"You're late," Bee Two already had hands on hips before Noble even entered the classroom.
"Actually, I was early for once, but I got a call for a VIP." Noble tucked a stray hair behind her ear as she descended the stairs between the desks.
"VIP? Student or visitor?" Bee Two's posture did not change.
The professor frowned. "You don't believe me! It was a student, a legacy from the Song Domain."
"And because you live in Ravenheart, you were chosen to make connections. It makes sense. You want to help your side." Bee Two nodded.
"My side?" Noble paused with the papers she was shuffling.
The android tapped a foot. "Professor, I have been running the odds of the incoming war almost daily now—"
The door to the classroom slammed shut on its own. Noble moved closer to Bee Two.
"Lower your voice!" The professor hissed.
"Why are you humans so secretive when everyone knows what is happening?" The android crossed its alloyed arms.
"Because not everyone knows what is happening. And even if it were true that everyone knew, we shouldn't let anyone overhear us talking about it."
"Fine," Bee Two complied, lowering to a whisper. "I have run the numbers, and the war is a 99.9% certainty."
"So my husband has said…" the professor sighed.
"Well, since that is the case," the android continued, missing the nuance in the human's voice, "it would make the most sense for you to aid your side whenever possible. If you command, I can refuse to analyze any Memories from students of Valor. I have already been delaying appointments with them as it is."
"You've WHAT?!" Noble felt herself rise an extra centimeter off the floor.
"Your battle is my battle, Professor Noble." Bee Two flipped synthetic hair like it was the most natural thing in two worlds.
Noble felt like her head might explode.
"There is no battle, and there are no sides! At least not when it comes to me. Whatever happens, I will help the students who come here in good faith and without prejudice. Do I make myself clear?"
Noble had not only promised Roan that she would stay out of it, but she had friends and family in both Bastion and Ravenheart. Picking either side would be a betrayal of them and herself.
Bee Two froze, and for a moment, Noble thought the android had inadvertently powered down in the middle of the room. But then the metallic voice rang out.
"Protocols have been rewritten. All students will receive exactly equivalent care."
"Good. I think."
The professor couldn't help but worry that this would somehow come back to haunt her. Shaking off the unpleasant premonition, Noble looped back to the assertion that had led the android to take drastic actions in the first place.
"Bee Two. Are you certain about your calculations? For a war starting, I mean."
"I have run multiple simulations. The Clans' actions are like a game of chess, though the strategy is not that hard to discern. With the pieces in place and the moves that have been made, the only resolution as things stand is war." Bee Two stated confidently.
"As things stand?" Noble raised an eyebrow.
"There is always a possibility that another chain of Nightmares wipes out humanity here, and a power in the Dream Realm takes out the rest of life as you know it. But the chances of those two events happening simultaneously and soon are astronomically low. War will happen."
"Do you have an estimate when this war will begin?" Noble held her breath.
"There is an eighty-five percent chance it will be within the next six months. Only a five percent chance that it will be before the end of this year." Bee Two gave the statistics.
'Fort was right. Then again, he usually is.' Noble would have liked for him to have been wrong this time. Just like she wanted Bee Two to be wrong now.
But at least they were in agreement about one thing: the solstice should occur uninterrupted.
That was a small amount of comfort. Noble would conduct her job as usual until then.
Returning to her desk, Noble eyed the papers there. While not as monumental as the stack Zenkai had left her, it was still a significant pile.
"I did one-page read-outs of all of the Memories that I examined. If you want a full report on any of them, I can send it to your datapad."
"Thank you, Bee Two. I will look through them and then answer my waiting messages. Then, if there is still time, there is a little experiment that I would like to tackle with you." Noble had meant the words as a dismissal, but instead of retreating to the alcove, the android drew closer to the desk.
"You want me to tackle something?"
"No, not physically. I meant there is something I want to try with your supervision." Noble picked up the top page of the pile she had been organizing and got to work.
With her Quick Study, she could hopefully get through them all in time for lunch. What day was it? Was Julius scheduled to be here today?
Noble reached for her communicator to send a message to her stepfather.
When she finished sending the communication, she leaned down to put the device away.
'No distractions!'
Noble lifted her head to sit up and nearly jumped out of her skin. The android was so close that Noble could see the circuits that made up the robotic irises. The professor floated backward in her chair, giving herself a shock as she hit the back of the seat.
"Ah! Bee Two, what are you doing?"
"Supervising as you requested. Though I'm not sure what is so interesting about watching you use your communicator."
Taking a deep breath, Noble tried to figure out exactly where she had gone wrong.
"I wanted you to watch me conduct an experiment later, not now."
The android's head tilted to one side. "Why not now?"
"Because I have all these papers to read." The professor motioned to the desk.
"And if you do not read them now, something will happen to the papers?" Bee Two furrowed synthetic eyebrows.
"No…" Noble returned to hover over her seat.
"Oh, so the papers will help you do the experiment better?" The android persisted.
"Unlikely." Noble rubbed her forehead.
"Oh, then is it because…"
"You know what?" Noble's chair scraped back, "How about we do the experiment right now?"
Bee Two gave a human-like shrug. "You are in charge, Professor. Whatever you say."
Halfway to the chamber in the corner of the room, Noble paused.
"Bee Two, did you get an upgrade while I was away?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary, Professor, why?" The android answered
"If I didn't know better, I would think you just manipulated me into doing what you wanted." The professor watched two metallic shoulders bounce up and down in a semblance of laughter.
"I think that must have been a joke. I am not human. I don't have emotions, and I certainly couldn't succeed at anything as nuanced as manipulating you. A professor such as yourself would never let that happen."
It was at that moment that Noble came to a startling realization. If Nightmare Creatures didn't take over the world, robots would.
'Stop being paranoid. A Saint like you could crush a swarm of androids in a heartbeat.'
Noble shook her head.
"Come on, let's begin the experiment…"