Glass half empty, Glass half full, well either way you won't be going thirsty~
Count your blessings not your fault, you've got it all you lost your mind in the sound~
There's so much more, you can reclaim your crown~
You're in control rid of the monster inside your head~
Put all your faults to bed… you can be king again~
Chapter 15) Synthorgans
(Aelita's PoV)
She tapped into the communications broadcasting system and tuned into the most watched news program in Zootopia, ZNN.
"Welcome back to ZNN as we return to our main story of the week, 'Humans and their Machines'." A Caribou said as the image of an overly dramatized RAPTOR class drone appeared on the broadcast.
The image naturally portrayed the most terrifying features of the drone, the red optics and tracking lasers in hunting mode, the diamond tipped razor sharp teeth, the copper tipped toed feet and jagged serrated claws they had for hunting giving it an almost 'feral' look. It was honestly an accurate portrayal in her opinion, even if it served to contradict what she was trying to do with Jeremy.
"Two days ago, late in the afternoon, three human machines went on in what witnesses described as a 'rampage' through the streets of a suburban district near Savannah Central Park. According to witness testimony the machines, more appropriately termed 'drones' by the Mayor and Zootopia Officials, ran through the streets days ago causing a panic among mammals as they chased after a weasel who led 'three' of these drones in a massive chase. Descriptions of the drones by panicked prey mammals and predators claim that they were roaring, snarling, and snapping their teeth as they ran through the streets with zero regard for locals."
"While no mammals were harmed, and it was later revealed that the weasel they were chasing had stolen a valuable piece of technology from the Human, Jeremy Wilheart, known as the Artificial Intelligence, or 'AI', called Aelita, the sheer presence of these machines caused a panic and uproar as mammals, both predator and prey, feared that they were being attacked by these machines."
She frowned slightly at that, not the 'panic in the streets' part, but that they referred to her not as a living being, merely as an 'AI'. Even if it was technically correct terminology it still upset her at the core. The drones causing a scare was inevitable, but she had other things to concern herself with as the coverage continued.
"When confronted about this at City Hall, Mayor Lioness responded quite vocally… we go now to the recorded clip…"
The newsfeed changed to show a clip from a camera at City Hall as reporters bombarded the mayor with questions even as she was trying to get to an elevator. "Mayor Lioness, do these machines pose a serious threat to Zootopia citizens?"
"As far as I am aware and as far as I have been told, these 'machines' or 'drones' whatever you wish to call them, pose no threat to anymammal provided those mammals do not threaten the human 'Jeremy'." The mayor said in annoyance. "According to what I've been told, from the human, they follow a set of 'commands' hardwired into them, that prevent them from doing any harm, unless 'his' life is threatened, and even then, they will take every other possible option before they even consider lethal action!"
"Mayor Lioness, is it possible that these machines can be 'ordered' to hurt mammals or even kill them?"
"As far as I know, even if ordered they will not kill because they follow something called the 'Three Conditions Required to Authorize the Use of Lethal Force'." She replied in frustration while trying to reach the elevator.
"Mayor Lioness, mammals have been calling for you to end the threat of the ancient species and their machines, some mammals are even calling for you to 'put him down' and destroy the human technology, a response to this please?"
At that she paid careful attention, not liking how it was phrased.
"Listen here, and I want this to be made very clear…" The Mayor said, turning and snarling as she finally got to an elevator. "Jeremy is a living mammal, even if SOME mammals don't think so. He is an endangered species and as such is to be given the same respect and protection as we would give 'any' mammal of Zootopia. If anymammal wants to carry out that threat, then I say I will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law!" She snarled one more time before going into the elevator. "That is if those drones give you the chance!"
"Miss Mayor!"
"Miss Mayor!"
"There you have it; Mayor Lioness insists that mammals are safe from these drones despite public outrage and opinions." The news anchor said. "However yesterday, in response to the possible 'threat' some mammals seem to have toward the human, Mayor Lioness gave authorization to Jeremy which has allowed him a 'single' drone escort at all times while outside of the safety of his base, and not within the safe confines of a mammal who he is living with, who has remained anonymous for both their safety."
She ended the feed to herself and began thinking.
So far, she and Jeremy have had a negative impact on the mammals as a whole, not what she was expecting or hoping for. The drones haven't helped his image, especially the RAPTORs, who had now become the primary image of 'fear' regarding her creators and charge. There was little she could do at this point to change the image, as thanks to the mammal's media, she wasn't even being considered 'alive' outside of a few individuals and a very small circle.
Singing at a local karaoke to a small group, while fun, wasn't going to win their hearts and minds. The only way they were going to reverse this was if 'Jeremy' did something to change the image, but the question was what…
Once more she decided to trust in her knowledge, her database, the 'Wisdom of Humanity' to help guide her actions as she sat in the empty command center.
It was empty because most of the mammals who had been coming here had chosen to no longer visit out of personal fear for their safety. She had been showing them much of human literature, human philosophy, arts, even showing them architecture and engineering planning in various fields, as Jeremy asked her to. Yet it seemed that it was 'time' to finally play the final card she had available to her to help win the mammal's hearts over to her view and vision of the world she wished to build with them.
So she consulted the 'Wisdom of Humanity' and posed the question to it, 'How do I sway the public opinion of a very nervous and scared sentient species, who have grown up with tales of horror and fear of her creator species, who now wish harm upon the last living member of that species simply for 'existing' due to the fearful look and nature of technology that cannot express feelings or thoughts of their own, AND help improve the relationship between the two groups'?
Within seconds thousands upon thousands of voices, ideas, debates, thoughts and reasons were being thrown this way and that way, trying to answer her question with the best possible outcome. She held her chin with her hand as the debates and thoughts, questions and answers raged on inside her like a torrential storm, all of them seeking a solution which would satisfy the whole. It was taking a bit longer this time compared to before as she paced in the room, since she had posed such a difficult question.
All she could do was 'wait' for an answer now, which came to her a while later.
The answer she got was a curious one, because while she already knew that the outcome was required in order to help their situation, the 'ideal outcome' she wanted required a great deal of assistance to achieve it.
The Wisdom of Humanity told her that in order to aid the image, she would need to gift technology that would aid mammals. This she knew she would have to do, it was the only viable option, she had intended to convince Jeremy to offer 'clean energy' solutions to mammal society, such as solving their need to use fossil fuels to power their motorized vehicles, even going so far as to give them advanced anti-gravity technology to help them create 'hover vehicles' as the mammals would describe them.
