Archive of Our Own

The city’s skyline was the only beautiful thing in this godforsaken dome. Tara stared out at the skyscrapers through the windows, glad she’d gotten a good position on the crowded public tramline for once. The doors clicked open, and Tara squeezed out of the vehicle. She stretched her legs, yawning. The sun had already retreated below the horizon, drawing darkness over the sky, and she knew she’d need to get back home soon to avoid any trouble on the lower levels. A good few flights of stairs awaited her, but Tara didn’t mind. She’d grown used to it, at this point. She was adaptable.

She began to walk, flipping through a few news stories on her phone as she climbed up the long, winding staircase that bordered the back of every single building. More oxygen cuts. More disease outbreaks. Another charity ball. Tara paused, twisting her face in disgust as she recognized a familiar face, beaming up at her from the screen. Of course. She began to scroll past, but a short figure standing beside her caught her eye. Tara paused, feeling something stir inside her. Was it jealousy? Tara decided that it was anger. It hadn’t even been half a year, and that bitch had managed to seduce another girl. Tara pushed her emotions aside, and studied the new face objectively, mulling her thoughts over in her head. So her type wasn’t “tall people” after all. Tara chuckled in spite of herself. She’d have to tell Rico that his theory was wrong. But why did she choose someone so different this time around? Was she collecting different types of people or something? Tara sneered in disgust. She wouldn’t put it past her, at this point. The steps began to smoothen out, from the tattered concrete foundation stairs of the lower levels to the cleanly tiled, sterile flooring of the middle areas. Tara pushed the thoughts aside, focusing on the . She’d made a promise. She wasn’t going to think about her anymore.

“H-hey. Is this the right room?”
Out of all the things that Tara had expected to see when she opened the door, her ex’s new girlfriend certainly wasn’t it. Tara studied the girl cautiously. Shiny traces of tears lingered on her face, and by the way she was hiccuping, Tara would bet she’d been crying. A sinking realization at exactly why she was here began to weigh at Tara’s throat. She seemed even shorter than she’d looked on the news. Perhaps it was the way that she cowed as Tara straightened her posture.
“What do you want”
Her mechanical voice was harsh and cold, and the girl flinched. Pity weighed down heavily in Tara’s mind, overwhelming the disdain she’d previously held for the girl.
“Piper said I should come h-here..”
Tara’s chest squeezed at the mention of her name. She pushed her door open further, tipping her head to invite her in, before walking back in to alert Rico of their new roommate. Tara began to calculate the additional costs that this would bring. The apartment was plenty large enough for the three of them, and with Rico constantly mining cryptocurrency, supporting themselves should be manageable, and she may even be able to minimize their dependence on… Tara cleared her mind as  the girl had walked numbly into the room. She needed to focus on the task at hand.
“Tara. Rico’s in the living room. Any questions, and you can ask him.”
“Oh. Okay. Uh. My name’s Bibi.”
Bibi stood stagnant in the center of the room, as if awaiting orders. Tara felt a flash of irritation.
“You can move, you know. Make yourself at home.”
Make yourself at home. She hated that phrase. Tara hated having to say it. It reminded her of soft, cushy couches, of warm home cooked meals, delicious and intoxicating and terribly, horribly filling. And from the way Bibi’s face scrunched up, she could tell she didn’t like it either. Guilt and resentment flooded into her. What happened to this poor girl? Rico had finally made his way over, roused by the commotion. His light blue pupil slitted as he took in the scene, and Tara jabbed her thumb in Bibi’s general direction, motioning to the ceiling, and then the room around them. Rico chirruped in understanding, meandering over to pat Bibi on the back, helping her sit down on their long couch, the only piece of furniture that Tara’d thought to place in their living room. She’d never been one for interior decor. The only time she’d ever had time to even think about it was when.. Tara pushed her thoughts away once more, knowing that they’d only make her feel worse. Rico began to vibrate softly as he spoke, as he heated up his mechanical voice box, ready to use it for the first time in weeks.
“Are you okay?”
A pause, and Tara shifted uncomfortably as Bibi broke, crying into the robot’s metal chestpiece. Rico pat the seat beside him, staring pointedly at her, and she sighed, before walking over to sit down on Bibi’s left. Tara sat in silence as Bibi sobbed her heart out.

