Chapter 43: Another Adventure
"Almost to the top, Alexander!" Blue called out cheerfully. Behind her, Alex only huffed, his breath coming in short gasping bursts as he trudged along after his friend.
She was standing atop a long, high wall made of stone. It was many miles long, and though sections of it were peppered with bullet holes or blown apart by bombs, it still remained standing, a testament to what humanity had been able to construct even without advanced machines to do the heavy lifting.
"You're so slow," she teased as Alexander finally reached her and slumped against the edge of some crenelation, leaning against them to recover.
"You… don't get… tired! You have… an unfair… advantage!" he panted out weakly, fumbling for a water bottle. He drained it in a single, long gulp.
"Pwah! Ah, that's better!" he sighed in relief.
After talking with Blue about life, and having gotten a taste for exploration, Alexander had begun going out on more expeditions with Blue and Pascal. He wanted to see all the different relics and monuments humanity had left behind.
He'd seen the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, and marveled at the faces in Mount Rushmore. Ziggurats in the Middle East were examined alongside long-lest temples in the Indian Jungle. The remnants of Paris had been toured after walking through the foggy streets of London and New York. Alexander had explored museums and bunkers, checked out the ruins of military bases and civilian refugee camps alike. A few Replicant villages had also been looked at.
And now he was on what was left of the Great Wall of China, having walked along it to get the full scope. Something he was silently regretting as his leg muscled burned from the strain.
"What a view," Blue said blissfully as she looked out over the landscape.
"Yeah, it sure it," Alexander agreed, looking out over the surroundings.
There was something relaxing in observing something like the Great Wall. Where the ruins of someplace like Relic City just made him sad, Alexander didn't feel the same way about this place, and others he'd visited.
'Is it because these monuments were considered 'old' even by the standards of my immediately 21st century ancestors?' he wondered. 'Or is it because they're from civilizations that weren't connected to my own?'
'Or maybe I'm just a hypocrite,' Alexander snorted to himself. He then glanced over at Blue, who was still staring out at the horizon. "Everything alright?"
"Yes, just making more 'happy' memories for the archives," she replied, and Alexander chuckled a bit at that.
"If you say so," he replied. He then turned his gaze back towards the Chinese landscape. "Hard to believe people built this thing without steam engines or knowledge of concrete."
"Humans are truly fascinating. Their engineering projects show a determination that is enviable," Blue said.
"What do you think humans could have built if White Chlorination Syndrome hadn't wiped us all out?" Alexander mused idly. "Would we have reached the stars on our own?"
"Given that humanity had space-faring capabilities for decades before their extinction, I believe that given time they would have done so," Blue agreed.
"Aunt Jaqueline thinks we would have blown ourselves up if the maso disease hadn't done it," Alexander said.
"I do not think so. I believe even the most self-destructive human tendencies would have curbed themselves before long. There is plenty of evidence that humans do not handle stress well, and would have most likely reacted
"You're certainly more optimistic than Aunt Jaqueline," Alexander muttered.
"What about you?" Blue asked, and he raised an eyebrow, so she clarified. "What do you think would have happened to humanity had not perished when it did?"
"I think we'd have definitely gotten into a fight with the aliens. And I don't think it would have taken us several thousand years to defeat them," Alexander admitted. "No offense to the androids, but I simply don't see humans reacting so passively to a threat like an alien invasion."
"Of course, at the same time, I don't think we'd have been as united as the androids in one common purpose," he continued. "I don't doubt that some humans would have tried to befriend the aliens, even if by all accounts and evidence it would have failed."
"Our creators were simply too different from humanity to ever give that idea a second thought," Blue agreed. "They did not possess the concept of guile, either, so the aliens would not have tried to use the defecting humans as a resource, they'd simply kill them. That would have surely united humanity into a single force."
"Perhaps," Alexander said with a shrug. "It's all academic anyways, now."
They remained there for a bit longer, staring out over the world, before eventually noting the time. Alexander stood up with a groan, his muscles still shouting at him.
"Sweet crispy goat-nuggets," he grunted. "Why do I ache so badly? All I did was walk! I don't even feel this bad after training with 7E and 23E."
"Your squishy meat-suit is very inconsistent," Blue noted.
"Tell me about it," he grumbled.
"Do you ever wonder what life will be like in the future?" Alexander asked Blue as they headed back to their transport to return home. "Where do you see yourself in ten years?"
"I do not know. I have not made plans that far ahead," Blue admitted.
