Chobits Fan Fiction ❯ T h e m ❯ T h e m ( Chapter 1 )

T h e m

"You should get a Persocom, Erika." Sandra said as she applied Erika's make- up.

"I don't know, I'm always so busy," Erika said unsurely.

"That's the point! A persocom could help you." Sandra explained.

"I don't know...I don't think I could trust some of the stuff I do with a machine. I mean, I know they always follow orders, but some of the things I do need the be altered, changed, stuff like that." Erika wasn't telling her friend the truth. The truth was she was afraid of persocoms. They seemed to perfect, like they could steal your life without you even noticing.

"Erika, you can't last much longer this old fashioned. You need someone to help you. And we both know I can't always do this. I'm trying to become a teacher, doing your hair and make-up is fun I guess, but I kinda'...I just want to teach." Sandra sighed. She should have told Erika sooner. Erika always understood.

"Oh, Sandra! Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Erika was upset, she knew that their agreement was temporary, but she had hoped it would have lasted a bit longer. "But…why do you want a persocom to take your place?"

"I can trust you to a persocom. They don't…they're not...you would be safe with one." Sandra stumbled over her words.

"Oh, alright, I'll get one as soon as you get a position in a good school." Erika decided.

* * *

It was only a week later when she found herself in a persocom store looking for a replacement for Sandra. All of the persocoms were turned off and they all seemed dead. A shiver ran up Erika's spine and she was suddenly very cold.

"Can I help you Miss Hayazaki?" the manager asked, he had sent all of his other employees away; they had all been ogling Erika from afar.

"Yes, I'm looking for a persocom. Obviously. Um…do you have any female ones?" She asked looking at all of the male forms.

"Unfortunately no, another shipment is due in about three weeks. We can reserve one for you if you want," he suggested.

"Oh...but I can't wait that long. Um…can the…males do the same things that the females can?" she stuttered.

"Either sex can do anything they are programmed to do." He offered.

"Well…then I guess I'll be getting a…male persocom then."

"Take your pick. If you notice each one has its own appearance, no two look alike, just like people."

"Then does that mean that there aren't twin persocoms?" she asked before she could stop herself.

The owner blinked in surprise, then a smile crossed his face, "I've never really looked that up," he admitted.

She walked down the isle looking at each persocom, "So...it...he can be programmed to do stuff like…hair, make-up, and wardrobe?" she asked.

He laughed, "That would have been a strange question had it come from nearly anyone else, but I guess you're looking for one to do that because, is it Sandra, became a teacher."

"Yeah, and now I need someone to do that for me," She answered.

"Why can't you just hire someone to do that for you?" he asked.

"Because I promised Sandra I'd get a persocom. She trusts them more than she trusts people"

Something caught her eye. She looked past a few more still bodies to one covered in dust. He had blue hair and he looked around her age, if he had been human that is. But he had a reassuring look to him, almost as if he was human, minus the persocom ears.

"Why is that one so poorly cared for?" she asked.

"Oh, him? He's the newest model. People don't really like him. He gives me the creeps! It seems that he is too computerish at points then he'll flash over to human mode. I don't think he cared for his first two owners, or the idea of being owned. I dunno but he sure is strange. I don't think I'll ever sell him!"

"I want him," she decided.

"What? No, there are other, better persocoms for someone like you. We have a very handsome one over here if you like," and he began to walk away.

"No," she said, "I want this one. I like him. He…feels right."

The manager shrugged, "If you insist. But don't blame me if you change your mind. We'll gladly exchange him for an older version at any time if you wish."

"Now, can you program him to do hair, make-up, and wardrobe? I'm afraid I don't know how, this is my first persocom after all."

"Sure, and while I'm doing that I'll have one of my employees to teach you how to do it yourself later, in case you want to program anything else."

He took the persocom to the front counter where he programmed it in sleep mode and had a female employee teach Erika how to use a persocom on a daily basis.

She paid for it and left, a man pulling the persocom, still in sleep mode, along behind her.

"I have to get back to the set, I did this on my lunch break," she explained to the man. He had no problems with taking the persocom to her set, hoping to see more famous people, though not many could compare to Erika Hayazaki.

"Okay, I have a few minutes left…um…how do I turn him on?" she asked puzzled.

"Oh, the switch is inside the ear," he said.

"Oh, thank…'inside the ear'?" she asked shocked.

"Yes, here let me show you." He walked over and pulled the ear up, "It's this green one right here. The purple on is restart, and the red one is to turn him off. If he needs to be repaired, hit the oink one, hit it again when he's fixed. The blue one puts him in sleep mode, and I'm sure they told you about the orange, yellow, and black ones, they're for programming," he explained. He looked up to see her confused face, "Uh…when he's on he can help you remember which is which. Just remember green, red, pink, and blue. Green on, red off, pink fixing or fixed, and blue sleep."

"I think I can do that. Thank you." She smiled as he left.

She looked at the ear, "Well, here goes nothing."

She pushed the green button and watched as he opened his eyes and she found herself staring into their blue-black depths.

"Oh, hello," she said. "I'm Erika. I heard you caused problems for your old owners."

He did not reply.

"Oh…okay then. Um…I have to go work, but you can watch if you like. Or do anything you want really."

No reply.

"Oh, okay…Um, I'll just be right over there."

A set worker pulled at her arm, "We need you on set," he whispered, "we're already way behind deadline."

"We always are," she answered, "yet we always make it." She turned back to the persocom, "I'll be done soon." She walked off towards the set.

He watched as she worked. He didn't understand how it was work. She just talked to people and slapped some guy. Actually she had to slap him several times and say the same things over and over again until some guy decided it was good enough.

He bristled as some guy punched her, sending her crashing to the floor.

Some guy yelled, "Time!" and the guy who had punched her helped her to her feet and they shook hands, each smiling broadly.

"I only have to be here three more days. How about you, Carri?" he asked. "Well, Bobby, I have a little more than that, but I also had a slightly bigger part. I've got eight more days. Then I'll be going on tour for a while. Maybe we'll work together again sometime," she laughed.

"I'd love that. Hey do you think I can get some tickets for your Kyoto concert? My wife and I are going there for our anniversary when you're in town and I want to surprise her. And of course you're her favorite." He asked.

"Of course! Sure, I'll get you guys front row and backstage if you want," she offered.

"That'd be great. Oh, and the kids are coming. We have two, but by then we'll have three. The newest is due in about two months."

"No problem." With that she wrote down in a little blue book that she needed to give him five tickets and five backstage passes.

"Erika, you have a persocom now! You don't have to use pencils anymore," he laughed.

"Oh, right…oh just shut-up Mike, you have those hand-help ones. And you've had them for a while. I just got him. Now go away. I have to go home. And they don't pay us overtime for talking. Tell your wife I said hi."

"Sure no prob!" he said walking off.

She turned to the persocom, still smiling, "Shall we go home now?"

He nodded.

She turned and walked off, allowing him time to follow her.

"You're not very talkative are you? Well, you're stuck alone with me for about twenty minutes; I walk home a back way where people don't usually go anymore.

"You did not yet name me," he stated.

"Name you? Don't you have your own name?" she asked.

He shook his head.

"Oh." She looked up into the bright night sky, "You see those three bright stars in a row?" she asked.

He didn't look away from her face, "Orion's Belt," he stated.

"How about Orion?" she asked.

"Orion," he said.

"If you like it that is. If you don't that's fine, we'll pick a different one."

He nodded, "It is Orion."