Electric Sheep
Summary: Post-game. After discussing the fate of the failure with Akane, Luna is left in charge of Dio. Eventual Dio/Luna.
Rating: T
Notes: My OTP~
Disclaimer: I don't own Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward or 999!
Electric Sheep
Chapter 3
"Ma'am," Luna asked, her eyes shining worriedly. "Where is he going?"
"Is it not obvious? Luna, as a member of Free the Soul, he has simply realized what his fate shall be."
Luna's eyes widened, the cerulean-rimmed irises displaying fear and surprise, and she took a step towards her superior. "M-Ma'am! I thought you... you didn't want to send him back to his organization, because they would kill him..."
"Yes, that is correct."
"So why are we letting him...?"
"Luna, what were your orders?"
The Gaulem folded her hands in a nervous gesture, murmuring, "U-um... to keep watch on Dio, and, should he have them, let him fulfill his wishes to die..."
"Then 'why' is none of your concern," the older woman snapped, making her way out of the room (presumably towards the elevator to Floor B). "A simple machine wouldn't understand."
Luna knew she could understand, if Ms. Kurashiki explained it, but she knew not to disregard her creator's words. She wasn't allowed to interfere with Dio's wishes...
Still... another part of her ached. She knew it was an artificial ache, but it spread a coldness across her circuits all the same. She wasn't sure what it meant, to feel sorrow or sympathy, but she was almost certain her body was imitating those emotions washing over her. Her head whirled as she tried to imagine Dio slumped over – the knife sticking out of his chest, his pulse halting to a stop...
Luna had always been fond of humans. The caged bluebird around her neck reminded her of their freedom, their mortality, and how much she envied creatures with a beating heart. She longed to be able to bleed normal crimson blood, to not have to process exactly what sort of sentiment she had been programmed to 'feel'.
Dio was a bad man, Luna knew. He had apparently killed Ms. Kurashiki in many timelines, and had attempted to detonate the bombs hidden in the facility. That was unforgivable, even to the android's benevolent standards.
Still, she knew Dio's behavior was not all his fault. Or, at least, that's what she believed; she didn't know much about the man, given his status as a Myrmidon. But she was informed of Dio's identity as a Left clone. She could understand that much, at least; she, too, had the same face as another.
But there was little time to ponder anything more; Dio was in danger. It went against her orders, but she wasn't built to stand by and watch anyone die. Whether it was someone like Dio or Dr. Klim himself, it clawed at her mechanical heart all the same.
Ms. Kurashiki would have to understand; she had built her with overflowing compassion, after all. Yes, Luna had followed orders during the game, even when others were in danger, but the stakes were higher. The Nonary Game was over now, and Dio was stuck in this facility for now. He had threatened to kill her, but he was more intent on killing himself right now.
And that concerned Luna. She felt the worry, deep in the wires of her core. If nothing else, that was making her rush through the door opposite the one Akane exited and down the hallways.
She jammed her finger into the button, and the Chromatic door slid open, leaving her a straight path to the warehouse.
As she ran into the center of the facility, she instantly noticed Dio standing near the AB rooms, muttering something she couldn't hear. Even from her position, however, she could see the glassy look in his eyes; the way he didn't really even notice her and kept his empty gaze on the Myrmidon knife. The tip of the blade was pointed towards his chest, and he had drawn it back.
Time seemed to slow down as Luna screamed and rushed towards him, throwing her hands out as if it would stop him. She didn't have the perceived strength to knock him over; doing so would only reveal her identity as a Gaulem. As it was, she was quite close to doing it anyway, for the blade was so close to his skin –
"My soul... my soul is free now..." His mumbles grew louder as the knife dug its way into his chest, blood seeping out from the wound and through his clothing. Luna cried out and, once she reached him, grabbed the knife hilt and managed to pry it out of his hands. Unfortunately, she had to rip it out of his flesh, but she had no other choice.
Dio swayed, his mouth moving as if to spit out insults, and his legs trembled. Luna cautiously squeezed the knife, her eyes looking over his pale form in concern.
"Um... D-Dio, you're... you're hurt..." she stammered, unsure what to say (other than the obvious). He didn't register what she said, tilting his head and consequently making his hat tumble onto the floor. That was the least of Luna's concerns, however, as his chest seemed to be hemorrhaging blood. It was amazing his legs hadn't given out yet.