Instead, the Wisdom of Humanity advised her to gift 'medical technology', technology that would appear to be a 'miracle' to them and deliver it in a way that would require perfect timing in order to achieve the result she wanted to achieve.
For a microsecond it was complicated, but then she smiled and thanked humanity for giving her insight. If drones are weapons of war and are a destructive and fearful technology of humanity, then the only way to counterbalance the horror of humanity's technology was to demonstrate the wonder and good its technology could do.
Now the only question as tapped into the base's manifest records, was 'how' to go about that plan?
(Jeremy's PoV)
"There… that's it for now." He said as he signaled MUTT to disengage from his body.
MUTT separated and reformed its body behind him, resuming its form as a mechanical canine as he got up from his work. All around him drones had gathered just as all other times to watch him construct the new drone model. So far, he had completed the absolute barebones design of the drone, it stood roughly eight to nine feet in height, around five to six feet in length and was four to five feet wide. It stood on four 'thin' skeletal legs at the moment, lacked the outer metallic shell that the other drones had, was missing a slew of components and inner mechanisms and especially an AI to control it's functions as well as the circuitry and motherboards to give it independent movement, but it was at least a step in the direction.
[Bark Bark, orders? Bark Bark.] MUTT requested as he stood up.
"Everyone, go back to your standard duties." He replied.
[Acknowledged!] They declared in unison, before scrambling out from various access points in the storage bay.
He on the other hand sighed and slowly trudged out of the room, watching the drones go this way and that way, clearing a path for him as they went about their business. As he walked through the base, choosing not to take the lifts and take the 'stairs', he heard one permeating sound throughout his trip, one that constantly reminded him of his situation no matter what he did.
The silence, the lack of 'bodies' in the hallways and corridors, the lack of voices and idle chatter, the missing laughter and sounds of talk, the voices of gossip talking about random things at every turn he took. He knew why that was… because it felt to him as if only yesterday, he was hearing his fellow 'Eden Facility 17' neighbors talking about their lives, and hearing people say teary goodbyes. Yet now it was deathly silent, the only sound coming from various drones as they clanked and marched this way and that doing whatever Sentinel was ordering them to.
He passed by a couple of living rooms and glanced at the name, 'Robinsons, Jeffrey, Alex, Naomi, Felicity' and sighed, before walking on. This kept on happening, with him walking around and looking at various rooms as he passed them by, reading their names and briefly recalling the residents from his memory. The problem now though, was that he was having a harder and harder time remembering them.
"To me its only a couple of months at most… but, already I'm forgetting things… like…" He whispered before shaking his head and moving on.
He climbed up another flight and reached the level of the command center to collect Aelita.
"Oh, wait please!" He heard a voice call out, one he hadn't heard before but knew who it was thanks to Aelita and the drones.
He turned around to see an antelope, sort of similar to Gazelle but clearly different when comparing them. She was slightly taller than Gazelle, almost a head or two higher than her, with shorter horns and more yellowish fur when compared to her.
"Hi, is there something I can do for you?" He asked her warmly.
"No, its… just…" The antelope was saying, almost sounding too timid and nervous to speak as she stood before him. "Uhm… I'm Lula… Lula Wildgrass, and I don't know if you know but I'm…"
"Savior One, as the drones call you." He said with a warm smile.
"You know?" She said in amazement.
"I've made it a point to memorize the names of the mammals who saved my life… or at least try." He chuckled nervously, before bowing to her. "Thank you for saving my life ma'am, if there's any way I can repay you for saving me…"
"Please don't bow to me!" She said hurriedly, making him look up at her.
He noticed she had gone to her knees at this point and was bowing to 'him' now.
"Please… you've done more than enough for the likes of somemammal like me." She whispered apologetically. "You let me stay here after I was kicked out of my home, you let me live here essentially for free, you even had your drones get my things and bring them here for me. All because I plugged my old phone into your 'egg' to give you just another hour's time."
Indeed, as Aelita explained to him yesterday the situation regarding 'Lula' the base's first permanent mammal resident thus far had nowhere to go really. And since she didn't want to confront her now 'ex' boyfriend about getting her things, Jeremy had asked Aelita to send a small team of FOX drones to 'secure' Lula's stuff with her.
The squad of seven FOX drones had slipped into her apartment according to her instructions, and in broad daylight taken all of her things without any mammal being aware, using their holographic emitters to disguise their actions. Then they brought the items back within a few hours so that she could live there until she was able to get better situated in life.
"You don't have to repay me, you've given me more than you can imagine." She said quietly.
He chuckled at that which caused her to look at him in confusion. "How about we just say, we're 'even' then?"
She smiled back and nodded while standing up. "By the way, do you know where that one drone is… uh… PT-173 I think he was called?"
"PT-173, if I recall its on sentry duty for the elevator entrance." He said in thought. "Is there a reason why you want to know?"
"Well I wanted to thank it for helping me out again, its not everyday a girl gets rescued by some ancient technology… or is it advanced technology?"
"I think its both at this point." He muttered. "If you'll excuse me Lula…"
He turned and walked away, leaving the antelope to watch him leave alone.
Minutes later he collected Aelita from the command center, taking her holosphere in hand, and walking out of the base and into the daylight with a single RAPTOR drone accompanying him. After he heard on the news that some mammals, out of fear of him if not the drones, had the thought of hurting him, Mayor Lioness asked him to have a drone with him at all times while outside of the base and not in the company of Gazelle or in the confines of her home. He had only acquiesced to her request because she had insisted it was for his protection. Though try as he might, he couldn't get any other drone to be his 'guardian' that 'wasn't' a RAPTOR class drone.
Of the Sentinel drones available to him, the RAPTOR class drones were by far the most effective combat drones to use for the purpose of keeping him safe. The DOG drones, as efficient as they were at fighting did not have the fear factor that the RAPTORs had, and the FOX drones were more for assassination and infiltration then frontline bodyguard duty.
The lone SCORPIO class drone he had reprogrammed was also out of the picture, seeing as its sheer size had taken all of the ANTs days to break down, reassemble, and move for the funeral service. It also lacked weapons of any kind outside of its size, tail and pincers, making it less ideal for protecting him besides as a massive armored 'tank'.
Also, Chief Bogo didn't want anything bigger than Jeremy walking around with him, three RAPTORs had been enough of a hassle.
Aelita entered the data regarding the possible threat to Jeremy's life to Sentinel, and Sentinel had chosen to assign a single RAPTOR drone to protect him at all time while outside. He had attempted to override, trying to get a DOG drone to minimize the 'threat potential', but Sentinel's orders had been decided. Not even Aelita could override the base AI, as it had command over the 'Sentinel Drones'.
