Flowers For The Maiden

Ooh, it's an elevator!

It sure is. What about it?

I love elevators. It's so much fun to go bwoooo up and down and up again!

They move pretty fast, huh? I was really shocked the first time I rode one.

Aww, but the fast is what makes it fun! I wish they went even faster.

...Oh!

Hm?

I can just make them go faster! Then we can ride for hours! We can go up and down and up and down and up and down, super fast!

What?!

Don't worry! I can do it! It's easy! I just have to bee-beep the elevator computer and make it be my friend!

H-hang on! That sounds really dangerous!

Dangerous...?

Yeah. What if moving that fast makes the elevator break down? And if there are other people riding, they could get hurt too.

Aww...getting hurt's not fun... And good girls don't hurt people...

Right. So let's not do that. Okay?

...Okay. I won't.

Phew... Thanks for listening.

But I reeeally wanted to. I think it would have been really fun...

Don't you think so, too?!

......?

We've never gotten to ride the rides at the amusement park, after all. It might have been like one of those, um, roller collers? I wanna go to an amusement park with you someday! Let's ride all the rides a whole lot when we do!

Um, Premaya? Who are you talking to? I don't see anyone...are you talking to that cat around your neck?

Huh? Don't be silly. Mercury kitty doesn't talk.

I figured, but that just raises more questions... Are you talking to a ghost or something like that?

A ghost?! Ghosts aren't real! Don't try to scare me! I was talking to Me! She's been my friend for a really, really long time.

So...you're friends with yourself? I don't think I understand.

Me hasn't answered me for a really long time now...but I know she's always listening to me.

...Yeah, no, I'm not following at all. Are you sure you're not seeing things? I don't know much about machines, but maybe your sensors are broken or something? Are you sure you're okay?

Huh? I'm totally okay! I'm not sick at all and nothing hurts!

No, it's not about hurting, it's... Okay, so she doesn't think anything is wrong. Is that better or worse? I have no idea how to fix this, but I can't just leave her alone... But who's going to know how to fix a cyborg built in a lab from another time layer?

I even just said I'm not sick... If I was sick the Professor would come real quick and fix me. He always does!

Professor...?

Of course! Loah! He's the one who built you, after all. But how am I going to find him? He's probably still in this time layer, at least, but...

You wanna meet the Professor? Hmm... I wonder if we can. He likes to go places all the time... ...Ah! But he said he likes the airport a lot! So he might be there!

The airport? What's there to like about the airport? It's a pretty dangerous place. Well, we don't have any other leads. Might as well check it out.

Hmm, yes, I see, I see. Not much different from ours, but its automatic defensive logic is rather pitiful. Because it hasn't experienced the war, perhaps? That seems plausible...

And it seems our time layer truly is more advanced from a technological standpoint. Hmm. That said, it's far too early to say that they have nothing to teach us. Not until after thorough analysis...

Oh!

Wow, he really is here. What are you doing?

Hmm? Oh. It's you lot. What can I say? I want to check out the guts of this time layer's premier combat machines. Call it my thirst for knowledge.

Lucky for me, the Hunters have left plenty of their scraps around here. I'll have samples for weeks.

Conversely, what are YOU doing here? Do you have some business with me?

Well, yeah, actually. You see...

Professor!!

What is it, Premaya? Why the shouting?

Are you... Are you being mean to them too?! Are you taking them apart too?!

......?

If you want to hurt them, or take their parts away, then I'll, I'll, !

Hey now. I don't know what you've been through, but I think you're misunderstanding something here.

First off, I'm not "being mean." I didn't destroy these units, nor do I intend to steal any of their parts.

Really?

Really, yes. I'm just having a little look-see inside these already destroyed units here.

Already destroyed... Then, they're already dead...?

Hm? Well, they're broken, yeah. So sure, I guess it's like being dead.

No...no, no, no! You can't die! Don't die... That's too sad and scary!

Can't you do something, Professor? Can't you make them better?

...I am a genius, but not even I can do anything about this level of component damage. These units' time has run out. That's all there is to it.

......

All living things have an end, really. That goes for humans as well as for machines. It's not like you knew this Bit, right? This is just how the world is. No need to pay it any mind.

Sniff... Okay...

Honestly, where did you even pick all this up from... Never thought I would see the day. And to think it's been so deeply implanted without any sign of circuit manipulation, hmm...

Anyway. You were saying?

O-oh, right. Yeah, I wanted to ask you about something.

Me? Me specifically?

Well, it's about Premaya, so you're the only one I could think of.

Aah, indeed, that would be a question for me if there ever was one. So? What's going on?

Um, well, how do I explain it... Premaya just suddenly started talking to someone who wasn't there.

...The heck?

Wait, you don't know what it could be either, then? She was talking to herself, almost, but looking around like she saw something.

Misread visual data, maybe? Not entirely impossible, but I built her to be more robust than that.

Aah! You're saying I'm sick again. I told you, I don't hurt anywhere!

