Downloading data for android personification...
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Download complete.
Change the code sequence?
The green text scrolled across Levana's netscreen, every word fascinating her.
It had been four years since she had contracted the deadly plague, letumosis. She had begun to show signs of improvement after about a week of pain and madness. After two weeks, the only physical reminders she had of the blue fever were the few scars on her neck and arms. Luckily, there had not been any scars left on her face, and she had no permanent brain damage. She never found out how she actually caught the disease, only her cruel sister and her lapdog ever knowing.
(daddy I'm better now I swear)
Over the years, Levana had taken to mechanics and computer programming like a fish does to water. She loved bending the fabric of the net universe, changing it and controlling it at her whim. It gave her a sense of power, of control over something, the control that she could never have in reality. Where Channary controlled other people's minds, Levana controlled and befriended robots. She felt a special connection to them, her cyborg nature making them like an extension of herself.
Her fingers flew across the keyboard: Tip tip tap.
Extracting code sequence...
Tap tap tap.
Security warning: Changing of sequence can permanently damage android's functionality. Proceed anyway?
Tap.
Security override.
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This process requires net access. Connect?
Tip tip tap tip.
Opening sequence altering software...
She searched through the net database until she found what she was looking for—the files for an android personality. She was creating her own companion, a perfect friend, who was kind, funny and loyal, with just a bit of an attitude. She would do this by taking the standard personality programming of a regular android and editing it, adding a 'glitch' of sorts.
(yay a new friend I won't be alone I hate being alone)
She looked over to the white, gleaming body of the brand-new Mech6.0 model, a discarded gift from the European Federation. They had offered it to her father as a peace offering, the most advanced android of the time, but the king had just sneered and thrown it into the catacombs, where all the useless stuff went. Levana had fished it out, enchanted by the foreign technology that was just calling her name.
She locked herself in her room, eager to get started on her newest project. It took three days, during which she only emerged from her room to sit for meals with her family and the occasional lesson.
BEEP!
Levana's head swivelled to the large netscreen.
Process complete. Eject ROM chip?
Tap.
Ejecting...
The personality chip clicked out of the system's ROM drive and landed directly into Levana's waiting palm. She held it up to her face, examining the small text that was engraved on it.
Model Mech6.0
Made in 100 T.E.
Serial: 245372415
She was sitting cross-legged on her bed with the glass doors open behind her, allowing in a chilled but pleasant breeze, when she inserted the final touch. The small personality chip clicked into place and Levana held her breath, half-expecting the android to perk up and swivel around and start talking to her, until she remembered that she would need to be charged before she could function.
Feeling her excitement wane from the anticlimactic finale, Levana released a slow breath and fell back onto her mattress, mentally exhausted. Soon, she would have a friend. Company. Someone to have fun with, someone to talk to. She smiled at the thought.
She plugged her new android into its charging dock, sitting by and waiting patiently. Drowsiness started overtaking her exhausted mind, and before she knew it, Levana had slumped down on her bed, fast asleep.
Hello?
Hello!
A voice cut through Levana's hazy dream, the one word that she couldn't make out echoing in her head. She felt a sharp tap against her shoulder, and she mumbled a sleepy 'go away'. The voice, however, just kept on getting louder, until she could finally hear it loud and clear.
"Hello!"
Levana snapped awake, bolting upright, her eyes still half closed. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, the sleep slowly ebbing from her system. She glanced down. The android had woken up and disconnected herself from the charging station and now stood before her with her sensor faintly glowing.
"Oh, you're awake."
The android's single sensor glowed a light blue. "Hello! My name is Akiho." She looked around the room, blinking. "Where am I?"
Levana yawned and stretched her arms up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "You're in the Artemisia palace, on Luna."
"Luna..." the android trailed off, "that's strange, I don't remember leaving Earth."
She turned to face the girl, her sensor glowing, as if she were investigating something. Levana looked at her with curiosity. "How peculiar..."
Levana's face fell. "What?"
"Your face doesn't correspond to any profiles in my database. Who are you?"
