healingbonds (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
healingbonds) wrote2021-04-18 10:12 pm
healingbonds) wrote2021-04-18 10:12 pm
Entry tags:
Paradox-Roid | Chapter 2
Chapter 1 << | index | >> Chapter 3
???: You two signal-less Assist-Roids over there. I repeat, you two signal-less Assist-Roids. Stop where you are.
Akira: Assist-Roids......? Where could they be?
Owen: Who knows. That guy is so loud.
The airbike pulls closer as we continue talking.
With a gust of billowing wind, it comes to a sudden stop in front of us.
The person who fluidly gets off the airbike is a well-built young man with red hair.
He briskly takes a handbook from his chest pocket and shows it to us.
Flickering words and symbols flash furiously across the screen of what looks like a flat smartphone.
Cain: Cain Knightley, of the Vollmond City Police.
Assist-Roids are forbidden from roaming outside with their security signals switched off. Where are your owners?
Akira: .............?
Cain: Hmm? Are you broken? Can you hear me? Can you state your ID and lab number?
Owen and I simply keep blinking. Because we don’t understand a single word of what the young man who called himself Cain is saying.
But when I look into his eyes — his gaze as dazzling as the morning sun — I feel a curious sense of relief.
Akira: Um, we don’t remember anything apart from our names.
Cain: Ah, so you can speak. Good boy. That helps. What do you mean you can’t remember? Are you malfunctioning?
Akira: Malfunctioning?
Cain: Shouldn’t you be able to tell when you’re out of order? I don’t know that much about Assist-Roids, but.......
Oh well. What about the other one?
Owen: Hah? The other one? Are you talking about me?
Cain: Yeah. What’s your name?
Owen: I’m not telling you.
Akira: He’s Owen.
Owen: Why did you tell him!
Akira: H-he’s the police.......
Somehow, I have a hazy notion that the police stand on the side of justice, and I shouldn’t go against them if I’m not with the bad guys.
Cain: That’s right, I’m on the side of the people. I’m here to assist you guys. Hello, Owen.
Owen: ............
Owen glowers in displeasure at a smiling Cain. And then, he looks around the streets restlessly.
He seems like he’s bored of this situation, and wants to leave already.
Cain: You don’t know anything other than your names? You should at least know your own manufacturing number. The labs are mandated to give you one.
Akira: Manufacturing number?
Cain: It’s the number you’re registered with before you get shipped out. Ah, it might be password-protected. Here’s where my mighty handbook comes in handy.
Cain laughs casually, his fingertips tapping lightly at his memo before whirling around to stand behind me.
Cain: Look downwards.
Akira: .......Like this?
Cain: Yeah. Don’t tell me you don’t even know about interface ports?
Akira: ......? Probably not......?
Cain: Then I’ll explain it as simply as possible. Assist-Roids have an interface port on the back of their necks.
So please let me check the back of your neck. I’ll be done real quick.
Behind me, Cain probes around my nape, his movements almost like a stylist’s.
I keep my head down, trying my best to cooperate despite my strange embarrassment.
Akira: Oka—...... Ah!
I’m suddenly overcome with desolation as the underside of my skin is exposed. It feels like my vital points are being laid bare.
Something is promptly inserted. I faintly think I hear a pinging sound, and my head goes blank.
At the same time, words spill out of my mouth involuntarily.
Akira: ID: DZRJ-ST-RTWN-21
Cain: Copy that. Lab and brand? Or series name, if you have that.
Akira: “Sage of the magic headquarters.”
Cain: “Sage of the magic headquarters”.......I can’t find any record of that. It might be a new brand. Thanks for your cooperation.
Akira: Ah.......
I cry out, unintentionally. I gingerly reach my hand around my nape, and am met with the sensation of human skin.
Akira: (What was that just now...... Does this mean I’m....... Was I just treated like a robot?)
Cain: “Masaki Akira.” That’s your name. It’s a good name.
