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"Ok, I think I see the problem," Morada said, staring at the computer screen. Wires were running from the machinery on the android's forehead and neck to the computer monitor, and Morada was staring at the screen, biting her lip. "One of two things is wrong, and it's fixable for the most part."
Ash looked over her shoulder to stare at the screen, but the whole thing made no sense to him. "What is it?" he asked her. Morada continued to chew her lip. James remained silent, staring into the false woman's lifeless eyes, trying to find...something, anything he could reach.
"Er..." Morada started, not quite sure how to explain all this. "She can hear us...and she can process the information...she just can't respond yet..." She cast a fleeting glance at James, who showed no response to what she'd said.
"Why not?" She thanked God for Ash, or else she'd be stuck with the king of uncomfortable silences. There was a "Pika" from the boy's shoulder.
She took a deep breath to try and regain her professional composure. "An android is like a computer. Actually...it IS a computer, and computers need software or else you can't get the most out of them, follow?"
Ash shook his head, and James said "No," but without looking up.
She sighed. "Whoa-kay, this would be so much easier to explain if you were Trekkies, but anyway..." She went over to the table and got her laptop. "Look at this. It's state of the art and all that, but without software it's useless. I had to install Windows, the word processor, the CD burner, the spreadsheet program, not to mention all the stuff my computer needs to hold up Team Rocket's medical database."
Ash looked at the computer. "So what kind of games can you get on this thing?"
There was a bang-James had fallen down. "Will you get on with it?!"
Morada pointed to the Jessie-droid. "Think of her as a computer without all its software," she said, patting her laptop. "She has her basic components, she's running, but you have to install things like memory buffers, logic subroutines, motor functions, and most importantly a personality profile. You can talk to her now, if you use the computer. But she won't be able to answer much of your questions because she doesn't know how. I think what I need is in the database, but it'll take a few hours to install all of it."
James stared at what was supposed to be Jessie. "So you're going to what-program her to be human?"
Morada shrugged. "Well I wouldn't put it that way exactly, but yeah, basically that's what it is." She turned on the laptop. "Right now she's the equivalent of this thing-except without Solitaire." James narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. "I could plug her into the other computer that came with her, there's a data input program in it that you could use to try and get some questions answered..." She picked up another phone chord and plugged it into the outlet on the android's forehead. She brought the other end of the wire to the large computer consol and plugged it in. "I'm brining voice command on line so we don't have to type anything in, just ask her something but remember she won't have much of an answer until I get some programs installed."
James took a deep breath. "W-who are you?" he tried.
The Jessie android remained stiff, and still stared straight ahead with dead looking eyes, but she spoke in an a familiar voice. "Team Rocket tactical defensive android 01-Prototype. Assigned identity: Miamoto, Jessica."
James felt his insides freeze. That was her voice...or was it? Had that been replicated too? And what had she meant by 'assigned identity'? Did that mean she'd been assigned to assume that identity and replace the real woman, or that she actually was the girl he'd always called his best friend. "What do you mean by assigned identity?" he asked cautiously, not sure if he wanted an answer.
"Please restate inquiry." Scratch that, he DID want an answer.
"James," Morada started. "She doesn't have the subroutines to figure out what you're asking." Morada looked thoughtful for a moment. "Why don't you and the kid go out and get rid of your getaway car-I don't want any of this getting traced back to me and this is obviously a very valuable piece of technology-people are bound to come after it-I mean her."
James looked at the android, not wanting to leave incase anything happened.
"Give me three hours," Morada insisted firmly, but in a pleading tone. "This is going to take a long time, but I can at least get some of the important programs up today. Three hours is how long it should take to at least upload logic subroutines and an adaptor, you won't get anywhere without those."
James sighed, took one last pitiful glance at...whoever she was, and headed for the door. He grabbed Ash by the collar, dragging him away from a 'thrilling' game of Minesweeper on Morada's laptop. "Come on kid, I'll show you the proper way to blow up a truck-bring the pikachu."
Morada stared for a moment, then sighed and sat down at the computer. The android was still just sitting there on the examination table, staring at nothing at all like a mannequin. "So..." Morada said half to herself, half to "Jessie". She took some disks out of a bag and put one in the drive. "Let's find out who you are..."
"Sir! Sir!" a young Rocket science intern yelled, rushing into Giovanni's day office. This was the room the Rocket boss used when he was pretending to be a good citizen, and it was far from HQ. The Chief of Police who was meeting with the man had no idea that the office building belonged to the head of the most notorious criminal organization.
