"Yo! It's nice to meet you guys."
I watch as all the androids freeze, their eyes wide with a mix of awe, shock, and reverence. Yeah… they already know I'm human. I can see it in their reactions — the slight glow in their eyes gives away their action. They are scanning me from top to bottom, and the reason they know that I am human immediately.
I wait patiently for them to recover from their collective shock. Fortunately, the one with short, dark hair snaps out of it first. I recognize her immediately. Jackass — not a jackass, her name is Jackass.
Interesting name.
"Sir! It's an honor to meet a human like you! My name is Jackass! Glory to mankind!"
She salutes so sharply it'd make a veteran soldier proud. The others quickly follow suit, their voices ringing out in unison:
"Glory to mankind!"
Man, they're tense. It is as if I am a commander or something. I raise a hand and smile.
"Please, relax. I'm not here as your commander or anything."
I try to assure them. However, that… doesn't help. They are still tense and look around, as if they do not know what to do, upon hearing my words.
2B steps forward, expression unreadable as always — but my Senjutsu picks up the truth beneath her poker face. Awe. Excitement. Anxiety. Shame? Huh. That last one's interesting. A few things come to mind as to why she feels shame, but I decide not to say anything about that. She has already gone through enough.
"You are human, sir," 2B says. "According to rules, that automatically makes you the highest-ranking officer among all androids in the absence of other humans."
"Right…"
What a stupid rule. What happens if the "highest-ranking human" is a child? That'd be a disaster. Imagining a child ordering around an army of androids makes me shudder a little.
"Anyway!" I clap my hands lightly. "Are you all ready? I'll take you to the bunker."
"Ah, before that," 2B interjects, "may we perform a few scans on you, sir? Just to ensure your condition is stable."
"Go ahead. But make it quick — I don't want machines to attack us while we are in the open like this."
She nods and gestures to the twins. My smile widens as they approach.
"Ah! Perfect! Popola, Devola — I'm glad to see your models still in production. With you two around, I know everything will be fine."
The red-haired twins flush almost as brightly as their hair and stammer before quickly getting to work. Holograms flicker around me as they perform their scans. After a few moments, Devola looks up.
"You're perfectly healthy, sir. However, our readings show your body contains a massive amount of Maso. Do you feel anything strange?"
"Anything wriggling inside your body?" Popola adds worriedly. "Any shortness of breath?"
I chuckle and wave off their concern. "I'm fine. No strange sensations, no wriggling, no breathing issues."
They continue their line of questioning for another minute or two before finally relaxing. Popola turns to 2B.
"He's healthy," she reports. "But we should keep monitoring him — the Maso concentration inside his body is unusually high. We are the only androids with the right equipment to do the job."
Ah. I can tell that's an excuse. A transparent one, too. She just wants an official reason to stay close. My Senjutsu picks up the subtle emotional shifts: a trace of hope, a dash of embarrassment, and just a sprinkle of needs. The two of them starve for touch and hope. With me being here, I can fulfill both of their needs.
2B looks at me and says.
"Are you willing to accept them to accompany you, sir?"
"Of course. I'd be happy to have the two of them with me."
Their faces light up immediately — radiant smiles that could rival the sun. I reach out and pat their heads, and both freeze in surprise. Around us, the other androids look on with envy. The glint in their eyes worries me a little.
Yikes. I really hope none of them turn into yanderes.
"Anyway!" I say quickly. "Let's head to the bunker. There's a lot to cover."
==||==
"Welcome to the Organization for the Preservation of Human Order — Finis Chaldea. Or just Chaldea, for short."
Yes, that's right. Zelretch, in all his infinite trollish glory, decided to name this facility Chaldea.
Apparently, some of the people who helped him build it came from a version of Chaldea in an alternate world — the one known for its futuristic servants, such as Mysterious Heroine X, and genius servants who can create futuristic technologies, like Nikola Tesla and Da Vinci.
And honestly? The name fits. The original Chaldea was built to preserve humanity. This one exists to preserve what's left of it, or at least preserve humans that Zelretch and I left behind for them to care for.
"Chaldea…" 9S whispers, eyes gleaming with curiosity. Typical. The little data gremlin is already scanning everything in sight, recording every inch of the facility. If not for 2B, he would already be running around and scanning every inch of the facility with his pod.
It is like seeing a Golden Retriever waiting for me to let it run around the park.
