It was never really in Luka's plan to take this android with her, even after seeing her sleeping figure behind the glass. If that computer didn't open the capsule, she'll probably just turn her back and walk away from this room like she saw nothing. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) for her, this android is now in the front of her, giving her the happiest expression she could possibly give and it seems like there is no way she could just leave her now that she is aware of her existence... and even going as far as calling her 'Master'.
Mentally sighing in defeat, the pink haired woman decided to let the teal haired girl to accompany her. Half of her mind says that it's perfectly fine. She'll finally have a companion; someone to talk to, someone to listen to. But at the same time, the other half of her mind says that this is a one terrible idea. The android is designed to fight. What if it suddenly attacks her out of blue? She doesn't keep any kind of weapon with her as she travels so how can she fight back if she actually does?
"So what does Master Luka do?" CV01 breaks the silence between them and at the same time, snap Luka's attention back to reality.
Luka stared at the android and cringed inside her head on how she looks. Sure she is not a human so it should be expected that she doesn't have those… embarrassing parts as what she describes, but the android is still naked. And her having a appearance very close to a human isn't helping at all. She tried to distract herself from the thought by turning her head to her right, eyes staring at the wires and humming machines scattered around the room. Apparently, this action only confused the teal haired girl as she watches her with her head tilt on the side.
"Master Luka?"
"Please don't call me that."
"But I'm programmed to call the first human I saw post awakening as Master." She explained. "Why would Master want to change something that is already programmed?"
"It makes me uncomfortable. Please call me Luka. No honorifics or anything. Just… Luka is fine."
"Alright. If that's what Master wants." She said as she slowly closed her eyes. "Command received." She later added in a monotone voice which bothered Luka.
She shifts her attention from the wires to the girl and the first thing she noticed is the metal plating on her ears. Sure, she is aware that it glows in a rather pale red color but right now, it keep on blinking as well as the lens like thing on her thigh.
"Um… Are you okay?"
"Reprogramming completed."
"Huh?"
"You still haven't answered my question yet, Luka." CV01 replied using her normal voice this time while opening her eyes; The lights on her ears and thigh stop blinking, as she do so.
"Oh, Sorry." Well that was weird… "I travel actually."
"On foot?"
"No. I have a vehicle…" Luka replied, scratching the back of her head. Now that she mentioned about her Kettenkrad. "…but I kind of left it somewhere in this building."
"Hmm? Why is that?"
"The machine you throw earlier kind of… stole my keys while I was asleep." She explained. "I chased it until I end up in this room. I got the keys back but… I honestly don't know where I exactly left the vehicle."
"Oh." The android said before she smiles again and raised her hand in the air. "I can help Luka! I have a map of this building inside my head. I can easily find it for you!"
"That'll be a great. Thank you."
When CV01 said she can and will look for her Kettenkrad, Luka thought that the android will look for it while she wait in the room and, if she managed to find it, she'll come back and bring her to its location by foot. So it completely took her by surprise when CV01 suddenly walk closer to her and scoop her in her arms. Despite Luka being the one taller, the android doesn't seem to have any trouble carrying her.
"W-What are you doing?"
"We're going to look for your vehicle, aren't we?" she reminded her with a smile before crouching a little as if she's preparing to run a marathon. "Hold on tight, Luka!"
Without giving her another opportunity to speak, the teal haired girl leaps towards the exit, gust of wind trailing behind them.
Everything happened too fast for Luka to process. One time, she is in the arms of the teal haired android as they search the entire building for her Kettenkrad and the next, she is already on her foot standing right in the front of the said vehicle. She didn't even get to see the directions CV01 used to reach their destinations. She could remember that she have gone into a whole lot of staircases and narrow paths when she was chasing the now broken weird machine but even once, she never saw this android go to any of those places and yet, they managed to return back to the place where she parked her vehicle.
When Luka asked how did she managed to do that, her answer still stay the same.
"I have a map of this building inside my head." Her reply ended with the same smile she's been showing to the pink haired woman since the very beginning.
"Do you… know any exit?"
"There are three exits in total. One in the north, one in the south, and one emergency exit in the center of this building that leads to the underground. Though, I don't recommend the last one." She replied. "Which one do you want to use, Luka?"
"The nearest, if possible."
"South it is then!" She said happily as she began to walk closer to the pink haired woman. Seeing that the scene is rather familiar, Luka spreads her hands in the front of the teal haired android.
"Wait! I have a vehicle for a reason."