Bibi hadn’t seemed to improve much by the morning after. Rico had offered up his room for her, seeing as he hadn’t much need for a bed anyways; an act which Bibi (and Tara)  appreciated greatly. But Bibi had barely moved at all in her hours here. Tara tried to ignore the soft sniffling creeping out from under Rico’s closed bedroom door as she passed by. She needed to eat breakfast before work, and she couldn’t get distracted. She pulled out a chair beside Rico, tearing off the edge of the tube of nutrition paste with her teeth. Rico watched her, and for once, Tara couldn’t read his gaze.
“You should talk to her.” Rico offered evenly. Tara scoffed, putting down her breakfast. She stared into Rico’s eye, watching his pupil dilate in unease. 

“Why should I do that?” 

Rico finally looked away. “She could use some comfort. You could help more than I can.”
“You’ve been doing fine. You’re helping her.” Tara shifted in her seat, reasoning in her mind. “You have more time for it anyway.”
“Both of us know why I can’t. You need to teach her how to get over her.”
“You can do that fine! You helped me!”
“Look at yourself. Where you are now. I didn’t help you..”
Tara bristled. “And what’s that supposed to mean?” She felt anger burn up her face, yet her synthetic voice remained as dead and light and pleasant as ever. “Are you saying that I still love her?”
Rico blinked. “I’m saying that you still have problems to work through. This can help you both.”
Tara stood abruptly, leaving her breakfast forgotten on the table. 

“I’m going to be late for work.”
Ignoring Rico’s stares in her back, Tara pushed her way past the steel front door of their apartment. She didn’t have time for this. Tara fixed the folds of her mask around her jaw, ensuring that her face was completely covered, trying not to think about what Rico had told her. She hadn’t thought about that bitch in weeks. And Bibi just had to show up, to... Tara closed her eyes. It wasn’t her fault. Bibi hadn’t anything to do with this. Tara took a deep breath to quell her anger, lowering her shoulders, before she began to trudge through the sterile halls of the 175th floor, bracing herself for the day.

The next few days passed by without incident. The only time she’d had to even look at Bibi was when she’d deliver her meals, on Rico’s insistence, and even then, Bibi would just thank her quietly. Tonight was no different.
“Thanks.”
Tara nodded, watching as Bibi set the tube of paste on the bedside table, adding to the slowly growing pile of unopened and uneaten food packages. Tara pushed her unease away, turning the bubbling uncomfort into frustration. She nodded in acknowledgement, but Bibi didn’t respond, staring blankly into the air as Tara made her way back out the room, and clicked the door shut behind her.
Rico looked up as she entered the living room, sensing by her body posture that she was upset. He tipped his head in a question and Tara glared daggers into him.
“Why aren’t you helping her.”
It wasn’t a question. It was a statement. Rico’s waist creaked as he sat up, hands working in unison to fold close the book he was in the middle of.
“What do you mean?”
“You know what I’m talking about. She isn’t getting any better. She’s going to starve, and it’ll be our fault.”
“You aren’t helping either.”
His voice remained as flat as ever, but his body language was accusatory. Tara continued.
“You’re supposed to be a companion, aren’t you? You know how to make people happy.”
“You know that’s not how it works.” Rico buzzed, mechanical joints popping as he stood defensively. “Why are you acting like this? Just talk to her like you talk to me.”
Tara snapped, irritated. “That’s different. You’re.. different. ”

Bad choice of words. Rico tensed in anger, and Tara stumbled over words as she tried to backtrack. “Wait! That’s not what I meant-”
Rico rumbled softly, refusing to meet her eye, and Tara realized that she’d fucked up badly. Metal squeaked as he brushed past her, storming into his room. 