And that's good, but you were still acting weirdly... When I asked who she was talking to, she said herself. That has to be something strange going on, right?

I was talking to Me, though! It's normal!

Talking to "Me"...? As in, talking to herself? Or rather, to an entity she acknowledges as herself... But...hmm, no, it couldn't be...

Did you think of something?

Yeah. This "Me" she's talking about is most likely... ...The other Premaya, I would think.

Another Premaya?!

In layman's terms, an alternate personality. She's technically had one since the very beginning. If we look at it from that angle, having another "her" to talk to makes a lot of sense, actually.

Oh, I see!

It's just... If that's the case...

What's the matter? It's not a problem for her, is it?

No, no, likely not. There's just something that catches at me a little. I haven't been part of her oversight since the restructuring. I almost feel, well, sad about that.

In any case, point is that I don't have the up-to-date grasp on Premaya that I used to. It could be time for a checkup.

Checkup...?

Hey, Premaya. You wanna go on a field trip?

A field trip? Where are we going?

...The Xeno-Domain.

Zeno... What's that? Is it a fun place?

It sure is. It's got all kinds of lab equipment you can't find anywhere else, so it's practically paradise. And if we use the equipment right, you might get a chance to meet her... Meet the other you, that is.

You mean, I could meet Me?!

If we're lucky, mind.

Yaaay, I get to meet Me! I really can! I can't wait, oh, I can't wait!

Yay, yaaay!

Is there really a machine in there that will let her meet her alternate personality? Is that possible?

Theoretically, using their equipment. We won't know for sure until we go there and try it out ourselves.

Okay. Premaya's raring to go, too. We might as well head right there.

Wooow! What is this place?! Look at all the funny machines! Are these fun machines? Can I try making them move around?

Uh, you probably shouldn't touch anything, I feel like...

Definitely not. It would take you a hundred lifetimes to pay off the repair fee on any of these babies. To say nothing of what she might do to them with her interference suite...

That's enough horsing around, Premaya. We'll be starting soon.

Boo. Now I'm bored. There's no one here...wasn't Me going to be here? Did you lie, Professor? Only bad guys lie...and bad guys get deleteded.

Hey now, don't go deleting me. If you do that, I can't run the experiment to find your "Me," can I.

Experiment?

We can use the equipment here to look into Premaya's brain and influence it to a degree.

Her brain?! Isn't that dangerous?

Would you prefer we scan her feet? Where are we going to find an alternate personality if not her brain, hmm? Besides, we altered her brain when she first became a cyborg anyway. So this won't be the first time.

I guess not...

Let's see. If things are set up the same way as in our time layer, this should be no problem.

Stick Premaya into that pod there, would you? We'll be putting her brain into suspended sleep. Then we'll force her conscious ego into the lower levels of her mind. If all goes well, she should encounter a representation of her other self down there.

All I want out of it is the data on what happens to her brainwaves when that occurs. Hee hee.

Hmph! Professor, you're talking too much and using too many big words. I don't understand! Are you suuure you're not lying? You really aren't a bad guy?

I'm really not. As for whether you'll actually get to meet her, well... You'll have to get into the pod to find out, won't you?

Is Me in here?!

Not physically, of course not. But you might be able to talk to her inside your head. Want to try it?

Yeah! If I can talk to Me, I'll go in!

Very good. In you go.

M'kay!

Right...let's see how this goes.

Where am I...? It's so quiet. There's no one here... Me? I know you're here. Professor said I could talk to you if I came in here! ...I guess I have to go looking. I'm gonna find you!

There's no one here...

Hey, Me! Where are you? Come out! Let's play together!

I've been good for sooo long! I kept my promise with you, so... C'mon... Let's play again. The way we used to...

Ooh! I got a reply today, too! Me must have wrote it while I was sleeping, I guess...

Um...

Aww, boo, I thought it was fun...

A reward?! Wow! I love rewards. I hope I get one...

Okay! I'll be a good girl. I want the Professor to tell me how good I am and everything!

I've been really, really good. I really have. So, shouldn't I get a reward? Shouldn't I...? ...I'll keep looking. I really... I really wanna meet Me!

She's not here either... Where are you? Can I have a hint?

Me was always really nice. She never used to hide from me...

Oh wow! A plushie! What a cute kitty cat!

I wonder who gave you to me. Maybe the Professor?

...Oh! I got a reward because I was a good girl! Me was telling the truth! Wow! That's so nice!

Huh? Kitty is gone today... But I put her right there.

Ah! There's a letter from Me!

Hide and seek?! That sounds like so much fun! Okay, I'm gonna find you right away, Kitty! I'm gonna win!

Hehe, mission completeted! I win! Okay, now this time I'll hide her! Gotta find some place where Me will neeever look...

Me always gave me a hint when we played hide and seek... She never ever hid Kitty someplace I couldn't find her. So, I'm gonna keep looking. I'm gonna win this game, too!

She's not here... She's not anywhere. But why? I tried really hard. I was so good for so long. This makes no sense.