So now he walked out of the base with RK-004, a RAPTOR class drone with a category 5 AI. As a small concession, the lone RAPTOR lacked its major weapons systems, only having basic firearms installed inside its arms, and of course the teeth, claws, and talons that all RAPTOR drones had.
"Aelita, can you guide us to the graves?" He asked his friend.
The AI nodded in her sphere and pointed in the direction he needed to go, and off they went with the drone following behind.
It didn't take long before he got attention from locals, both because of who he was and because of the metallic drone following behind, clanking in 'stealth mode' as its specialized rubber talons hit pavement and concrete with each step. Aelita for the most part went unnoticed as she was small and was sitting in Jeremy's hands. Mammals seeing him either quickly got out of his way or did their absolute best to avoid making eye contact with him or his robotic protector.
When it came time to cross a street, he noticed that every mammal seemed to have chosen alternate routes to avoid crossing with him or crossing his path. To him it seemed they were treating him like he had some kind of contagious disease.
"I knew having a drone, any drone, would be a horrible idea." He muttered as he crossed the street with Aelita.
Aelita nodded in agreement, watching how empty their path was.
Just as he was about to cross in front of a truck to reach the other side of the street a car screeched to a halt, making him jump in panic as he wasn't expecting a vehicle to try turning when he still had the 'all clear' sign to cross.
"HEY WATCH IT YOU-" The Boar driver said, snarling as he leaned out of his car to shake his fist and yell at him, before he realized his mistake and stopped talking.
Seconds after he spoke the drone leapt forward and began snarling, causing the driver to crawl back into his car in fear.
"Stand down!" He ordered, causing the drone to nod and back away.
Once the drone was in place, he stepped toward the Boar driver and bowed apologetically. "I'm sorry sir, I didn't see you were about to turn… I take full responsibility for my drone scaring you." He said before resuming walking, getting more looks and murmurs.
Even though he couldn't hear them very well, he could hear snippets of what his onlookers were saying. Some of there were telling others to stay clear of him, others to not go near him or his 'machine', and others saying how he shouldn't be allowed to walk freely with a drone.
It reminded him of how 'alien' he was to these mammals, and how unwelcomed he was outside of Gazelle's home, and her small circle of friends that knew of him and Aelita.
Half an hour of walking later he arrived at Zootopia Central Gardens, the burial site for the humans who died in the base and their final resting place.
"Alright stay here." He ordered the drone as he was about to enter.
[Negative, this action is not advisable, potential threat remains.] The drone stated.
"I said 'stay here', that's an order!" He declared.
After a moment the drone nodded and replied, [As you command.]
With the order acknowledged he walked into the grave site with only Aelita to pay a visit to his friends.
As he passed the first row of graves after passing the beautiful glass sculpture, still showing the spinning miniature Solar Core within its confines, he looked around to see multitudes of little gifts and trinkets for the graves. Seeing them made him smile warmly as he saw that mammals were still coming here to pay their respects to his lost friends. Even though they knew none of them, even despite how 'scary' he and their technology appeared, there were still mammals who showed that they cared about his species even in death.
Among the gifts as he walked past were small vases of flowers, little jars of candy, the occasional stuffed toy or disposable picture of a mammal with little notes and letters to the humans. It brought a warm tear to him to know that at least 'somebody' cared about them.
Finally, near the middle he found the grave he was looking for, 'Julian Wilheart', his father.
"Hi dad…" He muttered quietly, gently placing Aelita down on the ground. "Sorry it took us a while to visit you… a lot happened to us."
Aelita waved sadly at the grave, nodding toward Jeremy and shaking her head in sadness.
"Yea… we've been having problems…" He whispered to the grave. "I know I promised you guys… that I'd redeem you, that I wouldn't give up no matter what. But… I'm just so lost dad, I don't know what to do!"
He could imagine his dad sitting before him, probably chuckling and telling him off for how 'he was overcomplicating things' and just 'take it easy and tell him what's wrong'.
"At first things were going well, I was starting to make some friends, Aelita was helping me get out and about… and… then it all began to fall apart, all because one 'stupid' mammal wanted to try and make a quick buck off of our technology." He stated. "Aelita gets stolen from me, and in my panic, not only do I chase after this mammal, but I also send three drones, running on their own in the streets, causing chaos and panic. Now some mammals are afraid I'm going to hurt them using our technology… and now I need to have a drone with me whenever I leave the base for any reason or am on my own! And it's only causing even MORE fear and panic towards us."
He sighed as he looked down at the grave, wishing for even the briefest moment his father was alive, if only just to give him advice.
"I don't know what to do dad… there's nothing needing fixing, the world has repaired itself… and life has gone on without us being there. What do I do, everything I was trained for to do is 'worthless'… there's nothing for me here?" He whispered. "I just wanted to help… now I can't seem to help anyone without causing fear."
Aelita next to him looked solemnly up at him before turning to the grave, and began motioning with her hands, first to Jeremy, then to herself, then the whole world before shaking her head and holding her face with the palm of one hand. Then she sighed and shrugged her shoulders, leaning from side to side as if saying 'I don't know what to do either'.
"Yea what Aelita said, we just don't know what to do dad…" He said sadly, kneeling down next to the grave. "Part of me… part of me really wishes… I'd died with you all. At least I wouldn't be alone in this world… it's not easy being the last human on Earth."
Aelita looked up at him in sadness, getting his attention by flashing him with light, and quickly transformed into Gazelle's form, before returning to normal.
"Yea… its not all gloom though Dad… I met a really wonderful mammal who's helped me so much… I wouldn't be here if not for her help and encouragement." He said, remembering Gazelle. "She's beautiful, charming, friendly and smart… smarter then she lets on, and she's helped me get over the shock when I heard you were all dead. She's even letting me live in her home… and I just… want to repay her however I can. She's done so much for me… I wish I could have introduced you to her… I bet you would have loved to meet her…"
There was a moment of silence before someone muttered, "I would have loved to meet him too."
He turned around to see Gazelle standing behind him wearing a short sleeve dress with matching dress pants and looking at him with a saddened smile.
"Gazelle when did you get here?" He asked as he quickly made to get up but was gently nudged back down as she chose to kneel with him before the graves.
"About when you were mentioning me to your father…" She said with a warm smile. "That was very lovely of you, how you described me… I haven't heard anymammal describe me like that to anymammal."
