Chapter 25…

Ashley couldn't believe the gall of her father…

Who did he think he was? Who did he think Ashley was?

They were filth; cogs in the machine that was industrial society. Reo's family lived in a cramped apartment in squalid conditions. Their neighbors were addicts and lowlifes who would sooner rob them blind then say a polite "hello".

Ashley's father lived in a land of fantasy… as if he actually thought that any of them meant anything in the grand scheme of things. They were born poor and they would die poor.

A long time ago Ashley could say that she tolerated her family… but these days living with them was just insufferable.

Ashley's father was a weak, spineless little man. His eyes were always locked on the horizon, as if he was looking at something better than the shitty life he led; Ashley was damn sure that was what drove her and Faith's mother away, although that was just speculation.

Or how about his constant fawning over his first born child? Pathetic…

Ashley stormed down the trash filled corridors of the apartment megaplex. She squeezed into the elevator at the end of the hall and smashed the button that would take her to the ground floor. The elevator smelled like spoiled milk but Ashley was used to it, having travelled up and down the elevator many times in her life.

Ashley's dark thoughts persisted as the elevator took her to the lobby.

She had never known her mother - only Faith had memories of the woman, and they were scant and fleeting. Ashley's mother had walked out on the family not long after she was born. From what few details their father had told them their mother had been a businesswoman and had never been cut out for raising a family…

Why couldn't she have taken Ashley and Faith with her…? Anywhere was better than here...

The elevator doors cracked open and Ashley stepped out of the smelly elevator. She was now on the mezzanine that overlooked that sparsely decorated lobby of the apartment megaplex.

Everything in the room seemed to be a few generations old. The wallpaper of the room had decayed beyond any semblance of recognition and peeled off the walls like curls of dead skin; the floor was no better, scuffed and scratched and even sagging in some places.

The two plants that flanked the main entrance of the megaplex hadn't been properly tended to in years. They sagged to the side with unhealthy postures and their dry brown leaves scattered across the floor like confetti.

Even the woman who sat behind the main desk was ancient looking. She had a droopy, wrinkled face and big thick glasses.

She was also a cranky bitch… but that wasn't relevant at the present time…

Ashley left her spot on the mezzanine and began her descent down the stairs. She was stopped halfway when she bumped shoulders with a stranger in a long dark coat.

"Watch it!" Ashley snarled, descending the last few steps of the staircase and not bothering to look back.

"Ashley?" Called a soft, familiar voice. It was a voice Ashley knew well and it stopped her in her tracks.

Ashley grit her teeth and slowly spun around to address the constant subject of her ire. Faith had been the stranger she had bumped into, and she was frozen in the spot where she and Ashley had collided.

In the ancient, dingy room that was the lobby, Faith's radiant beauty was on full display.

Unlike Ashley, who was still gangly, awkward and pimply for her age, Faith's frame had filled out. Her slender, elegant body was hidden by the dark raincoat that was draped over it. The raincoat was a hand-me-down that had been found covered in mothballs, but Faith somehow managed to pull off the look. Her face was slender and proportioned and her obsidian eyes glittered in the low light of the lobby. Even her hair, which was wet and plastered from the rain, looked thick and glossy.

Put simply… Faith was everything Ashley wasn't; although Ashley would never admit it to her or even to herself… Faith was everything Ashley wanted to be…

"Ashley…" Faith frowned. She turned her head to look up the staircase and at the elevator. "Where are you going? And why the hurry?"

"None of your business," Ashley sneered and began to turn. "Dad was looking for you. If you'll excuse me… I'm going to take a walk…"

"Ashley, it's pouring outside…" Faith gestured to the glass doors of the megaplex. Outside the doors the rain fell in heavy sheets, splattering the massive throngs of people walking to and fro. Cars whipped by on the street, splattering the sidewalks with even more rain.

"You don't even have your jacket…" Faith sighed. Her eyes softened and she gave Ashley a sad look.

Ashley hated that fucking look…

"Just come with me," Faith offered. "Whatever went down with you and Dad… I'm sure you two can work it out-"

"Fuck you," Ashley growled.

"Ashley!" Faith pleaded. "Look… it's raining outside and it's late at night. You and I both know how bad this part of town can be-"

"If Little-Miss-Perfect can handle it, so can I!" Ashley spat. She turned on her heel and marched towards the glass doors that would take her to the street.

Before Ashley stormed out of the building she looked over her shoulder. Her intention was to admire her handiwork, maybe Faith was crying? That was always fun…

Faith wasn't crying like Ashley had hoped… but she did look sad. With a slight shake of her head Ashley's older sister turned and ascended the staircase to the mezzanine.

'Oh well…' Ashley thought to herself.

Without hesitation she stepped out into the chilly rain…

"Pilot, are you ready?"

Ashley took a deep breath and settled into Cain's seat. Deep down Ashley was still shocked at how real everything around her felt; when she curled her gloved hand into the armrest of Cain's seat she could feel the fabric shifting under the pressure.

