Chapter 1, Delta City Ruins

RoboCop Enhanced Reality

Chapter 1: Delta City Ruins

It is a cold winter morning and RoboCop has been called for duty. Drug dealers have been kidnapping kids from the streets to recruit as gang members. RoboCop is driving to the old abandoned electricity plant where police are reported to have seen the leaders of the Nuke for Christ gang. The gang members remain addicted to what’s left of Nuke in the city. They are crazed, believing their Messiah will come back to earth to give them more nuke once it runs out.

OCP have failed to develop a new RoboCop prototype to work as a police officer for the city of Detroit. Dr. Faxx had chosen the brain of a criminal addicted to Nuke to be inserted within RoboCop2 and hell was unleashed. The only RoboCop that remained active during all this time has been Murphy.

Officer Lewis is heading to the same place where RoboCop is now. It has been three and a half years since RoboCop’s inception and Lewis has been developing feelings for him.

Their last adventure they’d experienced together, after dealing with Boddicker and his gang was destroying RoboCop2 and saving old Detroit from OCP’s mistake, two years ago. Lewis remembers, feeling her heart sinking when RoboCop was ready to jump on the huge robot’s back. When everything was over Lewis felt the impulse to approach and kiss him. Maybe it was the adrenaline rush or maybe she had wanted that for a long time.

Lewis finally arrives to the crime scene. It’s raining hard and RoboCop is arresting some of the gang members already. Lewis removes the gun from the holster, looks up and gets ready to aim. For a long time, Anne wondered if her relationship with her cyborg partner could get more personal someday. RoboCop has this habit of lifting her up to take her to a safe place if they were involved in a dangerous situation. She is aware now he does it on purpose to be closer to her, but that’s all he ever does.

Lewis has been observing the way RoboCop demonstrates his affection by disobeying direct orders from Reed to save her from harm. She has never wanted to be a damsel in distress. Anne is way too tough for that. Nevertheless, sometimes even a strong woman wants to be rescued.

There is certain playfulness between RoboCop rescuing Lewis. It has happened more than once. Walls get broken and cars get thrown aside just to find her. He will walk expressionless towards her and without saying a word he will carry her to a safer place.

Other fellow officers have joked of the treatment Lewis gets when she is rescued by RoboCop. Lewis waits for that moment and closes her eyes when he is approaching. There is an unspoken sexual tension a subtle flirtation. Lewis gets that now, but does he? Is her partner aware of his actions? Or maybe is it just her imagining things?

The decision was so clear in her mind, she would kiss him the next time RoboCop he held her, arms wrapped around his neck. That would be the only way to do it, Lewis is a tall athletic woman but her robotic partner is far taller, however, for a long time Lewis kept wasting chances fearing his reaction.

Nevertheless, the question that plagued her mind for a long time: “How would Murphy react, if I ever kissed him?” Has an answer now, because it has already happened. A couple of weeks ago, Officer Barbara Estevez and her were investigating a terrorist group that had set off bombs in many areas in the ruins of Delta city.

Once Estevez and Lewis were there, they realized that they were surrounded, the criminals outnumbered them, and both policewomen were captured and tied up in a danger zone that was surrounded by explosives. Once the news of their capture reached Metro West, and RoboCop overheard through the police radio, he immediately made a judgement call and drove from Detroit to the ruins of Delta city at high speeds. Lewis thought this was the end. Her blue knight in shining armor wasn’t close by this time.

They should have waited for backup but both officers were unaware the place was already wired. RoboCop arrived within minutes to spare. With his thermographic vision, he immediately detects the women. Safely in the cop car, the three officers chase down the terrorists; the building behind them explodes, the perps are stopped in view and the three officers proceeded with the arrest.

It was only after Lewis had taken out all the anger inside her and the adrenaline stopped rushing through her body, her feelings were moved by what RoboCop had just done for them. Although there was no time for affection, no time for explanation; they had to close the case.

After the S.W.A.T team arrived and everything was over, Lewis sat down in the middle of the ruins, exhausted; there was blood on her right leg. Did Anne sit down to really look at the wound, or was she anxiously waiting for RoboCop to approach? Was the tough police woman playing the damsel in distress on purpose? What if, this is the only way to get his attention?

