36 – The True Home

"You really can't bring him back to life, Liz?"

In the darkness, I heard Ciara's voice.

"I didn't say that, Ciara." The mechanic answered. "Maybe I don't know what's wrong with Axel's body yet."

"You said you've tried many things but to no avail." Ciara's tone grew stiffer. "Please, just say that this is the worst-case scenario."

"I'm willing to look for parts again." Bonnie chimed in while sobbing. "As long as you can bring Axel back to us."

[Intializing….] A text appears among the darkness.

"It's not about the parts…. I don't know anymore. I fixed his intelligent core, and it should be working normally." Liz continued. "But that doesn't mean I'm giving up. As I said before, I may not know his real issue yet. Maybe by replacing his intelligence core, he will function again, but he will be a completely different individual."

[Companion Drone, Codename: Axel, Activated]

And finally, my sight returned. I was at the table in one of our rooms.

"Trust me, I have tried my best during these three days." Liz looked down. "But…."

"You guys miss me so much, huh?" I hovered to them.

Those girls froze as they stared at me.

"Axeeelll!!!" Bonnie jumped up and hugged me.

"You already know that I can't enjoy hugs from women, right?" I snorted but didn't really mean it. "Well, at least your embrace won't crush me like that monster's grip."

If I were still in human form, I might as well cry out at this relief.

"Welcome back, sir." With her signature smile, Ciara greeted me. I could see the stream of tears running down her cheeks.

Even Liz's eyes filled with tears, though her face showed no change in expression.

"I promise I'll never leave you again." I broke free from Bonnie's embrace. The tiny girl tried to catch me but failed because I was already hovering high. I want to laugh seeing her annoyed face.

"Axeeelll!!!" Bonnie kept jumping up and down to reach me.

Being hugged like that by a woman but unable to feel it was really sad.

"What did I miss?" I asked. Even though I've seen what happened, I may have overlooked some details. I only watched them from the computer screen, after all.

Plus, they'd be surprised if I sounded like I knew it all.

***

I looked at Ciara and Bonnie sleeping in a bed. Liz said they both had trouble sleeping when I wasn't around. When I returned, it seemed they had become much more at peace.

I didn't expect them to worry about me that much.

"Axel…" Bonnie muttered in her sleep. "Maybe you need to get a real dick."

What a good joke, Bonnie.

I covered their bodies with a blanket, then hovered out of the room, up the stairs to the rooftop.

This wall is full of cracks and decorated with patches that make me feel more comfortable.

"Hi, Liz." I approached the mechanic. She was standing on the edge of the roof. "It's so rare that you don't do anything. You're usually very busy."

She looks at me. "Well, I'd like to take a break, even if that doesn't make sense. I am a robot designed to work 24 hours."

"I know that feeling." I put myself on top of one of the turrets. "You've become more human-like, Liz. You can feel bored now."

"Is that so?" The mechanic brushed her hair which was exposed to the night wind. I'm sure she copied that gesture from Ciara.

"Yeah, get as much rest as you can." I stared at the expanse of ruins in the darkness around our house. "After this, we must act to destroy that giant spider egg."

The night wind grew stronger. Liz looked up and muttered. "When you were unconscious, did you dream, Axel?"

"Interesting question out of you."

"I just remembered that I had a long dream, Axel." She closed her eyes. "Who knows…. Maybe a part of me is still active even though I 'died' at that time. That's what triggers me to 'dream.' But I've forgotten what dream I had…. Ah, my words are getting ridiculous."

"No," I responded. "I also had a dream when I died."

She looked at me again. "Really? What are you dreaming of?"

"A hell."

It took a while for Liz to speak to me again. "Interesting. What kind of hell did you see?"

"I can't explain it in detail." I sighed. Imagining my days in that world is torture for me. I kinda regret bringing up this topic. "The point is, at that time, I felt complete despair and didn't know how to get out of it."

"That sounds terrible, even though I don't understand the meaning of despair yet…. Ah, maybe that's how I felt when trouble revived you, Axel."

I chuckled. "Yeah, I'll try to keep you guys from feeling that pain."

"I will do that too…. No, not only me but Ciara and Bonnie also."