He was shaking, his blue eyes wide and dilated, and his skin was about two shades paler. Sweat drenched his dirty blond strands of hair and his cracked lips were flecked with blood. Luna opened her mouth to whisper something comforting she could think of – anything at all would do – but his arms shot up in defense instead as he began to yell incoherent phrases. Her heart twisted as she took a few steps toward the man, a concerned look washing over her face.
"Dio..." she pleaded, "Let me help you..." Her eyes filled with spurious tears; she felt the bubble up behind her eyelids and slip down her cheeks in sympathy. "Please..."
"Get back," he hissed instantly, shuffling away from her. "Get back, back, back...!" Like a frightened and wounded animal, he seemed to curl in on himself in defense, his arms crossing over his bleeding chest. The knife was a few feet away from him; by some stroke of luck, he didn't seem to notice it. Luna had half a mind to kick the horrid thing away, but she was more concerned about where he thought he was going in that condition.
His boots took him back as far as he could manage, until he couldn't hold himself up any longer. The strength seemed to drain out of him all at once, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head, showing the whites. The sight frightened Luna, but she still watched in horror as his knees buckled and his upper slammed into the ground. His hollow eyes lifted up to glance her way for a moment before they fluttered closed.
"Dio," she whispered, letting out the breath she didn't realize she was holding and approaching him with caution. Despite how close she was getting, he didn't move. His breathing was labored, a wheezing sound escaping his dry throat. Blood had already begun to pool around his chest, sending chills through Luna's circuits.
She bent down, unsettled by the lack of reaction from the eccentric man. Dio was growing paler by the minute, and when she pressed her fingers to his wrist, she could feel his pulse slowing down. There wasn't much time.
Making sure he was fully unconscious, she shot one quick glance around the warehouse before gently flipping him over and looping one arm under the backs of his legs and the pressing the other onto his back for support. It was natural for her, being something not human, to possess inhumane strength, but Dio could not know that. She supposed her old orders to keep quiet about her identity still stood effective, and she didn't want Dio to know, anyway. She wasn't sure how, exactly, he could abuse that knowledge, but she was almost certain he'd try.
She lifted him with ease, turning around and began running at a fast enough pace that wouldn't harm him further. Her burden didn't move, his breath becoming even more shallow. Casting a worried look down at him, she continued her pace until she reached her destination – the treatment center.
A simply trip to the infirmary wouldn't be enough for Dio, she assumed; he was bleeding rather profusely, after all. But she had been taught that the pods in the treatment center work wonders on even the most horrible of wounds, and were even powerful enough to freeze and preserve a human for years and years (as she had directly witnessed more recently).
There was absolutely no question on how to heal him; Luna was confident the pod would do the trick. Thankfully, whoever had investigated this room had already performed the vegetation test with the plants in the room. Carefully, barely shifting the cargo in her arms, she pulled the lever to open the pod. With a hiss, it creaked upwards, and Luna set the injured man into it. Once she laid him out, she noticed the sticky blood covering her dress; she would need to change later on. As much as she longed to have blood in her system, the sight of the red fluid unsettled her.
She had seen Dio unconscious before, chained to the infirmary sink, but she hadn't ever seen him looking so vulnerable. Even with Soporil flowing through his veins, he still wore that defiant scowl on his face. But now, in his weakened state, he seemed much smaller – more fragile. Of course, Luna realized that humans were all fragile; so much could go wrong with their systems and kill them. And if she didn't hurry, Dio would die of blood loss.
"You'll be okay," she promised him, and closed the pod. The quiet voice from the pod's speakers announced its current functions.
[Identifying subject... done. Diagnosing subject... done.]
[Beginning treatment.]
[Single human occupant secured.]
Turning to the screen, Luna nodded to herself as the healing function automatically set up. The screen displayed Dio's vitals: his body temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure, respiratory frequency all were lower than normal, but the healing function would help bring them up again.
As her eyes scanned the diagnostics, Luna noticed a few chilling words near the bottom of the screen.
[Radical-6 virus detected in subject. System is not equipped to treat Radical-6. Current program will alleviate symptoms, but cannot cure viral infection.]
Luna's mouth gaped open. Of course, how could she have forgotten?! Everyone who put on a bracelet was at risk for contracting the virus, and Myrmidon or not, Dio was no exception. But after using the machine to copy it, she had administered Axelavir to everyone who was sick, except for...