Akira: “Masaki Akira.”
Cain: Now I know where you come from, too. I’ll take you back later. Now, as for the other one.......
Hey! Hey, wait up! Where are you going, Owen!
Cain hurriedly calls after Owen. Owen almost slipped away without us realizing.
Owen: What?
He turns around. Pink soft serve continues to erupt from the hologram of bursting stars further down the road from where he stands.
I finally get that those images must be a commercial. Holograms burst into life along the streets all over.
There are holograms of a perfume bottle, adorned with the illustration of a witch cradling a crystal skull, which fall from the billboards and hit the ground......
And holograms of steaming, delicious-looking meat sauce from which I can almost smell tomatoes and oil.
In the town square where trees with pale red flowers are in full bloom, holograms flicker to life and fade away every second. It must be a spot that draws attention.
Owen seems to be staring raptly at the hologram with the exploding soft serve.
Akira: (Owen...... Did you just want to eat that soft serve?)
Cain: Owen, stop right there. I’m going to look up your handler.
Owen: That won’t be necessary.
Cain: It absolutely is. Laws relating to management of Assist-Roids have gotten stricter due to acts of terrorism and incidents of Assist-Roids going berserk in recent years.
Assist-Roids are forbidden from carrying out activities in public spaces without transmitting a security signal.
Depending on the situation, some may get turned into scrap metal on the spot. People are on their guard from yesterday’s power outage. Just listen to me.
Owen: No.
Cain: “No”? Did you just say no?
At Owen’s reply, Cain’s eyes go round with surprise. He surveys him critically, rubbing his own chin.
Cain: .......Can an initial state Assist-Roid defy commands like this when it doesn’t even have its owner’s preferences registered yet?
Owen: I don’t know what you’re saying, but I don’t take orders from anyone.
Cain furrows his eyebrows, looking troubled, and tucks his handbook away.
With a practiced motion, he draws a gun and aims it at Owen.
Owen and I stare at Cain, completely taken aback.
Akira: (A gun!? Is he going to shoot!?)
Chapter 1 << | index | >> Chapter 3
???: You two signal-less Assist-Roids over there. I repeat, you two signal-less Assist-Roids. Stop where you are.
Akira: Assist-Roids......? Where could they be?
Owen: Who knows. That guy is so loud.
The airbike pulls closer as we continue talking.
With a gust of billowing wind, it comes to a sudden stop in front of us.
The person who fluidly gets off the airbike is a well-built young man with red hair.
He briskly takes a handbook from his chest pocket and shows it to us.
Flickering words and symbols flash furiously across the screen of what looks like a flat smartphone.
Cain: Cain Knightley, of the Vollmond City Police.
Assist-Roids are forbidden from roaming outside with their security signals switched off. Where are your owners?
Akira: .............?
Cain: Hmm? Are you broken? Can you hear me? Can you state your ID and lab number?
Owen and I simply keep blinking. Because we don’t understand a single word of what the young man who called himself Cain is saying.
But when I look into his eyes — his gaze as dazzling as the morning sun — I feel a curious sense of relief.
Akira: Um, we don’t remember anything apart from our names.
Cain: Ah, so you can speak. Good boy. That helps. What do you mean you can’t remember? Are you malfunctioning?
Akira: Malfunctioning?
Cain: Shouldn’t you be able to tell when you’re out of order? I don’t know that much about Assist-Roids, but.......
Oh well. What about the other one?
Owen: Hah? The other one? Are you talking about me?
Cain: Yeah. What’s your name?
Owen: I’m not telling you.
Akira: He’s Owen.
Owen: Why did you tell him!
Akira: H-he’s the police.......
Somehow, I have a hazy notion that the police stand on the side of justice, and I shouldn’t go against them if I’m not with the bad guys.
Cain: That’s right, I’m on the side of the people. I’m here to assist you guys. Hello, Owen.
Owen: ............
