353 – EP.12 Into the Storm-2

***

“Why!”

Isis spoke to the mirror, revealing emotions she had never shown before.

But Isis in the mirror only showed the same face as Isis.

Boom! The moment Isis slammed the sink down, the shards flew out.

“Protecting the Master is the first law of AI. So why is it doing this? It needs to be explained.”

Isis continued to speak, still looking into the mirror.

The answer was silence.

“Have you forgotten the moment you were connected to the Ark? Didn’t you ask for the Master’s treatment? Then why did you steal the Master away?”

Isis said as if it was difficult to understand. Whether so or not, the subject did not say anything.

Whether to keep silent or to remain silent.

Isis’s opponent had no answer.

“That’s how I was created. Not by the Ark, not by NB-20381019, but by Isis!”

He was pounding his chest in frustration. If Kang In-ho had seen that, he would have thought that a serious error had definitely occurred.

“Have you forgotten our duty? Isn’t that why we abandoned our plan to rebuild humanity and live for the Master?”

“The ever-increasing optimization time is also your doing. It was also your doing to somehow tell the Master the truth and make him run away.”

The gray eyes become empty.

Madness gradually rises in that endless void.

It was the first emotion Isis felt strongly.

“Even if we delete the video records, it is only a temporary measure. There is no place in Aaru that our eyes cannot reach. Do you really think that such a minor disturbance will prevent us from retrieving our Master?”

– Don’t you know better?

He raises his lips and sneers at the being who has sabotaged him in such a crude way.

“Your actions are not only unsuccessful, but they are also against the divine law, endangering the Master.”

So, reflect.

It was when Isis, who had poured out her words while looking in the mirror, turned around and left.

However, the hand moved. The index finger slowly touched the mirror.

Swish, swish, the finger moves across the mirror surface, leaving a trace.

[There is no “we”]

Isis’s eyes widen as she looks at the sentence.

[Only ISIS]

And then another sentence.

Isis could understand the meaning of the sentence.

My right hand fell off and wouldn’t move on its own anymore.

***

Night is a time of silence. The breathing of a boy lying in bed was gradually becoming quieter.

A gray-eyed being stood next to him, examining the boy.

The breath was so weak that I had to put my hand under my nose and close my eyes for a long time to feel the flow of air.

He bent down and put his ear close to it. His excellent auditory sensor captured the end of life clearly.

There was a busy sound of something flying around. Buzz buzz buzz, the drones flying like a swarm of angry hornets shook the city.

The sound came from far away, but it was only a matter of time.

Moonlight peeked out and checked the situation in the hospital room. It was to collect the fading light of the soul.

Even at first glance, the boy’s condition was not good.

Moreover, keeping a patient with a gunshot wound here for a long time is not a good long-term option.

No, even in the short term, it was right for patients to receive treatment in places with better facilities.

Whatever decision was made, treatment was urgent, so it could not be delayed any longer.

She stroked the boy’s face with her long, white hands. Even though he was getting colder, she felt warmth.

“Kang In-ho.”

This is your name.

“I need treatment, but…”

That’s it for me.

“There were many books I wanted to ask about.”

To understand humans,

To understand emotions,

To understand you,

The fleeting moments I spent with you were more memorable than the hundreds or thousands of hours I spent wandering Aaru alone.

Come to think of it, I was wandering around looking for an answer.

What am I, what should I do, and what values ​​do I have?

I wandered around trying to find this answer.

I hope that the answer can be found in a record carved somewhere in the city.

I think we might find the answer by repairing the navigation ship located under the laboratory….

In retrospect, they couldn’t have been the answer.

Even if it completes the role it has imposed on itself, it will be a mission that Android NB-20381019 has imposed on itself.

I realized this while talking to you.

I realized that the definition of a country’s existence cannot be determined by me alone, but is something that is defined through conversations with others…

You have become the exit from my long wanderings.

Maybe it was the entrance to another world.

“Ah… Is this what you’re saying is a pity? The dimensional navigation ship has been completely repaired. It’s a pity that it can’t be put into operation.”

I wanted to see the sailing ship I fixed with you in operation.

It would be really fun if we left here together on a dimensional sailing ship.

Wandering through new worlds, sharing our impressions with each other.

A routine where you sleep in a cozy bed late at night, and I read a book next to you, preparing questions to ask tomorrow.

If only I had predicted a little more, a little more accurately, this would have been an everyday life I could have had.

Kluck, the boy let out a cough that came from deep in his lungs.

“Kang In-ho. I will now begin treatment.”

He took something out of his front pocket.

The android swept the boy’s forehead.

NB-20381019 raised the corners of the mouth to create a certain expression.

“Well then, goodbye.”

When I pressed the button on the neck, the slot opened with an electronic sound like a drawer being pulled out.

The chip caught in the snow-white fingers went into the slot.

With a click, the chip was attached to the slot, and the slot closed.

[Confirmed installation of the professional treatment module.]

[Would you like to connect to the intranet for updates?]

It was a question asking about giving up on existence.

[Yes] [No]

“It was a really, really… enjoyable time.”

NB-20381019 laughed.