The intern froze when he saw his boss had company-Police company-and tried to stutter out a cover-up. "Uh...uh...I'm sorry, Sir, I didn't realize you were busy, I'll come ba-"
The middle aged Jenny stood up. "What's wrong, you came rushing in here so fast it must be important."
"Um...well..." the intern was sweating like crazy. He was so horrible at thinking on his feet, but Chief Jenny couldn't know anything about the experiments... "W-we found out w-who stole your p-p-pokemon, sir," he spat out, hoping his employer would catch on the hidden meaning.
Giovanni looked at the intern, half angry and half curious. "Perhaps I'd better talk with him out in the hall," he said after a pause.
"No, sir," Jenny said. "If a pokemon was stolen, especially from a person as high up as you, it should have been reported," she said matter-o-factly. The intern had a forlorn expression, however Giovanny looked stiff but cool. "Now, don't worry sir, you don't have to involve your employees in looking for a stolen pokemon. The police will be sure to catch the thief-it's probably Team Rocket." Chief Jenny took out a memo pad. "Now, what kind of pokemon is it?"
The intern was scared out of his wits. Giovanni was looking at him in an expectant, threatening way that warned him not to mess this up. "I-It's pokedex number is 01," he finally said. He say his boss's eyes bulge and fists clench as the man realized that his intern was referring to the 01 prototype.
"Bulbasor, then?" Jenny asked, writing it on the pad.
"Yes," the intern sighed in relief that he'd gotten the message to the Boss without arousing suspicion.
"And who do you think stole it?" Jenny asked. The intern looked at his boss, who was staring back with what was obviously a warning glare-he wasn't supposed to let Jenny know who.
"Uh...um...I don't know," he finally got out. "I'm just the messenger," he faced Giovanni, "the-er-investigator you hired sent me to tell you. He's anonymous, of course, so he wanted you to call him personally, sir, in a few hours."
Jenny frowned and faced Giovanni. "Be sure to let me know who it is immediately after you find out," she said, putting away her pad. "I have to go, thank you for meeting with me, sir, and don't worry-the police will support your run for Mayor and find your bulbasor."
Jenny left, and the intern tried to remain at a stiff attention until the Boss was ready to say something. Finally, after a glare that seemed to take forever, Giovanni spoke to his subordinate. "Now, who stole my android, and how did they find out about it."
"I-it was James, sir," the intern said. "A-at least we think so."
Giovanny narrowed his eyes. "Go on."
"Apparently he was sent to pick up a package at HQ, and it turned out the package was 01. Intelligence has determined two possible scenarios: one, James found out about Jessica and tried to rescue her, or two, he didn't know anything about it, and it was just a coincidence. The casing was locked, we can't be sure if he looked inside."
The Boss remained expressionless. "Where is the prototype?"
"Intelligence hasn't gotten that yet. There are three possibilities: one, again, James tried to rescue the android. Two, he delivered it to his employer, or three, a bounty hunter got his hands on 01-it is, after all, extremely valuable and from what I've heard James is a pushover."
Giovanni was silent for a moment. "Was the personality system installed before it was stolen?"
"No, sir."
The Boss looked thoughtful. "This can still be fixed. Tell intelligence to find out how much James knows-as long as he thinks his former partner really is an android, he won't bother trying to find the real thing. He'll want an explanation from me, of course, and I can use that opening to find the prototype."
"Well, sir, I'm sorry to be disrespectful, but what if James is working for him? If he has the android, everything would be over."
"If he had it, he'd be gloating right now. 01 is still safe-but he can't get it, and neither can the bounty hunters."
"Yes, sir. Anything else?"
Giovanni rose from his seat and motioned for his Persian to follow. "Just to be safe, we'll move Jessie to another holding cell, but make sure it's nearby-the labs still need her."
"Hey, scrawny, get over here," Cassidy called from the other side of the cell. Misty glared at her and stayed where she was.
"I'm not scrawny," muttered the red head, already starting to miss the boy that called her that-well, just a little bit.
Cassidy glowered at her. "Fine," she bit out, then switched to her business voice. "It's just that there's this loose bar on the window and I'm too well developed a woman to fit through (Misty coughed) but if you think you're too fat then I guess we'll never get a message outside for help..."
Misty stiffened, gave Cassidy the evil eye, and stood up. "Fine, I'll go-but first you have to answer some questions for me."
The Rocket raised an eyebrow. "One question-and you have to go straight to Butch, not the police."
"Tree questions," Misty said, smirking and crossing her arms. "Or I'll go to Officer Jenny right away."
"Two."
"Deal."