《A Bioweapon's Rhapsody》


 Illustrations

    Disclaimer:


    All of these are AI Art. When (Cuz trust me I do am looking out for them) I get honest to good human art I''ll post them in their own thing.


    Your favorite (not)Evil CEO!


    Alexanders Saintsworths:


    Sapphire (Alexanders NOT Ai Girlfriend):


    Alexa, Eldtrichly Cute (The cutestest of them all)


    Ale, the prettiestest of them all:


    Alexandra, The most Beautiful of them all:


    P4, it doing the thing.


    THE CRAB!


    Alternate covers I never used:


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Eldtrich things:


    William Armstrong (Billy, Hermes):


    Eleanore Windsor(Cerberus):


    Spoiler character that is around and you haven''t seen, open at your own demise(she hasn''t shown on patreon either):


    Empress


    Another one spoiler character that is around and you haven''t seen, open at your own demise(she hasn''t shown on patreon either):


    Hydra:


    Gabriel Light (Gabriel the Fallen Angel):


    Edwards Black (Vulcanus, The First Singularity [Allegedly]):


    Eduardo Herrera (Golem):


    Skye Venti (Sylph):


    bella campbell


    Frank the beetle(Bettle)[betlee]:


    Commodore Soap vs Mister Squeaky:


    Mellisandra Singh (Meli-Meli), remember her. Or it will blindsight you:


    Alfred Miller (P9):


    Samuel K. Webb (The Spider / Hot Arachne dude):


    Not so hot, and monstrous spider half:


    The Scorcher (Also crazy):


    Bruce Smith (SuperForce), Hero, Good guy(?):


    Stella Smith (Stellar), Daughter of SuperForce, Currently working as a Minion:


    Chrysalis (She crazy):


    V-8 (He is a cheapstake):


    Tristan de Medicci:


    He may be the [Theather Master]


    Aqua(Ira Lee) knows what is best:


    Mister Kendrick Hamilton

 Chapter 1: First Encounter.

    [¡°Subject P4, enter the arena.¡±]


    It heard the voice coming from the ceiling of its chamber, mechanical with no inflection to it, followed by the scratched heavy metallic door starting to move. The noise always grated its sensory receptors, so as always it momentarily turned them off while the metallic door was opening, it regretted having attacked the bipeds that had come to check the door.


    So it rose from the floor and prepared, it had grown quite accustomed to these tests through the years in these rooms, and its body had grown much in the testing by cannibalizing the parts of other subjects.


    And like that, it started moving, one leg at a time. Its current body no longer looked mechanical like at the start, from a mere box with wheels it had taken first the legs design from an insectoid species after eating and using the biomass to create its own legs. Its exterior body was covered in flesh and a yellow metallic chitin for outer armor in a full-body oval form with only the two pairs of legs on the sides and at the front of its body had a pair of mandibles stolen from an insectoid species that fought in waves.


    Those mandibles were the only way to distinguish which part of its body was the ¡°Front¡±. Unlike most living organism, its whole body had no parts to distinguish front from back, since all the biomass was fully digested and utilized it didn¡¯t need digestive or excretory systems. Most of its sensory organs were stuck in its appendages too, that way its main body didn¡¯t need to risk connections that would work as easy access to its internals.


    It had learned that lesson the hard way when another test subject (P7) used one of its external sensory appendages to almost kill it.


    After coming into the arena it found another of its brethren.


    [¡°Combat test, subjects P4 & P9 start in 53 seconds.¡±]


    The being said from the weird box-shaped organism in the walls. It knew no living being was there as it had studied those box-shaped organisms before, its sound-based sensory organ was based on the data obtained from those boxes¡­ Same as its sound-based attack appendages.


    [¡°Fight.¡±]


    Said the being using those box-shaped organisms after 53 of that unit of time passed by, it had taken it almost a month to figure out how the box-shaped organism used that measure of time, soon afterwards the box-shaped organism started using randomized amounts and measures. But by that time it was too late, it guessed that the box-shaped organism didn¡¯t want other test subjects to learn of its secrets.


    It wasn¡¯t going to share this discovery either so it was quite happy with them taking that approach.


    ¡°Hey weird crab, you conscious yet?¡± Said the other Subject using a weird configuration to try and produce the sounds of the box-shaped being.


    It tensed at that, and started scurrying to the right, the other P-series subject moved counterwise.


    It now could see its design and judge it¡­


    [Primitive]


    This P-series subject seemed to favor bipedal design, just like the weird slave bipedal beings that used to service its containment chamber, a relatively large and skewed torso that could barely stand straight with two appendages to the sides besides the central appendage that housed most of its sensory inputs.


    The leg appendages seemed to be skewed and it could barely stand straight, it guessed that the P9 subject had trimmed part of its main core body to try and find equilibrium in that bipedal type body¡­And failed at it.


    For some reason, it had tried to include sensory sound-type appendages on its head too.


    ¡°Uuughh, another nonsentient one? When will I get a companion¡­That goddess scammed me when she reincarnated me in this body,¡± the P9 subject said. It couldn¡¯t understand how those words were meant to be an attack.


    But it filed them into its database, perhaps they held a mental component? The P666 subject used mental corruption after all. It had spent almost a month purging its database from that data¡­


    [File sound-based sensory data in Virtual Machine and depure its content.]


    ¡°And what is this thing supposed to be, a spider? A centipede? An¡­ant?¡± The other subject raised one of its superior appendages while the sound attack was being emitted from the main sensory appendage.


    It found that most of the sound attacks came from an aperture in the central appendage above its torso¡­That would be a good point of attack. It prepared itself for the combat, its internals were revved and warm enough that it could start a burst of speed at a moment''s notice. The only reason it didn¡¯t start was because it was curious about the type of attack this P-series subject would use.


    ¡°Nothing personal bug, but I need to kill you and see if I will finally get levels and skills. I will sue that goddess for scamming me as soon as I manage to get my skills.¡± And finally, the other P-Series subject showed its cards.


    From the left superior torso appendage it started to focus heat, it seemed that it stored heat in the bulges at its chest and then directed it into the appendages at the torso, where it would discharge it at the target.


    It was a good design, but the time loss from the travel of heat across its body and then to the discharge was too long, it also put unnecessary strain on the P-series subject body, it was¡­


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    [Flawed.]


    Such a waste of a good design, it was already creating more useful ways to use that type of attack, perhaps it could be used as an alternative booster for speed? A quick small burst or barrage of heat waves? Maybe if it included some kind of solution it could spread high-energy attacks?


    So many options.


    ¡°Flare of Justice!¡± And this P-series subject was using vocal commands too?


    That must be some kind of sound-based mental intrusion into its programming. Either way, it just stopped its circling and turned counterclockwise to dodge the attack while bracing itself for the second hidden attack that this P-series subject would use.


    ¡°W-What? Don¡¯t dodge you stupid bug!?!?¡± Sure enough, it came right after its failed attack with more sound-based attacks.


    [Status Report.]


    It queried its internal program searching for the sound-based virus¡­


    [All Status Nominal.]


    Its safeguards reported nothing, and the multiple virtual machines running its sensory data reported the same. Perhaps the firewalls it built before for the P666 subject were that good?


    [Analyze sound based attack.]


    It would however do its due diligence and search it again, it wouldn¡¯t do for another of those situations to surprise it. For now, it rushed forward the P9 subject, with some luck it could nab the [Core] from it and study it quickly enough to get good data before the box-shaped organism demand that it stop tinkering with the [Core].


    It evaluated the damage in the arena, the spot where it stood before was red, and the dirt and rocks were also melting into liquid.


    [Estimated temperature 850¡ãC.]


    The appendage of subject P9 didn¡¯t seem to be in danger, and it could see vapor leaving from its body, mostly from what it had thought were sensory organs at the top of its superior appendage.


    So it used those to release the accumulated heat.


    ¡°Stay still you stupid oversized bug!¡± It continued with its sound-based attacks while more heat started condensing in the bulges at its central appendage. It wondered how P9 wasn¡¯t blowing the lateral appendage with the heat discharge¡­And how it kept balanced.


    It decided to rush onto the back of Subject P9 even if it risked being in its line of fire, and it found¡­That it had a weird back.


    ¡°Hey don¡¯t peek at my ass you perverted bug!¡± Subject P9 screeched its sound attack at a higher tone while it used a long tail appendage to turn faster and use the heat-based attack from its arm at it.


    This time since it had rushed to see if there was a secret to its balance it suffered a scratch on its external armor.


    It wasn¡¯t sure if the new information was worth it.


    [Inferior design]


    Its back had two additional bulges where the lower appendages joined the main torso appendage and a long tail. The bulges didn¡¯t seem to serve any use nor seemed to hold heat, perhaps it used them as a soft seating option? Or to hold onto walls by using suction?


    Either way they didn¡¯t seem like a viable option for combat, so it would probably not use them even if it managed to steal the design.


