Blithe

"Cornelius Walker, no wonder you've been classified as TOP PRIORITY." The andriod speaks with her cold voice. Still flat as a mechanical however sound taut since just now.

She was trapped within a triggered cell during the hunt. On strength, she was confidential to win. Everyone who disobeys would die under her Vibrogun immediately. 

But Cornelius was a cunning one, the fact is he designed an escape route earlier. The Ranger never expect there was a secret passage under this tiny lodge, ends up chasing her tail within tangled routes. Her bullets were unable to function, this place is a treat for her.

 “Secret Room…is illegal…”，Cursing from teeth, her sound was too devastated to be angry.

Mistake. 

Grunting in despair, that Ranger finally frowned in the enclosed cell.

She is an andriod，Ranger from the Octal Court. While the targeted Cornelius Walker, he was the victim listed in her killing target.

Not a fuzzy for an andriod to kill an ordinary people, but Octal Court have their reason. And now she know.

It's illegal to have a secret room under a shelter. That’s enough for her to kill him.

Just follow the order, the perfect order that flawless, helpful in every moment. Her inner voice guides her.

What she could be thinking of is just rely on assistance from the Octal Court.

The Ranger remained calmly. Submitting an assistance message to the control department. 

[Connection unavailable.]

'..Shit!"

Her burning glance tracing that young man heading towards the foyer of the cell. That face smirking outside the chamber, stating his victory. He gasping hardly in relive, knowing that was just a narrow escape for him.

A huge metallic door appeared behind him. It looks stumpy, showing the fact that it’s hard to open once locked.

Through a layered of glass, she even could heard a heavy ‘thud’ sound from that metal door. The young man gave a puzzled look, then repeat it a few times.

How brilliant he is, he locked himself eventually.

 ***

Although it was funny to recall, however, this unexpected plot twist unites both of them.

“Why don’t we unite temporally until we find the way out?” He suggested. “Of course, I’m up to you whenever we get out of here.”

“Why? That doesn’t make me any good.” Her voice sounds clinical.

“Or do you have any way to break the door, Ms. Ranger?” 

It is the first time Cornelius Walker raises his face towards a Ranger. He was reminded that Ranger is dangerous to his since small. He should keep himself alive as he would eventually become the target of Octal Court.

“I’m XS-17.” 

“Okay...Makes me reminds of a gamers name, Blithe X.S.’ He retrieves something deep from his memory. Gamers, it just a myth from the past generation, he had never seen one too. 

This numerical name causing him goosebumps, he can’t buy it. ”Perhaps I could call you Blithe?”

“Up to you.” She didn’t get it but refuse to argue further for this. “Your suggestion was considerable…BUT..”

“Thanks! I would feel guilty if this lock eventually causing death.“ He was finally relieved. “We could solve this together!”

“Listen, I haven’t finished my words yet.” She interrupted.“--BUT don’t think of dragging time, you only have 3 days.”

“Anyway, thanks for the chance.” His eyes were shining.

Or I’ll kill you before I’ve been terminated. She murmured silently.

A Ranger will be terminate automatically 3 days after the failed mission. She was certain that she had finally met one.

She was capable to kill him right now, although her Vibrogun were destroyed in that chamber. Or if they can escape, probably what awaits Cornelius was an army of Android. There are no differences, but she had no idea why there is a sudden reluctance. 

Normally, she just treats it as some A.I. system thinking and forgets about it. 

Finally, both of them were capable to work together. Figuring out is there any physical way to break something.

 “I just reconstruct here for the sake of trapping the Ranger, if I was so unlucky to meet one.” He mocked, then following a sudden drop in his pace. “To be honest, I won’t stay here if I don’t lock myself.”

“Why?”

“Um..” He escapes that question, “I think we would find something in that collection room. Follow me.” 

They pass through another small room on the left. To her surprised, she saw something that she would never believe existed in this world.

Along the aisle, the collection from the past century was displayed. Estimated would be 200 in number, but they arranged widely apart to minimize the impact causes of the common Tertremo. Varies type of collection array besides both of them.

Contrastingly from the environment outside, she saw what was called beauty in this little collection room.

Colors, a color that is filled with extreme. She felt the energy from it, the passionate, the soul that dance within. She could barely name them from the description of her historical knowledge.

Sculpture, they were made with time and heart. These existence were a miracle, no one able to sculpt a face out of bare hand. Some of them had some green moss on it, but she just felt magical.

“What is this?”

She pointed to a sphere that painted with green and blue, it was supported with a tiny bracket made of steel.

‘Earth.”Cornelius squeezes his eye brown, sound uncertainly. “I’m not so sure about this…Do you think that our past generation was able to grow so much plant, at the same time produce so much water?”

“Well, it is impossible. Just treat it as a myth as supposed.” 

They search within this room, hoping to discover a hidden door or secret passage. Cornelius claimed that he wasn’t familiar with this place.

Both of them collaborate until the dawn arrived, that grey sky outside turns into dark indigo.

No denying that Cornelius Walker was a threat to the Octal Court, she supposedly treats him as dangerous, a nail in eyes. But what she saw was just a warm friend or a passionate technician to solve that lock.

A common Tertremo occurs. She felt a shake of the whole building. The collections in that room collapse, producing some crackling sound. Luckily that Tertremo doesn’t last any longer. She was able to stabilize after a few seconds after.

’Tud.‘ However, no one expected it affected the electricity supply.

She hears a tiny scream in dark but failed to locate it since it muted after that.

“Cornelius Walker?” She called out his full name, but no one replied.