Tara stood in silence, before sinking down on the sofa in the indent where he sat moments prior, burying her face in her hands. Remorse pricked at her like a gnat, and she let it pool inside her. She’d have to apologize to him later.
Rico’s door clicked open again, and immediately, Tara sat up, apology prepared and ready. The words soon died in her throat as she recognized the figure standing by the door.
“Bibi. Hi.” Tara offered, after a pause.
Bibi stood awkwardly, refusing to meet her eye. “Hey.”
“You can sit down if you like.”
Tara straightened her back as Bibi lowered herself onto the opposite edge of the sofa, seeming keen to keep as much distance between them as possible. The two sat in awkward silence.
“So how have you been doing?”
“Fine.” Bibi stared straight ahead.
“Do you. Want to talk about it?”
“No.”
Tara thought for a moment, before grabbing the remote for their television, grimacing at the feeling of dust against her palm, and wiping it off before offering it to her. Bibi took it lightly and placed it beside herself. The TV screen remained dark. Tara tried to think of any other way to break the silence. She could start up a conversation. Wouldn’t hurt to try. Why didn’t she want to talk to Bibi anyway? She’d gotten over her already, hadn’t she? Besides, Rico said that it would help her , and Rico was rarely wrong. Despite her subconscious screaming at her to reconsider, Tara began to speak.
“Do you want me to talk about her?”
Offering up her past to a stranger again. Tara tried to swallow the unease it stirred inside her. A pregnant pause.
“Sure.”
Disappointed but not surprised, Tara continued, forcing herself to access the memories she’d spent the past 6 months forgetting.
“She caught me. Well I suppose her company caught me… embezzling funds. And she decided to call me up to her office.”
“Yeah.”
Bibi sounded weak. Tara cleared her throat, despite not needing to, before continuing.
“She said that she’d. Overlook my mistake. Pay off my debt. If I.. Well, I’m sure you know. So I did. And she wanted me to stay.”

Bibi remained silent. Tara stared into the carpeting beneath her feet.
“And so I stayed. Stayed for a year, more or less. It was.. It was good, for a while. She helped me. She spent time with me, she said she loved me, and I thought-” Tara’s robotic voice stuttered as she struggled to find the right words. “and I thought we.. had something. I thought she-.

“Did she make you leave too?” Bibi interrupted quietly, and Tara shifted uncomfortably. Could she refuse to talk about it? Tell her that it was too personal? That’s what she’d always told her, but she’d always managed to crack her regardless.

A single “yes” Was all she offered. Bibi was watching her now.
“Do you think she still loves you?”
“No.”
Why was she here again? Tara didn’t like these questions. She wanted to be anywhere else. Bibi set her hand on her shoulder, and Tara flinched at the touch.
“Why’d she make you leave?”
Tara brushed Bibi’s hand off, before standing up. “I have to go.”
“Wait! Wait.”
Tara paused, mostly to be polite. Bibi hopped to her feet as well.
“I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have, I shouldn’t have asked. That was rude of me, a-and.” Bibi reached for Tara’s arm and Tara recoiled, eyes narrowed. “Don’t touch me.”
“Sorry! I’m sorry.” Bibi withdrew, eyes widened with fear, shoulders tensing, and Tara was made keenly aware of how she towered over the other. She relaxed, leaning back.
“Fine. What do you want?”
“I can. I can tell you why Piper made me leave. I-it's only fair. And I'm sorry for making you talk about it. I just. I wanted to know-”
“She doesn’t love you.” Bibi flinched like she’d been struck. Tara continued, ignoring the shock that slowly spread across her face. “ She’s never loved you. She’s going to call you. Tell you she wants to see you. But she doesn’t love you. If you go back, you’re going to end up like Max.” The disdain which had crept into her mind refused to transfer to her voice, likely for the best. “Tailing behind her like a lost dog. Obeying her every whim, helping her ruin more lives. Do you want that?”
Bibi was staring down at the floor, her emotions indiscernible, and Tara felt slightly guilty for being so harsh. But it was true.
“Don’t worry about it. You have to, just. Get over her.”
Bibi stood silently, before nodding, slowly, still shell shocked. Tara didn’t wait for a response. She left Bibi standing silently as she retreated to her room, closing the door behind her, shutting her feelings out of her mind. 