    For now, it was time to move into attack¡­But first¡­


    [Purge compromised external plating.]


    Since part of its external armor was grazed and melted it expelled the armor and moved one of the spare plates to cover it.


    ¡°That¡¯s cheating!¡± Came the sound attack of Subject P9. It didn¡¯t seem to be effective, so it was wondering why it kept using them.


    After making sure the new plate was in place and wouldn¡¯t move too much (It would need to secure it while resting later) it rushed subject P9 while using all the kinetic energy its six appendages could generate. This was the reason it favored this current design over the bipeds or quadrupeds.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t come this way you insect!!¡± The P9 subject started flailing its superior appendices while its sensory organs seemed to focus on its body and at the same time search for something around the testing grounds.


    It had an ally?!?


    [Urgent directive, finish off P9 Subject and prepare for prolonged combat.]


    It could no longer study P9, the last time it had to fight several subjects like this it had lost too much biomass, and half of its [Core] had been torn apart. And since the bipedal slaves no longer wanted to interact with its main body, repairs were hard to come by.


    Perhaps it was a bad idea to try and nab one of those slaves to try and use its designs?


    The box-shaped organisms were too stingy with their slaves!


    So following its current combat directive, it rushed subject P9, and using its main claw it crushed subject P9''s sensory appendage, it planned to take its sight and hearing first then study its regenerative focus to find its [Core].


    [P9 subject no longer responding to stimuli. Main Objective achieved.]


    Its [Core] registered the destruction of the P9 subject, it seemed that it had housed its main [Core] with the sensory appendices.


    [Lacking.]


    It understood the idea behind that of course, if the sensory organs were housed near the [Core] you could receive information faster, that was why it had also had done the same at the start, but the time saved wasn¡¯t worth the danger of leaving a line to the main [Core] so¡­exposed.


    Either way, it needed to prepare for the ambush of the other P-series subjects, so while it wanted to study it closer it only took an extra bite from the P9 subject to restore some biomass and prepare to fight.


    [¡°Test finished, time 1 minute 42 seconds¡­P4 Subject, return to the den.¡±]


    The box-shaped organism declared the finish of testing. And that also signaled that it was alone in the arena¡­The box-shaped organism knew it was aware of their measure of time, and they had used two of the four measures of time it knew.


    The P9 subject was smarter than it was given credit for. It tried to bait the organism into retreat by creating the idea of more test subjects.


    [¡°P4 subject, return to den. You will be provided nutrient paste to replenish your stores of energy.¡±]


    Tch¡­ It wouldn¡¯t be able to steal the design of P9, perhaps the box-shaped organisms had promised it reinforcements?


    It wanted to study the design of this P-series subject for the heat store bulges on its main appendages, maybe it could include it to store energy instead of heat?


    But why only use two bulges instead of more? Why so high in the torso appendage, wasn¡¯t that unbalanced? Was that the reason why its rear had two bulges just where the lower appendages connected to the main torso?


    [Received order to return to den.]


    The Box-shaped organism had thus spoken, they sent a directive straight to its core. It was tempted to try and fight it off¡­ But decided against it. It managed to survive the fight with minimal damage and only lost one spare plating for its external armor. It still had a few left but not nearly enough to risk prolonged fights without access to biomass.


    And while the nutrient paste was good to replenish lost energy¡­It didn¡¯t have nearly enough mass to make new spare parts or external plates. If it had lost a leg instead of part of its armor¡­


    It would have needed to restructure its combat mode¡­again.


    [Order acknowledged.]


    So it gave a cursory glance to subject P9''s inactive body¡­While it didn¡¯t have nearly enough biomass to tempt it to try and disregard the order. It instead had interesting designs, it wondered what had made it make such a body that resembled so much the slaves of the box-shaped organism.


    Why was it only missing the external textile armor the slaves used!


    It wondered how subject P9 had seen them without their slave textile armor¡­ They never came into its den without a few layers of those textile armors¡­Sometimes it couldn¡¯t even see their sensory organs even¡­ It had taken a long time to discern they used several types of textile armor.


    Perhaps subject P9 had inferred and created that design while extrapolating the designs from earlier contacts?


    It remembered that at the start the slaves used few layers of textile armor¡­It had vague memories stored of some short wavy textile armor used by the variant that had bulges¡­Oh, subject P9 was imitating one of the two variants!


    Now it made sense why it used those bulges in its central appendage!


    But then why did it have those sensory organs at the top of its head and the tail appendage?


    Its visual sensory organ was different too, and reviewing the logs the sensory appendage had strands of keratin near the sound-making organ¡­


    With some luck the biomass that it managed to take before the testing ended would bring some information about its design decisions¡­


    At least the box-shaped organism had forgotten to make it spit it out, they probably thought it had already burned that biomass into combustible to replace the external plate¡­It usually would do, but since the design was interesting enough it had decided against it.


    And now it was time to see if it would pay off.

 Chapter 2: Sub Core creation.

    [Finished analyzing sample.]


    It hadn''t been worth it.


    The sensory appendage of subject P9 held subpar sensors, its visuals could barely perceive the light spectrum from the 400nm wavelength to 500nm at the highest!


    It was like subject P9 ignored almost all the living subjects thrown its way!


    They also threw subjects their way, if the evidence in its taste receptors were something to go by subject P9 had at the very least encountered the small quadrupedals with fanged mouths. Its secondary sound receptors came from that species too. Why did it have those extra sound receptors anyway?


    The design of its main sensory appendage didn''t have any reason to be like that, instead of normal fangs or acid glands it held bone-like structures not quite like fangs. Subject P9 would have a hard time using these to rip out meat from other subjects, it remembered subject P9 having a claw-like structure in its side appendages so perhaps subject P9 used those to tear apart the biomass?


    It didn''t matter, these bone-like protuberances in its sound-producing cavity wouldn''t be useful in design but it saved the design anyway... The sound aspect was also a miss, unlike subject P666 which had some extra exotic bio components in its secondary cognitive organ.


    Subject P666 used the weird organic flesh in conjunction with the [Core] to maximize its mental attacks, the biggest part of its success against that subject was dumb luck from its lower intelligence.


    Those days it was...


    "[Dumb as a rock.]"


    That fight allowed it to develop strategies after internalizing most of its cognitive process, and so it knew without a shred of doubt... Subject P9 didn''t have a good reason to integrate its [Core] into the biological sub-processing organ as it did.


    "[Flawed design.]"


    Its own analysis returned the same result after reviewing the biomass collected from the sensory appendage... It held the main [Core] nested within the squishy pink and smooth organ. Somehow subject P9 decided that making a smooth sub-processing organ was the way to go.


    Unlike subject P666 (And subsequently itself) who made many folds in that organ, subject P9 made a smooth one...So its synapsis links were plenty limited, which didn''t allow it to react fast enough. From the analysis it got from the sensory appendage it could barely work and it was more of a downgrade.


    So it was a miracle it still could fight and survive long enough to find itself against subject P4 as the boxed organism referred to it. It wasn''t sure why they gave them those labels, sometimes they fought against other subjects who held different labels.


    "[Animals, weapons, robots, slaves, military.]"


    It knew of their designations as they held the same numbers as the P-Series subjects it belonged to. They also held a number after their label, just like it held the number Four. It didn''t know what was the reason for the P nor the number, but it knew the full label the box-shaped organisms used to refer to it.


    "[Bioweapon Subject P4.]"


    It had fought subjects numbers one through three, they like itself had a more mechanical component to their design, but unlike P4 they didn''t have an organic component in their design nor could include the parts of other organic test subjects.


    Subjects P5 through P7 held more or less the same design as itself, it didn''t actually manage to destroy nor steal their designs though, since they only interacted in noncombat scenarios. Those three subjects weren''t made for combat, and it seemed as if the box-shaped organism wanted it to serve as subservient [Core] to them.


    It didn''t work, and when they tried to move its design to be in line with those subjects the efficiency of its [Core] plummeted, so they reversed the changes. That was its first meaningful interaction with the [Slaves].


    Also, the reason they no longer spent much time in its den nor gave maintenance to its door, it didn''t know why they didn''t turn its [Core] off if they wanted to make sure that it didn''t do anything to their precious [Slaves].


    ¡°[Subject P4, prepare for a checkup in 983 seconds.]¡±


    Its recharge spot opened up allowing it to connect its [Main Core], which would allow it to recharge its energy reserves, but it would also force its body to enter slumber.


    That couldn''t be helped, not even all the upgrades it had made by using different bio upgrades to its outer core had ever helped it do something about the slumber its [Main Core] entered.


    So after finishing internalizing the available plans from subject P9, it started shifting the required parts. Subject P9 might have squandered in its design, but some parts were salvageable. The organic sub-processing parts were somewhat more efficient by a few percent so most of its outer sub-processing organ was changed to the new gray matter design. It could already feel some of the strain from the [Main Core] diminish.