“Gggggr…” Then she heard another murmured from the direction Cornelius supposedly standing. It sounds wobbly. “I…I’m here..”

She comes to his side, crouched down as she found he was cuddling himself in the corner.

Slowly, Blithe found a small bulb. She generates some electricity and charges it, a dim light surrounded them.

“You fear of the dark?” She whispered.

“Yes. Something that you asked me just now. “ His sound was shivering. “ The last memories I stay in here haunted me.”

“What happened?”

The light flashing over his face, his hair was soaked with sweat. His face was pale as paper. Cornelius staring over the light, which makes him feel secure.

He breathes in some air, dives into his memories.

“During my childhood, my parents used to locked me here whenever I made mistake. One day, they locked me again but never shown up. I thought that they were just too angry to let me out. But it wasn’t.”

The achieve shelf behind them seems more forbidding now. The air seem quiet. Finally he broke it.

“I heard something load from the ground. I had a grasps that something terrible had happened to my parents. They leave me forever.”

That’s why his parents locked him up. 

 “They were protecting you.” Blithe concluding. “So how did you get out without assistance from others?”

“So that’s the first time I figured out my potential as a locksmith.” 

He flashed a brilliant smile, somehow charming in a moment. He tried to makes the atmosphere more delightful, rather than makes them more depressed.

“That’s a good gain.” Blithe.

As an android, she believes that childhood memories never exist. But she felt something within her chest after listening to Cornelius’ story, something human called empathy.

 “Your expression makes me forgot that you are an android.” He smirks.

“Is this a compliment?”  

“It is. My friend.” He claimed with his firm eyes. ”And I hope it is.” 

She was stunned. Feeling sudden grief for this boy.

“Blithe?”

No one treats her as a human before. No one could joke with her, telling past stories to her even she might reply with a puzzled look. Most importantly, he wasn’t selfish of his death.

Did he mind that I would kill him after that? She asks herself.

“Blithe?”

She has a sparkle within her head, she asked. “Did you afraid of death?”

Cornelius gave her an odd look and said. “…Once. When the apocalypse changes this world. I think that I’m more afraid of leaving this world knows nothing of it.”

“Don’t it causes by a natural disaster?”

“Just a part of it. “

“How did you be so certain?”

“My father left some record behind when he disappeared. It thinks that something to do with the government.See what had I find.”

He took out an old diary, its from the archive behind them. He used to be reading those content just now before the Tertremo.

[Once, all of this wasn’t the fact before the apocalypse. The earth reaching balance between air, land and ocean. Human was in their civilization succeed and excellence., animals grows well, and plants as refresher to the earth. But greed grows at the same time.

While extreme turns to opposite. Something would be reversed. Human become distrust to each other.

 Someone thinks that natural disaster caused by human. There’s a methodology for it. It comes from a theory called ‘Linkage Effect’20 years ago.

[Wisdom form civilation; civilation promotes greed; greed cause arrogant; arrogant brings destroy.]

The whole world was now a country. Only one government do the say. What they should do is separate each individual apart. They keep thing among the government. While keep the residential simple, remain everyone in standard.]

“But I don’t buy it.” He commented.

“You didn’t agree that its human fault for the apocalypse?”

“I had no denied that it was caused by humans. It doesn’t wrong that Humans keep blaming themselves. But ironically they unwilling to accept it, but just try to cover it. "

"So that's your motivation to keep alive?" Blithe.

"I" ll eager to getting know all of this, rather than death without knowing anything. About this outstretched civilization."

“How about the Ranger? So you know something about the Octal Court?”

She was the greed of this knowledge. Sometimes she found herself striving to know more about this world. 

What has happened before this? And…did I born as a robot?

It’s a fact that she has an inbuilt arm, metal legs. She knows that she owns a chip within her nape. What that keep her moving was an engine, not a pumping heart.

But she just wants to know whether her mind is filled with nerves and cells. Rather than wires and transmitter that made with A.I. setting.

She just wants to know whether she has a soul.

“You really want to know?” Cornelius sense an uncertain hesitation, he gave a comforting smile.

“Even a robot is a thirst for knowledge.”

“Well, don’t sound too surprised.” His glance turns gentle. “Octal Court had lied. They hunted victims.. Not to make an android, but cyborg. They refused to claim it because it leads them into humanism issues.”

Boom, that's her origin. Its unfortunate, but she felt please to have this answer.

Its unfortunate, but she felt pleasant to have it. It’s the first time she things that she wasn’t something from human. She was once born with wish. Someone who expecting on her, will she could grown healthy. Althought later been modified as a cyborg.

“I knew it…I should know it…” Blithe was relieved. She felt something warm forcing out of her left eyes. It’s only applicable to one as another one is artificial. 

“You don’t seem too surprised from it…” 

He doesn’t feel much emotion from her words until he noticed tears rolling from her right cheeks.“W,wait...are you crying?”

“Yes, for the first time...I just want to say thank you.” At least at this time, he finally saw her smile.

She hugged him out of sudden. He was stunned for this. But he felt lucky that the dull light makes his bruise on the face so not so obvious.

“So we are on the same team now? For the following two days. ” 

While he knows they would face challenges soon, those awaits. Anyway, Blithe will always with him since now. 

“Yes. Temporarily for the following two days.”She stressed out.

 “So, why is that timeline mean?” He wondered.

 “Nothing, just a random number.” Blithe lied. 

The timer within her nape keeps Tickling.  

This time Blithe know, she would keep Cornelius alive.