Part IV

The broadway lights brightened up the stage as a sort of modern rainbow. The atmosphere was one of elation, and the crowd punctured the late evening air with whoops and hollers once the hidden music system started playing. A robot came on stage, and everyone gawked at what looked so human. One would believe it's not a machine.

From the waist up, it was a young woman of haunting beauty, large elliptical eyes like great pools of dark liquid, and the legs were powerful hydraulic machinery disguised with human-like skin, and the way it talked…

"HI EVERYONE, I'M ZERO TWO! THANKS FOR STOPPING BY TO MY CONCERT, I HOPE MY PERFORMANCE TODAY WOULD LEAVE A SPECIAL FEELING IN YOUR HEART. WITHOUT A FURTHER-A-DO IT'S TIME FOR ZERO TWO."

Music filled the air without effort, and it left the feeling of togetherness behind.

"Don't hurt me, Desert me, Don't give up on me. What would I wanna do that for? Don't use me, Take advantage of me, Make me sorry I ever counted on you. One, two, three, four to the five." 

Lijuan turned to look at Wu and sang, "Baby, I'm counting on you." 

The crowd continued to sing along with Zero two "One, two, three, four to the five baby, I'm counting on you. One, two, three, four to the five baby, I'm counting on you. One, two, three, four to the five baby, I'm counting on you."

The music soared through the air like an eagle on, taking with it the very souls of the listening audience. It flowed through their veins and swirled in their head. It made their fingers drum and their feet tap.

The holographic dancers moved like ribbons in the wind, flowing in graceful arcs, in constant motion, painting a picture sound alone can never achieve. 

They brought a wordless interpretation of the beats of the soft strings. That way their dance isn't simply movement, but the most honest form of communication the audience would ever know.

Jessica stayed put on her seat, completely lost and alone, but finding an ounce of happiness in the song as she hummed silently to the lyrics "I'm trustin' you with lovin' me. Very, very carefully. Never been so vulnerable. Baby I'll make you comfortable." 

With her gaze shifted to the ground, it met with the boots of someone and as she slowly lifted her head, she saw Xin with a bottle of water in his hand and a napkin in the other.

"Here. I thought you'd need this." 

"One, two, three, four to the five baby, I'm counting on you.

One, two, three, four to the five what would I wanna do that.

One, two, three, four to the five baby, I'm counting on you.

One, two, three, four to the five..." Zero two hovered in mid air, and twirled, lighting up in many colors and stirring more emotions from the crowd.

The robot's hand was placed on the metal covering her chest and her head rose as she belted out the last notes "I'm about to give you my heart. So remember this one thing... I've never been in love before, Yeah, you gotta go easy on me."

After the diminuendo there was a sudden silence, then like a tsunami, the applause rolled forwards to the robots and the technical team came out and took a bow.

In the cheerful moment, lijuan looked into Wu's eyes and he returned the same gaze, knowing well what she wanted them both to do 

Wu moved his head closer to lijuan. She leans in, so her forehead rests against his. They close their eyes. Both their breaths are shaky. 

"Thank you," she says in barely more than a whisper.

"For what?" He replies, his voice low and husky.

"For being with me."

He smiled, heart fluttering at her voice as he clasped both hands on either side of her face and his lips pressed against hers. Unexpectedly, his hand drifted to her hip, settled there for a while, then pulled her closer. 

She inhaled sharply, feeling his beating heart against her chest "I love you" She said, then wrapped her arms around him as he kissed her forehead.

"Thank you all for coming. A robot doesn't feel, but I am happy to know I could move everyone despite being a rookie at performing. I'm glad my music touched your hearts, that is a wonderful feeling you humans possess that I do not, but I derive my sort of happiness from knowing I put a smile on the faces of everyone here. Thank you once again, and good night." 

***

"That performance was awesome, wasn't it? Fuck! robots are so goddamn perfect" Hana's friend said as she tossed her burned out cigarette stick in a nearby trash bag. "If I had AI talent, a talent scout company had recruited me by now, but shit's too hard for an ordinary human." 

Hana's friend kept ranting as her group moved away from the concert area.

"No fucking way" Another one of Hana's friend alarmed as she raised her finger at Xin who she'd spotted with another Lady.

"What the actual fuck?!" Hana gritted her teeth and clenched her fist. 

"Dang, he didn't even think twice about replacing you. And not only did he replace you, he took this new chick out on a day. He's such a fucked up liar. Disgusting bastard." 

No matter how it would seem, this was betrayal. Xin said he wasn't interested in relationships, but he was with someone and the two moved to a gaming stall where Jessica could try her luck to win one of the plushy toys for fun.

Hana moved closer to spy on them, and her friends were ready to drag her back in case she popped a nerve and tried to go haywire.

"How does this game work?" Jessica asked the man at the store and he mischievously responded, "Hit the target, get one plushy. Miss one, you're out, hit the target continuously and you'll keep having a chance to play. Every game costs $$" 

"Okay." She slipped the money into the man's hands and he snickered before he started the machine. His tactic was simple and what he used to make the game almost impossible to win, he'd switch the tempo randomly depending on when a shot was fired, and by the way Jessica held the gun, he was certain she'd lose.

The paintball splat out of the fake gun, but it missed the target after the stall owner hastened the target's movement. 

"I could've sworn I had a perfect aim." Jessica said, surprised by how she'd missed her shot. She wanted to go again, but this time, Xin wanted to do it for her.