Why are you ignoring me? Are you never going to write me a letter ever again, ever since then?

Huh? There's no letter today... I wrote a reply like I always do. Did she forget?

What a silly girl. But I'll forgive her, 'cause I'm good!

I'll write another letter and leave it right here! Maybe I'll even get two replies tomorrow.

This is weird... It's been three days and I haven't gotten a single reply.

Hmph! Me was the one who told me to be a good girl in the first place, and now she's being bad herself! Hmph! I don't like her anymore. I won't play with her until she says she's sorry!

No reply today, either...

Um... I'm not mad anymore, okay? I'm sorry I said I don't like you. I do like you a lot, so... Or...or maybe... D-did I do something bad? Did I make you mad instead?

Can you tell me if I was bad? If I was, I'll say sorry. How can I make you be my friend again?

...... Okay. I'll be an even more good girl. I'll be so good that everyone likes me and praises me.

If I'm a good girl, I'll get a reward, right? So... Once I'm a really good girl, let's play again like we used to. It's a promise, okay?

But, I've been waiting for so long, and she never came back...

Are you still mad at me? What did I do? Won't you tell me? It's been so, so long, and we haven't talked at all, or played at all...

...No moving anymore. No talking. No playing. But that's...that's like...

No. No, no, no! No, no...!

Mm... This might not work.

Huh?! What do you mean?

See, if you look at the waveforms here and here, there's...actually, forget it, you wouldn't understand. Suffice to say, if Premaya had found her other personality, things would be happening that I would notice. There's been no notable fluctuation in Premaya's brainwaves. That suggests she hasn't found her other self. In fact, she probably hasn't found much of anything in her subconscious.

But then...

Yeah, this experiment is a failure. It's an expected outcome, but still...

Wait, you didn't think she would find what she was looking for?

Believe me, I was hoping she would, but it was always a long shot.

After all, her other personality was supposed to have disappeared quite a long time ago.

What?!

At the least, that's what all my scans indicated. But when you said Premaya was still talking to her, I thought there might still be a chance... Looks like I guessed wrong. And here I was hoping for a real feel-good, potential-of-humanity result.

I see... So she's been talking to someone who isn't even there, all this time...

What the?! What was that?!

Premaya's vitals haven't dropped, so what's with the alarm? Just maybe...

Ah! The power went out?!

Oh, she's really done it now. And by she, I mean Premaya.

Premaya did this?

Her electronic interfacing ability has affected everything in the room. For her to output this much... It probably wasn't intentional. Something's happened to her in there.

Damn it... Premaya, what's going on?

This isn't good. All the power going to this room has been cut. The pod's backup generator is keeping it functioning, but... If that runs out too, then Premaya will never wake up again.

What?! Is there anything we can do?

She's taken hold of the system from all sides, I'm afraid. Any resolution will have to come from her...

Premaya...!

......

......

This scary thing is your fear of death, made into a monster. It got so big because you're very afraid of it, see? Take deep, deep breaths, and wipe your tears away. Okay?

Chin up, now. Let's show that big bad guy who's boss, together. You'll be okay. I'm right here with you.

See? It's not scary at all anymore. Now, time to finish it!

You did very well. I'm very proud of you.

Now I know you'll be okay on your own. I'm glad we got to talk. I hope... Maybe someday...

Premaya! Thank goodness you're okay.

Your numbers were all over the place for a while there. I thought you were a goner. I'm impressed you were able to pull yourself back together.

She helped me.

She? But who could have...

It was only for a little, but she was there! I saw her! I was scared of death and it was really, really scary... But she... Me came to help me!

You mean, you actually met with your alternate personality?! If that's true...the implications... The ramifications this could have... But no, there's just no way.

There isn't?

I've had my eye on these readouts the whole time, and not once did they record anything funky. Look, I'm a scientist. I go where the data tell me. If it's not in the data, then I can't just believe it. My best guess is that Premaya's brain made a hallucination to comfort her when she was under great stress.

Hmph! I don't tell lies, though!

Haha. Then next time you meet your other self, tell her to give you some hard evidence, okay? Not that it'll exactly be a piece of cake getting evidence from a subjective experience, but hey.

Cake? Do I get cake?! ...No? Hmph! You're mean today, Professor!

Oh boy. Today was a lot of effort for not a lot of results... Though I guess I can't say we're walking away totally empty-handed.

We're not?

Our talk at the airport made it clear that she's started thinking about the concept of death. She even said her rampage was connected to that fear, right? But she was able to overcome it. I had thought she wouldn't be able to grow any further, but it looks like I was wrong. And I'm happy to be.

Yeah...she has a future ahead of her. A bright future, even.

Human or AI, it makes no difference. Feed your brain, nurture it, and there's no limit to what you can do.

At least, that's what I believe. That's the spirit of human potential.

Hey, Me! You can still hear me, right?! I'll be even better! I'll be SUCH a good girl! I'll do my very best!

So, for my reward... I want to see you again, okay?