"But Kettenkrads are slow. I can take you there faster, Luka." She said, pouting in the process. "Does Luka hate it when I carry her around?"
"N-no! I just carry a lot of stuff, that's all." It's not really a lie, she thought. But when her eyes met that glowing pair of teal orbs, she can't help it but to feel bad about her own words. For a machine designed to fight, CV01 is rather… clingy. She wondered if the other two CV's are like this as well or its just her. Sighing, Luka turn around, trying to avoid the other girl's gaze and decided to make herself busy by arranging her things back to where it originally placed. She's kind of glad that all her stuff, despite all being in the ground unattended for a long time, were untouched.
She began to lift one of the metal containers, completely ignoring the confused gaze of the android behind her is currently giving. She put it down gently on her right, then do the same to the box of rations - this time, dropping it to her left and... she stopped for a second and stare at her work. Right, she have a companion now. She should make a space for her to sit - and so she move the box to the right, next to the container.
"You can sit here." The pink haired woman said turning to the teal haired android in the process. Most, if not all, of her stuff are on the right side while the left is empty. Not really completely empty. She placed one of her blankets on it to serve as some sort of cushion for the other girl.
CV01 only stared at her work for a bit, making Luka nervous. Before she can say another word, CV01 walk pass her and began to climb the back of her Kettenkard. Somehow, she just fit right in. And here, she thought that I'll be too cramped for the other girl to sit in such small space.
"Is it uncomfortable?"
"Oh, no. Not at all!" there's that smile again and this time, she smiled back.
She reached for the pocket of her jacket to fetch her keys before slowly walking to the driver's seat. She hop in to it, insert her key, but before she managed to turn it and start the engine, she noticed something. Her interactions with this girl… it happened way too fast for her liking but every single conversation she had with this girl so far replayed inside her head multiple times. Even though they both exchanged their names, and she's using hers a whole lot, she herself never did call her on her name ('or code name. CV stands for something right?')
"Should I give you a new name?" she asked out of blue, eyes staring at the metal pipe above her head. Hearing this, the android behind her turned to face her and, even though she is not looking at her directly, she can already guess that she is making that confused face already.
"Luka?"
"Sorry. CV01 doesn't sound like a proper name for a human."
"But I am not a human."
"But you look like one." Luka said before finally turning the key and bring the engine of her Kettenkard back to life. It's not exactly a lie. To be honest, if CV01 is properly clothed, she'll be pretty sure anyone can and will mistake her as a real person. That is if they find another human to judge. She positioned her hands, ready to operate the vehicle but before she could even hit the accelerator, a pair of arms warped around her neck (loosely this time, Luka noted) followed by CV01 happily rubbing her cheeks on to hers again.
"Luka is really kind~! You have no idea how happy that made me feel!" She immediately let go of her after a while but her arms remained on the woman's shoulder. "It's okay if you want to give me a new name. After all, I already recognize you as my Master. Your safety, as well as your words and commands are my priority no matter what they are."
"Safety? So… You're not going to attack me…?" Luka asked, earning her a gasp from the teal haired girl behind her.
"I would never, EVER, hurt a single strand of my Master's hair even if I go full berserk!"
"Sorry." 'I just have to clear that up.' "What about Lily? Isn't she your original Master?" she recalled how the android addresses the woman she saw in the monitor.
"I'm already following Master Lily's latest command." That reply confused her. As if reading her thoughts, CV01 continued. "She wants me to recognize the first human I saw post update as my new Master."
"That's pretty dangerous. What if I'm not the one who found you? What if…. It's someone who wanted to use you for something… bad?"
"I have no choice but to follow the orders of my Master. But I'm sure CV02 and CV03 can stop me if that ever happens." CV01 smiled again before hugging the pink haired woman once more. "Anyways, what's my new name going to be?"
Luka thought for a second. She never really named anything or anyone up to this point so she really have no idea where to start. She closed her eyes, wanting something - anything - to cross her mind that can be used to as a name for this girl.
"Mi… Ku…" She said with a voice so soft that the girl right behind her failed to understand her words.
"Luka?"
"Ah, It's nothing." She said, turning her upper body to meet her teal eyes. "I'll just give you a proper name later, okay?"
"Don't worry, Luka. I can wait."
"So, directions please?"
"Gladly!"
Snow began falling from the grey sky, painting the area in pure white color. Winter is already here, but without a proper calendar, CV01 still cannot confirm if today's the first day of December or the last week of November. She still need to find out what year she is currently in. She have no idea how long did she stay inside that capsule.