“Rico.”
The robot looked up as she called his name. His gaze was unreadable, and Tara tried to remember the words she’d come up with earlier.
“I’m. Sorry, I shouldn’t have. Implied that you were different from us.”
“Don’t be. I am different.”
Tara grabbed his arm as he tried to stand.
“Just listen to me. I can talk to you better because. Because you know how it feels. More than she does. You know how it feels to be.” Tara swallows, forcing the next words out. “To be jealous.. of her new partners. You can’t help it. And neither can I. Which is why-”
Rico pat her arm comfortingly as Tara blinked back the emotion that threatened to spill out.
“I forgive you.” Rico shifted uncomfortably, breaking her gaze. “But that’s not it. I think I might have. Outlived my usefulness.”

Tara narrowed her eye, placing her hand over his. “Don’t say that.”
“It's true.” Rico continued nonetheless, not meeting her eye. “I don’t think I’m much use anymore.”
“You have your cryptocurrencies! You’ve been helping me.”
“You can support yourself fine without it, as I’m sure you’re aware.” Rico eyed her with amusement again. “Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere. I’m just. Making sure you know ahead of time. In case anything happens.”

“Rico-”
Tara flinched as Rico reached for her face, but he merely grabbed the top flap of her mask, and tugged it gently back into place.
“You’re going to be late for work.”

What Tara hadn’t expected to see once she’d returned was Rico, lying on the ground, hands over his eye. Heart racing, she rushed to his side, examining him for any sign of physical damage.
“Rico?!”

“I fucked up.”

“What?”

“She went up. To see Piper.”

Rico stared up at the ceiling, dead eyed, and Tara resisted the urge to hit something.
“She what?! And you let her?”
“I’m not stupid! I couldn’t. Stop her.”
The anger in her chest fizzled like an over carbonated drink, but Tara knew she couldn’t do anything about it. Even if she had the guts, there was nothing she could do against someone who was essentially the singular most powerful force in the Dome. But what had she done wrong? Why would Bibi feel the need to go back up to meet her again? Tara thought through her previous interactions, and the realization hit her like a sack of bricks. She hadn’t helped. She’d barely talked to Bibi in all her time here, and when she did, she must’ve just seemed like a jealous ex girlfriend. No wonder Bibi left again. Tara felt the weight of remorse pressing down on her, and she let herself wallow in it.
“You were right. I should’ve talked to her. Now she’s going to get her heart broken again, because of me. It’s my fault. I should’ve.. I could’ve stayed home to watch her.”
Never had she hated her voice more. Mechanical joints creaked as Rico sat up beside her. Tara felt his imposing figure press against her side, as he gently stroked her back. She made no effort to stop him.
“Hey. Don’t blame yourself too much. I don’t think.. I doubt there was much we could do to stop her regardless, other than tying her down. But that likely wouldn’t bode well for us, would it?”
Tara stared into the floor.