The wide grin on the stall owner's face was wiped off completely once Xin stepped up, intimidating the man way shorter than him, and his confidence of successfully scamming players. 

He started the machine and Xin got In place, placed the gun in a two handed grip and aimed. The stall owner noted the movement of his Index finger and just when he thought when Xin was about to put, he switched the machine's mode too fast, but that didn't stop Xin's target. The paintball hit one of the paper like roosters, and he kept aiming for the rest.

No matter how fast or slow the machine went, Xin's aim never missed. He gathered a crowd that was stunned by how professional he was. He was calm and quiet, but the man operating the machine was the one losing his mind. Once the hold broke off, the man gave up, and he was forced to accept defeat. 

The machine slowed down, and it was somewhat easier for Xin. He was up for a challenge, but the machine's new default mode killed his interest. The stall owner angrily turned to look at Xin who'd put him out of business. All his hits cost him of all the stuffed animals and figurines on the shelves. All night he thought he'd cash out on foolish couples like he did in the past, but the pair before him were one he shouldn't have messed with.

"If you're bothered about losing everything, you shouldn't. We only need one." 

"Yeah" Jessica agreed, then pointed at the small light blue elephant with a yellow bucket hat and red boots on. "I want this one." 

The man clicked his tongue and tossed it at her. It hit her in the face and fell to the dusty ground. Xin stepped forward, and the stall owner moved five steps back as his throat tightened. His eyes looked around for anything he could use as a weapon, but nothing around could affect the man before him. 

His face ashen as Xin grabbed his collar and pulled him close.

 "Stop, it's okay" Jessica pleaded but Xin ignored then commanded him to apologize to her.

"I'm sorry... I'm really really sorry" The man's voice was shrill with terror as he looked into Xin's drilling coal-black eyes, and the stall owner could see the emptiness accompanied with sorrow and pain masked beneath the ink.

Xin shoved him away, then pulled Jessica away. A few minutes passed since they'd been walking, and Jessica yanked her hand away. 

"What got into you back there?" 

"He—"

"I didn't make a fuss out of it, did I? Don't treat me like I'm weak! I have a reason I didn't react the way you did. You both are of the same class, but an elite like myself remained cool. That's what I'm trying to achieve now. I don't want to be picking unnecessary fights anymore, and I don't want anyone doing it for me! I didn't ask for your help, so stay out of my business."

"Do you think they're having a fight?" Hana and her friend's kept following them, and from what they could observe, it seemed like they were arguing.

Hana's closest friend, Mihyo, hissed then rolled her eyes "Fuck that! Didn't you see how he was willing to fight for that babe. Would he ever do the same for Hana?"

"Actually… He would do it for anyone. So I won't really hate on him for standing up for her, but I don't get what that girl's problem is…"

"I hate when people take me for weak! I can handle my own problems. I'm not a child! I'm an adult... I…" She took in a deep breath, then closed her eyes. "Remember, you're just accompanying me, nothing else, so keep your distance and limit the things you say to me from now on. You're taking me for a weakling and I hate that. So just stay away…" She said then hastened away from him.

Xin's phone rang, and he pulled it out from his front pocket.

"Hey, where are you? Did you go somewhere private with Jessica?" Wu asked.

"I really don't know where I am, and she was dizzy, so I had to carry her to a comfortable place."

"Okay. You guys should meet Lijuan and I at the carpark. We're waiting." 

"Okay." Wu hung up, then Xin put his phone back before moving along with the crowd heading for the exit. Fifteen minutes passed before he got to the carpark and found all three of them waiting. 

"What took you so long?" Wu asked.

"I'm sorry. I missed my way."

"It's okay," Lijuan said, but not a word was uttered from Jessica who ignored his presence.

"Okay, to wrap up the night, let's take a stroll at the beach. The night is still young anyway." 

Xin really wanted to go but for his friend, he had to stay. The four of them moved down the path leading to the beach, and Wu, along with Lijuan, dashed forward, leaving the other two behind.

Under the glowing stars and moonlight, lijuan pulled her dress just above her knees then moved into the water, taking slow steps then she raised her hands up, letting the hem of her dress fall and soak like a rag. She screamed "I LOVE MY BOYFRIEND WU, AND I'M HAPPY EVERYONE HERE MADE THIS DATE POSSIBLE!!! I WANT US ALL TO BE ALWAYS HAPPY!!!"

The waves crashed onto the shore, and the ocean wind blew in gusts. Xin watched Lijuan and Wu play with the water while he sat under a benched hut with Jessica who refused to bat him an eye.

"I'm sorry" He said, but Jessica didn't answer. He sighed and placed his chin on the palm of his hand.

"I didn't think about how you'd feel, and if I had known it would upset you this much, I wouldn't have confronted him." 

Jessica still didn't reply. 

Lijuan and Wu got out of the water fully wet, and full of regrets for not bringing a change of clothes.

"You guys can go. We'll stay back to dry off. The date's over and we're actually grateful you both showed up." 

"Can I go with you? I'm willing to wait for you both to dry off."

"But Xin can…"

"Don't worry. I'm sure he's fine with it." 

Xin wanted to protest, but it was what she wanted. Besides, he didn't see why he should care about her too much. 

"I'll be going now. Bye" 

"Bye" Lijuan and Wu said, but Jessica didn't.