The last thing North Dakota was able to remember was the implantation of the A.I. called Theta. They brought him into the surgery room and deactivated the artificial gravity. He was sedated, so he wasn't really remembering everything. He was completely relaxed and only remembered how they cut open the skin over the spine in the back, right in his neck. After that, they implanted a little chip. The wires of the chip automatically connected with the nerves in his spine and soon he felt something like a prickling in his head and spine. The wound was closed with brackets and after that he passed out. Getting an A.I. implanted was really hard work.

So now, he had woken up. After some short medical checks, he was asked to stay this night to make sure that he was okay. So now he was lying, his eyes closed and trying to sleep. But there was turmoil in him. It felt like it wasn't his turmoil, but it kept him from sleeping anyway. So he began to do as York told him. There was a feeling or a prickling. Anyway he had to concentrate on that feeling. So he tried to get in contact with the A.I. But it seemed like it always fled when he almost had it. Why was it fleeing?

After some minutes North stopped his trials as it obviously was making the fragment more anxious. What did the scientists tell him? Theta was the fragment of trust. It was most likely that it would be very shy and anxious. And wouldn't trust so easily anyone. So he would have to be very cautious. So first he stopped to try to get the A.I. in his thoughts. He would have to wait until it would come to him by himself. As long he would try to be the calming and trustworthy influence.

And indeed, after some moments of just waiting and being patiently, the A.I. got closer. Obviously the curiosity got the better of him. Smiling at him mentally North waited for it to come closer. "Hey there."

Immediately, the A.I. again hid somewhere in Norths mind. Seems like he installed something like his space there. Then, after some seconds more, it again peeked around the corner. "Uhm, hey there." The voice was faint and the insecurity was to be heard very well out of it. The fragment was small, as small as in the real world, so North decided to crouch down in his mind to not appear so big.

"How is your name?"

"Didn't they tell you?"

"Well yes, but I'd like it to hear from you."

"Uhm, I'm Theta."

"I'm North Dakota. But you can just call me North, okay?"

"Okay." Answered the Fragment, but not really coming out of his hideout. So North decided to just wait. He sat down to be more comfortable, just waiting for the AI to come out. And finally, after just waiting and doing nothing, Theta slowly came out.

"So Theta, you're my new partner from today on. Nice to meet you."

North again took the word and calmly and friendly spoke to the A.I. who had shown itself in his head, but still was somehow on distance. "What do you think, do you want to appear in the real world so we can talk together."

"Uhm, you think it is safe there? I don't know the guys there."

"Hey it's okay, I'm with you."

"But I don't know you really good."

Now North laughed silently. "Well, good point there. So let's settle on sitting here, okay?"

"Okay"

While North was sitting there with crossed legs, he just waited for Theta to start the conversation, but obviously he still was pretty shy and didn't know what to do here.

"So you're my partner. That means also that you will help me control my armor enchantment, won't you?"

"Of course!" Now there was something like a faint note of happiness in his voice.

"You know what armor enchantment I have?"

"Uhm, no…" Now he seemed very timidly and embarrassed about not knowing it.

Shortly, the human explained his new partner what enhancement he had. Of what it was capable and how he thought he could use it together with Theta. But obviously it made the A.I. even more insecure as it began to step back to his hideout.

"I know you don't know the enhancement and me, Theta. And I don't want you to know all that now in this moment. We can train together and then we'll look how we good it works, okay?"

"Really?"

Again a reassuring smile from the soldier called North Dakota. "Of course. And I'm sure you will be a great help for me. Don't worry, we'll manage that."

Now again a bit happier than before Theta nodded with a hearable "Uhum!"

Again there was a longer silence, in which Theta slowly came closer and finally sat down on Norths shoulder. "Wow, that's a pretty good view from up here!"

"Yeah? It will be even better when I stand up."

"Really?"

"Yes, should I stand up?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, then hold on." Said North while he gently stood up, always looking for Theta that he wouldn't fall down.

In his mind was a landscape like a big plain. He had grown up on a farm in the west of America, where there were lots of grassy plains with horses, sheep, cows and other animals feeding on. So the mental image he had when being here was the one of his home. It calmed him down. And as he got up, he could see over most of the plain here. A low breeze was blowing, making the grass move slightly and giving a small rustling sound. The heaven was almost clear, just some clouds on the sky.

"Woooow! That's cool here! Where is that?"

"That's where I come from. My home when I was younger."

"Cool! I like to be here."

"Yeah that is."

Again some silence, before North asked. "Theta, what do you mean, do you now want to try to materialize in the real world?"

"Will you be there?"

"Sure."

"Okay, then I guess I try it."

Opening his eyes, the Freelancer focused on the prickling feeling and finally, with a low violet shimmer, Theta appeared before him.

"Wow, with the first try, good job Theta."

"Hehe…" Theta rubbed the back of his helmet with a sheepishly laugh.

"How do you feel here?"

"Well, I don't know anybody here. But it looks interesting. Like a real base for soldiers."

North laughed at the last comment. Theta was sometimes pretty naïve, he already noticed it from their first encounter they had in his head. But he didn't mind.

"Yeah that is. And you know me, so you can always stick to me, okay?"

"Okay."

Still Theta seemed pretty unsettled, but North could also feel that the A.I. was tired.

"Hey Theta, wanna go to sleep? It was a pretty long day, we should get some energy for our first training tomorrow."

"Uhm, yes…"

"What's up Theta?"

"I'm scared in the dark. I can't sleep."

North looked at the A.I. which uncomfortably stepped from one leg to the other and back again. He had to think about his sister. She had been afraid of the dark too. And their dad often drove hours with her and him to make her sleep. Suddenly he had an idea.

"Shall we go for a walk? Perhaps it helps you to calm down a bit."

"You think?"

"It would be worth a try, perhaps you could find sleep like that."

"But you should sleep too."

"It's okay, I'm not that tired."

"Uhm, okay then."

With a low groan the soldier carefully stood up from the stretcher and walked through the room towards the exit. The nurse who had nightshift wanted to stop him, but after North explained why he was leaving, she left him. She only ordered him to come back when Theta would be sleeping. The violet A.I. was already gone, as it obviously was pretty anxious meeting unknown people. North let him. In his mind he could see how it was in his hideout, which now had a window, and how Theta was laying in his bed.

With a slow pace North began to walk through the hallways of the space ship. It was in the middle of the night and except of the security personnel on duty anybody was to be seen.

After about one hour of walking through the hallways, he felt how the anxiety slowly began to disappear. After about an hour more, he couldn't feel the anxiety anymore, but a feeling of quiet and peace. Shortly peeking through the window in his mind, he could see that Theta was sleeping soundly, lying in his bed.

Yawning himself, the soldier went back to the sick bay with the same pace he had before to not wake Theta up. As he came back he quickly reported to the nurse that he was back before he laid down on the stretcher and also soon fell asleep.