"Mmm. I'm not sure, either. I mean, I know what mom and White want from me. They want me to lead them. I know they've got plans for my education, but I just can't envision myself being a leader at all," Alexander sighed. "I feel like I've been groomed for the role my whole life, but I don't feel up to the task."
"Then don't do what they want, and do instead what makes you happy or comfortable," Blue replied simply. "Do you humans not espouse the merits of freedom? You've certainly fought over it plenty of times in the past."
"Us humans say and do a lot of things," Alexander grumbled to himself. "Most of them incredibly stupid in hind sight."
"I believe you would make a good leader," Blue said after a period of silence. "I might not know where I'll be or what I'd be doing in a decade, but you? I can see you helping others. And that's what a leader should be. Someone who helps and has the best intentions for everybody in mind."
"If only other human leaders throughout history had been as wise as you," Alexander joked.
"I mean it, though," Blue pressed. "In my exploration of humanity, those who will do anything for power are rarely the ones who should have it. And while not always the case, I have noticed that the humans who have greatness thrust upon them and manage to rise to the challenge are the best humanity has to offer."
"Thank you, that means a lot to me. And regardless of what happens to either of us in the future, I would like to still be friends with you, Blue," Alexander said fondly.
"Yes… friends," Blue replied, stuttering a bit at the end.
A few hours and an awkwardly silent trip later, Alexander was back at home, and he walked inside the mansion with a smile.
"I'm back!" he called out as he entered the living room.
"Oh, hello. Alex, have you seen POD 153?" 9S asked, the young-looking android poking his head under the couch as he sought the floating support module. Not finding it down there among the dust bunnies, he starts flipping the couch's cushions.
"No, not since yesterday," the human replied, watching in amusement as his uncle continued to search in the most ridiculous places for the tiny robot. "Where's mom and Aunt 2B?"
"A2 went to New Babylon to pick up some supplies. And 2B is resting upstairs," 9S said, still looking for the missing POD. "Hatchet and Jacky are off doing their own thing as well, while Emil and Sebastian are outside tending to the goats and the garden."
"Why are you trying to find 153?" Alexander asked curiously.
"I wanted to do research on maso particles, and 153 would have been very helpful," 9S replied, disappointed when he didn't find the POD in the side table next to the TV.
"Well, if I see 153, I'll let you know," Alexander promised, walking off to his room.
Days later, and Alexander was starting to get worried. He wasn't the only one, as 2B, Sebastian and Emil watched 9S wander around the living room anxiously.
"Uncle Nines, calm down," Alexander began, but the shota-droid spun around, anguish on his face.
"POD 153 has been with me for years!" 9S exclaimed. "And I've never been separated from them for this long!"
"That's a good point, you were partnered with them since your days in YoRHa," Alexander said calmly, keeping a wary eye on his honorary uncle. "But walking in circles until you wear the rug down won't help."
"Exactly! Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a good rug these days?" Emil asked, a note of frustration in his voice. "It took me two hundred and sixty-eight years to find the one you are currently stepping on!"
"I could always try my hand at weaving a new one," Sebastian suggested. When the family members turned to look at him, he simply shrugged. "I've been bored, and recently taken up a couple different hobbies."
"Weren't you doing pottery the last time?" Alexander inquired. "When did you switch to weaving?"
"We'll find POD 153, don't worry," 2B assured 9S, walking over to his side and patting his shoulder fondly. "Besides, this is hardly the first time they have wandered off for a couple days."
Her presence and logic seemed to calm him down, and 9S sagged a bit, before turning his gaze over to 2B, eyes lingering on her swollen stomach.
The tender moment was interrupted by a loud, shrill beeping. Everyone looked around, trying to find the source. With a sheepish and apologetic grin, Alexander pulled out his communicator.
"Sorry, I'll just take this call elsewhere," Alexander said, pulling out his modified phone as it kept beeping. Then, he stepped out of the room.
"Oh, hey, It's Blue. Hi, what's up?" he asked, answering it as he recognized the contact ID.
"Are you busy right now?" his Machine Lifeform friend asked, and he spared a glance back at 9S and 2B before nodding.
"I am," he replied, deciding to let them have some alone time together.
"Pascal and I were going to go exploring. We found something interesting and wanted to check it out."
"Sounds neat, where is it?" Alexander inquired.
"That's what is interesting. It's a cave that we've detected some odd signals coming from," Blue said excitedly. "And it's nearby! Do you know the canyon?"
