-RECORD 3-
"Fortuna?"
"What is it, Daddy?"
"Nothing. Ha ha ha!"
"... Can you two stop?"
According to my estimation, it was approximately an hour since the previous recording. Most of the walking was because of lengthy pathways that led to dead-ends. Apparently, in each of the dead-ends, we found some interesting relics. One of them was a rejuvenation ring. It was inhabited by a deactivated Cast. I checked if he was operational. However, what was soon discovered was that the Cast was not a recent casualty. He had been there for quite some time due to the fungal growth in the shadows of where he had been sitting.
Before entering the rejuvenation ring, individuals had to open a link to it by simply pressing a button on our inventory. Only then will the ring respond. After doing the initiation process, I stepped under the hovering rings, one of the two rings descended and did an analysis. After the decent, the ascending process were the repairs and optimization. Apparently, traps are considered to be a part of the Android. It was relieving to know that my traps were functional again. As for Organics, the ring does the same. It analyzes but corrects and re-energizes areas. It does not repair wounds but it enables safer and more rapid natural healing.
"Ah, that totally felt good."
I looked over to the ring and found the Newman girl enjoying herself, reaching over herself and doing feline-like stretches. Only if she would laze and keel over so that I can focus on the objective at hand. I looked away as she readjusted her clothes. How was a bustier, arm sleeves, shorts, knee-high platform boots, and a goofy barret a combat outfit? The sense of coverage during combat can be questionable. Sure, if there was less clothing, there will be less drag and flexibility can ensue. However, she did not seem at all flexible and she was shivering as well. Plainly stating, she was unsuited for this kind of combat.
When I noticed that there was a little shuffling in her direction, I noticed the Newman girl crouching down before the Cast. Seeing as how time was of the essence, I came over to her to pry her away from the corpse. It was rude to stare.
"I wonder who you served." She reached out and touched his face. "Maybe we could have been friends."
Re-examining the corpse, the remains was a combat-category hunter-type Cast. The armor heavily corroded over time and the color faded. Knowing most Hunters use photons, it was surprising to know that the cause of death was bashes to the head. No such residue of photons resided in the cranial fractures. The most probable intent was suicide when considering the corroded part on the wall which had dents underlying the rust.
"I just want all of this to stop," the Newman girl said but more to herself. "It was fun at first-yes-but when I think about it, we're hunting scared people." She turned to me. "Caseal, do you feel scared?"
The term was only words of a sympathetic fool. We, Androids, do not harbor fear. Our objective is to preserve and protect. We are expendable to our objectives. However, Professor Montague's Elenor displayed more than just those objectives. She did not express the thought of expendability when she shared the story about her sister, which in turn gave Calai the data to disregard expendability and process more about each individual's uniqueness.
"Well? Do you?"
I turned away and said, "Let us continue with our objectives. Lingering will only increase distance from our goals." I walked a little distance until the Newman girl snatched my left arm. I looked over to find her embracing it with a smile. "What are you-?" I fell silent when she leaned forward onto me and made contact to my face with her lips.
She backed away and said with her hands behind her, "I bet you haven't had anyone love you."
"Love?" I repeated after her.
She smiled and walked onward. "You don't have to know what it is. Just know that you had a brief moment of love here."
Of course I know what love is. However, data provided that love should only be expressed from two units of opposite sexes. Unless if the Newman girl is a boy... or was it that I am a boy? No, I am the daughter of 3rd Professor Felix. I am a girl. Then, does that mean the Newman girl is actually a Newman boy? Then again, she-HE might have meant the deactivated Cast. However, there was no attraction coming from me toward the Cast. Therefore, it has to be that the Newman girl is a Newman boy.
In that case, the Newman boy is only worried about his comrade in arms. However, what is with the clothes? It is like a female Organic. Then again, there are records of men liking to wear female fabric but the time of this recording might actually be the first time I have acknowledged a male wearing female clothing. A male... A male?
As we walked some more, a set distance was maintained from the Newman boy. Such odd types of male tend to be troublemakers, as my own personal records displayed that males tend to want to love females. However, why would a male want to love me? I do not make babies nor do I have the will to comprehend love at will. What was his intent?
"Ms. Caseal?"
I noticed how close he was and broke into a dash away from the Newman boy to maintain our distance. "What concerns you?" I asked.
"I don't know..."
I stopped and turned to the Newman boy. He stopped as well. "What?" I said, feeling the pressure of time eminent.
"Are you really a CAST?" I turned away to his stupid question but he continued. "You're not like other CASTs."
"I am not different!" My voice thundered. I was facing the Newman boy. "I keep telling everyone! I am me: a CAST and proud servant to my master! Why can't any of you understand that! I am like everyone else. No one else. I am-"
The Newman boy clasped his hands around my waist. For some reason, ether supplies were being maintained but my intake was still rising. My system temperature was rising as well. Why? I cannot comprehend why this was happening.
"I see. You have a soul; a pure soul."
Did he know? I am one of the results of the Self Operating Unfacilitated Learning Project, or SOUL Project. The program operated on perfecting learning without cybernetic input. Some organics call it "Natural Learning," if that will clarify some confusion. This project was not a hidden project, though it initially was one to prevent mass production of a project that was questioned to actually be beneficial to the Organic races. when putting all that into consideration, most projects that were made public were made secret. The SOUL project was one of many projects that were considered to be a major breakthrough. It was at first inspired by Professor Montague and more popular because of a relationship between a Newman girl named Elly Person and a computer AI named Calus. If anything, my interactions with the environment were inspired by Calus. Even so, I am comprised of numerous types of data. I am only a CAST: a being who lives and operates according to data.
-END RECORDING-
LOCATION: RAGOL
SCENE: UNDERGROUND CAVES