Forces of Dominion

Optimus is Alive

Ping! 

The system completed the boot process, reaching hundred percent in total. The minute it completed, Gabriel took his eyes off the screen of his laptop to look at Optimus with believes that it should have powered up or responded but there was nothing: no sign of anything turning on, unlike before when it did come alive. 

Madison glanced at Gabriel from time to time while looking at the robot with hopes too; despite the fact that she has not seen the robot power up at anytime, though Gabriel do tell her that he had seen it happen thrice. 

"Gabriel, now what?" She asked because she was beginning to get nervous and uncomfortable with the silence. 

"I don't know. I have tried everything and have applied everything Mr. Wyman showed me yesterday. I believe I have corrected the previous errors. At least it should have shown a sign or something, shit!" Gabriel sputtered showing signs of frustration but she placed her left arm on his shoulders to ensure he does not escalate in anger. 

"Calm down, Gabriel. This is not time to be mad but a time to think of what else you are failing to remember. You just have to be patient. You know this is your first ever made robot and your friends have no idea what you have been trying to create..." She kept talking to pacify his almost rising anger, though she believes that there was no way that robot will work. 

[Doorbell>>>...]

Gabriel was close to sobbing when they both heard the doorbell ring, he immediately asked, 

"Madison, what time is it?" 

She looked at her wrist watch and was like... "Past 09:00AM, are you expecting anyone?" 

[Gasp softly] 

"Yes, my dad.  He should be the one at the door. Stay here, let me go check. Don't come out until I ask you to." He muttered, rising up on his feet to leave. Though she did not notice but clearly, he was in doubt that the person at the door is his dad. He believed that his dad should have his own keys with him. He was trying to protect her, he asked that she stayed right there at the basement. 

"Gabriel, it's me, open up." 

"Dad!" Gabriel exclaimed in surprise because he was not expecting his dad to be the one pressing the bell and knocking. He opened the door immediately, and when he did, Winston Gray walked in hurriedly and was practically in haste.

"Gabriel, how was your night? How are you doing? Hope you had something to eat? And please shut the door." He questioned his son with hasty utterances and did not even bother to look at him for more than two seconds because he was actually looking for something. He kept moving books in the shelf which was just behind a white couch in the sitting room and afterwards, he went to the dining room and over to the drawers in the cabinet nearby, definitely, maybe in search of something... Gabriel closed the door and followed his dad, wondering what he was so seriously looking for and why he was in such a hurry... 

"What's going on, Dad? Is everything alright? What about your keys? Did you come home with your car?" Gabriel asked inquisitively without answering a thing as regards the questions his dad asked because he was not looking like someone who was even interested in getting to discuss anything or having his questions answered. 

"The world is falling apart as well as my life. I am looking for a document. I need to hand it over to my lawyer. I can't afford to lose this house and go live in the streets. At least not now that the street is unsafe. Have you seen the news this morning?" Winston asked his son while still searching everywhere... 

"No, Dad. Why are you asking?" Gabriel asked, keeping a wondering eye. 

"Poor you, you have no idea what's happening. Some kind of brutal creatures are emerging out of nowhere and terrorizing the world. According to the news, Hanford was hit last night and it has devastated a lot of people. Many are indoors, shops and companies closing up, yet these people still insist on us going to court simply because I loaned them a certain amount I am unable to pay. I don't know what to do now. I need you to stay calm and allow me fix this, son. Don't you worry about anything. Everything is going to be alright. And by the way, I forgot my keys in the office. Avoid the streets, possibly stay indoors for now. I will be back when all this is over." Mr. Winston Gray advised, giving his son updates about what's going on whilst he was already on his way out of the house again with the document he came to pick up right within his grip. 

"It's true, Dad, I... Great! Have a nice day."

Gabriel was about letting him know what he saw by night on the fence and about the gunshots but his dad was too quick to slam the door as he exited the building. Gabriel could not wait for every challenge they were both facing to be over so that he could have quality time spent with his father like the good old days. Deep down, he missed his dad a lot and for that reason, he decided to have a meeting with Mrs. Finn later in the day, for her to put him through on how he could buy the house without his father's consent: he so wanted it to be a surprise for his dad, that someone had just payed for the house and will be giving it to them free to live in. 

Before he could turn to go back into the basement, he heard Madison's voice screaming aloud and intensifying towards him, he turned immediately to rush down to the basement because of what she was saying on her way up, out of the basement to meet him.

"He is up, Gabriel... Optimus is alive!"