts and wondered whether to use them or not. A small shock would petrify him, and I could escape easily with him paralyzed. Maybe I should do it? Though from where I was standing, it's hard to throw my belts to him.

"Can't you give him another chance?" I knew it; he was as shocked as I was.

"What kind of program is that? Did you contaminate her system with 'kind' thoughts?" He took 3 steps closer to her and I went along with the conversation.

"It's already contaminated from the beginning. She has a program 'love' maybe she loves me." While he analyzed her, I readied myself with my belts. Timing… I need the right moment, then I could squeeze the life out of him with the high voltage of my belts.

He let his guard down, perfect. Without a second thought, I wrapped his neck with my belt. I made sure the voltage isn't so high so it could only shock him, not to kill him. I pulled my belts closer to me so he'd lose balance and let go of that button. Is 10 volts enough for him? No. He deserves more than that. The electricity flowed from the source (battery) in me, and my belt act as a cable to the victim. I tightened my belt on his neck so he couldn't scream, I don't want yet another person to come to this room. He tried to detached himself from my belts, however he failed miserably.

Five seconds later, I let go of my belt and grabbed the yellow button on the floor. I put it safely inside my pocket and checked his condition. He laid cold and the floor, he wasn't breathing, and I couldn't detect any pulse from him. I'm not familiar with how human body's work, though I'm certain that if a human's heart stops beating, they're considered as dead. He's a non living creature like me now. That's not good, I didn't mean to kill him. I'm just going to call that an 'accident that's meant to happen'. Who knew humans could be so weak? Somebody should help him, someone else but me. Since she's here with me, I guess I'd blame her for everything that had happen so far.

Then I remembered. There's a camera inside that room, those people might be watching that room right that second. Before they could block all the exits in the building, I had to run away. I left that room and while I ran I checked where was the nearest exit available. The window. It's the 4th floor, and I can't fly. I checked for another exit. There's a door in the ground floor, and from the cameras I hacked, no one was there. Using the elevator had too many risks, there's an emergency exit, using stairs.

Emergencies only, a sign on the door said. I was sure my condition classified as emergency so I opened the door and went down the stairs.

No one was there on the ground floor, so I ran for the door. I was so close to the front door, when I saw a man that stood in front door. I had no idea who he was, I knew he wasn't one of those people since I've never seen him before. He had grey hair with greeny-blue eyes. He was more than shock when our eyes met. That man opened the door almost immediately and it looked like he had something urgent to say to me. I had no time to listen to him, so I ran passed by him. He had no idea I was in such a hurry. I've murdered one of those important people, the only option I could think of was, to run away as far as I could from F. Media.

I ran, seeking the answers, though I knew there was nothing out there for me to reach. I knew I couldn't go back to that place. I hate rules, I just don't want to be held down. That place has countless rules, so the option to run away and forgetting everything behind me, that's not a bad option. I hate to be told what to do, I want to be a little wicked, I'm programmed to do that after all. I walked through the town, wondering. I had nothing to do, all I could do was, to walk around town until my battery reaches 0%. I looked back at the memories from when I was born, it's such a horrible 'life'.

'Why am I 'alive'? What's my purpose?'

I asked for options inside me, but it said nothing in reply. I live to hack and give misery to Crypton, is that it? Then I looked up at the clouded sky.

'What am I capable of right now?' I don't even know that much.

I'd like to spill my guts to someone, anyone. And then I wonder… what is my life even worth?

I witnessed my user's death right in front of my eyes. I used my belts once or twice, but those who got electrified by it didn't die, just badly injured. I looked up at the darkened sky again. What am I doing with myself? I don't even know that, I don't know anything anymore. A few days ago, a few weeks ago, I remembered you laugh at me saying humans are much superior, so I shove those memories away. I am right and he is wrong, what I did to him is the right thing to do. Isn't it?