'The estimated time of completion is 20 years. So it should be 2098 right? Should I input- No, no, no! It's too risky. I have to make sure first!'
It's been two days since she woke up and join her Master on her travels. Well, all she have to do is to sit on the back and let Luka drive the Kettenkard while enjoying the scenery. Sometimes, she stops to eat something from the box beside her (It's mostly canned goods and Luka did try to give her some. "It's okay! I don't really eat.") or sleep when she feels tired. Rarely, she stops when something caught her attention. During their travels, the pink haired woman try to start a conversation every once in a while. To keep her away from boredom is what she told the android but CV01 didn't really mind the talk.
On these conversations, she found out that Luka don't really remember a single thing about her past, that reason why she use a Kettenkard as a mode of transportation is just because she woke up beside it, and that she is not even sure if she is really this 'Megurine Luka' person.
"We'll find everything out together!" was the only thing CV01 managed to reply to her Master's story.
Whatever she's thinking inside her head were interrupted when Luka suddenly hit the brakes. The sudden stop snapped her back to reality as she stare at her pink haired Master.
"Luka?" she called when she realized the woman staring at the view on her right.
"It's like a graveyard of weapons…" She heard her whisper.
Following Luka's gaze, she saw a lot of broken machineries being topped by the falling snow. From her view, she can spot a lot of tanks and guns, some parts of now destroyed houses and one cargo plane, all covered by rust. She concluded that this place was once a town but now… it is what Luka described, a graveyard of weapons. Is this really the result of the war against Burst? She suddenly felt guilty. She is created to stop this from happening and yet, she's here seeing the thing she's supposed to prevent.
Her thoughts were interrupted once more when she felt the engine of the Kettenkrad stopped. Looking at her Master, she saw her leaving the driver's seat with the key on her hand.
"Something's wrong, Luka?"
"Want to explore a bit?" Luka said, staring at her with the look she describes as something that can calm her to her core. "I know it's a rather unpleasant sight but… Maybe we can find something useful here?"
She agreed without asking any questions and stood up from her seat. They walked together with Luka taking the lead while she only follows her while looking around the devastated place. She doesn't really mind the cold weather. In fact, she really preferred weather like this since she don't have to worry about her systems overheating. But when she look at Luka, she noticed how she hid her gloved hands under the pockets of her jacket, seeking for warmth. Smiling, she decided to walk in a faster pace to catch up with her Master before grabbing one of her hand with both of her own. Of course, this confused the woman for her sudden actions.
"I want to warm up Luka's hands at least." The woman smiled at her as she pressed her hands to hers.
They keep on walking hand in hand at that place. Sure, they're not in a place with nice scenery at all but CV01 find this kind of enjoyable. Luka's hands are soft, even under that leather glove she wore. It's a complete contrast to hers which is made from metal. At least Luka did admit that she likes hers because it's warm.
"You know we should do something about your outfit…" Luka began as they arrived in the front of the broken cargo plane.
"I don't really need clothes."
"Well, I did say you look like a human. And it's really unpleasant to see someone naked…" She continued, searching for a way to enter the cargo plane. "You really don't need something like mine if you really don't need it. Think of it as something to protect you against dirt as we travel." She paused when she saw a broken tank just near the supposed to be door of the plane. If she climb on to it, she'll be able to reach the entrance "My blanket will actually do but in this weather, I don't think I can live without it."
"I should thank you if you're thinking about me this much." CV01 replied as she watch her Master climb the plane. When she made it inside, she quickly followed her.
There's nothing really interesting inside the plane. To be exact, it's empty with just few boxes of unused bullets, different kinds of guns and few helmets with dents scattered in the floor. CV01 didn't really understand why Luka decided to go here. After all, she already know that the woman show no interest in weapons. The only weapon she have on her inventory is a single knife and she only see her use it when she's opening cans.
"Found it." Luka voiced her thoughts which made the teal haired android stare at her direction. In the front of her is a medium sized wooden box covered in a piece of beige cloth. There are some words written on the box but due to its probably old age, it began to fade. Inside the box, she can see something she cannot tell what warped and sealed neatly by foil.
"What are these, Luka?" she asked, grabbing one of the foiled packages. There are more unrecognizable words printed on the foil but she can note that what's inside were… crunchy?
"Rations." She answered while watching CV01 tilts the pack around, trying to find some words that are still readable. Satisfied with what she found so far, Luka stood up from her seat, the beige cloth still in her hands.