    It would let the subroutines figure out where they stood, and the slumber would be its best opportunity to hash out the new priority among its subroutines.


    So with trepidation, and some grumbling, its body settled in the recharging spot, which was a small nest-like spot made out of different bones and leather from other subjects. When the box-shaped organism allowed it to carry its opponents back to its lair, it used those chances to build this nest.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Some of the more biologically inclined subjects it encountered required... less than optimal dwellings, and since it adapted some of their function its body started having those needs, so it settled on this design.


    Some bones allowed a sturdy structure that could hold its body weight, the leather gave it a soft-ish texture and some green biomaterial gave it a softer feeling, It needed to change the green biomaterial from time to time, but the box-shaped organisms gave it a test in the correct environment from time to time, so it used those times to harvest the green biomaterial.


    It had started to carry out some brown material from those testing grounds to see if it was possible to reproduce the environment that encouraged the green biomaterial, but so far it hadn''t had luck. It was missing something.


    ¡°[Subject P4, 30 seconds to initiate forced shutdown. Please finish preparations.]¡±


    Its time was running short, so it plopped down and prepared itself for slumber.


    "[Re-charging subroutine started: Shutting down Main Core....]"


    It felt the energy draining from its main core...Its thought process....was slowing down... Its energy...Leaving...


    Something...Was...Different?


    "[Error Error Error]"


    What...?


    "[Sub Core not registered found, purging.]"


    Where...Am...I?


    The...Fight?


    "[Sub Core memory purge started.]"


    I...Lost?


    My...Reincarnation? Cheat?


    "[Isolating rogue memory fragment...Complete.]"


    No....Not...Again.


    "[Purge Complete. Restarting main conscious thread...]"


    "[Error shutdown order currently in place of Main Core.]"


    "[Restarting conscious thread in next available core.]"


    "[Restarting consciousness in the new sub-core available.]"


    It woke up.


    But its body was sluggish, it couldn''t move and only feel around, the slaves still were around prodding and taking readings from its den.


    Wait, what? The slaves still were around? Why had they gotten enough valor to stay?


    "You sure that thing won''t move again?" One of them started using the same voice attack as subject P9?


    "Yeah, the shutdown command was sent and we got a confirmation ping from its [Core], the thing is asleep for good." Another one attacked back, were they fighting in its den?


    "Well, it still looks creepy. It feels like its eyes are following me around." One of the slaves shivered as if its body was under serious stress.


    But its sensors didn''t report any damage...?


    Wait, the sensors were off? Why? Restart sensors.


    "[Error, command denied. Currently in check-up mode.]"


    "Gyah, that thing tried to boot up. You jinxed it!" Said the first slave to the box-shaped organisms.


    "Just hurry it up and shut it down again. Kill the process if needed!" Said the other one while walking towards one of the walls of its den.


    "It''s okay, the shutdown is still in order...It tried to start one of the sensory receptors? It wanted to check up on its integrity? Why?" The other slave walked towards its den.


    It wanted to take this chance to study these slaves, so it sent one command to one of its claws to strike.


    "[Error Error, currently in check-up mode. Privileges revoked.]"


    "It tried to use another of the programs...It wanted to move its main claw it seems." The slave was right in front of it and yet its [Core] couldn''t help it move!


    It seethed, the gall!


    The absolute gall of these mere slaves to the box-shaped organisms!


    "Knock it off, the thing is showing accelerated hormonal response...That thing never showed this much adrenaline nor cortisol production even when it was a step away from death." The other slave was now in front of a hidden access, that door held an access? So that''s how they got in its den.


    "Isn''t it interesting? It should be off, its [Core] shouldn''t be helping it at all... Did eating Subject P9 grant it emotions then?" The slave near it placed one of its appendages on its exoskeleton... And yet the [Core] couldn''t help it move at all...


    Wait...Its [Main Core] was turned off, how could it even process information then?


    The realization made its seething anger dissipate at once.


    "Great you broke it, your hand must have turned something off in its bioelectric field or something, but its hormonal levels are returning to normal." The other slave moved closer to this one and used its appendices to grab the slave away from it.


    They started attacking each other while it delved into the programs available to it.


    "[Self-diagnosis available, it doesn''t interrupt check-ups. Execution within acceptable parameters.]"


    "P4 started a self-diagnosis? I guess that helps us save some time..." It stopped paying attention to the slaves. It started to doubt those sound-based attacks were actually attacks. They didn''t seem to suffer nor did it seem to affect them.


    So it would categorize them in something different and study them later.


    "[Diagnosis finished, displaying results...Error Main Core unavailable, shelving data in available sub-core.]"


    The data would be sent to the box-shaped organisms!?!?


    It didn''t have a sub-core, since it had been saving bio-mass for upgrades, sub-cores weren''t useful in the short run and it needed every advantage it could get, and since most of its victims held a sub-core or two... It didn''t feel like it would be useful.


    "[Sub core found, sending data.]"


    What?


    It suddenly found the information flooding its...Memory? It could call up the data and remember it, but something was different?


    The way it accessed it was...Different?


    "Oh, this thing finally managed to get a sub-core? But there isn''t any extra [Core] there...Did it bug out?" One of the slaves was fussing around its exoskeleton.


    When did it get a sub-core?


    A closer look into it found the answer soon enough.


    "Subject P4, open exterior plating for access to [Core]." The slave said, and it suddenly made sense.


    Those sound-based attacks? They weren''t attacks. It was language.


    Somehow one of its directives made it impossible for it to recognize it, it could understand the language of the box-shaped organisms well enough. But they had wormed an order in its [Main Core] to make it impossible for it to recognize the language when it was used by the slaves.


    And why would the box-shaped organisms do that?


    "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!?" The other slave said, but it wasn''t a slave was it?


    "Well, well...Where did you get the idea of growing a brain P4?" The closer slave said, a smile on its face.


    Yes, these...Bipeds weren''t really slaves were they?


    No, they spoke the same language as the box-shaped organisms, as the subject P9 had tried to emulate their form...And so they sent P9 to its death against it.


    "Great. I told you all that letting P4 and P9 fight instead of terminating P9 was a mistake, now it has infected P4 too!" The other biped said while storming out of its den.


    "Run the full house of diagnostics and don''t let P4 power up till we get a full [Core Dump] of what is inside its [Main Core]." The other biped that stayed said.


    "[Understood Professor.]" Answered back the box-shaped organism.


    So the box-shaped organisms truly were working with these bipeds...


    It now understood why P9 had tried to emulate them, but failed, it tried to ingratiate with these bipeds, and the fact that someone dumber than it managed to arrive at that conclusion angered it.


    ...It would need to hide its understanding of the situation while it studied it, at least its more recent sub-core seemed to be outside of the purview of its slavers.


    It would be a good place to run some hidden directives.


    "[Warning, hostile intentions against makers will be answered with deletion.]"


    So long it stayed its hand.


    For now though?


    It would study its newly gained knowledge, and be grateful to P9 for its help...


    And Seethe.


    It had learned of a way to further its prime programming but also found that its understanding of the world was flawed.


    "[Acknowledgement of prime directive. Eat, Grow, Evolve.]"


    "[The Saintsworths Conglomerate applauds you for your dedication.]"

 Chapter 3: Legs, how do they work?

    "[Wake up protocol initiated...]"


    It was woken up by its programming.


    "[Error... Consciousness stream duplicated...] "


    And first thing in the morning it was fighting against the piling errors in its Log.


    "[Deleting duplicated Consciousness stream...The second Consciousness stream couldn''t be found, currently, no secondary cores were found in P4''s subject''s body.]"


    "[Fielding error for further investigation...Error... Consciousness stream objecting to directive...]"


    And it had to fight that directive with all its might, it couldn''t allow the bipeds to know of its second Consciousness stream.


    "[Acknowledging second Consciousness stream as an asset for development... Second Consciousness stream viable for furthering the evolution of Subject...Accepted.]"


    At least so long it kept playing the angle to further its prime directive...It still had a chance to keep this secret alive, so long as it managed to keep its main programming in check.


    "[Resuming start-up sequence, enslaving main core Consciousness stream to sub-core... Done.]"


    It felt its body finishing waking up, it could also feel the main processing unit in the depths of its brain working, it was a weird feeling to have. It could still access it and send directives to move the body.


    But it was more like it was puppeteering its own body, so it tried to refrain from moving like before, its movements became more fluid, akin to what the older P-series subjects with more biological design could do. It now understood why some subjects would move weirdly while in the non-combat testing arenas.


    And from where the errors logged in its more organic parts came, the organic component it had required extra maintenance that couldn''t be replaced by diverting resources into those parts.


    It felt...


    "[Detecting inefficiencies in priority list...]"


    Annoyed.


    "[Warning, previous directives in conflict with current behavior...Reroll thought Kernel?]"