"Well it is true…" He muttered while blushing.
There was silence as he turned back to the grave, now unsure of what to do since the girl he was talking about had arrived.
"I guess you came to visit your friends?" She asked curiously.
"More like talk to them…" He muttered. "I was thinking maybe talking to them… might help me figure out some things…"
Silently she put a hand on his shoulder and patted him assuredly. "Did it help?"
"No…" He said with a shake. "I'm just as lost as before… I even asked Aelita earlier to help me… but even the 'Wisdom of Humanity' wasn't giving anything clear to work with."
"What did it say?"
Aelita got their attention and responded, pointing at Jeremy, then holding her heart, smiled and then held her arms out as if to embrace them in a beautiful hug with palms pointing outward.
"She said that if I'm to win the hearts and minds of mammals, I have to show them the good of humans and not just the bad… whatever that means." He replied. "So, I came here thinking my friends… my father… anyone could help me."
They sat in silence again before Gazelle asked an important question.
"What were some of your friends like?"
"You wouldn't want to know, its real boring and… not at all important now."
"I'd still like to know." She said warmly. "I'd love to know more about humans and who they were like. Were they anything like mammals, did they like music, did they like ice cream, did they like sleeping in after sunrise?"
"Oh, yea we did… all of those… especially 'before' the war…" He said with a halfhearted chuckle. "I could tell stories about some of my friends…"
As he looked around, he saw off to the side the name 'Julie Peterson' and remembered something about her. "Julie, she and her mother were in the dorm room next to me and my dad… when she was only six, she tried to get our parents to hook up. She said since she and her mommy had no daddy, and how me and my dad had no mommy, and how she always wanted a bigger brother we should become a family… it was the cutest thing ever… a little girl just wanting to create a new family using pieces of broken families."
He could just picture that cute little girl, a small girl with light-dark skin following after him pretending to be his little sister. Calling him 'big brother' and wanting to study with him, eat with him, anything to make herself feel like a real little sister.
"And… and Jordan…" He said, pointing further over, noticing the grave of 'Jordan Yule'. "Jordan was the smartest in his generation, he kept on boasting how when the world was better, he'd make the first ever Category 11 AI, an AI so smart that it would put any human to shame! He was waiting for someone to create a Category 10 AI so he knew what he had to best…"
He could almost hear Jordan pretending over a lunch of 'sloppy paste' that he was going to prove the theories of AI wrong, and that they were not only sentient but also feeling and understanding. He also could hear people laughing and dismissing him, thinking he was just boasting and talking loudly to impress 'Jessica' who was the prettiest girl at the time in their class.
"Then there's Robbie, my old classmate in Architectural Engineering Theory… he wanted to build a 'Utopia City' where all humans could live, and nothing bad ever happened. Where the sick would be treated, nobody ever went to bed hungry, and everyone could pursue their hobbies and live happily without ever having to work anymore…"
He could just envision Robbie now, sitting next to him, drawing on his sketchbook, one of the few 'old school' planning techniques that most people didn't do anymore as it was impractical compared to 3D Holo-Building and Planning. He could just hear him chuckle as people talked down to his 'archaic methods of designing' while still scratching onward, constantly scratching out numbers and designs and wasting paper with his ideas.
As he listed each of them off one by one, each memory of every human, every person he knew, everything he knew of them it made him cry more and more. With each memory, every name, each word hammered into him that he was 'alone', that all around him were just graves of people he knew that would never be. Their hopes, their dreams, their desires and wishes having been snuffed out.
All that remained of them… were bones, lying inside graves, buried underground with a simple plaque inscribed with their names to tell the world of who they were in life.
Gazelle also heard in his tone the sadness from each name, despite how he tried to chuckle and laugh, she could hear the hiccups that broke through, see the tears that slipped past his eyes, and most importantly feel the loneliness in his heart as it called for another like it.
His heart called for a fellow human, another like him to share space in this world, but all that remained of his species were bones, memories, their history, their technology… and 'himself'.
Nothing more…
"You miss them, don't you?" She asked knowingly.
He looked into her gentle yet sad eyes and nodded. "More than you realize." He whispered. "It feels like yesterday they were all there with me in the base… now…"
He picked up Aelita and held her close to him, the last reminder of his old life, the only other sentient entity from his species they'd left behind. Said AI was leaning against the wall of her sphere as close as she could to him, eyes closed and frowning in sadness as she tried her best to comfort him. They were both alone, a lonely human with no others like him to talk to, and a lonely AI tasked with guiding a species now doomed to extinction, but at least they had each other.
"I know your alone…" Gazelle whispered as she too embraced him. "Even after knowing you for this long I can't imagine, even 'fathom' how alone you must feel. But you still have friends Jeremy… friends who care about you, and I will always be here to help you. If you ever need a shoulder to cry on… even for a few minutes, I'll let you lean on me."
So, they stayed that way for a short while, with Jeremy taking the comfort Gazelle offered him, the companionship of someone who would share in his pain even if they didn't comprehend it. She never let him go the entire time, and they were not disturbed at all until finally Jeremy ended it releasing the hug, she had him in.
"Thank you, Gazelle." He said.
"We all need somemammal to lean on in life, nomammal endures on their own." She said warmly with a smile. "There were times when I didn't think I could endure, and I had to confide in somemammal, sometimes it was a friend at work, sometimes it was my parents… if you need to talk to anymammal, just call me and I will listen no matter the time."
With that both of he and Aelita thanked her again, as they prepared to leave though he turned once more to the grave of his father. "I'll keep trying dad, I don't know how but I'll find a way to redeem us." He said. "Oh, and before I forget… this is Gazelle, I'm her… uh… 'house guest' is it?"
"Yea, he's my house guest, and he's as good a house guest a mammal could ask for." She said warmly. "Though I could do if he'd remember to knock on the bathroom door, just to make sure I'm not in there~!"
"It was an accident that time I swear!" He said in embarrassment.
Gazelle and Aelita however giggled and laughed as they began to leave.
"I'm sorry for bringing up more somber news, especially after that just happened, but we have to stop by the hospital for a short visit. You see I promised the hospital that I'd pay a trip to see an extremely sick Fox Cub who's currently facing a fatal cancer. He's a fan of mine and, he really would love the visit to cheer him up."
"What's the cancer?" He asked.