They’d spent the entire evening walking on eggshells around each other. Neither spoke, but unlike the amiable silence that they’d lived in for the three months prior to Bibi, the quiet was overbearing, suffocating. Despite this, Tara decided to stay home. If the company was losing profit, it was a problem for the higher ups, right? Deep down, she knew that wasn’t true, and that her absence would barely make a dent in company earnings, but she simply didn’t care anymore. Fuck it. And besides, she needed to stay, stay at home for when Bibi returned. Tara swallowed. She needed to actually talk to her. Tara went through the words in her head. What could she say? Tara paced the length of the living room, while Rico remained reclined on the couch, the X in his eye following her steps. Anxiety ate away at her heart.
As the hours ticked by, her anxiety only grew. It was nearly noon now, and Bibi still hadn’t returned. Maybe she was wrong? Maybe Bibi was going to stay up top, with the balls, and the breakfasts, and the overwhelming doses of affection that she still associated with.. Tara pushed her thoughts aside, wary that they’d consume her if she thought too hard about them.
A soft knock on the door, and immediately, she jolted to attention. Tara hurried over to open it, stepping back to reveal Bibi, standing in the doorway. With her puffy coat tied around her waist, she looked smaller than ever. Tara couldn’t read her face.
“I’m sorry, y-you were right. I shouldn’t have gone. F-fuck. I h-hate-”
Tara took a step forward, wrapping her arm around Bibi to pull her into the room, shutting the door. Immediately, Bibi broke, sobbing into her side. Tara stared at Rico, pleading silently for help, but he shrugged. Tara lowered herself, taking Bibi’s hand in her own.
“Hey.”
She couldn’t think of anything to say, so she kneeled, waiting for Bibi to speak.
“W-why did I think.. Why did I think that she’d want me back? I-I’m so stupid. Of course she d-doesn’t want me. W-why did I ever think-?”
A realization struck her suddenly. Piper didn’t care about them. It didn’t matter how good they were, how much they loved her. Piper never loved them. Piper saw them as pets, as toys, as playthings to use and dispose of as she pleased. Of course she smothered them in love. She covered them with affection so that they wouldn’t leave, and would stay, steadfast, by her side till the novelty wore off, before she threw them away without a second thought. The resentment filling her stomach was bitter, and Tara tightened her grip on Bibi’s arm.
“It's not you. She- Piper doesn’t care about anyone but herself. It’s not your fault you fell into her trap. She controls everything in this world. She’s.”
Tara gulped, considering her next words carefully.
“A manipulator. We’ve both. Fallen into her trap. It isn’t our fault. She controls everything.”
Bibi sniffled, but Tara could tell she was listening. Rico motioned encouragingly, and Tara swallowed before continuing.
“I know it hurts. It hurts for all of us. But It isn’t our fault. And Piper... Piper doesn’t deserve any more of our thoughts. But it's okay. We know now. She can’t- She won’t bother us anymore.”
Bibi clung tight to her shoulders, and Tara stayed.

That evening, Bibi found her. Late at night, as she scrolled aimlessly through the countless meaningless news articles about events in the Dome. Placing her phone down, Tara sighed, standing to answer the door. She signed a question mark, before realizing that Bibi likely wouldn’t be able to understand.  Her mask was on the other side of the room,  the steel eye that allowed her to speak out of reach, but Bibi reached out to stop her as she began to retrieve it.
“I-its okay. I just. Wanted to talk.”
Bibi glanced nervously at her dead eye before immediately looking away, in the manner that Tara had grown used to at this point. She ignored the prick of annoyance. It wasn’t her fault. Everyone reacted in much the same way. She sat at the edge of the bed, motioning for Bibi to join her.
“S-so. Last night.” Bibi sat a safe distance beside her. Tara shuffled uncomfortably, and Bibi backtracked.
“O-oh! Don’t worry. I won’t go into any detail. But Piper. Piper seemed different. She was. More distant, I guess.”
Tara hummed softly to affirm her understanding. It was one of the only sounds she could make with her remaining vocal cords, and yet it still strained her throat.
“Yeah. And, uh. She asked. About you. How you were, and stuff. I told her you were doing fine. And I think she was happy about that.”
Interesting. Tara mulled this over in her mind.
“And I realized that. You were right. I think Piper just.. wanted a nostalgia hit. All we did was.. You know. She did make me breakfast, though.”
That was a given. Tara nodded.
“Guess she did miss me. She misses you, too. But.. She doesn’t love me. I-it hurts. She doesn’t love. I think.. I think she just likes controlling me, or something.”
Tara nodded in understanding. Of course. Though she’d suspected as much, the confirmation made her anger rise, so it was likely a good thing that Bibi changed the subject.
“You know. I used to be way different from.. This. It's a given, of course. But. I had friends. I had goals. I uh. Grew up, bottom floors. You know how it is. I worked. Studied, got a bit higher. Uh. I’m not actually.. sure how Piper found me. I was in a union. Ya know. I don’t think she liked it much..”
Makes sense. Tara nodded again.
“And slowly. My friends left. I don’t know where they are now. Piper was. Everything, to me. I didn’t talk to anyone else. You and Rico.. you’re the only people I’ve talked to in the past few months, aside from her.”
Bibi gulped, and Tara pet her back, open to hear her vent.
“She asked me to leave. Four months in. But I had nowhere to go. She told me to come here. But I didn’t want to, and she let me stay.”
Bibi shivered.
“A week later she was gone. And its. It's so lonely without her. I’m so lonely without her. I.. missed her.”
A bit of her was glad that her voice reader laid out of reach. She wouldn’t know what to say anyway. Tara pat Bibi’s back. Bibi straightened, wiping at her eyes
“B-but. It’s. Refreshing. To talk to you, and not have you expect anything out of me. I feel. Used. It's awful. I hate it. Piper let us talk too, but. She always seemed to. Get something out of it. I don’t know. But it felt like she just wanted to know me, not to get to know me, but to. Figure me out? If you know what I mean.”
A pause.