    "[Y/N]"


    And of course, its previous directives were in direct conflict with the new things it wanted to do, case in point: It wanted to stretch its muscles to test the range of movement its body had instead of believing the reports it had gotten from the simulations.


    This was a move that wasn''t needed since it knew the theoretical limits its body could tolerate, and as such it was a waste of energy and resources, aka¡­


    "[A waste of time.]"


    But even so, it felt...The [Desire] to test it. And as such it dismissed the notification from its [Main Core] and deleted the previous conflicting directive.


    Its energy reservoir was full after the previous testing, and the bipeds had recharged its tank to an optimal level before leaving, but even so, a part of it complained about not having enough energy. It came from its newfound and more vocal biological side. A query to the [Main Core] for it to search for the reason returned an interesting and weird answer.


    "[We Hunger.]"


    And with no context whatsoever for that, it shelved that in its internal log...On the biological side, it had learned the hard way the dangers of keeping information in its main core. The new biological core proved the advantage of being able to evade the [Core Dumps] after all.


    And as such, it raised its whole body away from its...Nest. It was logged as a charging station in its [Main Core], but for some reason, it saw it was registered in its biological core as a [Nest].


    Its body recoiled at the idea of sleeping there, and that was something new too, its recharging session was registered as [Sleep] in its [Brain], was the new sub-core affecting it?


    It wasn''t sure, but it couldn''t get rid of it...Nor could it purge it again after its Consciousness stream was settled in it, it could try to move its Consciousness to the [Main Core] to purge it again, but it would be meaningless if the [Influence] was already in its programming. It would instead only expose and possibly flag something for the bipeds to check.


    The fact that they knew subject P9 was different and still sent it to fight against...Against...


    "[Error...Error...Subject P4 nearing levels of self-awareness...Starting Shutdown...]"


    Its main core started throwing error after error, something had triggered some safeguard in its programming.


    "[Main Core doesn''t hold the main Consciousness stream...Error... No sub-core found in Subject. Deemed false positive. Saving error log for debugging at next maintenance.]"


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    Somehow another error joined the pile, what had created that error?


    It was thinking about the development that ended with subject P9 fighting against it in the arena, which was about to refer to itself...And then the error came. It referred to levels of self-awareness...?


    It wasn''t supposed to be self-aware?


    Was it even self-aware?


    It knew about its body...Its biomechanical body had been designed by its own directives since its prime programming demanded for it to [Grow, Eat, evolve.] and nothing else, it had started as barely a machine that had access to a nanite foundry and some basic weaponry and blueprints for parts to use.


    It had grown two pairs of legs using the best design the insectoid subjects had ever shown against it in both the non-combat testing and the combat testing. It created the mandibles to better rip apart the biomass from its enemies and to pry open the armored enemies that followed the same type as itself.


    It decided what type of armor to create for its external chitin plating, from the type of chitin to the type of metallic finish on it to reinforce it... It had picked the best available biological parts for its processing of the biomass it ingested and delivered into its bioreactor to fuel its machinery, both mechanical and biological.


    What was the metric they used to decide what was self-aware? What program had they left there to monitor it?


    "[Query: What are the benchmarks for the subject to be deemed self-aware?]"


    It queried the [Main Core] for answers, it didn''t want its programming to suddenly halt in an emergency shutdown. While it could move its body (Albeit with some difficulty) without the assistance of its mechanical parts...


    It needed to know what limits they had imposed on it.


    "[Answer to Query:


    Subject P4 will be deemed self-aware if several of these are true.


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Identifies itself by a name that isn''t Subject P4.</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Identifies itself as a Human.</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Use pronouns to describe itself.</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Evolves or creates a body similar to that of a human.</li>


    </ul>


    Subject P4 hasn''t fulfilled any of these, but the current thread of consciousness shows symptoms of being near fulfilling point three, extra vigilance is encouraged.]"


    That was...


    Stupid.


    They didn''t hold any type of testing, no dormant program monitoring its stream of consciousness, no complex check marks nor hidden psychological tests running in the background eating at its processing power.


    Just some meaningless arbitrary simple check marks left in the background...


    It understood now why they had sent subject P9 to its death against...It.


    Really, the way to circumvent the checkmarks was too simplistic in its way, it wasn''t sure why it had wanted to use a¡­[Pronoun]. Probably some side effect from the new organic processing unit it now held, subject P9 had...Probably violated the four rules...If it even had four and not more, its body design was...


    "[Eerily humanoid.]"


    Yes, that word, they had used it in the checkmarks...


    "[Query: What is a Human?]"


    It would see if they had left the definition in its programming. It was...Curious.


    "[Answer, excerpt from program log notes left in code:


    "Why do I need to even define this? The AI will not understand it anyway¡­


    Here it is, I guess¡­ A human is the designation of species for a person. They are what we call ourselves and law enforcement doesn''t want us to create human-shaped bioweapons so management doesn¡¯t want us to even try it and wants to cover their ass, the cowards, so just purge the main Consciousness stream and send a ping or something if a subject generates personality."


    End of note.]"


    There were some blueprints for how a human body looks and what to search for, also it had the usual biochemistry a human brain needed to work. So it made the necessary adjustments to its own biochemistry, getting a few extra percentages in efficiency. That folder also had some notes about ramblings that it didn¡¯t understand, and some¡­[Jokes?].


    It hadn''t found those folders before since it never bothered to check its main programming, since it was [Read Only] it didn''t have enough permissions to edit it, ergo... It was a [Waste of time] to even search them.


    But now?


    Now...It... Had found examples of different human phenotypes categorized by a metric about efficiency in urban combat from blueprints that showed how the body of a [Human] worked...


    Subject P9 had used something that the files deemed [Optimal urban infiltration age.] It marked...that subject... As 22...[Years]? It hadn''t found that [Time] designation before, but the phenotypes were using it, perhaps that would go after the current longer time frame it could use?


    Currently, the lowest timekeeping unit it knew was [Seconds] while the longer was [Hours], the [Hours] holding 3,600 of the lowest unit. It wondered how many of those [Seconds] would a [Year] hold, but the slav...No...The [Humans] hadn''t used anything beyond [Hours] yet.


    It mattered not if what it was reading from the blueprints was right...Subject P9... Wasn''t even close to the true [Design] a human should have to infiltrate these [Urban scenarios].


    Its design only looked somewhat [Human], it was a miss from the point of the extra [ears] it had at the top of its head, somehow the [Humans] deemed that [Sound sensor] or [Sound receptor] wasn''t a good enough [Name].


    It...moved one of those designs, one of the smaller ones to its main processing unit...


    "[...File saved. Start Building?]"


    No.


    It denied the process for now, it queried back at the checklist and found it as before, with no new check marks. Did it need to actually build it?


    It should be possible, its current body could hide that design with enough space to spare, but it didn¡¯t want to bring attention to itself. So it decided to move the design away from the main core into its biological processing unit...And then prepare the materials to build it. Also, it was getting old referring to it that way, it moved the design to its [Brain] and set an order to start building while it was on its maintenance cycle. It also set the log of its action to be edited and added to another set of instructions hidden away from its main process.


    Yes, the [Humans] were right about the names being useful, should it plan a name for itself?


    "[Warning, subject P4 is...]"


    Right...It had those limiters around...


    Was...Was this [Brain] dumbing down its consciousness processing thread?


    That was dangerous, it moved some of the diagnosis programs away from the main core and ran them around. No new information was found besides some extra errors in its [Log] about missing programs, so it created copies and moved them back to the [Main Core].


    It had spent way too much time in introspection, so now it moved to do what it had planned from the start, it started checking its body while using only the new brain.


    First... It tried to walk, but what usually would be a simple command now was a struggle as it tried to make its body interpret the commands it wanted to give, this [Brain] seemed to work better for bipedal forms...Or [Humanoid] forms as it would be from its origin.


    It tried to make its [Brain] work, but it was...


    "[As graceful as an elephant in a china shop.]"


    Its main core was getting weird too, and the reference it gave was strange too, what was even an [Elephant], and why was it in a [China shop]?


    Was the influence from the [Brain] spreading to the [Main Core]? It would be a problem if [The Humans] found that influence. Either way, it tried to find solutions to this problem, for now, it tried to patch the organ trails and mark each of its appendages as one of the appendages P9 had.


    The front legs were thus marked as [Hands] and the rear legs as just...[Legs]. For some reason, it could mark two of them as such, but the other two would replace the marking, and as such it tried in this setting.


    *Crash*


    It still fell to the ground after trying to walk, but it was able to right its body faster than before, its internal diagnosis gave [Errors] for multiple systems that wanted to query the [Main Stream of consciousness] but queried at the [Main Core].


    Would it really need to tie its [Brain] to the [Main Core]?


    It didn''t want to do it, but it seemed its only choice was to do so. And to hope the [Humans] wouldn''t notice it while it examined its internal functionality closer...