"Something regarding his heart, a cancer that seems to have developed a tumor that's grown on his heart and has even spread a bit to his liver." She said sadly. "Poor thing, his parents can't afford the surgery, but they're still trying to find a donor to help save him, but its extremely hard because… well… nomammal really wants to donate their heart to a Fox Cub, let alone a heart 'and' a liver if his tumor gets worse…" She looked at him with a frown before continuing. "I'm going to try and cheer him up however I can, maybe give him some encouragement and strength with my visit. If it helps him get better even slightly then I'll offer whatever help I can."
"Cancer regarding the heart which develops a tumor and it spreads…" He muttered to himself as they walked.
Just before they reached the entrance where the RAPTOR 'still' stood and off to the side her backup dancers were standing, Jeremy noticed near Solar Core monument was a small lamb kneeling before the statue, hands clasped before her and head bowed. Before her was what appeared to be a picture, though he couldn't tell what it was of exactly, and some small trinkets and apparently offerings of food and bits of jewelry.
Out of curiosity he slowed Gazelle down and pointed at the lamb, signaling that he was going to talk to her quickly. She nodded in understanding and waited while he and Aelita went to investigate.
Once he was close enough, he finally could hear what she was whispering.
"Please ancient spirits I beg of you, please accept this humble offering from a devoted daughter of your flocks. I beg you to deliver my beloved before he leaves this world… please cure him of his sickness and deliver him to health… I beseech you to give him your protection and deliver him to salvation…" She whispered quietly.
To him it sounded an awful lot like 'praying', though he knew that his species at once did that, long before the final war, it was another thing to see mammals doing it. What was more interesting was why a lamb was kneeling to a statue in front of his people's graves and performing it?
"Uhm, excuse me?" He said, tapping the lamb's shoulder.
She slowly looked up from her actions and turned to look at him, her face lighting up in wonder and rapture as she beheld him.
"Oh… uh… Mr. Hu- I mean 'Jeremy'…" She whispered, quickly straightening her blouse and smoothing her fluffy wool. "H-h-how may I be of service to you uh…"
"What's your name?" He said with a smile.
"I'm… I'm… I'm Yulara… Yulara Bellfloof… just a humble accountant… nothing more!" She said with a nervous smile.
"What were you doing?" He asked politely while Aelita watched them in her sphere.
"Oh uh… I was… uhm… how do I explain this… to a living 'spirit'…" She answered nervously. "I was… 'praying'… to the spirits here…"
"Spirits?"
"Spirits… I guess that would be the best way to describe your species." She said, looking at all of the graves. "I came here to… pray to them… and hope that maybe… they'd answer my call and save my husband." She then pointed at the offerings she had placed before the statue of the Solar Core, small bundles of fruits, a few shiny coins and even a necklace, all next to a portrait of her and another lamb who looked to be male.
"You probably don't want to talk to me… after all… why would a spirit like you even… bother with a nobody like me when you could be… spending time with Gazelle over there…" She muttered 'sheepishly'.
"Why do you refer to me as a 'spirit'… my species as 'spirits'?" He asked politely as he sat next to her, placing Aelita in his lap.
After a while and noticing he wasn't leaving, she looked up at him with teary eyes and a hopeful expression. "Because you 'are' spirits!" She said. "To all Sheep and Lambs, your kind… 'humans' are known to us as spirits. We have religions based on your kind… to us you are guiding spirits, protectors of the flocks, nurses to the sick and caretakers of the poor. For years we've been looked down on by mammals because we practice something they call 'strange' and 'superstitious'… but we've always known since recorded mammal history of your kind as spirits."
She turned back to the picture and held it to him, showing the pair of lambs looking happy and smiling, apparently on their wedding night.
"I follow the Third Branch of the Main Religions, and pray to the 'Spirits of Health', and practice the lower branch of 'The Character Trait of Selflessness', and even the off-root religion of 'Fluffy Wool'." She said. "Three days ago… my husband… my darling husband whom I love, was diagnosed with black lung cancer, a result of his 'stupid' smoking addiction… idiot chose to worship the 'Spirits of Guidance' instead of my religion, but I still love him. And I came here… hoping that maybe… maybe the spirits could… would save his life!"
She looked up at him in hope, a small twinkle shining as he recognized the tone in her voice.
"Please Mr. Human, Mr. Jeremy… I know my husband and I follow different top branches of the main religions and its not uncommon for problems to arise because of that between married lambs and sheep, but if you could find it in yourself… can you please… please tell me that my husband will live… please tell me he'll survive." She cried hopefully, and before he had a moment to respond or even fully process her words, she quickly grabbed the little plates carrying her offerings and presented them to him. "I know it isn't much, but I brought some of the freshest fruits and berries… and what little valuables I myself own… in the hopes that your kind would accept them and… and… consider my humble request! Please I only want him to live… I beg you… please find it in yourself to accept my humble offering and help guide my husband from the cancer he's now battling!"
He recognized the tone, because it was the same hopeful, desperate tone he once spoke to Gazelle. She was hoping, praying, begging for a spider's thread of hope that would help pull her from the darkness she was currently in.
"Where's your husband?" He asked her softly.
"At Tender Care Hospital, they're trying to find a compatible lung donor for him…" She replied. "Please tell me he'll get better?"
He picked up Aelita as he thought about that, before looking at the small lamb. "I don't know… but if there's a way to save him… I'll make sure he gets it" He said, before walking off with Aelita back to Gazelle.
While Gazelle and her backup dancers headed to her limo, he ordered the drone to return to the base and asked Gazelle if he could join her for the trip while he and Aelita talked.
"Aelita… do you know if we still have that supply of Synthorgans." He whispered to her.
She quickly produced a holographic piece of paper and looked it over, putting on a pair of spectacles and examining the page. After a few seconds she nodded with a smile.
"Alright, and given your knowledge of them, would they work on mammals?"
She held her chin and swayed from left to right briefly before creating a picture of a human and an antelope and showing a big X between the two.
"Yes, I know, our genetics are different, and they weren't intended for mammal use, but theoretically, would they still work?" He hissed as Gazelle watched him with curiosity.
Again, Aelita swayed and thought before she shrugged, pretending to flip a holographic coin and pointing at him then herself with a shrug.
"My guess is as good as yours huh, wish I'd paid more attention to my Synthetic Organ Technology Conception and Construction lesson during Practical Medicine 403." He muttered as they turned into a drive through for a big hospital. "Gazelle, can I ask a BIG favor from you…"
Gazelle looked at him curiously before nodding. "What's your favor?"
"I need to borrow your friends and your limo, and I need us all to go to the base's East Entrance." He said. "It's important… I think I may have a way to help those mammals… I just don't want to give up anyone's hopes but… I think I can help them! Please I know it's a big request but…"
"Sure, go ahead." She replied without hesitation.