(oh yeah there are no pictures of me how I wish there were pictures of me that way people would know me)
The princess raised an eyebrow. "My name is Levana."
"Levana..." Akiho's fan whirred as she looked up the name, "Princess Levana?"
"Yeah, that's me."
Akiho blinked. "Your Highness," she said, bowing suddenly, "I have never been introduced to Lunar royalty before. I do apologize if I have offended you in any way."
The princess jerked back, spooked. "Wait, wha—no!" she stammered.
"Princess?" The android spoke with concern flooding her voice.
"I mean, don't call me 'princess' or 'Your Highness'. Please, it's just Levana."
(I don't like princess princess is stupid if anything queen is the only good title)
Akiho brought a hand to her gleaming chest. "I don't know if I should—I have been programmed to use formal titles when addressing royalty."
"Yeah, well, I've changed your programming, so you don't have to do that anymore." Levana smiled. "You're your own person now."
"Really?"
(I wish I could be too)
"Yeah," Levana said, hunching her shoulders. "I mean, we're friends, right?"
"Friends..." Akiho's fan whirred, "That sounds nice. I've never had a friend before."
"Me neither." Levana's grin faded and she looked down at her feet, suddenly embarrassed. There was an awkward silence between the two before Akiho spoke again.
"So, how did you fix me, anyway?" Akiho inquired.
Levana gestured to a pile of wrenches and screwdrivers in the corner, her cheeks burning. It almost felt like theft and that thought terrified her, but it wasn't theft. She wasn't going to keep the tools. She would return them to the maintenance ward. Eventually.
(better do it quick you don't want a slap those hurt)
"You built me by yourself? I mean, not that there's anything weird about that, but you're a princess. Last I heard, princesses wear tiaras and have tea parties. They don't really play with machines or fix androids."
"Well, I don't think most princesses are part machine, either."
Akiho cocked her head. "What do you mean?"
Levana's cheeks flushed even more as she slowly took off her glove, finger by finger. Reluctantly, she showed the android her metal arm, holding it out carefully as if it were a dangerous weapon.
Akiho's sensor flashed. "Oh! Your arm is made of metal!"
"Yeah, I know." Tears started pooling in Levana's eyes, her breath hiccuping.
"Oh no, please don't cry! Nothing makes an android feel more useless than when a human is crying."
(boohoo crybaby Levana crybaby Levana)
"But I'm not human, Akiho, I'm cyborg," Levana sneered, looking at her metal limb with disgust.
"You're still human in your heart. This," she said, touching Levana's metal arm with her prong, "is just a sort of, um…" Akiho tapped her head a few times, "Programming glitch…yeah! A glitch!"
Levana sniffed and wiped her eyes, staring down at Akiho's single sensor. "A glitch?"
"Since we're friends, can I tell you a secret?" Akiho whispered, moving closer to her ear. Levana nodded in response. "I have a glitch, too. Sometimes I forget that I'm not human. I don't think that happens to most androids."
(no never you're really weird just like me)
Levana shrunk back, wiping away her tears. "Right. A glitch..." She feigned a nonchalant smile, hoping the android couldn't detect the grimace that came with it. A glitch, one that Levana had bestowed upon her. One that made Akiho happy. "Maybe that's all it is."
"Why are we looking at this again?"
"Because, we just have to admire the princes! They're all so dreamy..."
Levana and Akiho were lying side by side, doing Akiho's hobby of choice—searching u handsome princes on the net. They had landed upon the princes of the Eastern Commonwealth, whom Akiho said, from her brief time on earth, that every girl on the planet fawned over.
(oh they're so cute how I wish I could meet them)
The screen showed three boys, their ages varying, all looking regal. The oldest one, a boy of about seventeen, was tall and muscular, with wavy black hair and copper skin. The second, about twelve or thirteen years old, was lanky and of average height—wearing a tailored suit that seemed unfitting with his shaggy black hair. The third, a boy who seemed to be about Levana's age, was about as tall as she was and looked a lot like the second prince, with the same hair and eyes. They were all waving at someone—Levana assumed that the photo had been taken at a press event.