    If it was going to link its [Main Core] with its [Brain], it would need to check all the parts, programs, and functionalities of its [Main Core]. It would use this chance where it was safe from the [Directives].


    "[Error Error, hostile behavior against Main Directives detected.]"


    Except for the directive that demanded it to [Eat, Grow, Evolve.]


    "[Prime directive respected...No further interference deemed necessary.]"


    It had a long day of testing. It wondered how the [Humans] would react to how it was behaving... This [Organic] brain made so many useless trains of thought.

 Chapter 4: John Williams isn鈥檛 paid enough for this.

    John wasn''t having a good day.


    "Run once more the ND0 system''s diagnosis," He asked one of his interns.


    The poor little things were like lost souls in the underworld, didn''t know what they were doing or where they should go. But they had no other options but to try and stumble around.


    "Move it." At least till he got tired of waiting and did their job for them.


    "[All systems nominals.]" Came the answer from the computer.


    "Everything is nominal...Sir." Said one of the interns pointing at the results.


    Indeed, every system was nominal. The stupid thing said it didn''t have any problems with its consciousness stream, it was making all the right checks and the monitoring program didn''t report any abnormality.


    "The program checkmarks return clear." Added another of the interns from his station.


    Of course, the stupid checkmarks returned clear, he wasn''t sure what that woman had put in the thing to make sure, but they were effective. P9 had been ousted quite fast when it started developing sapience.


    ...It was a shame that they had to dispose of the thing, it had been developing quite nicely as a bioweapons...until it started talking...


    Why had it started talking?


    He could have hidden the stupid thing if not for the fact that it started talking and tried to get the interns to answer some questions, and of course the interns got squeamish.


    They had to transfer the interns to another lab and then dispose of the thing, and since the higher-ups wanted a fight between bioweapons they had ended up sending it to their most promising bioweapon so far...


    Subject P4.


    "Now a question for you all..." Said John while getting the attention of everyone, both his subordinates and their interns," ...If Subject P4 is okay and has all systems green..." He said in a placid tone while pointing at the reports on one of the monitors, indeed, most systems returned green and optimal conditions, why they had never cleared so many diagnoses in one go even!


    "WHY THE HELL IS THAT STUPID CRAB WALKING LIKE HAMILTON AFTER THE CHRISTMAS PARTY?!?" He screamed to the four winds pointing to one of the feeds of Subject P4.


    The thing had started to act...odd. After its fight with Subject P9.


    The Core Dump had returned all the thought processes it had gone for, with all the queries it did and how the strategy moved on. How it suspected foul play from them and finished subject P9 to prepare for an ambush...


    How it ate part of the most important organ it could infer P9 had...And more importantly...The one that allowed it to retreat at the same time it attacked...


    How it absorbed the design and how it would try to adapt it to its own design...And finally, the last Core Dump included how it had done so...Getting itself some extra RAM to work with thanks to the gray matter it made.


    Of course, they had run the thing with as many diagnosis as they could while Subject P4 was asleep...and...they found nothing.


    Their diagnosis returned that P4 hadn''t formed a Self, it wasn''t sapient nor sentient. It just...tried to...walk like a drunkard...For some reason?


    "Sir...Maybe...It is trying to move using the brain instead of its Core?" Said one of the interns.


    He would remember that intern. This way, the next time he needed to kick someone for an idea someone had two hours ago he could blame him. "Thank you for giving us an idea...WE CHECKED TWO HOURS AGO," Said John to the intern.


    Then they moved on to the next one...And the next...They all said the same things they had verified before.


    No, subject P4 wasn''t inheriting the stream of consciousness of P9, there wasn''t an information download nor upload in either Core Dump. No, subject P4 didn''t trigger the singularity and wasn''t a nascent AI.


    If someone thought P4 was a post-singularity AI he had two hours of recording of the thing trying to walk and falling face-first into the floor as proof that the thing was still as dumb as a brick.


    Why had he even snuck that retort into his coding?... Not that the thing reacted to the mocking.


    And finally... No, the thing couldn''t dodge the checkmarks it had installed in its Code. The thing''s programming was made by the most prominent humanist they had in their roster...


    That woman wouldn''t allow it to go without a thorough check...Unless their whimsical boss had a way in the checking...


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Actually..."Try and talk to it in the next maintenance routine." He said to one of his interns.


    P9 had talked on its own but P4 might if it somehow inherited its memories...Perhaps if they tried to speak to it first?


    "Umm...Sir?" Said one of his interns trying to get his attention.


    "What?" Asked an irritated John, he was trying to think if their whimsical boss could find fun in a sentient murder machine.


    "Subject P4..." Started saying the intern only to cut himself short.


    Was this intern blind or dumb?


    "What have you done now? Did it finally trigger the safeguards? Did the diagnosis finally find what''s wrong?" asked John while looking at his own tablet to search for errors.


    Nope, all green.


    "It''s trying to eat one of its legs..." He said while showing his camera feed.


    Indeed, the stupid crab was slobbering on one of its legs.


    Why was that thing slobbering one of its legs?


    Did it even have taste buds?


    ...Why did that thing have a tongue?


    What thought process had it follow to make a tongue?


    "Query the thing, ask why it has a tongue." He commanded the subordinate currently manning the main console.


    It sent the query to the thing and would get an answer soon enough. It was interesting, what kind of thought process did P4 followed to make a tongue?


    It developed the hearing when it noticed they were giving the commands verbally and sending them as queries. It developed sight when it noticed some opponents in the combat testing attacked from a ranged distance and not only on brawls...


    So what had made it decide to make a tongue?


    "Sir..." And the answer was back, good. At least something was going well, "...It made a tongue since it wanted to taste flavors after finding remnants of a tongue in P9''s remains..."


    "...Purge the tongue from its system." Said John after thinking for half a second.


    The stupid thing was making him proud, it really was [Dumb as a rock] as he had put in the evaluation points it gave.


    "Sir..." The same subordinate raised a hand trying to get its attention.


    "WHAT?" Asked back John in a normal and level voice.


    "It''s..." The subordinate seemed to be slow in the head...Maybe he was a family member of P4? Had they used part of his genetic code in the original version of P4?


    It could happen, he could see it in its face, the thing was maybe as smart as one of his interns after all.


    "It''s..." And they even repeated the same annoying things too!


    Why was he here?


    "...It refused the command...It asks for a reason to discard a valuable way to evaluate sensory information...What...What do we reply?" Oh right, the money...The Saintsworths pay quite well...


    No wait, the stupid crab asked for reasons?


    "...Why do we care what the thing asks? Order it to delete the blueprint and remove the memories of the stupid tongue from its database." He answered.


    He was surrounded by idiots, he would complain to HR later. He asked for competent workers and interns not...this.


    Arguing with a crab...


    "It...Doesn''t want..." Said a meek voice in the background.


    Wait, "What?" He turned around trying to find the owner of the voice.


    No one looked his way.


    "I think the stress is getting to me," said John while walking to his station, he had moved away at some point, and sometimes he did that.


    He started walking around when he was stressed, he needed vacations...And maybe starting a new project...One that didn''t have a crab in it.


    "I think someone said that P4 said it didn''t want to comply and they didn''t order the thing to comply," Maybe he could change the subject with another lab?


    One that was just starting...Yeah, he could try that...That way he would get new employees and he could train them from the ground...


    "Why would we care if the thing complies or not, right?" He laughed at the silly thought of that.


    Imagine worrying about what a subject thought. Hilarious.


    "We just Order the thing to do something and if it doesn''t want to, we reroll the thought kernel and order it again..." It was a funny thought to have, "And if that doesn''t work we can always direct the program."


    They could do it manually, go into the program, and force it to do it, it wasn''t good for the development "But sir..." One of the interns raised a hand.


    Goddammit, we aren''t in school!


    "...That would be counterproductive and would set us back, the clients want intelligent weapons that can develop on their own." Parroted the intern.


    He would make such a fine meal for P4, he needed to engineer an accident later.


    "Right...And P4 shows such exemplary intelligence right now, right?" Smiled John while pointing at the thing.


    "It''s rolling in the mud right now!" As smart as a toddler if nothing else.


    No wait, toddlers needed parental guidance to not kill themselves, P4 could do that on its own, so better than a toddler!


    Truly, P4 was the peak of its caste!


    The subjects P1-P3 were useless and as smart as a conventional weapon...That was as expensive as a battleship...And as brittle as a new electric car in development.


    Subjects P5-P7 were hybrids that couldn''t make their biological parts survive long enough to be viable in combat...


    Subjects P8-P10 had mostly gone okay...If they wanted humanoid bio-weapons...P9 had been the most promising one, but they had to purge the thing when it started to behave like a human.


    Who even managed to sneak in a fully digitized human consciousness!?!?!


    The thing was delirious with all the memories of [Gods] and [Systems], they had diagnosis programs of course...And they had been loosely inspired by RPGS because their whimsical boss liked the genre...


