Author's note: Hi everyone! First, I'm very sorry for the delay about the publication between the chapter 1 and 2. I've been really busy, and I've been waiting for the fixed version about the chapter 1, which I haven't yet. But no matter. I hope you will plenty enjoy this new chapter, even if it's short. Translated originally from French into English, so, I'm sorry in advance for my mistakes and maybe sometimes, my Out Of Character at some places. I try my best...
Good read!
Chapter 2
Aramaki gave the permission to Motoko to leave earlier, as she could leave with Kiyomi. When the two female cyborgs went into the staff room, where Motoko could recover her last things, the men were stunned by the resemblance between the kid and the woman, which seemed to have increased. Kiyomi looked like at any point to a mini Motoko in a youthful body. If it wasn't about the different eyes color, they could believe their Major was controlling a second body to cover up in public.
"You're leaving already?" Batou questioned her.
"Yes, I got the permission from the chief to leave early. It'll give me full time to perhaps find a babysitter or a caretaker to keep Kiyomi when I will not be there and be at work. Moreover, I will show her my home."
"She'll live with you?" Togusa asked at his turn.
"For an indefinite period, yes."
"I can help you in your searchs", offered the man. "I know several good contacts whom are good with children."
"Thank you, this is very helpful."
Batou cast a jealous glance at his colleague. He wanted help Motoko also as the same way Togusa did, but he had no idea how 'to deal' with a child. Once she was sure she had everything, Motoko left and went to the underground parking via the same elevator.
"The technicians have been nice with you?" She asked.
Kiyomi positively nodded. She doesn't talk a lot, in fact, just not at all, Major noticed but decided not to force her to talk. Who knows what she experienced as traumatic events in the building with all the murders committed under her eyes? And she knew less than her past. She unlocked the doors of her car and opened the rear right door, passenger side so Kiyomi can sit. The little girl managed to sit comfortably and tried to attach the security belt as much she could. Seeing that she was struggling to put the clip in the harbor, Motoko gave her a helping hand. Kiyomi looked up at her and smirked, without speaking. Technological advancements seem to have progressed well, she deduced at the sigh about the facility the little girl had to smile. The cyber muscles of her face seemed more flexible and less rigid than the first models. She sat down at her turn and drove her car before going to her home's territory, which was out of town, in an isolated place near a forest.
Once there, Motoko got off her car and opened the passenger door. Although she had done once, it was almost became a routine for her to release the Kiyomi's security seat belt, given to her young age.
"We've come at home," she announced while the amazement of the little girl was offering to the enormity of her home greatly amused her.
It was true that Motoko was so accustomed to see her house that nothing impressed her when she was returning at home after a long day's work. She unlocked the door with a special code and allowed to Kiyomi to enter first. The child obeyed and entered timidly, intimidated by the spacious splendor offered by the house as if she was afraid to break something either.
"My house impresses you so much?" she laughed.
The child looked at the adult female cyborg and shook positively her head sharply again. Her silence didn't worry her so much. Motoko removed her shoes and Kiyomi imitated her, but she didn't manage to untie her shoelaces and her joints were unclear.
"Do you need some help?"
Kiyone wanted to make it alone, without help, but she gave up with a sigh.
"Let me give you a hand," offered the Major.
She untied the first shoelace and then the second. Immediately, the child removed her shoes and placed them next to those of the adult.
"I'll show you the different pieces, follow me," she ordered by pointing to the different parts. "On the ground floor you have the kitchen here, the living room, the entrance hall, the computer room, the office and two bathrooms."
They went through the living room that had four square columns that shone a small turquoise light, some plants were based next to the huge windows and everything was neat and tidy. They walked up the stairs, which was leading to the second floor.
"There's the master bedroom, which is naturally occupied by me, two bathrooms, a second living room, a second computer room, a workshop and a guest room connected to another room. There's a ceiling trap door in the hallway that leads to an attic, but much modest than the attics found in the old days, I mean... 2010s. Then there's the basement where there's not really much interesting, but I forbid you to go. It can be dangerous for a child about your age, understood?"
Kiyomi nodded again.
"Good. That guest room is yours," Motoko pointed the door ajar, which offered a glimpse on a pale pink wall. "My girlfriend chose the wall's color," she added quickly.
The little girl stared a moment at Motoko and her eyes quickly showed her interest to explore the said piece would become her bedroom... temporarily. But she didn't move.
"Do you want to go check in? You can."
The little cyborg child ran to the room and watched it with fascination. She seems accustomed to her cybernetic body as I can see the fluidity of her movements, Motoko noted, following her. In the said room, there was a twin bed with four pillows resting thereon, a large door-window was at the bottom of the chamber in parallel to the bed, covered by beige curtain unit. Two small bedside tables, each carrying a lamp on each side of the layer, one provides with a dial. A large chest of drawers to put clothes with a mirror was based on the opposite of the door-window and a door giving access to a bathroom, which was also connected at the second bathroom.
"Do you like it?"
She nodded again, smiling. Back on the ground floor, Motoko began to look for a particular notebook to taking notes in her office when she heard a strange sound. It looked like someone who was chewing something. To her bigger surprise, she saw that Kiyomi was eating herself by 'twisting' one of her wings, eating the material and the artificial skin.