“It hurts. I thought. She cared. I guess she did, in her own way.”
It was a complicated situation. Tara wrapped Bibi in a hug.

“But uh. T-thanks for listening to me. I d-don’t think I could get through this without you and Rico… B-but enough about me. How about you? Is there anything you want to talk about?”
Tara shrugged. She pointed to her forehead, and Bibi hopped up to retrieve her voice generator for her. Tara winced as her neurons began to connect with the technology the moment she pressed it to her forehead.

“Uh. Not much, actually. But you’re welcome to stay here.”
“Stay for what? Aren’t trying to get me into your bed are ya?”
Tara choked on air, but Bibi laughed.
“I’m messing with you. It’s kind of lonely without Piper though..”
Tara agreed. Bibi seemed to shake the thought off, changing the topic.

“On a side note, don’t you think that it's awfully peculiar that 0.1 percent of the population receives 99% of the profit gained from the goods and services that people in the middle and lower levels provide…”
Two hours of confused nodding later, the chatter began to still. It wasn’t as though Tara minded the noise. In fact, she actually quite preferred it to the dullness of reading the same 4 headlines day after day. But there were only so many statistics she could try to keep track of before her head began to ache. Tara mentioned as much, and immediately Bibi startled.
“Oh! You’re right, actually! It’s almost 1 am!”
Tara was fucked tomorrow morning.
“I’m sorry for keeping you up. But, you know. Piper never wanted to talk about this stuff. Only really cared about.. other things, you know? So it was nice… I’m really sorry, by the way”
Tara nodded, not particularly upset. She could sleep in the office.
“I guess I should go.. I’ll see you around, then?”
Tara nodded, watching as Bibi left the room, closing the door behind her. She resisted the urge to ask her to stay. She felt... Warm. Company was nice, Tara decided. Company that didn’t constantly badger you for personal traumas was even nicer. Tara flipped off her light.

“Hey Tara. We need to talk.”
Tara didn’t like those words, coming from Rico. It’d been merely a month after Bibi returned. A good month. And she didn’t want the peace destroyed. Despite the turmoil from the first day, they’d easily settled into a comfortable schedule. Tara would leave for work, return, and the three of them would just talk. Tara was quickly taken aback by just how forward Bibi was. It was a nice forwardness, however, one that she grew to appreciate more and more each day.

“Um. What’s up, Rico?”
Bibi looked up from her crossword puzzle, pen floating mid stroke, as they waited for Rico to speak.
“I think. I want you two to power me off.”
Tara’s eyes widened, and she began to panic. Bibi stiffened beside her as well, as Rico shuffled his feet. Tara began to stutter, but Rico raised his hand to cut her off
“It’s not your fault. I enjoy your company. Both of you. But I think it’d be better this way.”
Bibi spoke, her voice soft. “How would it be better?”

“I’m no longer of use to you. My purpose has been served sufficiently.” Rico stared at Bibi, and Tara knew that he was refusing to meet her eye on purpose.
“You don’t have to be useful, Rico! You know that! You’re our friend!” Tara snapped, angry with herself. She should have brought this up earlier, but she didn’t. She didn’t want to talk about it, she forgot, and now-
“It hurts. Tara. I’m not. Programmed to be apart from her. From Piper. I miss her. I miss her. I love her. I know she doesn’t love me back. And it hurts. But I’m obliged to serve her forever. You know that. It hurts me every day.”
Tara felt anger pool in her chest. “Why didn’t you ask me to power you off immediately then? You had the chance five months ago! I would’ve done it then!”
Rico stared at her blankly. 