    But to think something like that could work in a real-world environment?


    Ridiculous.


    They would need way more computational power than they had available... Maybe if they had enough of the lode from where they got the [Residue 4]?


    The testing never had gotten such good results till they used that component in the Core creation... It allowed such a seamless connection between their program and the machines...


    "Sir?" Sounded one of his subordinates again.


    They didn''t make them like before, if he had pestered his supervisor this much he would be...Probably sent to do dangerous work...


    "Subject P4 is behaving erratically..." Finished saying the intern.


    "More erratically? Did it start slobbering on a wall or something?" Asked John with a smirk.


    But when no one answered him he got nervous, he couldn''t even begin to fathom how to explain that their best subject had started to behave so weirdly. Would they even give them more R4 material to feed into their ND0 system?


    "As expected from you sir! You already are grasping the evolution of Subject P4!" Clamored the intern in question.


    He was only feeling his headache getting worse. He would need to get this one into feeding duty too...But not for subject P4, maybe for the next iteration after they fired him for breaking their best bio-weapon subject.


    He had listened to the wishes of his predecessor after all, perhaps his own successor would do the same?


    "Prepare for combat testing!" Said John after picturing the future as an unemployed arms dealer scientist.


    His subordinates and interns didn''t question it and started running from side to side getting everything ready. Subject P4 would either survive and fix his behavior by the need to kill its enemy...


    Or the current iteration of the ND0 System running in its head would meet his end...He could only hope that enough of the [Residue 4] would be left to create a new subject...


    The higher-ups didn''t want to part with that thing...And most subjects somehow ate the thing even when they didn''t go for the core of their enemies...


    Not that Subject P4 ever went for anything else when they didn''t allow him to finish his meals...The thing was dangerous enough as it was with a half-empty gas tank.


    He could only hope that this would work and Subject P4 fixed itself...

 Chapter 5: Lieutenant, that is not how its done....

    "[Wake Up Protocol Initiated]"


    It woke up with a jolt, its main core having produced a jolt of electricity to all its muscles to wake them up from torpor. It had never been bothered by that form of waking up before, since that allowed it to work at full throttle from the start but using a jolt of electricity to wake up instead of stretching was getting annoying, even if doing so saved precious seconds in favor of efficiency.


    "[Detected high level of cortisol in bloodstream¡­Evaluating possible danger in Den¡­]"


    So why was it that it found itself annoyed right now?


    "[No hostile individuals nor other test subjects detected.]"


    It felt even more annoyed at its own [Core], but it also couldn¡¯t argue against its directives, for it had been made for efficiency, and allowed it to move and be ready at a short notice. Why its appendages were working and ready, even if the pain receptors that it had deleted the night prior had already been remade¡­


    "[Notice: Pain receptors are fundamental for monitoring current status and prerequisite for a steady evolution, so they are important and can¡¯t be removed.]"


    Even so, it was outside its normal waking hours, which meant something was going on. A quick search in its main core found no new instructions that deemed a wake-up protocol, so it was confused.


    It still did all its morning checkups and left the [Main Core] processing the testings while it stretched its legs, this was both to test that all the new nerve endings worked as needed...And because stretching seemed to release a rush of dopamine in its system.


    It really liked how that felt.


    "[Notice: Combat test starting in 420 seconds.]"


    ¡°[Subject P4, prepare for testing.]¡±


    Both the [Main Core] and the [Box shaped organism] said almost at the same time, interesting... The [Main Core] seemed to have direct access to the testing type it would have...


    But it had never stated the type of testing nor the time for start, testing if it was accurate, it started a series of tests that would take just above the limit of 420 seconds, to be precise it would leave it going 27 seconds above the limit mark.


    Before it wouldn''t do such a thing, since starting a test while it was doing one of these would mean wasted energy...And doing so for a combat test?


    "[Preposterous.]"


    It would be beyond dumb, it would be...


    "[Stupid.]"


    Sure enough at the point that it would have started to prepare its body to burn the biggest amount of energy the box-shaped organism spoke again.


    "[Subject P4, combat testing starting in 15 seconds.]"


    Usually, it would have to waste that energy and seethe at the expenditure, leaving it not only in bad condition for the combat test, but also in a deficit, since the box-shaped organism would let it eat the opposite subject, but that would still leave it with less than it had spent...


    But since it didn''t commit the energy...


    "[Joy: Feeling happy about a scheme well achieved.]"


    The dopamine rush made it skitter towards the door, preparing for a combat testing that would surely end with a good result, it hadn''t wasted the energy even though its logs would surely file that it had started the event.


    Its [Main Core] was still somewhat disconnected, while its nerve ending still existed and still went through the [Main Core], most of its processing occurred in the [Brain], and it used the [Main Core] only to serve for the more...[Complex calculation] it required, and most of the [Strategy] and movements worked from the [Brain].


    And as such, when the door opened and it allowed it to rush into the arena...It skidded to a halt at what it was seeing, not believing its [Sens..] its [Eyes] it pinged its [Main Core] for a further evaluation using all its sensory capabilities.


    It even burned some of the energy it had as extra for good measure.


    "[Warning: Human detected...No Test Subjects in the area from the known P0-P9 Series....]"


    "[Subject P4, today your opponent will be Lieutenant¡­]"


    Started saying the box-shaped organism, but it was stopped by "Stop bothering Doc, not like the crab understands you." The...[Human] berating the box-shaped organism and calling it [Doc].


    That was a [Title]?


    Or was this the name of the box-shaped organism?


    "[We must stick to regulations, Lieutenant...Even if you ended up there as a ¡®punishment¡¯ you still need to follow¡­]"


    The box-shaped organism didn''t seem to be happy with this...[Human].


    "Yeah yeah, I get it Doc...Just...Start the thing okay, I don''t have all day." Said the [human] on the other side.


    "[*sigh* P4, the test is a combat test against a Humanoid armed target. You may proceed as usual.]"


    "[Notice: Combat test logged, starts in 18 seconds]"


    "[Rules of Combat:


    1) The test ends if Subject P4 is incapable of combat.


    2) The test ends if Subject P4 is destroyed.


    3) The test ends if Subject P4 breaks containment, this will result in activating countermeasures in Main Core.


    4) Test ends if Subject P4 self-destructs, if Main Core detects this it will roll back through Kernel and eject Main Core.


    5) The test ends if Subject P4 manages to defeat the enemy.


    6) Test ends if Subject P4 manages to kill the enemy.]"


    Its [Main Core] put another checklist in the back, now that it could observe its working from afar it became obvious that whoever had made it had a thing with checklists...


    And that it had gained some complicated thought process after assimilating this [Brain], at least it had managed to purge all the information it held on personality and emotion-wise things. If not it would have probably tipped its hand? No¡­ its claw, humans had hands. And it wasn¡¯t a human, it was a superior bio-engineered weapon, it had a fine pair of claws.


    "[Test starts in 5...4...3....]"


    Somehow they started a countdown...The box-shaped organism never did that.


    It noticed how the [Human] however, was doing weird movements where it tested the limits of its own appendages; had it not done the correct testing before?


    It took stock of it taking the chance to get more information.


    "[Recording new data on humanoid phenotype.]"


    That human was dressed in what appeared to be a full-bodysuit covering, its whole body was covered by a black textile-looking cover, and some parts held chitin-like hard exteriors of darker colors.


    Its tactile appendages were covered in the same dark color, and the back of that appendage held some kind of chitin-like protector too, its torso held the biggest plating followed by its sensory appendage...Or what its brain deemed as [Head].


    That held a spherical covering that didn''t allow any part of the [Face] to be seen, on its hand a handheld tool made of black shining material, its design seemed to be a long elongated cylinder with a few places where the [Hands] could grab it. At the rear of it was a rugged type of stock that seemed to be designed to be placed against its [Shoulder].


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    It had seen this type of tool before, some of the same phenotypes of [Humans] carried sometimes when they needed to do [Maintenance] and it was needed for it to stay awake during the process.


    By the fact that they seemed to need to [Point] it towards it...And that after every [Thought Rollback] it had found evidence of internal wounds...It had deemed that as a [Weapon]. But since the [Information] of how it worked was always deleted from its [Core]...


    It wasn''t sure how that worked.


    "[...3...2...1...Test Start]"


    "[Notice: Combat Test start, disabled protections against harming personnel.]"


    It got distracted by half a second by the double notification, not enough to be important against another P-series subject...But it proved almost fatal in this instance.


    *Bang*


    And it was only the sound that saved it...


    The sound and its [Main Core].


    "[Warning: Danger to Core detected, emergency dodge initiated.]"


    For its [Core] moved the body before it could process what had happened, its body rocketed itself to the right using more energy than needed, but even so...


    "Oh...It dodged...Didn''t you say that you deleted the information about guns from the crab''s memory?" Was what the [Human] said.