Lewis was right, because it didn’t take long for him to start walking towards her; she smiled at him, in anticipation. Lewis stood up, ready for him to bend down and carry her, and when he did, her arms were raised wrapping them around his head as if it were a rehearsed theatrical scene they had practiced in advance. Shortly after, Lewis thanked him and for the first time, RoboCop smiled back and with a soft voice told her “I was not going to let you down, partner”

That meant RoboCop was scared he hadn’t have made it on time. Whilst still in his arms, Lewis’ smile slowly faded away, “Partner”. Seemed like the same old story, repeated over and over. At this point, Lewis was already tired of saying thanks to him just as a friend and as a partner. This time, Anne was dying to reward him as a man, at last. With her new found courage, she started touching his face with her right hand, to see his reaction, but RoboCop was not pushing her away as Lewis had feared.

This is when it finally happened. She moved her face closer and kissed him on the cheek very slowly...very gently and very nervously...RoboCop still wasn’t reacting in any way. Her lips were getting closer to his and to her surprise he wasn’t moving away. Little by little, the platonic love between them was becoming physical. They were finally breaking the invisible barrier that made them think for years that having something real between them was impossible.

Anne hoped he was closing his eyes and was enjoying the moment as well. It was an intense combination between sexual arousal, excitement and fear, it was like a cocktail of drugs her brain was consuming...eventually their lips touched and that’s when he reacted, a silent sigh, as if he had suddenly taken a breath of fresh air. Was RoboCop aroused as well? Can someone like him, who is more machine than a man, still have feelings of sexual arousal? Sex is in the mind. Sexual pleasure is triggered in the brain. Serotonin. The love drug.

Lewis is unsure how much of his humanity was left in his robotic prosthetic body however, his sudden and silent reaction made her think he was indeed enjoying some sort of pleasure.

Lewis tried to be gentle she knew no one else had kissed him before in this new life of his. The never kissed lips of his; were being touched by hers now, just as she’d fantasized.

Lewis was waiting for his permission to kiss him, and she got it. Suddenly his arms held her tighter, her spine giving in to an electrical charge awakening her desires of wanting him. The kiss was intense. Then as if he had just awoken from a dream, RoboCop came back to reality, pulled back and put her back on the ground. Then without saying a word, he left, confused and overwhelmed.

Two weeks have gone by and her partner became absent. They have been working on separate cases but his investigation ends today. The nuke addicts are targeted for arrest there will be no more excuses for not patrolling together anymore.

Her emotions shouldn’t interfere with her job. Lewis steps out of the car and proceeds to arrest them. The police woman goes into the building, where there is some sort of shrine there, the crazy junkies have remains of what was left of RoboCop2, a.k.a.“RoboCain’s” pieces and they worship them as if it was some sort of robotic messiah, “They’re all fucked up” she thinks. Two of them try to escape but they are immediately shot by her. That’s when RoboCop and the other two officers that are with him, realize, backup is there. This is when Murphy realizes his partner is there.

Lewis is saddened gazing at Murphy. What if he allowed her to tell him, that his unconventional circumstances don’t bother her at all? That she would be willing to adapt to them?

Lewis is intoxicated with the ultimate power of being close to someone that can do everything every cop dreams of: To be invincible, undefeatable, a controlled fearless police officer that upholds the law in a flawless way.

Working for years next to a man stronger than anyone else, has empowered her as a police officer. The whole display of physical strength he does has impressed her in such a way his robotic body and his unique conditions have stopped getting in the way for her to desire him as a man.

Lewis wishes they could talk about what happened. His smile is perfect. She loves his voice and that kiss they shared was mind blowing. Anne wonders if that is ever going to happen again. Is RoboCop more of a program now, than a man? Surprisingly, after looking at each other for a while, the one that dares to speak first is him.

RoboCop: Lewis, this case is closed now. We start the morning shift tomorrow. Be ready.

“He is so unbelievable” She thinks, “You are giving me orders because you feel lonely and you want a partner again, but you surely won’t mention any of what happened between us two weeks ago?”

Lewis: Sure, I’ll be ready.