“You know why I couldn’t. You needed me. But you and Bibi have each other now.”

The anger in her kept her from thinking clearly, and Tara felt it bubble over as she glared defiantly at Rico. “I’m not letting you go. Shut up.”

“Well, now you’re just being selfish. This is what I want.”
“You’ll feel better! Over time! I-I. We can help you!!”
Rico’s gears ground, and a low rumbling that signalled the way robots laughed resounded through the room.

“Tara. I’m not like you and Bibi. You’re human. You can heal. I can’t. You know that.”
Tara tensed her shoulders, but she couldn’t think of any other argument. Bibi had hopped down from the kitchen table. Tara felt a warm hand press against her arm.
“You don’t get to make the decision, you know. It comes down to what Rico wants.”
Bibi was right. Tara felt like she was drowning.
“I’m sorry. Alright. We’ll power you off.”
“It isn’t permanent, Tara.” Rico met her eyes casually. “If you ever want to talk, you could just power me back on.”
“It’ll be different.. You know.”
Rico wrapped her in a rib-crushing hug. Tara could hear gears ticking inside him as he spoke.

“I know. I’ll miss you too.”

The room was uncomfortably silent, for a moment. Rico pushed both of them off of him.
“It’s time. Not here, though. I’ll spare you the trouble of trying to drag 500 pounds of metal across the floor.”
Tara watched silently as Rico opened the door to the small storage closet that sat adjacent to their bathroom. He sat down, seeming to make himself comfortable, before looking up at her. Bibi sat down opposite him, and Tara joined her. She felt numb.
“I’ll miss you.” Tara stared into the closet. It was neater than she’d remembered. Emptier. Rico had probably tidied it up beforehand. The realization that he’d been preparing this for a while hit her, and she felt the slim hope that Rico would reconsider fade.
Rico regarded her with amusement. “You’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

Bibi leaned into her side, rubbing her back, and Tara sighed. Rico popped off the clean plastic covering that made up his chestplate, and offered her his kill wire. Hands shaking, Tara took it gingerly.
“Chin up, Tara. You’ll get through this. Bibi, make sure she doesn’t work herself to death.”
Tara laughed in spite of herself, the sound tearing up her throat. She felt the unfamiliar urge to cry begin to bubble up, now that the anger had faded. Rico leaned back, considering them with his bright yellow eye.
“I guess this is goodbye for now. You’re both going to be fine. Whenever you’re ready, Tara.” “Rico..”

Tara trailed off. She reconsidered her words again, before sighing.
“Goodbye, Rico.”
Rico gave her a thumbs up, and Tara grasped the clasp that held the wires together, before tugging it apart. The yellow in his eye faded immediately, and he slumped over, propped neatly against the wall of the closet. Tara released her hold on the wires, leaning into Bibi as she began to cry for the first time in over a year.

Bibi’s weight pressed against Tara’s chest. She didn’t mind. The television rumbled silently in the background, but Tara wasn’t paying attention. Bibi had fallen asleep on top of her an hour earlier, and, not wanting to disturb her, Tara stayed still. She ran her hand through Bibi’s hair absentmindedly. The pressure on her chest was comforting, and Tara closed her eyes to contemplate. How had they gotten here? The circumstances were obviously less than ideal, but Tara couldn’t help but wonder if she’d have survived to this point without them. Bibi was here with her. Tara felt her chest swell. She reminisced. It’d been hard. The first few weeks without Rico. But through the first few days, and up till now, Bibi had remained by her side. Listened to her talk, and cry, and laugh about Rico, and Piper. And she understood. The following weeks passed by rapidly. Tara began to look forward to coming back home, more so than before. To hear Bibi’s voice again. To hear her laugh. Bibi had filled the hole that Piper’d left in her heart, and then some. The thought made her woozy with joy.

And Tara fell asleep beside the only beautiful thing in this godforsaken dome.