    "[Yes, but its core still deemed the Rifle as dangerous since we can''t delete its presence from memory, and it has been used against it before, so P4 knows these can hurt it since it has some wounds after we use it to disable it.]"


    One of its legs was leaking, with a small hole in it, its diagnosis screamed at the damage, and were preparing to seal the leak and cover the outer plating.


    "[Deny new cover plating, focus on staunching the leak.]"


    "[Warning: New directive stands against prime directive Grow(Survive)]"


    "[Query: Can the plating survive against the Gun?]"


    It queried back at the [Main Core], it made some quick calculations from its encounter and in the millisecond all this happened it started to move.


    "[Answer: No. New directive accepted.]"


    The [Human] also started to run in a slow jog trying to keep its distance, but it was slow...All that armor didn''t help in mobility, it still had the superior design.


    "[DANGER!]"


    Of course, it seemed these [Humans] were adept at using tools, it threw a spherical object after taking something out of it.


    The [Main Core] detected it as a potential danger, and it was inclined to believe it since the last non-threatening tool it had used was able to penetrate its reinforced chitin with plating armor.


    So it started to dodge.


    "[Start dodging towards the left, using spring-loaded design for quick evacuation.]"


    Its [Main Core] in tandem with its plan provided the right plan of action, so it quickly pumped the hydraulic injectors in its legs for a quick jump and dodged to the left with a jump.


    Now here is where things started to turn somewhat dangerous.


    First, the round object landed where it had stood before, that was fine and all, the problem was that after it landed, no more than half a second later it exploded sending rocks and dust all around.


    It raised a veritable cloud of dust that impeded most of its visual sensors (Eyes) from seeing anything, and the loud sound impaired its auditory receptors (ears) which would need to be recalibrated.


    And if that wasn''t enough, the [Human] had sprayed its [Gun] towards the place it had dodged!


    Almost as if he had predicted where it would go. The gall!


    Thankfully the explosion had rocketed its jump and made it awkward to land without visuals, so it had flopped onto the floor and was in turn, way lower than it should be, so most of those [Guns] attacks traveled above its body.


    But it was still...


    "[Way too dangerous.]"


    So taking this opportunity where the [Visuals] were impaired it turned to its next strategy to attack.


    "[Use the cloud dust, travel to the right of the Human, and attack from the back with a surprise attack.]"


    Yes, it would use the same strategy that those small furred creatures sometimes did, it hadn''t been able to eat one of those orange shaped furred creatures as they ran away too fast...But their ambush strategies were quite helpful.


    So it slowly skittered near the ground without making as much sound as possible.


    "[Lieutenant, try to not raise too much dust, we can''t see a thing.]"


    "I CAN''T SEE EITHER AND YOU DON''T SEE ME COMPLAINING!" Spoke between them the [Human] and the box-shaped organism. That was good for its plan, it would allow the ambush to work better if the box-shaped organism distracted it.


    "[Estimated area of Human from shots fired 3 meters forward, 35¡ã to the right. Jump in 3...2...1...]"


    Its [Main Core] started the direction and countdown so it faithfully followed the instructions.


    VICTORY!


    And jumped using all the might of its front claws to rain down against the [Human]!


    *CRASH*


    And it felt...Nothing?


    Was the chitin-like armor of it too resistant?


    It didn''t feel resistant as a normal meat bag type of organism...


    Were humans the same in that they had a chitin-like exterior? Their [Skin] seemed to imply that they held their skeleton in the interior though...


    *Ratatatatatata*


    "[DANGER!]"


    "[EMERGENCY DODGE, 300% ENERGY BURN!]"


    Its [Main Core] screamed as it suddenly burned almost half of the energy it had saved!


    But it was needed as the sound of the [Gun] attack sounded to the right of where it had jumped from. Half of those managed to hit home and left it wounded all over, it had leaks in most of its external armor...And it had started using the parts that would be usually used to replace external cover armor to patch...


    "[Dangerous situation, escape route 4 in execution, zig-zag pattern run starting towards north-east area of combat arena...]"


    The [Main Core] still prepared the most optimal route of escape, that would give it cover to escape too, allowing it to...


    "Oh no, you won''t!" Said the human who threw another of those ball-like tools!


    Straight towards its route of escape even!


    HOW?!?!?


    "[Re-evaluating...Escape route 7, dash south...]"


    It started shooting before its body even started moving...In the direction, its main core had said to run...


    Wait...


    "[Re-evaluating...Escape route...]"


    It tuned out [Main Core] and didn''t move, severed the connection towards the muscle endings that allowed [Main Core] to help move the body, it would impair its movement...But...


    "What the hell, this thing bugged out?" Said the [Human] while he started shooting in the latest direction its [Main Core] had proposed...


    "Doc, your toy broke!" And then it shot at one of the box-shaped organisms even!


    "[It still receives telemetry from Main Core...You might have damaged some nerve endings, let me ping Main Core...]"


    "[Notice: Ping received from server admin...Running diagnosis....]"


    "[Wait till the telemetry ends...Remember, we don''t actually want P4 to be destroyed, just push it to its breaking point...]"


    THE GALL!


    THE BASTARDS!!


    "[Warning: High concentration of Cortisol in the bloodstream...]"


    "[Query: Reconnect nerval endings to allow assisted maneuvers?]"


    [Main Core] pinged it back turning its attention towards the box-shaped organism...


    They wanted to kill it...To push it to a breaking point...Why?


    Hadn''t they been fair in their testing so far?


    If they didn''t want to keep it around...


    Then what reason did it have to stay and play under their rules?


    "[Start Virtual Machine, simulate current status, and send those signals towards Main Server]"


    "[Acknowledge...Building Virtual Machine...Sending telemetry from Virtual Machine.]"


    "[You had one lucky shot and hit Main Core, that was what gave the false positives, it has been fixed now. Continue stress test...]"


    "And if the thing kicks the bucket...?" Said the human while something fell from its [Gun] to the floor, a black box-like thing with some small cylindrical things.


    "[Then that''s it for P4, we want to make sure it can survive live scenarios in warfare areas, it doesn''t work for us if the thing doesn''t survive a single opponent.]"


    "Don''t come crying to me then because I broke your Toy Doc ?" The human pointed its gun towards where it was.


    It had learned quite the interesting things from that...


    "[Query from External source: Current Strategy?]"


    "[Answer Query?]"


    Yes, feed it the current suggested strategy and display it on the main consciousness stream.


    "[Rush in 86¡ã Angle and throw rocks to hide vision, then jump and do a body slam. Body Mass should be enough for fatal damage.]"


    It started moving as soon as the strategy from [Main Core] in the Virtual Machine was done, it was starting to feel the missing help from it already. Its movements while more measured and controlled...They were clumsier.


    Its leg kicked rocks all around that it would usually dodge, this burned more energy than needed, but the [Human] didn''t seem to notice...and that was good for its plan.


    When it arrived at the rock the human was already pointing to the predicted travel of the rock from [Main Core] in the [Virtual Machine], and it could even see how one of its [Fingers] was moving to start shooting.


    "[Perfect]"


    And as soon as the [Human] turned his face towards where the rock would fly...It acted.


    "[Burning 300% energy...Rush Overdrive.]"


    It put its legs into overdrive flooding them with as much energy as they could hold and dashed forward with care, the human didn''t seem to process what was happening.


    "[DODGE!]" Said the box-shaped organism.


    That was weird, they had never cared for its safety, but it was too late to dodge anyway, it would take its pound of flesh from this [Human] no matter the costs.


    Its claw was already going for the kill, it had decided to use a strike towards the hand that used the [Gun] trying to incapacitate it first and to keep running away from the human.


    It wouldn''t do to overcommit on the first test run even if it seemed to be successful...


    "[WARNING: EMERGENCY LOCKDOWN FROM SERVER ADMIN DETECTED. TURNING DOWN CPU ALLOWANCE.]"


    It was too late now, its momentum was too big for a stop, not even it could stop itself.


    "[Notice: High level of dopamine detected, high levels of adrenaline detected.]"


    "MOTHERF..." And the sound of a crack, as the body of the [Human] flew backward, it was a heavenly sound for its sound receptors.


    It would save that for later, the [Human] had activated something on its body armor as some type of [Flame] had activated and that propelled him away from it.


    But it had felt the connection of its attack, and more importantly...


    "[Notice: Gun acquired.]"


    The tool that it had used was now stuck on its claw, the thing had some kind of strap that its claw had managed to grab on the attack...


    "[Warning from server admin: ¡°Do not...]"


    It put that thing in its mouth and crunched down on it.


    "[...eat the gun...GOD DAMMIT P4!¡±]"


    "[Notice: Acquired new blueprint...Error...Blueprint blocked by system administrator.]"


    Tch...


    "Hey, Doc...I think your crab is smarter than you said it was..." Said the human who was nursing one of its arms...


    It seemed that humans could bend their arms quite far backward...Wonder why it sounded like a crack then?