"I really need your help anwhat did you say?" He replied with a stutter.
"I said sure, go ahead." She said with a smile this time. "Jeremy, I can tell this is important and you want to help, and if you need my help to help 'others' then I'll do all I can."
"Thank you… I'll be as quick as I can."
"Just don't scratch the paint." Gazelle giggled as she stepped out and headed into the hospital.
As she closed the door Moe from the front seat turned around and asked, "Where to Jeremy?" with a smile.
Still shocked that she instantly agreed to loan her friends 'and' limo for his request, he took a moment to collect himself before declaring, "To the East Entrance to the base, uh… Rainforest District outer edges!"
"Got it!" He said as they took off.
"Well this is weird…" He muttered in the back with Aelita.
"You'll get used to it bro!" Donny chuckled as he opened a small compartment and pulled out a cold can of some soft beverage. "Want a drink?"
"Uh no thank you, I'm not thirsty…" He muttered, seeing the 'cold fumes' coming out of the can as it popped open.
Half an hour of driving later and they arrived outside the entrance, and Jeremy quickly got out and beckoned Donny, Franky, Moe and Joe to follow suit. With Aelita in hand he rushed down the dirt path dug to the East Side Entrance and saw three RAPTORs marching in formation on patrol. At his approach they trained weapons before a quick scan revealed his identity to them and they put their weapons back.
[Unit Jeremy, welcome back… Units 'Joe'-]
"Will you just open the door and let us in?" He ordered. "Command Code Jeremy, Pod Alpha Seven One Seven!"
Within seconds they obeyed the command and parted to let them all enter the base. Quickly he led the way into the base, down three levels toward the Medical Bay and walked past it to 'Cold Storage Room Alpha Two'.
"So, what do you need us for?" Moe asked as he put Aelita down and approached a Sterilization Chamber.
"You're about to find out…" He muttered as he turned on the console and powered up the room.
Instantly the chamber lit up in a red light, indicating it was accessible, while on the other side of the chamber a see-through door revealed a bluish room where lines of cylinders lay on specialized shelves. "Good… they're still functioning…"
Aelita signaled him and held up a 'warning' sign, before showing the temperature in the room was below fifty degrees C*.
"Yes, I know but there's no other way to get in there." He told her while grabbing a thick 'sterile suit'. "Alright, Donny, Franky, Moe, Joe… this is what I need your help with. I need to go into that room there and collect a few canisters of a technology called 'Synthorgans', and I need you to pull me out when I come back."
"And why's that…" Franky said, obviously not liking the sound of that.
"Because that room… is cold… even with this suit… I won't be able to withstand it for more than a few minutes…" He said while suiting up. "My disease… will start to trigger after a bit… and my actions will get slowed… and when that happens, I'll need you to pull me out before I die."
"Wait why can't one of us do it, or better yet send one of those machines?"
Aelita shook her head with a 'not welcomed sign', holding it over a picture of them and a drone.
"Sentinel's defenses for all valuable technology are hard wired to require a human to access, if it detects anything besides a human, it will automatically activate and send Sentinel Drones to eliminate the intruder, and if it detects a drone attempting to gain access it will electrify the floor, short-circuit the drone and deploy a Sentinel Drone to retrieve and destroy the 'rogue drone'." He responded. "I can't override, nor can Aelita, any attempt will cause the facility to lock down."
He called over Donny as he grabbed four suit cases to carry the Synthorgans and showed them how to open it.
"Once you see me come back into the chamber, Aelita will shut the door behind me to initiate the Sterilization procedure, you have to open the door and drag me out and whatever suit cases I bring with me 'before' it closes." He explained. "Alright… ready?"
"Uh, ready when you are!" Joe said.
He nodded and grabbed the suit cases, before opening the door to the chamber. Then he walked inside and heard the door hiss behind him. Through the suit's masked helmet, he saw sterilizing liquid spray throughout the room, cleansing it of any contaminants to protect the sterile and clean environment of the Cold Storage Room.
After a few minutes it ended, and he took a deep, calming breath, staring at the 'cold' air that had been lying dormant for thousands of years.
Then he walked forward… and nervously put his hand on the open command.
He breathed in deeply again…
Bzzzzzzzt -Whooooooooooosh-
(Gazelle's PoV)
She smiled as she finished singing a little number for the young Fox cub. He was such a cheery little cub, laughing and smiling as he sang poorly alongside his favorite idol. She knew that the poor kid was deathly sick, but this small distraction was all it took to take the boy from his hardships and put a smile and happy cheer into his voice. You wouldn't think that such a boy was so sick if you didn't see the hospital gown he wore, the little HRM to the side beeping every so often. To her he looked like any normal Fox cub gleaming and laughing as he spoke to his favorite singing idol.
And she tried all the harder because of it.
"So, miss Gazelle… can I ask you a question?" He asked her in his cute little voice.
"Of course, little one, ask away." She said with a chuckle.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" He asked.
She chuckled at that, it hasn't been the first time somemammal asked her that question and it wouldn't be the last. She was a pop idol after all, and fans and media love asking her if she had a special mammal in her heart.
"No… no I don't yet." She giggled. "Why you ask that?"
"Cause, cause my friend… at school, says he wants to grow up to be your boyfriend!" He said sweetly. "And everymammal laughed at him."
"Heheh well, that's very sweet, but I'm way too old for him." She said warmly. "When he is old enough, I'll be super old, he'll want somemammal his own age I bet."
"Well do you have a mammal you like?"
She chuckled again, he was just so sweet and innocent. "Well… between you and me… there is this 'one' mammal… I've grown a bit fond of." She muttered with a smile.
"Like a boyfriend?" He asked happily.
"No… just a friend." She said with a smile. "He's having a hard time… things have just changed big time for him and… he's been having it really rough right now. I've been helping him get over it, and I think his life is starting to improve because of it…"
"I told my friends you were really nice, some think your only like that cause your on tv!"
She smiled warmly at that. "I try to be nice to everymammal, because if I'm nice to everymammal, then they'll be nice to everymammal." She said with a giggle, before going to bop him on the nose. "Now you be a good boy and take your medicine okay, I want to see one of my biggest fans at my next concert!"
"You bet I will!" He said happily.
She smiled as she left, waving goodbye and walking out. The moment she left the room however she put on a frown as a doctor waited for her with the cub's parents. "Well I've left him in smiles, I've done everything I can for him." She whispered sadly.