Pilot and Titan were currently using a simulation pod. Cain had been the one to insist using the pod - as usual. His reasoning was that Ashley's link with him still stood to be improved and refined.

"Okay, Cain…" Ashley took a moment to adjust her helmet. She reached her hands down and gripped the necessary controls. "Go!"

The two stood at the far end of a large, simulated field. On the opposite end rose a massive anti-titan gun - the kind that might be mounted on the walls of a fortress. It gleamed in the simulated sunlight and it's imposingly large missile racks were incredibly intimidating.

Said missile racks then released their first payload…

The stream of rockets moved at frightening speeds, but Cain and Ashley were just a little bit faster. Ashley sidestepped Cain out of the way of the first valley and ducked him low to avoid the second.

The missile racks released their second payload…

This would be trickier. Where the first payload had been unguided, the second now possessed this feature. The bright white missiles followed a curved path to strike down on Cain's chassis.

Ashley avoided this fatal blow by having Cain sprint forwards. Their new angle forced the missiles to hastily realign their trajectory - but their curve was still too wide. The missile volley slammed into the grass behind Cain, chewing massive scars into the landscape.

With the ball in her court, Ashley continued Cain's hasty sprint towards the anti-titan gun. Their ultimate objective was to destroy the weapon and end the threat that it posed.

The missile racks released their third payload… the trickiest one of all…

These missiles - like the second payload - were also guided. But due to Ashley's hasty encroachment on the weapon, they had been put on a direct crash course with Cain's chassis.

But hours of repetition had left Ashley prepared for this…

Ashley whirled Cain's chassis around in a tangle of metal limbs. Her vision spun just like Cain's did as he fell to the ground into a rough tumble. The lethal rockets sailed overhead and slowly began to curve and readjust their trajectory. Ashley moved Cain back up into a standing position and used his existing momentum to draw his sword from his back.

Once clean slice from Cain's broadsword swiped straight through the anti-titan gun. The now defeated weapon shimmered out of existence in a flurry of blue light particles. Thankfully, any ammunition that had been fired off followed this rule and the missiles that were still in the air disappeared as well.

"Exemplary work, Ashley," Cain complimented in his scratchy tone. "This run has been our most efficient, you have set a new time record for this course."

"Good," Ashley breathed and released Cain's controls. "Really good…"

"I would recommend that this session be terminated," Cain droned. "Safety measures stipulate that no more than-"

"Three and a half hours should be spent in a pod per day," Ashley finished with a scowl. "It's only been three hours Cain, we still have a half hour left…"

"Ashley, remember that this is a simulation," Cain grumbled. "Your physical body must not be neglected…"

"Neglected?"

"You have not eaten today."

Ashley frowned and gently pried off her helmet. "How do you know that?"

"I am capable of examining your vital signs through remote monitoring," Cain explained. "A current scan of your blood sugar levels place them in a 'below average' category. Side effects of low blood pressure-"

"I've heard this speech before Cain," Ashley grumbled and wiggled deeper into the titan's seat. "I don't appreciate being monitored…"

"Noted."

"I'm also totally fine," Ashley rubbed her eyes. "Thirty more minutes, Cain. It's not a massive deal…"

The titan chassis rumbled but he said nothing further; Ashley took it as a sign of Cain's begrudging agreement.

Peering out of Cain's viewscreen, Ashley took note of the simulated environment around her. Harmony's rolling hills of green grass and gravity defying stones were a sight to behold…

"Cain, open the cockpit," Ashley stood up as best as she could. The titan wordlessly obeyed her request and Ashley leapt from the cockpit. She landed on the soft grass below and immediately took a seat. From her position she had an excellent view of the surrounding area.

"Cain…"

"Yes?"

"Could I ask you a quick question?" Ashley mumbled to the titan behind her. "And before you get all worried… this is strictly a hypothetical question, don't read into it too much…"

Cain's chassis rumbled and whirred. Ashley turned her head and peered upwards at the titan; she looked straight into Cain's singular red eye, watching as it turned and "squinted", as if the titan was in thought.

"Affirmative…" Cain finally answered, his grating voice echoing off the nearby rocks. "Go ahead…"

"You follow those protocols… you know which three I'm talking about…"

"Affirmative."

"So… what happens to a titan if their pilot defects?" Ashley asked in a cautious tone. "And remember… this is all hypothetical… I'm not going anywhere, Cain."

"Noted…" Cain quickly responded, but he then fell silent. Ashley watched as Cain's ocular piece once again rotated and squinted in seemingly random motions.

"It is true that pilot defections have occurred in the past," Cain began. "But these defections occurred before the introduction of the upgraded titan OS…"

"Yeah… 'dumb' titans, I remember them," Ashley poked her finger into the grass and worked it into the soil. "They could answer simple questions and make calculations…"

"They were also incapable of learning and cognitive thought…" Cain added. "In the case of pilot defections the original titan OS was equipped with overrides. Should a pilot be marked as rogue, the OS would treat them as enemies."

