[Drabble -- Out of Hiding Places]
Writer's Note: I guess this one's kind of AU, too, or maybe it just hasn't happened in any threads yet. Nicole (used with her mun's permission since she's an OC) has befriended Mike and gained Zephyr's trust. This takes place right after FLAG has discovered that Zephyr is still alive.
Out of Hiding Places
Nicole felt horribly out of place as she quietly stepped into the warehouse. She found the rundown white truck off in one corner of the building, in a rather small space that had been cleared of old parts and machinery. Mike and Draco were both with the truck, and both looked up as she approached them.
"What happened?" asked Mike.
Nicole shook her head a bit. "FLAG is furious. They know Zephyr is alive and they want him back under their control."
"I've lost," Zephyr murmured softly. "I can't keep hiding."
"No, don't say that yet," Mike said quickly.
"Why?" Zephyr snapped, hopelessness filling his voice. "There's nothing more we can do."
"There might be one thing," Nicole spoke up quietly. She looked down at her hands and could feel everyone's stare. Silence set in as thick as butter.
"What is it?" Draco finally asked. He rested his hand firmly against Zephyr's flank. "We'll do it."
"That's the problem," Nicole replied without looking up, not wishing to see their expressions. "I don't know if we can do it..."
Mike pushed himself away from his place against Zephyr's bumper. "Come on," he said to both of them before anyone else could say something. "Let's sit down somewhere and talk about this."
Draco glanced over at Mike, catching his drift. This was turning into a discussion that Zephyr didn't need to hear. He turned to the AI and pressed both hands against the smooth white shell. "I won't be gone for too long, Zeph. Okay?"
"All right," Zephyr replied quietly.
"Don't worry," he tried to reassure him. "We'll get this straightened out, and FLAG won't ever touch you again. I promise you that."
"I trust you," Zephyr said.
Draco smiled softly. "Thanks, Zephyr. I love you."
"I love you, too, Draco."
He felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked over to see Mike beside him. He sighed as Mike slung his arm around his shoulders and he let the taller man guide him over to where Nicole stood a short distance away. Draco watched as Mike reached out to take Nicole's hand -- and he suddenly realized that they were not in Zephyr's warehouse any longer. They were standing in the kitchen of a clean, bright house, and Draco noticed that he seemed to be the only one who didn't know where they were.
"Welcome to my house, Draco," Nicole said in reply to his confused expression.
"Where are we?" Draco asked.
"Bridgton, Maine," Mike and Nicole answered almost in unison.
Draco looked over at them, a bit amused by their simultaneous response, and his gaze settled on their hands still clasped together. He made a mental note to ask Mike about that later, but then it sunk in. "Maine!" he cried. "That's awfully far from Zeph--"
"Relax, Draco," Mike interrupted him smoothly and guided him into the family room along with Nicole, sitting down around the coffee table. "We won't be too long. We just need to figure out what we're going to do." He looked over at Nicole, silently prompting her to continue.
"The Board is meeting tomorrow to decide Zephyr's fate," Nicole began, "and they want me to attend. I could try to convince them to... sell him to... one of you."
Mike's face brightened. "That's a good idea!" he exclaimed.
"Nikki, why wouldn't that work?" Draco questioned. "They only see Zephyr as a mistake, so why would it matter to them what happens to him?" He spoke the second question with bitterness.
Nicole took in a deep breath. She knew they weren't going to like what she had to say. "They care," she started carefully, "because... in spite of his programming flaws, Zephyr is worth millions to them, even more so now that you've repaired a lot of the damaged circuitry. So, they want to... dismantle him and sell off his parts."
"What!" Mike and Draco both shouted.
Draco almost leaped out of his seat. "They can't do that!" he proclaimed.
"Draco... yes, they can," Nicole reluctantly corrected him.
"I won't let them," Draco declared.