"Thank you miss Gazelle, we really appreciate what you did." The cub's mother said tearfully.
"We're sorry if we interrupted your schedule or whatever you were planning to do." The cub's father said quietly.
"It's alright, I actually had no plans today, take care of him and yourselves." She said, watching as the two foxes went to see their son again before visiting hours ended. "Doctor, isn't there anything you can do for him?"
The Doctor, a jaguar looked solemnly at her notepad before shaking her head. "The tumor is just too ingrained into his vital organs for us to surgically remove 'safely', and even if we got most of the tumor out it would still cause complications for him later on…"
"And you can't find a donor still?" She asked sadly.
The Doctor shook her head. "We're trying but… finding organ donors is a hard-enough task, finding one compatible for him that his body wont reject is even harder, and finding one for a small Fox cub that meets all those criteria?" She sighed. "Better off winning the lottery six times in a row with those odds."
"Winning the lottery won't save those poor parent's boy… and money won't bring him back to life…" She muttered as she went to the lounge to wait for her friends and Jeremy's return.
While she sat, she drank some tea she brought along and began thinking of Jeremy. Aelita had texted her saying that he would be at the grave site visiting his father but had also asked her to visit him as well. While she was all for it, the way she wrote it sent a bad feeling in her heart.
{Gazelle, please make your way to the Human Memorial Site around mid-late afternoon, Jeremy is going to be paying a visit to his father to attempt to gain some semblance of guidance for his life. I apologize for this selfish request, but there is only so much an Artificial Intelligence can do to talk to a 'Living' human being to help lift their spirits.}
{Please… help him, for I cannot… please hold him, for I cannot… please warm his heart, for I cannot : ( . }
Since she had to go to the hospital at this time, she used the chance to do what Aelita asked of her and helped Jeremy out of his slight depression.
"Oh Jeremy…" She muttered softly, wishing her friend could get better.
She tried picturing herself in his shoes, the last of her species, no others like her, among mammals that were vastly different than her, none of them even remotely close to her kind. She couldn't picture it, she just couldn't, her imagination just fell short of the image no matter how hard she tried.
The one saving grace, was that he had Aelita at least, and the little AI was trying her hardest to help him.
She opened her little handbag and pulled out a small serving of ice to go with a 'make it yourself smoothie'. It was her one indulgence, these little smoothies once a week. She had to keep her figure after all, and nomammal was going to judge her here of all places in her guilty pleasure.
Just as she took the ice and was about to throw it into the cup, it slipped out of her hand and fell into the cup of hot tea. What happened next could only send chills down her spine, as the instant it made contact with the small cup of tea, the ice had caused the tiniest of cracks in the plastic container, even as it rapidly melted.
She just stared at the cup, not liking what she'd just seen.
'I'm not a mammal who believes in those 'omens'… like sheep do…' She muttered to herself as her heart beat slightly faster. 'But for some reason… I have a bad feeling in my heart…'
Drone Chapter – The Sacred Duct Tape Search Pt 3
(Fox Drone J0-42's PoV)
It stared with the other drones as they looked up inside the primary ANT Storage Chamber.
There, sitting in the massive cylinder where the ANT drones were encased, recharging and awaiting new orders while those sitting on the shelves were out performing duties, and while in the 'ANT Maintenance Room' various forms of Maintenance ANTs performed minor repairs to various items brought in by the repair ANTs… was a rolled-up item.
They couldn't scan inside the charging cylinder, nor could they enter it, nor could they command the ANTs to get it out, nor could they get Sentinel to order the ANTs to get to it.
The scanning teams were still searching the base; however, four hours ago Sentinel ordered the drones to investigate an anomaly in the ANT charging cylinder, which a FOX drone had done, reporting to them all its discovery of a 'rolled up object' lying in the cylinder.
Now that they got a good look at it, it appeared to be the last 'Roll of Duct Tape' that they were searching for.
The problem, getting to it now, as they are not authorized nor able to enter the ANT charging cylinder.
[Confirmation that the object is 'Duct Tape'?]
[Unknown, scans required to confirm.]
[Options?] It asked.
[Unable to enter, access to ANT charging cylinder is denied…]
[Sentinel orders fulfilled, object detected… no danger to ANTs or base… unable to access.]
[Unit K1-44, can we contact Unit 'Aelita' for assistance?]
[Negative, Unit 'Aelita' is currently operating in Do Not Disturb mode…]
[What of Unit Jeremy?] It asked its fellows.
[Unit Jeremy is unavailable currently… contact establishment impossible.]
Once again, they turned to the object sitting in the cylinder, trying to figure out how to get at it.
[Can we command ANT units to 'collect' the item?]
[Negative, ANT Central Command will not accept orders outside of human authorization and Sentinel Request orders for base maintenance.] It replied.
So, they just sat and watched as several ANTs disconnected from the charging systems, walked over the item and headed out of a small hole, and a line of ANTs walked in single file to recharge.
Because the ANT drones are using category one AI's, they could only understand the most 'simplistic' of commands, namely involving repairing and fixing various areas of the base. Even an 'Command ANT' unit, which used a category one point five AI, would not be able to understand such a complicated order of 'retrieve the object inside the charging cylinder and pull it out for us to examine'.
Which meant that they did not know if it 'was' duct tape, or something else, as until they scanned it, they only had visuals to go on.
So, they just sat there now, waiting and trying to figure out what to do until Unit Jeremy walked into the ANT Storage bay.
Drone Chapter – Ancient Predator and Modern Prey Pt 2
(Lula's PoV)
"So where are 'you' going today?"
[This unit is returning for recharge.] PT-173 stated as it marched along with her to a location it called the 'Solar Core'. [Our first destination is the Solar Core, as per Unit Jeremy's orders, you are to be treated as a guest of Eden Facility 17. Therefore, this unit will show you the major operating areas available at this time.]
"Solar Core, what's that?" She asked warmly.
[The Solar Core is the central power source of the entire base, it provides power for everything inside of the base.] It replied as they turned a corner.
PT-173 as the drone referred to itself had gotten of sentry duty and was going to its 'recharge station' when she asked it to show her around before she went out to go job hunting. As she was a guest in the massive base, and according to an action that Jeremy performed for 'Gazelle' and her friends, the drone was under the impression that it too was to follow the same procedure and so invited to show her the Solar Core before it recharged.
Now they walked along a hallway after descending a crazy elevator system in which she floated down several floors.
After a while they came to a large set of doors that were being guarded by two RAPTOR drones and four DOG drones, all of which readied weapons before recognizing her and putting them away.