Owen glowers in displeasure at a smiling Cain. And then, he looks around the streets restlessly.
He seems like he’s bored of this situation, and wants to leave already.
Cain: You don’t know anything other than your names? You should at least know your own manufacturing number. The labs are mandated to give you one.
Akira: Manufacturing number?
Cain: It’s the number you’re registered with before you get shipped out. Ah, it might be password-protected. Here’s where my mighty handbook comes in handy.
Cain laughs casually, his fingertips tapping lightly at his memo before whirling around to stand behind me.
Cain: Look downwards.
Akira: .......Like this?
Cain: Yeah. Don’t tell me you don’t even know about interface ports?
Akira: ......? Probably not......?
Cain: Then I’ll explain it as simply as possible. Assist-Roids have an interface port on the back of their necks.
So please let me check the back of your neck. I’ll be done real quick.
Behind me, Cain probes around my nape, his movements almost like a stylist’s.
I keep my head down, trying my best to cooperate despite my strange embarrassment.
Akira: Oka—...... Ah!
I’m suddenly overcome with desolation as the underside of my skin is exposed. It feels like my vital points are being laid bare.
Something is promptly inserted. I faintly think I hear a pinging sound, and my head goes blank.
At the same time, words spill out of my mouth involuntarily.
Akira: ID: DZRJ-ST-RTWN-21
Cain: Copy that. Lab and brand? Or series name, if you have that.
Akira: “Sage of the magic headquarters.”
Cain: “Sage of the magic headquarters”.......I can’t find any record of that. It might be a new brand. Thanks for your cooperation.
Akira: Ah.......
I cry out, unintentionally. I gingerly reach my hand around my nape, and am met with the sensation of human skin.
Akira: (What was that just now...... Does this mean I’m....... Was I just treated like a robot?)
Cain: “Masaki Akira.” That’s your name. It’s a good name.
Akira: “Masaki Akira.”
Cain: Now I know where you come from, too. I’ll take you back later. Now, as for the other one.......
Hey! Hey, wait up! Where are you going, Owen!
Cain hurriedly calls after Owen. Owen almost slipped away without us realizing.
Owen: What?
He turns around. Pink soft serve continues to erupt from the hologram of bursting stars further down the road from where he stands.
I finally get that those images must be a commercial. Holograms burst into life along the streets all over.
There are holograms of a perfume bottle, adorned with the illustration of a witch cradling a crystal skull, which fall from the billboards and hit the ground......
And holograms of steaming, delicious-looking meat sauce from which I can almost smell tomatoes and oil.
In the town square where trees with pale red flowers are in full bloom, holograms flicker to life and fade away every second. It must be a spot that draws attention.
Owen seems to be staring raptly at the hologram with the exploding soft serve.
Akira: (Owen...... Did you just want to eat that soft serve?)
Cain: Owen, stop right there. I’m going to look up your handler.
Owen: That won’t be necessary.
Cain: It absolutely is. Laws relating to management of Assist-Roids have gotten stricter due to acts of terrorism and incidents of Assist-Roids going berserk in recent years.
Assist-Roids are forbidden from carrying out activities in public spaces without transmitting a security signal.
Depending on the situation, some may get turned into scrap metal on the spot. People are on their guard from yesterday’s power outage. Just listen to me.
Owen: No.
Cain: “No”? Did you just say no?
At Owen’s reply, Cain’s eyes go round with surprise. He surveys him critically, rubbing his own chin.
Cain: .......Can an initial state Assist-Roid defy commands like this when it doesn’t even have its owner’s preferences registered yet?
Owen: I don’t know what you’re saying, but I don’t take orders from anyone.
Cain furrows his eyebrows, looking troubled, and tucks his handbook away.
With a practiced motion, he draws a gun and aims it at Owen.
Owen and I stare at Cain, completely taken aback.
Akira: (A gun!? Is he going to shoot!?)
Chapter 1 << | index | >> Chapter 3