"This place maintains humanity's survival systems," I explain. "Before we tour the rest, I need the twins to check on the cryo-system. The chamber has been deteriorating, and there are things that need fixing. Something the Twins can do because of their foundation programming."
We ride the elevator down to the cryo sector — but before we can enter, a blue energy field flares to life between me and the androids. The group freezes as a mechanical voice echoes overhead:
"ACCESS DENIED."
Weapons snap free. 2B and 9S take defensive stances while Anemone moves to shield me, even though there is a forcefield protecting me. I raise my hand.
"Stand down. She's not an enemy. GAIA — explain."
This is GAIA, the facility's AI core. She keeps everything running and ensures that all the technicians are working. Even with the knowledge the system provides, I do not know even a small part of the technology in this facility. I can run them and repair the basic damage. However, I cannot fix anything bigger.
"Informative: All android units within Chaldea are infected with a virus."
"What?" I blink. "Repeat that?"
"Clarification: Deep scan confirms the presence of something called Logic Virus. It is a virus that overrides the logic system and turns an android into a berserker slave to an unknown network."
The moment she says it, the androids flinch. Fear ripples through them. The Logic Virus — the one that drives androids insane, turns them feral, and kills anything in sight.
"However," GAIA continues, "the virus is dormant. Activation requires a specific signal. It is also contagious and poses a risk to Chaldea's systems. Recommendation: Transfer all Android units to the medical facility for Nanite Treatment to purge the virus and firewall installation to prevent future infections."
I exhale slowly and nod.
"Understood." Turning to Anemone, I add, "I'll escort you to the medical bay. Anyone unwilling can wait outside."
To my surprise, they all look confused. Anemone steps forward.
"Why would we refuse, sir? It's for our own good. There is no way any androids willingly reject this offer. The only androids who reject this offer are the ones that are already infected and need to be put down."
Ah. Right. These androids are too innocent. These androids are going to get scammed the moment they meet the average human again. I can already imagine some sleazy merchant offering "special upgrades" and walking away with their cores while they are unconscious in some dark alley.
"Good answer," I say with a smile. "Then follow me."
The twins' eyes practically sparkle as we enter the medical wing. All the medical machines that can be scanned are located inside this room. Rows of sleek pods hum softly beneath pale white light. I guide them toward the two at the end.
"These are the Full Package Nanite Treatment Pods," I explain. "They'll repair internal damage, restore your systems, and reinforce your immunity. After the procedure, you'll be resistant to most diseases, poisons, and viruses — even the Logic Virus. It is used for humans, as we need that boost to enter the new world when we are out of the cryo pods."
I once asked Zelretch why I didn't receive the nanite treatment. Apparently, my dragon physiology has better immunity than nanomachines could ever provide. Hell, the nanite will be confused and do something that can make my body weaker, as they thought that my power comes from a virus or something.
Lucky me.
"Let us go first, sir!" Devola says eagerly.
"My sister's right," Popola adds. "You'll need us operational to fix the system anyway."
I nod and gesture to the pods. They step inside, and the lids slide shut. Blue light fills the chamber as the nanites go to work. Through the glass, I can see the twins' eyes widen — with awe, fascination, perhaps even a hint of wonder.
I can see their eyes glow a little. I think they are scanning the process or at least recording it for later use.
After two minutes, the pods open with a hiss. The twins step out, looking refreshed and radiant.
"Please proceed one at a time," I say to the others, then look up. "GAIA, grant the twins access to the system. They're clean now."
"ACCESS GRANTED."
A holographic interface materializes before the twins. They exchange a glance — and then something shifts. They start to work, and they immediately enter the zone. They move at blazing speeds, taking action to repair the system, and then they move to another problem to fix. It is too fast even for me. It is as if a dormant protocol inside them has suddenly awakened. Their hands fly across the interface in perfect sync, data streams flickering in the hologram.
Whatever Zelretch did to prepare for this moment… It's working exactly as he intended. The twins are in their game, and they look happy with this work. He told me this would strengthen trust in the Devola and Popola units and set the stage for the next phase of his plan.
I shake my head slightly, smiling despite myself. The old vampire always has several plays running at once, and this time, it is not about pranks or entertainment for him.
Turning to Anemone, I say,
"So, while we wait for the others to finish treatment, bring me up to speed. What's been happening out there? Give me the short version of history."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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