Lewis is right. RoboCop is seeking her company, however he will be cold and expressionless from now on, so there are no more romantic approaches. What Lewis is unaware of is how difficult the situation is for him. Being that the reason why he has preferred to detach himself from her.

For Murphy, defining thoughts and feelings whilst battling with his inner conflict against the cybernetic body he didn’t ask for and has cursed more than once hasn’t been easy. This is why Lewis is ahead of RoboCop in many aspects, the whole process of admitting her love for him was faster, but not easier.

The horrific discovery of finding her slaughtered partner turned into a cyborg, made Lewis feel guilty and partly responsible of what they had done to Murphy. This is when her journey to protect him started:

“I have been given a second chance to do what is right”

At the beginning, it was affection combined with guilt and remorse what made her go to the extremes to make him happy, Lewis was so consumed trying to make it up to RoboCop for everything he went through, she fell in love without realizing it. Lewis was in denial and tried to drown out those feelings with alcohol, going to local clubs, but no matter how many empty glasses were on her table, the feelings for him never seemed to fade away.

Anne eventually realized that dating other men wasn’t helping. On several occasions, she ended up drinking alone in her apartment crying over the impossible love she felt for someone that couldn’t reciprocate her feelings.

Some time ago, RoboCop was forced by OCP to face and say goodbye to the woman that used to be Alex Murphy’s wife, Ellen. That moment wasn’t just hurtful for Murphy and Ellen; it was painful for Lewis too. There was no compassion inside Anne’s heart for Ellen, but anger. Lewis knew that even if she wasn’t going to come back, there were going to be new updated memories of her reordered in RoboCop’s mind and that was slow mental torture for her.

Lewis can be controlling and competitive, she made sure the time spent around him was enough, so the amount of images of hers plagued RoboCop’s mind. Lewis has wanted to be the first, last and only woman in his head, but things didn’t go too well, Murphy barely speaks to her now and her heart breaks with every passing day and every painful silence.

RoboCop’s indifference has made her become moody and frustrated most of the time. “So it didn’t mean anything to him? Maybe the whole experience was unpleasant for him? Or it’s just that he isn’t capable of feeling anything anymore?”

Lewis could have sworn that he felt the same way that day, but as time goes by, she started to question what was really going through his mind and heart.

They had been patrolling again for some days now, RoboCop remains silent unless necessary to speak. Lewis knows that if she doesn’t start a conversation he won’t do it. They have finished their shift and as she didn’t take her own car to work, RoboCop is driving her home. Lewis takes this opportunity to strike up a conversation.

Lewis: So…do you think, there is another factory out there?

RoboCop: What factory?

Lewis: Nuke…hidden somewhere…there were canisters stored all over the place near that ridiculous shrine. Where are they were getting them from? Weren’t the other factories destroyed by now?

RoboCop: They had been using the stock that was left in River Rouge. They were eventually going to run out.

Lewis: Unless their messiah really did come back to life and provided more nuke for them. River Rouge…that place brings back bad memories, you going there alone was probably one of the most stupid things you’ve ever done…

RoboCop: You’ve said that before.

Lewis: I never understood why did you expose yourself to get killed that day? We should have gone there together…

RoboCop: No…they would have killed you. No cop that’s gone to River Rouge has come back alive.

Lewis: Well you came back…barely…just suicidal enough to electrocute yourself afterwards to get rid of that fucked up programming…did you even notice it was me that stopped you from killing yourself?

RoboCop: You and Estevez were suicidal enough to go to Delta city’s ruins without backup.

Lewis: How was I supposed to know that the whole fucking place was already wired to blow??

RoboCop: I drove all the way from Cadillac Heights to the ruins just to get you both on time.

Lewis: Lt. Hedgecock and the S.W.A.T. team were on the way too…don’t feel so special

RoboCop: And who got there first?

Lewis: What do you want from me? Didn’t I say thank you? Do you even remember what happened that day?

RoboCop: We have been outside your building for more than 10 minutes; this is your stop

Lewis: Fine! I’ll go

Lewis slams the car door and leaves.

RoboCop feels relieved. This is precisely why he has recently chosen to be silent around her. Any kind of conversation they have now is slowly turned into an argument. Things between them have already changed and there’s no going back.