THANK YOU TO ALL THE REVIEWERS. I CAN HONESTLY SAY YOU'RE WHAT'S KEEPING ME WRITING.
Sorry, I lied. This chapter is NOT Kobayashi and Nero. Not yet anyway o3o
Characters such as Nero and Xiu Mei and Kazuno's older self belong to Mister Walden-man.
Others are mine.
And now I present....
Mama and ANIMA.
Things had been running smoothly. It took two years, but ANIMA was already on its final stages, the latest prototype (and hopefully the last) to be activated and tried before shipment to G.L.O.V.E.
Kazuno was sixteen.
"Kazu, you wanna get some grub? The dining hall's still open." Tyler said, throwing a towel over his shoulder. Kazuno remained focused on his notes, only moving to brush his too-long hair from his eyes.
Tyler grimaced. Two years and still not a moment's rest. The Aussie dropped the towel and rubbed his hands together.
The next three seconds had Kazuno grabbed and thrown on Tyler's shoulder like a sack, quite successfully, in fact; Kazuno was, though no longer malnourished by hard work, light as anything.
No, Kazuno did not struggle, nor was there any danger of him falling over, thus experiencing possibly life-threatening cranial damage. It was a practice, literally a practice for them; Tyler was keeping his strength up and more often than not asked Kazuno to assist him in practical lifting. He'd practiced with different objects, but the most practical form came in a proper living weight.
Id est, Kazuno Kobayashi.
It gave a number of the H.I.V.E. girls another excuse to start drooling over him. Tyler with the brains and the brawn. Tyler with the unique hair, with the good looks, with the— overall appeal.
"Once again, you should consider an appointment list, a sign-up sheet or something like that."
"Once again to you, Kazu; you should consider ignoring the second-hand date requests."
Kazuno shifted the weight as they uprighted the android. Every detail was crafted with the finest of care, right down to the eyes of a crystalline blue.
"I'll fix the boot. Think you could find Dr. Nero?" Tyler asked. Kazuno stiffened at the request, but nodded with a small smile that may or may not have reached his eyes, which were closed by the quirk of his cheeks.
"Sure. Just make sure everything's ready when we come." Said Kazuno.
The young Kobayashi made his way to the office where their headmaster resided, keeping level-headed long enough to knock on the door. A rush of things came to him as soon as he stepped into the cold room.
ANIMA was as good as finished. They would see the results of two years, of technology years ahead of their time. Of sleepless nights and dream-like states, mixed with equations to help him survive relationships, and nothing more.
He could not open up completely to the girls, he couldn't share secrets. He kept people at an arm's length, almost everyone but Tyler, who had become his anchor, his point of reference for the world around him.
It was never easy, and Kazuno voluntarily missed every opportunity to interact with people socially. As of now, though, it seemed to be necessary as he found someone sitting in the student's seat in Nero's office. It was the seat where Kazuno himself had sat before.
An Asian girl looked up at him, relaxing as she laid eyes on Kazuno. "Oh, hello." She greeted, smiling. She was very pretty.
Kazuno nodded. "Is the headmaster in?" He asked levelly.
"No, he's... well, he should be back soon." The girl replied, eyeing Kazuno critically as anyone would for first impressions. "Are you a scientist?"
"Huh? Oh, well, no. I'm a student." Kazuno stuttered, fingering the white labcoat that he'd forgotten to remove.
"Really? I just got accepted." The girl stood up, brushing her hair away nervously and holding out a delicate hand. "My name is Xiu Mei Chen."
"Kazuno Kobayashi."
The two shook hands in silence.
"Mr. Kobayashi? What are you doing here?"
Kazuno looked to the door, where Madame Saturn held a number of papers. She looked tired, and much older, now that Kazuno got a good look at her.
"I'm waiting for the headmaster. I—We're to show him the activation of the final prototype of ANIMA." He replied.
"I'm aware of it, Kazuno. Professor Pike informed me beforehand that the project was finished last night, and that you're activating it as of now." Came another voice. Madame Saturn stepped aside as Nero pushed open the door and let himself in.
The headmaster saw Xiu Mei sitting in front of his table. "Perhaps you might like to observe as well, Miss Chen." He said.
Xiu Mei nodded quickly, brushing imaginary dirt from the front of her uniform as she followed them out the door.
Tyler couldn't help but be the least bit suspicious of the girl who was observing, alongside Madame Saturn and Dr. Nero, the activation of ANIMA prototype4.
"Hey, Ty." Kazuno input the activation protocols, nodding to his friend.