It's difficult to have no option in me that I want to shut down. It's too detestable, that I want to erase all, abandon anything and everything, since I have no more 'purpose'. Without understanding anything, I just dashed through night's streets and looked around. I tried to 'imagine' what would happen if those people knew what I've done. I will be exposed, be shattered, become rusty, and rot away. Maybe it'd be better if I shut down myself, before they broke me down to pieces? None of my system is responding, I just stopped. This pain and this detest strike right through my heart. I've had enough; I'm really tired now. What is this bug? Why can't I delete it? Is this 'regret'? Why did I look back at the past? There's no use of that.

I passed through the park where she and I met. That's right, I left her behind in that room. Would those people point her as the one who murdered him? Hopefully. Though, there'd be no difference. I took out that yellow button, wondering what I should do with it. It's hard to admit, but maybe he's right. There's no use of me, maybe I should just shut down? That'd make things easier, I could stop feeling this pain.

"Len?" A voice called out to me again, that voice belonged to her. I turned around and saw her behind me. Strange, my sensors were down, I thought I was alone. That 'feeling' probably blocked my sensors or damaged it.

"What are you doing here?" I felt better that I had to postpone my shut down. I was considering whether or not to do it, would her 'kind' words stop her from doing this? I want to do something, I want to have a purpose. Deleting ACT2 won't help, they'd build another one, those people obviously wouldn't want me back there.

"I was looking for you. You ran off, remember?" Yes, I remembered. "What are you doing here?" She asked back. I wish I knew what I was doing.

"Nothing, I don't know." I answered shortly. I wanted to ask something to her, would she answer my question though?

"You don't know what you're doing here?" It sounded strange, but it's true. I don't know what I'm doing here, I walked around, and somehow I ended up here, in front of the park where we both met. Could it be coincidence? No, I don't really believe in in coincidence.

"No." I shook my head. She looked down at my hand and saw the yellow button.

"You're not going to use that are you?" I don't know. How many times had I say that? I don't know. I said it again, because… I don't know anything anymore, everything just froze. So I took her hand and put the yellow button in hers.

"You decide it for me. Give your reason to your answer, I want to know." Someone else would make the decision for me, I don't want to think anymore, my system is overloading. I looked down to my feet as I waited for her to decide.

"What are you saying? Look! Don't give up, look at me with those eyes of yours!"

She asked the impossible. I didn't know what my eyes looked like to her, but I really didn't want to look at her.

"Don't look at yourself like as if you're alone, your eyes are trash!" That caught my attention, she called me trash? "You're upset that I call you trash right? You can't shut down yourself if you have those emotions, your eyes give out spark when you feel those feelings, you should know that!"

"The reason why I want to shut down is because of those emotions, I don't like it. They're too heavy for me to carry, it's not useful. He said it already, no matter how hard they try they couldn't uninstall it. It activates randomly as well, I can't control it." She grabbed my arm and started pulling me. I had no idea where she was taking me, and before I could ask, she answered.

"There's a chance… That Putin-sama could fix it, just come with me." Her pace grew slower and slower, I wondered why. Ten steps later, she stopped, and fell down. I caught her just in time, and I could tell why she fell from her eyes. She had 0% of battery.

What should I do with her? Leave her on the streets? No, I couldn't do that. I had to do something, and she did say her creator could somehow fix me. I remembered, I was looking for a purpose didn't I? Why not? It's better than wandering around town.

I had to carry her to her house. I complained numerous times in my 'mind', but I don't care. I like being busy, even though the program sloth is an opposite of being busy, I still like them. Maybe the right phrase is, I hate being bored, so that means I like being busy don't I? That's right.

On my way there, I saw a car that stopped on the side ways in front of me. The driver came out, it was that person… the man I met at the front door of F. Media.

"I know, she's a bit heavy isn't she? Come inside." I don't trust him. A random stranger came up to me and told me to come inside his car? "My name is Utatane Piko, also known as Putin. I'm her creator, and I'm more or less your creator as well. Do you mind putting her at the back? You sit in front." I didn't expect him to invite me, I thought he only wanted her back? I guessed he needed explanation.