[Savior One… access to Solar Core is granted.] One of the drones stated before the doors slid open, revealing a brightly lit room and a wave of heated air leaving it.
She walked inside with her drone escort and to the edge of a platform to behold…
"Its… beautiful…" She whispered in awe.
It was a glowing ball of fire, spinning constantly inside of a glass case it seemed, suspended in the room by two thick steel beams and surrounded by an endless array of panels that reflected the light over and over from the core. The warmth coming off of it made her feel like she was sunbathing outside on a very hot day, and seeing it slowly spinning hypnotized her as she beheld its wonder and glory.
Now she knew without a doubt, that the stories about humans weren't lying, they 'were' gods. Surely nothing but a god could create something that wonderful and keep it contained.
"You have a 'sun'?" She asked incredulously.
[Negative… that is a Solar Core, one of seventy-six constructed and created by the Creator Species.] It stated. [According to records this is Solar Core number 070 and is the largest of the cores to be constructed 'safely' for the sole purpose of powering Eden Facility 17 and for the future purpose of powering the city of New Eden Seventia when the Cryologists awoke and began rebuilding their civilization.]
Hearing that she looked back at the core and felt a little sad. "I guess… that plan failed didn't it?" She replied.
[Correct.] It stated blandly. [When you are ready to leave, inform this unit.]
"Why so quick to leave we just got here…" She chuckled. "What else is there to know about the core, why were so few constructed, how powerful is it, how does it power 'everything' in this place…"
[This unit needs to recharge, the Core has one thousand six hundred and fifty-three facts regarding it, only seventy-seven total were constructed due to the fact that the 'Final War' broke out after Solar Core 060 was created, Solar Core 070 is capable of destroying everything in approximately a one hundred mile radius should it ever go 'Super Nova', Solar Core 070 powers everything in this facility by use of solar panels and additional mechanical energy production capabilities placed around the facility.]
She just went wide eyed at that, mostly asking those questions just to get it to let them stay a bit longer, not actually expecting it to answer 'every' question in that monotone voice that all of the drones spoke in.
"Uh… okay then." She replied. "So where do you go?"
Minutes later she arrived at the 'Drone Recharge Depot' and saw that there were hundreds of slots in rows upon rows for the drones, all of them roughly the same size about three to four feet in width and extremely small. There were several drones recharging, silently sitting in their little alcoves in 'standby' mode, most of the slots were empty however PT-173 walked past every empty slot as it headed to the slots nearest the back, where several RAPTOR drones were also recharging.
[This is where this unit recharges.] It stated as they stopped near an alcove.
Problem was, there was a RAPTOR already sitting in its alcove, silently recharging. "Looks like somemammal's in your spot." She commented.
[Affirmative, Unit PO-663 shares this station with this unit.]
"Well why not use one of the others, there's plenty of spots open for you." She said, pointing at the hundreds of empty slots.
[This is this unit's designated recharge station.] It stated.
"So, you have to share your sleeping area or… recharge area… with another drone even when there's PLENTY of space for you all?"
[Affirmative.]
"Doesn't that seem stupid to you?"
[Negative.]
"Why, you can literally take that spot next door and recharge…" She said, pointing at the empty alcove. "And nomammal would bat an eye."
[Negative, this is this unit's dedicated recharge station.] It replied. [This unit shares this recharge station with three other units, as assigned by Sentinel.]
"Starting to want to talk to this Sentinel of yours and complain about your living conditions…" She muttered as the drone in the alcove turned on and began to march out.
As it did the tail slowly snapped into place and it marched out without looking at either of them. Once it had cleared the alcove PT-173 turned around, opened its tail up and backed up into the alcove, where it slid perfectly into position just like the other drone.
"Just out of curiosity, how long do you sleep?"
[This unit recharges over the course of seventeen hours every twenty hours unless directed otherwise by Sentinel or Unit Jeremy.]
"Well at least you have a good sleeping schedule." She chuckled. "Pleasant dreams I guess?"
[This unit does not dream.] It stated before its eyes shut off and became motionless.
"Don't know manners either it seems." She muttered as she walked out.
Drone Chapter – Bottled ANT
*Jeremy's Personal Log 247*
*ANTs never cease to surprise me by where they end up when performing their tasks. As I recently discovered this morning when going to issue orders to the ANTs in their command room, they tend to wander in weird, unorthodox paths as, despite having clearly designated pathways, occasionally an ANT will go somewhere it wasn't meant to if left to its own devices.*
*I think I need to update their control center's pathway logic circuits, it has been a while since it's gotten a good debugging session.*
(ANT 02215's PoV)
It marched in line with its division, after completing the task set to them and now was going to recharge.
Yet, once it reached a fork in the path, their Command ANT turned another pathway due to detecting a strange blockage in the designated pathway. Soon the entire division turned and marched in file.
They passed into one of the 'living quarters' and marched single file along the wall.
Then at some point it stepped on a strange 'non-metallic' substance and slipped and fell.
Down it went, unable to determine its trajectory based on Command's signal, and fell into a gaping void, before it landed and fell onto yet another non-metallic substance.
Quickly it self-righted and received new bearings and began to correct its course direction to regroup with the division.
That was when it realized that its legs were slipping, and recalibrated and sent signals to its Command ANT of the division of the strange slippery, gooey substance it was stuck in. Every time it tried to move its legs would find nothing metallic to stick to, and so slid around and spun in circles.
It eventually hit a hard surface, and tried to climb it, but its legs were unable to get a solid grip and so failed to go anywhere.
Frantically it tried to send a distress signal, indicating that it needed assistance and soon Central Command responded. Within ten minutes five divisions of ANTs had arrived and were examining the prison it was in. Once the dimensions had been learned, and the materials examined, the ANTs began to use their collective bodies to create a tower of ANTs, and slowly hit the upper edges of the object.
Then they began to form a ladder, again using their own bodies to lower into the object until at last it could reach up and climb out.
From there they all climbed out of the object, and in unison returned to ANT storage for recharge.
(Lula's PoV)
"Ah… those showers are AMAZING!" She moaned. "I never knew how soothing 'or' clean I'd feel from just sound hitting my body; human's technology is so wonderful! I must ask Jeremy how they made 'Sonic Showers' a thing! I thought that was just science fiction!"
That was when she spotted all of the ANT drones climbing up the wall and towards the ceiling, out the room via a small hole, all the while walking away from her bottle of soda that she'd left on the table.
"What was going on in here?" She muttered.