"All system functions stable. Proceed with activation?" Inquired a mechanical, feminine voice.
Kazuno looked up at Dr. Nero, who nodded slowly.
"Proceed."
"Voice recognition: Kobayashi, Kazuno. Activating primary functions..."
The crystalline eyes came aglow, and a whir sounded as ANIMA began moving, testing motor functions.
One of the scientists came forward and cleared his throat. "ANIMA, state your purpose."
ANIMA observed him with the glow of blue. "Identification: Thysen, Roderick. I greet you, Doctor Thysen. My purpose, as is programmed in me, is to serve." The voice became smoother, clearer, as though it came from an actual person.
The doctor nodded his approval, and cheers were heard from the rest of the team. Tyler smiled widely.
"Query: Doctor, what is my name?" Asked the artificial being. Kazuno came forward. "You have no name." Said the Asian. "But you can be called ANIMA."
"ANIMA. Understood, Kobayashi, Kazuno. My function is to serve. Query: Who am I to serve?"
"You are to serve G.L.O.V.E. I believe you have information on the organization filed in your data banks. You ask questions so that the data stored inside you might be released. We answer your questions to trigger the releases. Do you understand?" Kazuno asked.
"Yes. Understood." Said the child-like, feminine voice.
"It's all planned now. It is ready to be shipped to G.L.O.V.E. facilities within the next week. The Omega Black stream is being sent along with it, to be presented to Number One." Saturnina informed.
"I will accompany them when it happens, then. How many are in the stream?" Nero asked.
"There are seventeen. Seven from the Alpha stream, four from the Technical stream, four from Political/Financial and two from Henchmen. Five of these, you chose yourself."
"Yes, I remember. Kobayashi and Rhinnes, as well as Chen, Keiton and Gulo." Nero recited.
Madame Saturn handed him the list. "We've had them pack their things. Two weeks worth of clothes and miscellaneous materials, in case."
Nero stood up and looked down at the Madame. "Are you all right, Saturnina?"
The Filipina woman shook her head. "Not at all, headmaster. In about four days, I'm going home. Perhaps stop by Rome. I've always wanted to see the Vatican." She said with a smile.
Nero frowned. "Of course." He said, his mouth going dry. "I'll pay for every expense, then, Madame." He added placidly.
Kazuno looked at the chrome-colored face. "Are you troubled, sir?" Asked ANIMA, the mech's tone precarious on the final word. "No, ANIMA. Let me just adjust your behavioral functions."
"Am I not functioning properly?" ANIMA questioned softly. "Perfectly."
"Then why adjust me?"
"ANIMA, recite the nature of your behavioral and emotional protocols." Kazuno said.
"Functioning with the drive of a human being and the intelligence of a supercomputer. I am... I am doing just that, am I not?"
Kazuno looked at the mech carefully and lay a hand on the shining metal plate of a head. "ANIMA, do you want anything?"
ANIMA paused for a moment. It kept still, its artificial mind scrambling for an answer. "I wish to serve—"
"Something that is not in your programming? Do you want something? Have you learned about something you might want to delve in further? Do you wonder things that have nothing to do with facts or science or your functions as a thinking machine?" Kazuno streamed the questions unmercifully. He was surprised to see the mech's eyes widen.
"I.... do not." Said the machine.
Kazuno stared it straight in the crystalline optics and sighed. "Then you're perfect."
The Asian made his way to leave the lab. "Charge yourself for the night. We will be shipping you in a few days, so you have to be in good shape." He ordered.
"Understood. Kazuno?"
He stopped.
"I wish to... to want." It said, contrary to every limiting program that the scientists, the workers of the project input for ANIMA's control. "Logically, I gather information as triggered by my queries. But there are things that my records do not posses, things that my mind, advanced as it is, cannot comprehend. I have uncovered that you meant for me to be a child. A child does not serve within days of its birth. A child does not know things that fully developed minds do. A child does not function on machinery and stored data." The mech looked at its hands, showing emotion on its tight metal face. "I am only prototype4. I function well, but I am not perfect. My function is to serve, but I wish to learn. I wish to learn things that has not already been input into my systems."
Kazuno returned to the mech, opening its head plate, examining its internal functions as he connected it to the mainframe of their computer.
"That is..." Kazuno began. Good? Bad?
He didn't know what to say. The programs were all functioning properly, 10.512% of the stored information in ANIMA unlocked. Kazuno checked the capacity in ANIMA's records.
The records were empty.
