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Her touch was like that of rose petals, the kinds that were ever present in steel glasses near the mini bar.
Smooth fingers inched their way up Auto's faceplate, taking a moment to pause and trace the split in the middle before resuming their track around his eye. A soft giggle resonated as the autopilot's optic dimmed and a deep purr-like noise emitted from his speaker. He never wanted to admit that he enjoyed the touches, but Alyssa knew as well as anyone that he was trying to hide it. It wasn't just that A113 was long gone, either. Her presence almost seemed to be programmed into him, almost like that new directive that he needed so badly. Her presence, her touches, her voice. They all had a meaning that he could not comprehend, but he didn't need to. He didn't bother allowing his processor to compute everything she did. He simply half-spun his wheel slowly, leaning into her touches and warbling quietly in reply. It was obvious that his trying to not do so was failing.
"Auto... you've been awfully cute today."
Negative...
His deep resonances trailed off and echoed. Sometimes, Alyssa said things just for the sake of hearing him reply. It always sent chills up her spine.
"Okay... well, I'd better get going. I'm really... really tired today. Dunno why."
Stay longer?
"I wish I could..."
Alyssa wrapped her arms around his frame a bit awkwardly. Even after all this time, she never quite got the hang of hugging a steering wheel. In any case, she made it work, and she pressed her cheek deeply against his face.
"You know I'll be back. I just need some rest, that's all."
Affirmative. Please return.
She smiled, turning to kiss his optic. Auto no longer complained about her doing so, and so she had no qualms about it. Her smile became wider when she felt his claw gently slide up her arm to hug her back.
"See you tomorrow, Auto."
The two broke apart finally, and Alyssa sighed softly as Auto backed up a bit and retracted his spokes slightly. He always did this when she had to go. He told her because he was getting ready to go into sleep mode. She figured he just missed her.
As she turned, something felt... wrong. She froze. The room's lights brightened more than they should have. Everything became silent except for her pulse, which suddenly seemed to pound through her ears. Eyes wide, she slowly turned back around to face the autopilot. Her lower lip shook.
"A...Auto...? I think something is... uh... wrong with me..."
The pilot immediately scanned her and jolted forwards. LEDs on his processor strips began blinking in alarm as he realized that the girl was correct in her assumption.
Heart rate -- above normal; danger zone
Blood pressure -- above normal; danger zone
Alyssa.
The room went white, and then black as pupils dilated in the drenching of shock and fear. Pallor overtook Alyssa's sweat-soaked skin. Without another word, she fell.
No more words, and she couldn't even reach out to him.
The autopilot's alarm sounded briefly as he darted to hover over her.
Alyssa. Alyssa.
Another scan revealed more horror.
Heart rate -- absent
Blood pressure -- absent
ALYSSA. Not possible.
The normally monotone drone of his voice heightened to a panicked one. He scanned her once more. Nothing. The girl was silent, her eyes half-shut, her body motionless. Her chest did not rise. Not one response to his cries.
Get up.
The pilot lowered himself as much as he could and tried to scoop her up with his claw and a peg, but she did not stand. With as much care as he could muster, he laid her back down. Despite a basic knowledge of human anatomy, Auto could not understand why Alyssa was the equivalent of a rag doll in his "arms." He gazed down at her, his core attempting to process without a break to cool.
Get up.
He tried again. Nothing. She flopped down into the same position on the cold floor, her skin almost as white as his faceplate. It was at this point that the autopilot thought he saw death. No. Not Alyssa.
He remembered a technique that was shown on the holoscreen once; perhaps it would work.
Without a moment to spare, he rotated so that his taser pointed directly down at her. It flipped open and was charged immediately. A second later, it was slammed deeply into Alyssa's chest.
Live.
The blazing cerulean of the electricity coursed through the girl, causing her to shake and tremble but doing nothing more. As Auto continued, slight streams of blood leaked from the puncture site. His radiant optic caught this, and he pushed the taser deeper.
Live.
The pilot's body vibrated slightly as he continued his efforts, and despite his systems working overtime, he did not give up. Yet, Alyssa did not respond.
The taser retracted and the autopilot looked down at the girl. Her chest was an unruly mixture of burnt black flesh and crimson blood, and smoke softly lifted off of it. Every few seconds, blue sparks drifted from it, crackling slightly in the charged air.
Alyssa?
No words. One more scan. Everything was the same.
Death was what the autopilot truly saw, and he did not believe it. He could not believe it. Alyssa was there all the time; she could not simply die. He needed her. She was his unofficial directive, his lifeline from a loneliness that the world forced him into, and he didn't want it any other way. His processor spun erratically as he backed up to scan her again and again.
Nothing.
Alyssa.
His voice quieted down.
No...
The word was drawn out, ending in a soft, mechanical whine.
He lowered himself down and wrapped his claw around her neck, pulling her up slightly. No response.
Not possible...
He pressed his faceplate to her, his eye dimming.
Not... possible...
And then there was silence.
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Author's note: AAAAH, there's confusion about my author's note, too. XD That is why I shouldn't write them at 3 in the morning. Okay, in this story, Alyssa IS dead. It's just that she's not dead overall; there will be more stories with her, and obviously the continuation of Absolution. This was a hypothetical situation in which she really does die, and I wanted to write how Auto would react. Also, as said in the former version of this note, this takes place a year after they met.