"Princes Tsukune, Saito and Rikan of the Eastern Commonwealth," Levana read aloud.
"Which one is your favourite?"
They're all the same, Akiho. Just pictures on the net. Not real. Not within reach.
"Prince Saito, I guess."
"I agree. He is, like, perfect."
He was quite cute, but Levana would never say that out loud. She would keep her little celebrity crush to herself.
(I wonder if you're nice if you'd like me if you'd kiss me if you'd love me)
"Anyway, get up! We have to get ready for the ball!"
Levana raised an eyebrow. "What ball?"
Akiho stared back at her as if she had just sprouted a metal tail. "The ball for the peace festival! It's this huge event that the Eastern Commonwealth has every year—the festival is down in the New Beijing city center and then in the evening they have the ball up at the palace. I've never gone for real, but I've heard that it is a party to die for." She sighed and spun out around the room.
"Do we have to dress up for the ball?"
"Why, of course! What a ridiculous question, Levana. Quick, to your closet!"
"Wait!" she cried, but Akiho just grabbed her hand and raced to the princess' wardrobe, opening up the sleek doors.
"Oh...look at all these gowns! I'm so glad that I have a princess as a friend!"
Levana blew a strand of hair out her face and crossed her arms over her chest, watching with a smile as Akiho went through her closet, oooing and ahhhing at every garment she saw. After a few minutes, Akiho came back her friend; she held up three dresses, gazing at each one.
"Levana, I can't decide! Should I wear this red kimono, or this green sundress, or this purple ballgown?" She threw her head back in exasperation. "Gah! So many decisions!"
Levana scoffed and raised a hand to her forehead, sighing dramatically. "Oh, the agony!"
"Boo you. Anyway, I think I'm going to wear the purple gown this time." Akiho held out the heavy dress in front of her. "Would you please help me?"
"Sure," the princess replied.
Levana helped the android into the ballgown, taking care not to snag any stitches or the lining on Akiho's joints. Once she was done, Akiho squealed with glee, twirling around. Levana smiled uncertainly—although the silk and tulle gown was perhaps the finest thing she'd ever owned, Akiho looked ridiculous in it. The hem of the gown dragged a foot on the floor, the sleeves dangled almost to the skirt. It almost looked like the gown was trying to eat the squat android.
Akiho twirled, barely tripping on the dragging hem. "How do I look?"
"You're the fairest in all the land," Levana sighed, as if she were swooning.
"Why, thank you! I'm sure that Prince Saito will agree."
Levana snorted. "Are you really that obsessed with him?"
Akiho let out an undignified huff. "Don't pretend like you're not as well," she said, bunching the fabric in one of her prongs. "Anyhow, our hover is here. We'd better get going or we'll be late for the ball, where I am going to dance with His Imperial Highness, and you can dance with whoever you would like to. Maybe his little brother. He's cute too, you know."
"I don't really like dancing," Levana said, fiddling with her ponytail. "I think I'll just stay back and enjoy the hors-d'oeuvres."
"Nonsense! We're not going to this imaginary party just so you can sulk by the door, like you do in real life. We're playing pretend. You can actually be graceful here!"
(ow mommy I think I bruised my forehead again I hate dancing)
Levana scowled. "Gee, thanks," she grumbled.
Akiho took her hand. "You know I mean well."
The princess looked up to the ceiling in abandon.
"Why are you always looking at the ceiling, Levana? There's nothing up there."
"Who knows? Maybe the sky will fall down and squish me," Levana said, rocking back on her heels. "I won't be able to dance, then."
Akiho blinked, the android equivalent of rolling her eyes."Oh, come on! Let's get you dressed! You'll be the most beautiful princess at the whole ball; you'll even make Channary look like an old hag in comparison," she chirped.
After a bit of grumbling and complaining, Levana finally let out a smile. She was so grateful for her android, for her friend. She was indebted to Akiho, who would never even know. She gave her company, a voice to listen to besides her own.
Life was so much better with friends.