Outside influences were being stored elsewhere.
"Is there anything flawed?" Asked ANIMA. "Yes." Kazuno whispered.
"Your mind is functioning. It is thinking, and storing information miscellaneously. I can't track where it's all coming from."
"Then..." The AI said, almost emotionally, "I am wandering."
Kazuno found himself alone more often in the presence of ANIMA. The mech, away from the presence of others, had gotten into the habit of reading books. It watched films. In the span of three hours, the machine had input various stories into its second storage, as Kazuno had called it. It approached Kazuno, who stayed to review information before the trip to G.L.O.V.E.
"Kazuno, I found this book." It said. Its habit of calling him by his first name had become natural while no one was listening.
"And?"
"I want to ask as well."
"What do you want to ask?"
In response, a thin book was shoved into Kazuno's hands.
The cover read clearly, with a thin bird standing on a white dog beneath the text.
"Are you my Mother?"
"I find that adorable." Xiu Mei said, smiling. The Asian girl was helping Kazuno and Tyler with their packing, taking down their notes pinned to the walls. "You would." Tyler said cheerfully. "But she's right; it's a nice thing that it's learning. You got a whole new world opened for the nipper."
"It's not supposed to be a child, Ty. It's meant to be G.L.O.V.E.'s greatest advancement. I'm beginning to think I was wrong to input those behavioral protocols." Kazuno sighed.
"It can't have been that bad." Xiu Mei consoled. Kazuno looked at her with half-lidded eyes. "I based them off you." He said blankly. The girl's eyes widened. Under the light, no one could have seen the blush that lined her cheeks. "Wow. Then..."
"It's curious. It's got a hungry mind and as smart as it is, retains the unquestionable wisdom of a child. As a machine, I don't know what that will do." Kazuno explained.
"From what I know, you've always made the right choices." Tyler said, sitting to Kazuno's left. Between his two friends, the boy smiled. "I hope so, Tyler." He said.
"Checkmate."
"Aw, again?"
"What did you expect, Tyler? That you could beat the world's smartest machine?"
"Try again. Maybe you'll get it after the hundredth time."
The three laughed as they sat around a table, with ANIMA across from Tyler, a chess game between them.
It seemed to smile at their reactions, but Kazuno observed its eyes looking down low, its mouth missing a quirk. He'd watched ANIMA long enough, the past three days, to know how to read its expressions.
"What, are you okay?" Tyler said, noticing as well the change in ANIMA's demeanor.
"I... do not like it. It is going through motions and predictability equations. I always know the next move. I do not find enjoyment knowing I should win every time." Said the machine.
Kazuno grimaced, shaking his head as he packed up the chess board.
"We'll find you a new game to play." He said comfortingly, putting a hand on ANIMA's silver cranium.
Xiu Mei pulled the mech up and led it to the next lab, for reasons neither Tyler nor Kazuno could comprehend. All the girl said was, when they asked her, "We'll give her something to smile about."
It was only later on, when they arrived at the room, did they see the Asian student fixing a brown mess of a wig on the AI's head did they realize what she meant.
"Xiu Mei, you really—" Kazuno began.
"Did a great job on that." Tyler cut in, looking at Kazuno meaningfully. The latter glanced at ANIMA, in the direction Tyler was gesturing, only realizing then that a full smile had appeared on the silver features.
"We'll ready you for shipping now." Kazuno said. It was late in the night, or early in the day, as he examined, cleaned, and finished up ANIMA and reviewed her overall status. Its mind was well-stimulated, its reactions and functions now much faster and more efficient.
"Yes." ANIMA said. Blue eyes glowed in the near darkness.
"Don't worry. When you wake up, I know you'll do splendidly." Kazuno said gently, moving to shut her down for the duration of her trip.
"Thank you, mo— Kazuno."
Kazuno stopped. "What were you going to say?"
ANIMA recited information from its records. "A mother is the producer and bearer of an offspring. The mother would labor over said offspring for a lengthy period of time, until which point a conceived offspring is born into the world."
It held Kazuno's hand with its own cold one. "I meant to say... by definition... are you not my mother?"
Kazuno closed his eyes and sighed. He grimaced as he put his hands to his face. "What am I doing?" He whispered.
He put his hand on ANIMA's final "off-switch" and stroked her shining face with the other. "Yes. Sleep well, ANIMA."
And the crystalline blue faded into nothing.
.end.
I'm losing my focus on where this is all going xD
Sorry. Review pleasus.
And yes, now Xiu Mei's all in there 8D