"You know FLAG has legal rights over him," Nicole pointed out. "Technically, because he is a truck, he is property, and he is FLAG's property. Now that FLAG knows Zephyr is still alive, they can file charges against us if we try to do anything to or with him."
"Does it look like I care about legal rights?" Draco responded.
"Wait, we need to chill out for a while," Mike spoke up. "Nikki's idea is definitely worth a shot."
"No, it doesn't guarantee us that they'll let Zephyr go," Draco muttered.
"We could take Zephyr away again..." Mike started, stopping himself before he said too much about the Estate that Dumbledore had let them stay at.
"No," Nicole objected at once. "We can't run away from this anymore. Zephyr doesn't deserve to spend the rest of his life hiding."
"He doesn't deserve to be murdered, either," Draco shot back.
"Hello, this isn't getting us anywhere," Mike cut in. "Nikki's right. What Zephyr really deserves is freedom... the right way. We let Nikki speak out at the Board meeting tomorrow, and then we'll figure out where to go from there."
Draco sighed, obviously not happy. "Fine," he said.
Nicole took in another deep breath. "All right, then I only have one more question." She paused only for a moment. "They'll want to meet Zephyr's potential buyer..."
"Buyer?" Draco raised an eyebrow. "No one can buy a soul."
"We can't look at Zephyr as a sentient being right now," Nicole explained, the patience slipping from her voice. "We have to see him as the Board sees him. He is a truck -- a truck that has to be bought with money; a truck that currently belongs to FLAG. We have to place ourselves into that mindset for us to ever get Zephyr." She had inadvertently silenced them both. But she went on, already frazzled. "My question was that when they ask for Zephyr's potential buyer... well, who will that be?"
"I will," Draco answered at once.
Nicole looked over at Draco, a bit surprised. She raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure?"
"You don't have to ask me twice."
"Do you know how much it costs to financially support an AI?" she inquired.
"Yes, I do," Draco replied impatiently. "I can do it."
The technician looked at him for a moment before finally giving in. "I sure hope you can, 'cause I'll give the Board your name and you'll have to meet their exact offer. No less."
Draco was glowering at her. "I will. Trust me. I will."
Out of Hiding Places
Nicole felt horribly out of place as she quietly stepped into the warehouse. She found the rundown white truck off in one corner of the building, in a rather small space that had been cleared of old parts and machinery. Mike and Draco were both with the truck, and both looked up as she approached them.
"What happened?" asked Mike.
Nicole shook her head a bit. "FLAG is furious. They know Zephyr is alive and they want him back under their control."
"I've lost," Zephyr murmured softly. "I can't keep hiding."
"No, don't say that yet," Mike said quickly.
"Why?" Zephyr snapped, hopelessness filling his voice. "There's nothing more we can do."
"There might be one thing," Nicole spoke up quietly. She looked down at her hands and could feel everyone's stare. Silence set in as thick as butter.
"What is it?" Draco finally asked. He rested his hand firmly against Zephyr's flank. "We'll do it."
"That's the problem," Nicole replied without looking up, not wishing to see their expressions. "I don't know if we can do it..."
Mike pushed himself away from his place against Zephyr's bumper. "Come on," he said to both of them before anyone else could say something. "Let's sit down somewhere and talk about this."
Draco glanced over at Mike, catching his drift. This was turning into a discussion that Zephyr didn't need to hear. He turned to the AI and pressed both hands against the smooth white shell. "I won't be gone for too long, Zeph. Okay?"
"All right," Zephyr replied quietly.
"Don't worry," he tried to reassure him. "We'll get this straightened out, and FLAG won't ever touch you again. I promise you that."
"I trust you," Zephyr said.
Draco smiled softly. "Thanks, Zephyr. I love you."
"I love you, too, Draco."
He felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked over to see Mike beside him. He sighed as Mike slung his arm around his shoulders and he let the taller man guide him over to where Nicole stood a short distance away. Draco watched as Mike reached out to take Nicole's hand -- and he suddenly realized that they were not in Zephyr's warehouse any longer. They were standing in the kitchen of a clean, bright house, and Draco noticed that he seemed to be the only one who didn't know where they were.
"Welcome to my house, Draco," Nicole said in reply to his confused expression.
"Where are we?" Draco asked.
"Bridgton, Maine," Mike and Nicole answered almost in unison.
Draco looked over at them, a bit amused by their simultaneous response, and his gaze settled on their hands still clasped together. He made a mental note to ask Mike about that later, but then it sunk in. "Maine!" he cried. "That's awfully far from Zeph--"
"Relax, Draco," Mike interrupted him smoothly and guided him into the family room along with Nicole, sitting down around the coffee table. "We won't be too long. We just need to figure out what we're going to do." He looked over at Nicole, silently prompting her to continue.
"The Board is meeting tomorrow to decide Zephyr's fate," Nicole began, "and they want me to attend. I could try to convince them to... sell him to... one of you."
Mike's face brightened. "That's a good idea!" he exclaimed.
"Nikki, why wouldn't that work?" Draco questioned. "They only see Zephyr as a mistake, so why would it matter to them what happens to him?" He spoke the second question with bitterness.
Nicole took in a deep breath. She knew they weren't going to like what she had to say. "They care," she started carefully, "because... in spite of his programming flaws, Zephyr is worth millions to them, even more so now that you've repaired a lot of the damaged circuitry. So, they want to... dismantle him and sell off his parts."
"What!" Mike and Draco both shouted.
Draco almost leaped out of his seat. "They can't do that!" he proclaimed.
"Draco... yes, they can," Nicole reluctantly corrected him.
"I won't let them," Draco declared.
"You know FLAG has legal rights over him," Nicole pointed out. "Technically, because he is a truck, he is property, and he is FLAG's property. Now that FLAG knows Zephyr is still alive, they can file charges against us if we try to do anything to or with him."
"Does it look like I care about legal rights?" Draco responded.
"Wait, we need to chill out for a while," Mike spoke up. "Nikki's idea is definitely worth a shot."
"No, it doesn't guarantee us that they'll let Zephyr go," Draco muttered.
"We could take Zephyr away again..." Mike started, stopping himself before he said too much about the Estate that Dumbledore had let them stay at.
"No," Nicole objected at once. "We can't run away from this anymore. Zephyr doesn't deserve to spend the rest of his life hiding."
"He doesn't deserve to be murdered, either," Draco shot back.
"Hello, this isn't getting us anywhere," Mike cut in. "Nikki's right. What Zephyr really deserves is freedom... the right way. We let Nikki speak out at the Board meeting tomorrow, and then we'll figure out where to go from there."
Draco sighed, obviously not happy. "Fine," he said.
Nicole took in another deep breath. "All right, then I only have one more question." She paused only for a moment. "They'll want to meet Zephyr's potential buyer..."
"Buyer?" Draco raised an eyebrow. "No one can buy a soul."
"We can't look at Zephyr as a sentient being right now," Nicole explained, the patience slipping from her voice. "We have to see him as the Board sees him. He is a truck -- a truck that has to be bought with money; a truck that currently belongs to FLAG. We have to place ourselves into that mindset for us to ever get Zephyr." She had inadvertently silenced them both. But she went on, already frazzled. "My question was that when they ask for Zephyr's potential buyer... well, who will that be?"
"I will," Draco answered at once.
Nicole looked over at Draco, a bit surprised. She raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure?"
"You don't have to ask me twice."
"Do you know how much it costs to financially support an AI?" she inquired.
"Yes, I do," Draco replied impatiently. "I can do it."
The technician looked at him for a moment before finally giving in. "I sure hope you can, 'cause I'll give the Board your name and you'll have to meet their exact offer. No less."
Draco was glowering at her. "I will. Trust me. I will."