"Did you like the story?" Asked Lilly.
Jenny smiled a bit shyly. "It was nice."
"Does your mom tell you stories too?" the squirrel girl asked curiously.
"Um- I don't 'member," Jenny confessed.
"How come?"
Jenny looked a bit distantly. She took one of the Lego blocks holding it in her hand, and started trying to make something. "I.. don't know who my real mom us," She said.
Lilly looked sadly. "What about your dad?"
"Can't 'member him either," She said as she put the red bricks and mixed it with the yellow bricks... why did she feel weird playing these games? Was she... too old for them? No.. maybe because they were boy's toys? Jenny felt so confused now.
"Sorry Jenny," Lilly said quietly.
Jenny gave a little smile "'s Okay. Murriels my mummy. I'm happy with her," she said brightly.
"Watch'a makin'?" Asked Lilly.
"Um... it's a magic wand," she said shyly. The object looked similar to her four pronged magic girl weapon. Even if it lacked the detail completely. "It's for you."
Lilly blushed under her fur, and took the wand. "What's it do?" she looked curiously at it. Maybe they could make a game with it?
"It's magic. Just point it at stuff," she giggled.
the Squirrel girl started pointing it at Jenny, with the girl giggling pretending to be hit.
"ow ow!" Jenny said. "She took out another set of bricks making another weird wand- though it really looked like a thin brick wall. "Take that!"
Billy flipped her body backwards, landing on her bed. "Ow! Sleep spell!"
Jenny giggled again.
The two children continued to play.
Steven looked in concern at the asian cyborg. She had taken him some distance across the street. "Are you okay now?"
"Running diagnostics..." His eye started to flicker a bit. "My systems were not accessed. I am compromised. I am... okay."
"What the hell happened?" Steven asked.
"You would not understand" Hiro said in a monotone voice.
"Try me." Steven said crossing her arms.
Hiro stood up straight. He (it?) was far away enough from the wifi signal now... "As I said... I am connected neuro-chemically to my machine parts. Part of my brain is enabled to receive signals, if I wish to or not. I can not turn it off, in the same way you can not turn off your ears if you hear something you do not wish to."
"And someone was saying something you didn't want to hear?" Asked Steven
"I have... made a rudimentary firewall for my systems. Essentially a sound filter. However I can never be completely certain how any of my systems will interact with my biological components." Despite the lack of emotion, there was a disgusted tone to it. As if he was making excuses for being a half finished artificial construct.
"Maybe someone was just saying hello?" Asked Steven.
"Probability was deemed 99% chance of a hostile situation. This system in accomplishing it's directives did not anticipate interaction with various organic individuals."
Steven frowned. The more Hiro kept his emotions off, the worse he seemed to be getting. It was almost like talking to a computer now. "What do you mean?"
"This system is hated, on the internet." It explained.
Steven frowned. He didn't know what Hiro did... or if he was deserving of that hatred or not.
All of a sudden, Hiro ripped open a panel on the street. The metal casing was like butter to his robotic arm. It seemed to be connected to the electricity grid in some way.
"W-what are you doing!" Steven asked glancing around.
"Directive one. Ensure survival. There are beings on the internet too powerful for this system to resist. I am unable to turn off the connectivity systems as part of my design. The most secure system is an isolated one. I will therefore overload and destroy my parts physically."
Hiro ripped open a wire, and attached it to his artificial arm. He then took another wire, plugging it close to his ear.
"DONT!" Steven yelled.
The electric arc formed and the cyborg twitched. There were a few sparks of electricity as the lights in the various shops flickered. The lights started to go out around them, even in the arcade.
Steven jumped back, alarmed at the smell of something burning and hoping it wasn't Hiro's flesh.
the Cyborg ran another diagnostic. "Connection permanently disabled. minimal loss of organic tissue. Replicative processes commencing." Hiro glanced at the arcade emotionless. "Possibility that the hostile encounter have also been nullified." Not exactly the goal... but it works out. It would be a very good time to leave as quickly as possible.
"Are you fucking insane!?" Steven said angrily.
Hiro shrugged, as he placed the wire back carefully, and closed the panel. "Necessary."
Steven swallowed. "You know... you might feel differently, when you turn your emotions back on." she said delicately.
Hiro gave a blank stare. "Unlikely. I have no desire to turn them on again. Why suffer if one does not have to?"
Steven's jaw dropped, as she slowly backed away. Hiro was either malfunctioning, or really insane.
Hiro noted her reaction. "It was meant what was said. This day was an interesting- though perhaps a costly encounter. Regrettably, it is unlikely we will meet again. I will keep a record of our game in memory."
Hiro briskly walked away, leaving a very bewildered Steven in it's wake.
Despite everything... Steven couldn't help but feel sorry for Hiro.
Tiffany continued to sleep... she was glad though to be having a nice dream now. It was quite a surreal experience, though she was getting a little restless. She was vaguely aware of an itch though, starting to spread across her covered body. She hoped it wasn't anything to worry about. Releasing a leg out of the covers helped some.
The light on her body continued to glow, almost.. pleasantly?