Dio...
So this was her fault. She had forgotten about him, chained to the sink like a wild animal. What if he had succeeded in killing himself? She'd be responsible for a human's life lost... It didn't matter if it was Dio; it would have hurt her all the same, and she would be going against the first Law of Robotics.
Still, he was out of harm's way for now. She had to keep him in the pod and hope the Radical-6 symptoms are treated until she could copy a bottle of Axelavir. But she wasn't sure she should leave him just yet. It wasn't as if he was in danger anymore, being safe in the pod, but Luna still hesitated.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door opening and closing behind her. She didn't even bother turning her head; there were really only two possible others entering the room. And since one of them was still recovering from his body-swap, Luna could make an educated guess on who was approaching her.
Tightening her grip around her bluebird necklace, she murmured, "H...hello, ma'am."
When no response came, she slowly glanced in the direction of the door, only to be met with the sight of the older woman wearing one of the fiercest glares she'd ever seen on a human. Ms. Kurashiki had her hands tightened into fists in front of her, trying to maintain a controlled front, but the Gaulem saw right past it. Luna had disobeyed her; it was only natural for her to be angry.
"Ma'am... I- I'm sorry..." she began, her voice trembling.
"Luna," Akane rasped, her elderly voice laced with fury, "What have you done?"
The android's eyes flashed back to the blue screen of the pod, the message "[Currently treating: 1 subject]" blinking in pixelated letters, and brought her gaze back to Ms. Kurashiki once more. She swallowed hard, biting her lip, and folded her hands.
"M-Ma'am, I couldn't... Dio was going to die..." Despite herself, sadness clung to her artificial heart again. She couldn't imagine anyone killing themselves, especially in her presence...
The older woman shook her head. "Luna, what were your orders?"
Luna flinched, breaking eye contact almost instantly. "To keep watch over Dio, ma'am. And, um... if he wishes to die, then I must... let him."
"Precisely," Akane snapped, baring her teeth. "You deliberately disobeyed me, Luna."
"But, ma'am-"
"No. Open the pod at once and leave him be."
Luna shook her head instantly, standing in front of the pod almost protectively. "M-Ms. Kurashiki, I'm sorry, but I cannot do that!"
Akane sighed deeply and replied, "Explain why you cannot."
The Galuem lowered her head, clutching her necklace tightly and reciting part of the code she was built on. "The first law of robotics is... a robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm." This went beyond her desire to prevent death, and to protect humans. This philosophy was embedded into her very core; her circuits were based on the rules.
She lifted her gaze once more to stare as confidently as she could at her creator. "The second law is that a robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the first law. Ms. Kurashiki, by my inaction, Dio would have died. And I had to disobey you to prevent his death. I'm sorry, but I... I have to follow these rules." Luna knew that if she didn't have the Three Laws to guide her, she'd be as competent as a toaster. She wanted to possess free thought, and she wanted to be able to make her own guided decisions.
Akane's glare faded into the same emotionless expression she often wore. "I thought you had forgotten those rules long ago. I'm surprised, Luna."
It was obvious that Ms. Kurashiki was referring to the fact that she had ordered her Gaulem to lie to the others, to the humans, and subsequently put their lives in danger. She hadn't regarded the Laws then, but right now was a less crucial situation. The lives of all humanity was on the line before, but right now, the only person that was in danger was Dio. Prisoner or not, he was human, and she refused to harm him now.
Luna shook her head. "No, ma'am, I haven't forgotten. I never will."
The old woman's eyes flashed with something unreadable for a brief moment, and her smile faded. "That may be, but do not forget that, as your creator, I have the authority to shut you off completely."
"I... I haven't forgotten that, either."
"Good. Do not think I will hesitate to power you down if you disobey me again."
Ms. Kurashiki's threats were always serious, and Luna understood completely. If she could help it, however, the Galeum would make sure Dio never attempted to kill himself again.
"Yes, ma'am." Pursing her lips, Luna cautiously began to walk towards the door. "Um... I'm heading to the infirmary to retrieve the Axelavir bottle and copy it. I'll be back in a few moments."
Akane curled the corners of her mouth into a smirk. "Are you certain I will not simply shut off the oxygen in Left's pod before you return?"
"That's easy," the android murmured, the tiniest hint of a smile on her freckled face, "If you wanted to kill him directly, I'm certain you would have done it by now."