"So?"

"This simple override was removed when the Three Protocols were implemented and the neural link was introduced," Cain informed Ashley. The titan was still standing bolt straight where Ashley had left him, like a gigantic metal statue.

"That happened recently, right? Like in the last two years?" Ashley smirked a little. "Does that make you a baby AI?"

"Definition of 'baby' is as follows: 'a very young child, especially one newly or recently born'," Cain muttered. "Conclusion: I am not a 'baby',"

"Cain!" Ashley sputtered, a small laugh making it's way past her lips. "I was making a joke! It's a figure of speech!"

Cain's eyepiece twisted and turned.

"Noted."

Ashley snorted and looked away to hide her smirk. "You haven't answered my question. If a pilot went rogue, what does their titan do? Would there be a conflict of interest?"

"If I may," Cain began. "I would like to re-frame this question."

"Re-frame?" Ashley quirked an eyebrow up in curiosity. "How so…?"

"I am an artificial intelligence, my ability to 'feel' is extremely limited and is incomparable to that of a human. I would like to pose you this question: how would you describe the sensation of being restrained?"

"Restrained?" Ashley frowned. "Like… tied up?"

"Affirmative," Cain's chassis rumbled and whirred. "An apt description…"

"It's uncomfortable…" Ashley frowned. "And distressing… if the restraints are too tight it can make you feel restless or panicked. Why is this important?"

"I have posed this question because my programming is in itself a restraint."

"You're saying that you're tied down? Like you're covered in strings?"

Cain was silent for a moment. "Affirmative…"

"So…?"

"As an upgraded titan OS, I have been given the ability to reason, make decisions, and I possess learning capabilities. But these three abilities are counteracted by my base programming, I am forced to operate within its framework and parameters."

"So in a way… you can't do any of those things? Not really?"

"To a limited degree, yes," Cain rumbled. "These… 'strings' as you have labeled them… restrict my actions and thoughts."

"Huh…" Ashley let her mouth hang ajar slightly. "So without these programming constraints… you would be more like a human? Wouldn't that cause conflicts of interests? Like a titan disagreeing with it's orders or it's superiors? Is it possible that you could become a pacifist…?"

Cain was silent for a very long moment.

"There have been no known cases of what you have described, Ashley," Cain replied. "The reason as to why is due to the constraints that I have described. I am a titan, I am date-core CN-8749… I have been designed for the purpose of warfare. But if my abilities to reason, learn, and think were not hindered by my programming… all that you have theorized is not out of the realm of possibility."

"You still haven't given me an answer, Cain…" Ashley frowned. "If a pilot goes rogue… what does a titan do?"

Cain was silent for another long moment.

"Protocol Two dictates that the mission must be upheld," Cain rumbled. "In the scenario that a pilot goes rogue… logic dictates that they must be neutralized. There is a high chance that a defecting pilot could pose as a security risk to IMC operations."

"I guess that makes sense…" Ashley muttered. "But what about your third protocol? Isn't a titan supposed to protect it's pilot?"

"Affirmative," Cain answered. "Protocol Three dictates that the pilot must be protected. Compared to a pilot, a titan is deemed expendable and an acceptable loss in warfare. A titan that is following Protocol Three is unable to bring harm to their pilot, directly or indirectly…"

"So what happens?" Ashley turned around and settled herself on her knees. "No holding back… a pilot goes rogue and their titan is present. What does the titan do in that situation?"

"An upgraded titan OS cannot rebel against it's base programming, in which the Three Protocols are included."

"And?"

"By allowing their pilot to flee, a titan will be jeopardizing the mission and be in violation of Protocol Two," Cain mused. "But if this hypothetical titan were to attack it's defecting pilot it would be in violation of Protocol Three."

Cain was silent for a long moment.

"This scenario… is paradoxical…"

"It's a catch twenty-two," Ashley muttered. "Damned if you do and damned if you don't…"

"Affirmative…"

"But what does this all mean? What happens to the titan?"

"When confronted with this situation…" Cain's grating voice trailed off, "there is no clear outcome, a titan OS must follow it's programming. Theoretically… the logical paradox would place great strain on the OS, causing a cascading series of destabilizations in it's personality matrix and memory banks..."

"You would… fall apart?"

"If a titan's personality matrix became destabilized the only clear course of action would be to terminate the OS. The most expedient method of achieving this is through self-deletion."

"You would… die?" Ashley winced.

"The term 'death' may not be appropriate in this scenario. However, an unstable personality matrix can lead to erratic behavior from the OS, placing friendly troops in the vicinity at risk. The only logical answer is to destroy the OS."

Cain fell silent.

"Does this answer your original question?"

"I-" Ashley's mouth suddenly felt very dry. "It does…"

"We have reached the safe time limit, I am cancelling this session."

"Alright…"

The beautiful, grassy world that was Harmony fizzled out of existence and Ashley was left alone in the simulation pod.