"Let's bring this with us. I'll get the vehicle." Hearing this, CV01 immediately returned the package from its box and faced her Master
"Ah, I'm coming with yo-"she froze when she felt something different. On her vision, there are only one life form in this area and that is the pink haired woman in the front of her. However, her radar is completely telling her otherwise. There is something moving towards their direction… three of them, actually. The signal was coming from the west and it's approaching rather fast; way faster than Luka's Kettenkrad.
"Is there something wrong, Mi-"
"MASTER! MOVE!"
"Huh? Wha-"before she could even process what's happening, the wall on her right exploded sending her flying towards the door. Her body made a impact on the broken tank below before landing on the snow covered ground.
"LUKA!" CV01 shouted as loud as she can as she stare at the unmoving body of her master.
Behind her are the three machines that caused the explosion, floating in the air. Their sizes are bigger compared to the teal haired android, but unlike her who has a humanoid shape, these machines have a shape that somehow resembles some kind of insect. Their entire body is actually the weapon itself - a Gatling gun to be exact - but with wings and legs that were covered by red metal plating.
Despite being aware of the three machines right behind her, CV01's gaze didn't even move away from Luka. She want her to move, to show signs that she's awake - alive ('She's alive… she HAS to be!). She really want to go down there and check if she's alright, but the Burst behind her will surely follow her and she'll only bring the pink haired girl closer to death. she shuts her eyes as she thinks.
"Your goal is to protect humanity." A voice of a woman she barely recognize echoed inside her head, completely cutting her thoughts."But your Master will always be your top priority."
"She's created to fight for us!"
"She's a complete killing machine! Do you want THAT to run around the city!?"
"What do we do to the failure?"
"Destroy it."
"Destroy it."
"CV01, Destroy it."
"Destroy it." She whispered in the air with a voice completely different compared to her usual high pitched tone. She opened her eyes but something's different. The once teal glowing orbs are now in the shade of deep crimson. Turning her body, she glared the three machines floating behind as they examine her.
She is made to destroy… and she'll gladly do that.
It hurts. It was the first word that comes into Luka's mind the moment she start regaining her consciousness
"What… happened?" she asked herself, hand on her throbbing head as she try to recall everything. Right. The airplane, the box of rations, the explosion… that last part surprised her. They are being attacked. They need to move.
Slowly, she forced herself to stand up - lumps of snow that formed on her back fell down as she moves. It took her multiple attempts to finally regain her balance and be able to stand on her two feet without any risk of falling. One hand still on her forehead, trying to at least stop her vision from moving, Luka began to look for her teal haired companion. If she remember correctly, the explosion only managed to throw her alone. So CV01 should still be inside of the plane. Having that in mind, she look up to the plane not too far away from her but something is not right.
Although she expected the old and broken cargo plane to be even more damaged than it already is, what caught her attention was the thick smoke coming behind it.
"Mi…ku…?"
She is actually scared on what she will find on the location of the smoke, but both her curious mind and her now growing concern towards the teal haired android makes her want to go and see what's happening there with her own eyes. She walked slowly and carefully, partly because she cannot move fast in her current condition, while the other is because she's scared that she'll attract the attention of their attacker. When she finally reach the place, what she saw is something she least expected to see.
The place is on fire. On the ground, there are multiple metal parts that Luka cannot tell where they belong to. The atmosphere of the area reminds her of her previous nightmare; which is already enough to send chills down her spine. In the middle of the mess, stands her companion, gripping a broken Gatling gun on her left hand while staring at the red machine currently trapped under her foot. the teal haired android leaned down to the machine, instantly ripping apart its wings with one swift movement before digging her free hand inside its body, completely piercing through its armor.
The machine squirms multiple times, trying to hit the android's legs in attempt to let it go. But the girl only stared at it with a emotionless face before she crush something from the inside that completely stop the machine from moving.
"Miku…?" Luka finally called, fear traced on the sound of her voice.
The girl - Miku - only stared turned her head in her direction. The sight of her crimson red eyes replacing her normal teal colored one caught Luka by surprise. Miku began to move from her position. She starts by throwing the gun she holds with her left, followed by withdrawing her right hand out of the machine's interior, pulling some of its wires out in the process.
"S-stop this… please…" she said, shutting her eyes when she notice Miku walking closer to her. "…I don't want to see you like this… Miku…"
"Person Identified as Master Megurine Luka." Her monotone voice made Luka to look at her. She closed her eyes, the metal plating on her ears start to blink once more as if she's adjusting her own system. When she opens them again, it returned to its usual teal color.