"Stop eating yourself!" Motoko warned her, horrified and running toward the child. "Why do you do that? A cyborg doesn't eating itself!"
Kiyomi immediately dropped her little wing and made disappear it again before making a guilty face. No sound came out of her mouth. This is the first time I see a cyborg eating itself, thought Motoko. In general, I see only one answer to this: the survival of the human's brain in a cybernetic body...
"I guess you're hungry... I have a lot of stuff to eat. Come with me in the kitchen."
Motoko opened the pantry and looked for something nourishing and tasty although it was a food made for cyborgs. It doesn't really taste like true human foods or even the texture, but she finally slowly getting used to. In addition, some brands were cheaper, therefore, lower quality. They tasted more metal than other things. Whereas others brands, the price was expensive, but higher quality. And it was these brands that Motoko prioritized because she was quite picky on the taste of her food and then she had the salary to buy it. She found a soft fruits bar and passed it to the girl.
"You should love it," she attempted while the little cyborg turning the food in all directions, on all sides. "Do you need help to open it?"
The child nodded again. She took the package and opened it for her. Kiyomi watched the food she was taking in her little hands and took a small bite, not as confident.
"So? How does it?"
Kiyomi smiled again and made her usual nod before continuing slowly eating her snacks like it was the last meal she was eating for the rest of her life. Soon, the little girl began to close her eyes and Motoko deduced that it was time for her to go to bed. She founds one of her tank top become too small for her, even though she was no longer growing, as a temporary pajama for the kid. Kiyomi seemed to wearing a nightdress! Then she went to go sleep her in her bed.
"I'll be downstairs if there's something. Good night Kiyomi."
Motoko received a weak smile in reply and she gently closed the door before going to the computer room.
What am I doing now? She finally thinks. Why only I act like that? It's doesn't look like me… She decided to start her research. She started by typing Cyborgs with wings new technologies and fell on several interesting results, as an article written by an anonymous author.
Geflügelt Cyborgs, also derived from the German meaning 'Winged Cyborg', are a different category of cyborgs resulting from a movement of the New Age period, also known as a period that was conducive to spiritual enlightenment and esoteric in the 2000s.
The peculiarity and the only difference with these cyborgs compare to the normal cyborgs are that they wear thermo optic wings, and they can choose to show it or not. The creators also wanted to try a new memory form with these wings, plus the original memory of the cyber-brain. Each feather can hold 4 GB and each of them are connected to a mini SD card.
"It would explain so many things," Motoko said as she continuing to read and analyze the contained found. "I wonder if Aramaki is informed about or not..."
Cyborgs Geflügelt can choose to withdraw their wings and become normal cyborgs. Their memory storage is then transferred in their cyber-brains and they can't lose any data. But there exist some cases where if Geflügelt Cyborgs are threatening, for their survival and to protect their identity, some of them pull their feathers one by one, or tear the wings completely. And once the wings are torn from this unskilled way, they cannot be replaced. The previously memory is deleted of their entire system and there are no more ways to recover the lost data.
"Yeah..." the Major tried to elucidate. "At the sight of the holes and the missing feathers on Kiyomi's wings, I think her amnesia can be linked to it. But I'm not sure..." She took notes of her research to show it to her supervisor next day.
However, she found no informations about Geflügelt Cyborgs eating its own wings. A latest research about it caught her attention. The phrase seemed somewhat fanciful, like a fairy tale.
The Geflügelts Cyborgs are rare enough despite being a hundred in this world, and if you have one in your relatives, is that he has chosen you. They decide to act like a guardian angel watching his protected. They want to follow you wherever you are. Most of them have two wings, some four, rarely six.
Motoko nodded as uncertain of these facts. It could be very well urbans legends, who knows? And Major was usually skeptical and tried to stay realistic the most she could. She decided to go to bed at her turn, view the late hour. She was trying to be as quiet as possible as she climbed the stairs. She changed and slipped under the covers. Silence reigned, as always. It didn't took long time to Motoko to suddenly open her eyes when she heard the door being opens, and she was aware that she had a child with her in her house, then, her Seburo 5-M was going kindly stay in her drawer. A low weight was felt on the mattress and she felt a small hand on her biceps.
"Uu... Maaa...?"
The cyborg woman opens her eyes, surprised. Do I dreaming? Does she really say something?! Motoko turned to the child. Kiyomi looked at her with an uncertain look, but cute before pointing the empty place beside her.
"I'm not used to sleeping with people..."
An image of Batou appeared in her head and she threw the idea quickly out of her thoughts. Then the picture of her two girlfriends, Kurutan and Ran, appeared in her head again.
"... But I guess I'll... make an exception for you," she sighed, pointing the empty place and positively nodding.
Kiyomi gave a small sigh of contentment and hurried to get under the covers.
"But you stay at your place, okay?"
The child nodded. Motoko watched her a little time, then, her hand moved without her consent. She touched the child's forehead to see if she hasn't a fever or cyborg's illness. At this point, she simply doesn't recognize this unusual behavior at her. Why was she so permissive and tried to be sweet? The child snuggled against her and fell asleep very quickly. The adult dared hardly to move, fearing to wake Kiyomi again and tried to sleep, hoping to not hit the child in her sleep because Batou had clearly reproaching at her that she moved a lot during the night when her days were eventful. He said also she was kicking him many times during she was sleeping…