"Odd signals? And wait, do you mean the canyon that separates Relic City from the Forest Kingdom?" Alex wondered. "That's weird. How have we missed something like that?"
'But then again, Machines and androids alike never noticed the cryogenics facility my pod was in until the Tower unearthed it,' Alexander thought. Could a human lab or bunker have survived all these years, unnoticed and secure?
Eagerness to explore and discover something new filled him, and Alexander immediately agreed.
"When are you going? And where should I meet you and Pascal?"
"We're departing soon, so you should come and meet us at the Big Bridge in… half an hour? Yes, that seems like enough time for you to get there."
"Got it, I'll be there soon!" Alexander said, hanging up. He then poked his head out of the doorframe into the next room.
"Hey, guys? I'm going to hang out with Blue and Pascal down at the Big Bridge!"
"Just don't go into the Forest Kingdom!" 2B called back. "The Machine Lifeforms there continue to reject our overtures of peace!"
"I know, I've read the security briefings!" Alex replied. He then grabbed his gun and sword-knife and headed out of his house.
His next stop was the garage, where he mounted his hovercycle and shot out, zooming down the newly paved street. The area was slowly being converted into something that could be called 'suburban' instead of the wild, overgrown ruins it had previously been.
Old ruins had been either torn down and replaced or renovated, resulting in several new buildings dotting the landscape throughout Relic City that were inhabited by androids. They were there for his protection. He knew it, they knew it, but so long as they kept their distance, Alexander wouldn't request White to remove them. Not that she would. He was simply too valuable to be allowed to roam free without some level of observation.
Emil's manor remained mostly isolated from the developments around it. The plant life and ruins had been cleared up, but nobody was living there. Some plans to develop the area into an exclusive area for high-ranked YoRHa and humans were floating around, but nothing had been decided yet.
As he pondered future developments, he saw light glint off of something that towered over the trees in the distance.
The spires of the high-rise buildings and power-relay towers of New Babylon were just barely visible poking up on the horizon, and he could just make out a few black dots buzzing around in the sky alongside heavy lifting units and advanced construction machinery.
'Seems like it will be done soon,' Alexander mused, before catching sight of his destination.
The entrance to the Forest Kingdom had previously been a rickety old bridge, but was now a very impressive, and slightly imposing, steel drawbridge. It could be lowered at will, but it rarely was, as the Machines of the Forest Kingdom were erratic at best, hostile at worst. Thankfully, they did not often bother with the outside world, so the raised bridge was purely to keep unwary androids and Machines out rather than in.
As he approached, he spotted Pascal and Blue easily enough, and waved a greeting as he began to slow down. However, his enthusiasm plummeted when he noticed that Blue had brought along a 'friend.'
"You're bringing Olive with you?" Alexander asked hesitantly as he parked his hovercycle, eyeing the green dragon warily as it perched on Blue's head. It flared its wings menacingly at Alexander, hissing a bit, before Blue reached up and patted it gently.
"Yes, he gets lonely when I leave," she said. "And the place we're going to investigate today is close enough I feel comfortable letting him tag along."
"Alright, but if I get hungry, he's gonna be first on the list for emergency rations," Alexander declared.
Olive just smirked down at the human, who frowned in annoyance at that. Pascal resisted the urge to giggle at the sight. Blue didn't seem to notice the animosity between Alexander and the dragon, but Pascal and everyone else did, and the leader of the Machine village quietly started to record their interactions.
For archival and research purposes only. Not because A2, Commander White, and other androids would pay handsome for prime unscripted footage like this.
"So, where is this unusual signal coming from?" Alexander asked, deciding to ignore the mini-dragon.
"From down there," Pascal informed him, pointing to the bottom of the canyon. It had changed significantly since the Tower had popped out of the ground. Old tunnels had been sealed up, and new ones had been discovered. It made sense for unusual things to be hidden down there.
"Let's go, then!" Alex said, jumping off the edge, gravity magic keeping him from going splat. Blue and Pascal followed behind a moment later, and when they landed, the latter led them towards a hole in the ground.
"Here it is," Pascal said excitedly. It was dark, smelled of wet dirt, and was big enough for a person to walk down through.
"There's a little bit of mud on the ground due to the rain from last night," Pascal warned. "Don't slip and fall."
"Onwards to adventure!" Alexander said excitedly, and he dove into the darkness, an orb of white light appearing over his head to shine the way forward. It was time to explore!
Author's Note:
Read ahead at akashicrecordstrue on P-to-the-Atreon!