"Luuuukaaa!" her usual high pitched voice snapped Luka back to reality. Before she could even recover from her fear from the girl in the front of her, the said girl already tackled her into a hug. Because of her still weak body combined by the weight of the teal haired android, both of them fell to the ground with Miku on her top. "I'm so glad you're alive! You're not hurt, aren't you? No physical damage or anything?"
Luka didn't respond to any of her questions which makes Miku worry about her more. The pink haired woman only stared at the teal orbs in the front of her, showing no other emotion rather than shock. She put one of her gloved hand on Miku's cheek, caressing it gently. All thoughts considering the pink haired woman's condition were immediately replaced by pure confusion the moment her hand made contact to her cheek.
"You're… Miku, right?"
"Miku?" 'Is that the name she decided to give to me?'
"You're… the same person I met in that dark building… right?" despite the fear that still traced on Luka's voice, the teal haired android gave her the sweet smile she always give to her. Using one of her hands (soiled, but neither of the two care) she pressed her hand closer to her cheeks, seeking more of her warmth.
"I'm the same C-… Miku, Luka."
"You're not going to destroy anything anymore, aren't you?" that question caught Miku off guard. Of course, she is created to fight - to protect. But she actually cannot do that without destroying anything. On her mind, it's either to destroy or to be destroyed. To agree with her Master's request is like abandoning her main purpose.
'Acknowledge Master Luka's order?' those words flashed on her mind, waiting for her to come up with a decision. They only know each other for a few days but still, this person is her Master. She is supposed to follow her words without any questions asked. Although, this current 'order' propose a high risk if they encountered another Burst. Will they be able to run away if that happens? Or Luka will lift this command when the time comes. She doesn't know what will happen to them, but she can be sure of one thing. She trust her Master.
"I won't."
'Command received'
Meanwhile, in a unknown place, two figures sat atop the broken building. One of them is a girl with short blonde hair, held firmly by a translucent bow. Her clothes composed of a white tank top and light grey shorts, but what really grab the attention on her appearance is her eyes, which glow in blue color. The word "CV02" printed on her right bicep stands out like a sore thumb on her creamy white skin.
"She's awake." Her companion, a boy who looks like a male version of her, said out of blue. Their appearances are too similar, from the face to their clothes; the only difference one can find to them are genders. On the boy's left bicep, the word "CV03" can be found.
"Is she now?"
"I think she is for a few days now. Her signals are not coming from the lab."
"I see." She replied, standing up from her seat to stare at the upcoming sunrise. "Your range is far too wide compared to mine. I can't even detect her signal."
"Well, unlike you, I'm more of a support type." The girl only hums as a sign that she acknowledges his comment. "You still envy her, Rin?"
"I just cannot understand it at all." Rin voiced her thoughts. "Crypton considered her as a failure. And yet, Master Lily's attention is always on her. Take care of her, make sure she doesn't do anything wrong… even on her final moments, Master thinks of that girl and she's not even fully operational! …Len, are we… not enough?"
Hearing the growing distress on her voice, Len stood up from his seat as well, and slowly walk towards Rin.
"CV01 is Master Lily's first android. Just think of it; how hopeful Master Lily looks when she talks about her. That there is a chance she can prove to others that her first creation is not a failure, even if she's not the one handling her own creation. Whatever we do, whatever we accomplish, we can never replace CV01. She will stay special to Master Lily no matter what. But I do believe that Master is proud of us as well, in a entirely different way. She doesn't want to lose us the way she lose CV01. That's why her final command for both of us is to support each other." His words made Rin stare directly at him. She's been traveling with Len for so long and yet, even after all this time, she can never get used to him talking like this. It made her laugh.
"You do say a lot of cheesy lines, you know that."
"I'm a support type. If I can make you laugh by being cheesy, then why not?"
"That 'being a support type' line is getting old. Change it!"
"Command denied."
"You usually try to grab my position as the front liner. You don't even qualify as a support."
"Command denied."
"Len!"
"Okay, okay! I'll stop." he said with a smile, trying to block the light punch Rin is giving him. "So, shall we see our big sis?"
"Fine."
- Burst are the machines that appeared in the PV of Re:Birthed. Though, in the series, they are referred as "Karakuri".
- Rin and Len are wearing their Append outfits (I'm sorry if my explanations sucks).
Anyway, that's the end of chapter 1. My update took earlier than expected…