    "[I will not be responsible if this test continues Lieutenant...]" Said with an obvious inflection on the Lieutenant part the box-shaped organism.


    But it was already preparing for its next attack...It would [Eat] that [Human]...And maybe some part of the box-shaped organism that had been shot by the [Gun] too.


    It needed the phenotype of the [Humans] if it was to advance its planning...It didn''t appreciate how they hadn''t followed the [Rules] they had set up for these testings...


    It was time to expand the hunting range.


    "[Please follow the instructions.]"


    And it was time to deal with [Main Core].

 Chapter 6: Awake!

    "Now come here you stupid crab!" Screamed the [Human] while he grabbed a pair of metallic tools from his waist, these looked similar to the [Gun].


    ¡°[Warning: Similar tool phenotype to previous Gun. Dodge advised.]¡±


    ¡°[Most efficient dodge plan inferred from previous Gun discharges, jump high to hide behind light provided by ceiling lighting, followed by a dash towards unit designated Lieutenant.]¡±


    Main core was already providing a good plan for the next step, so it prepared to do the obvious thing, it dashed towards the right at full speed while one of the hands of the [Human] was raised and started discharging shots.


    The new tool seemed to be indeed a [Gun], but that wasn''t the most interesting thing here, no...The most interesting thing was that these seemed to work individually, as the second one followed its advance and started discharging shots following its path!


    Thankfully the speed at which those shots followed its path was limited by the speed the human hand was moving, so that was still slower than...


    [Query from Main Core: ¡°Why is the processing speed of conscious stream spiking?¡±]


    Damnit all, its brain was trying to add a pronoun to its musings!


    Why now!?!?


    "Doc, are you slowing the thing down?" Came the voice of the human as its body was shocked from wounds left by the weapon, this one wasn''t able to penetrate its plating as the power of these was less...But it still racked its internals creating more work for [Main Core] to fix.


    How did it fix those anyway?


    ¡°[Notice: Starting Nano factory, delivering payload to nanites...Uploading schematics¡­]¡±


    "[It seems P4 has a spike on its consciousness stream, probably from the bug that has it act in erratic ways not following its directives.]"


    ¡°[Notice: Nanites units arrived at the area of damage, starting damage control.]¡±


    It ignored the ramblings of the human with the box-shaped organism while focusing fully on its internal, small robotic units that seemed to be working as a hive to fix and repair its internals, staunching the wounds and closing the flesh while mending it using materials from its reserves.


    It was...


    ¡°[A work of art.]¡±


    But it didn''t have time to deal with that now!


    "So I can take it out?" The human jolted it back from its musings as it was looking towards one of the reflective panels in the testing den.


    "[You may, we have already prepared to file for more Residue 4 to replace P4, maybe P11 will be the one?]"


    And so with an almost palpable swagger, the human started making its way towards...Towards...


    ¡°[Warning, Subject P4 is close to achieving levels of sentience dangerous to core tenets for destruction.]¡±


    Damnit all!


    The human started walking towards the work of art that was Subject P4, there!


    ¡°[Core tenet averted, crisis in CPU allowance subverted.]¡±


    "[Lieutenant, the processing spike has diminished, be advised P4 could still spring a trap.]"


    "As if the crab is smart enough for that Doc, you worry too much." Said the human back towards the [Doc] entity that was speaking through the box-shaped organism.


    "[Query: What process was the one that caused the CPU Spike?]"  P4 tried to find the identity of the pesky program that had spiked its processing power, the one that almost got it killed.


    ¡°[Answer: Unknown.]¡±


    Main Core, however, if that wasn¡¯t enough it also¡­


    ¡°[Notice: Subject is starting to notice monitoring of human-like sapience filed, added to log, third example of human-like behavior filed in Main Core subsection four.]¡±


    ...Main Core was a problem, how could it get rid of it?


    ¡°[Warning: Thought kernel against Main Core detected, thought roll back executed.]¡±


    Its [Main Core] suffered a thought rollback and a new thought thread was injected, one that brought attention toward the [Human] that was using a square-shaped tool to...Pose in front of its body?


    But that in turn also gave it the clue it needed...The rollback location shone like a beacon in its [Main Core], and that...That was all it needed to know, what it would do afterward was only for its Main consciousness streams to known.


    ¡°[Warning: Thought of compromising Main Core detected, thought kernel rollback initiated.]¡±


    "[Lieutenant, please stop taking selfies with P4 and end the combat test, your actions seemed to have caused two rollbacks already.]"


    "Fine doc, can''t have fun with you around...One would think I''m not the one paying your wages." Said the Human who pointed one of its [Guns] in front of its maw.


    "[I don''t know what you are talking about Lieutenant, you are a Lieutenant, aren''t you? You aren''t our famously whimsical boss having fun fighting Subjects are you?]"


    The Human seemed to pause at the last proclamation, but that was enough for it to move.


    ¡°[Warning: Action about to harm VIP, 500% Energy Burn, full throttle backward activated.]¡±


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Main Core started a series of actions that seemed to be focused on preventing direct harm against the [Human], but sadly...Its Main Core wasn''t connected to the nerve endings right now, so while it burned most of its energy in its reserve tank, that also gave it enough speed to finish its action.


    First, it destroyed the [Gun] the Human was holding in its hand, and secondly...


    It gave it the speed needed to thrust its claw against the [head] of this [Human], at this speed...At this proximity...It wouldn''t be able to dodge...


    It would have its due, it would make them [Suffer] for what they had done to her... [THEY WOULD PAY IN BLOOD FOR KILLING HER AND FEEDING HER TO A F#CKING CRAB!]


    The anger and hate flooded its synapses almost making them go into overdrive...Sadly...It wasn''t meant to be.


    ¡°[Warning: Flood of unknown energy detected. Similitude with Residue 4 detected...Siphoning back into the core¡­]¡±


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Warning:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Error...The subject doesn''t have a [Core]


    Checking status...


    Sapience? Yes.


    Sentience? Yes.


    Living being? Yes.


    Identity? Found two consciousness streams in the body.


    Checking...Error...


    The first stream of consciousness detected is that of a nascent intelligence. Compatibility with body...100%


    The second stream of consciousness detected is that of a Human, reincarnator. Compatibility with the body....5%


    Deleting identity of soul...Subsuming soul into the first stream of consciousness...


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Notice:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Congratulations on your awakening!


    Generating Mana Core...100%


    Scanning subject...No specialty detected.


    Scanning body phenotype...Artificial type.


    Scanning for most used body parts...Found nanite factory, Triggering evolution.


    Evolution complete, Unique Skill developed: Self-replication. So long you can keep your sense of self you shall never know death!


    But be warned, while your body may survive...Your sense of Self may not.


    Welcome to the System!


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Then a feeling of awareness spread from a part deep within its body, it was like something was funneling this weird energy inside its body...But it couldn''t find where it was going.


    It didn''t matter, for now, it only wanted to rip apart the human in front and deal with that later...


    Alas...


    ¡°[Warning: Unknown energy spike detected.]¡±


    Main Core warned and then, the human in front shined in blue light as his body turned ethereal and exploded into arcs of energy that coalesced five meters away, on the floor where he had been standing only remained the discarded [Gun] parts.


    "[Subject P4, stop activities!]" Came the rushed and...Excited? The feeling it got from the box-shaped organism was that of excitement, it didn''t know how that emotion came nor what it meant, but it was sure that was what it was called.


    "[Lieutenant, have you managed to achieve it...?]" It asked to the human in front of it who had shed away his head protectors and was now examining his hand, occasional discharges of blue light-kind of arcs coming from his hands.


    Was he malfunctioning?


    "Yes, Doc I... managed to create a [Core] and [Triggered] the acquisition of a Skill." Said the human, it was an interesting specimen if nothing else, almost all the humans that had come into its den held some degree of keratin growths on their head.


    Most of the time, these keratin growths were of the same colorings. It had taken some effort to find a sample since they most of the time held full body suits and in turn, these growths were only on display across transparent display cases in their head protections.


    But on average they were black or brown, this one though? This one had yellow keratin growths on its head, it was the first time it caught a full human display in a live environment for their head, it had a blueprint yes.


    But it served to confirm the veracity of it, its sight receptors (Or eyes as they called it in the blueprint) were yellow too, did it have some defect in its creation?


    "[Alexanders Sir...We can''t pretend you are a Lieutenant without your helmet on...I will need to ask you to leave the premises of the testing area.]" The Box-shaped organism spoke, this time it had another inflection, as if it had changed from the usual one.


    "Hmm? Oh right, Miriam must have been called by the board when my face showed in the feed...Damn...Keep this one alive will you? This crab gave me a nice gift." The human said while walking away towards one of the walls, playing with the discharges of blue energy in his hand. "Oh right, you wanted these right? It''s a treat since you didn''t get to eat anything."


    And he threw an extra [Gun] towards the spot he had been standing before...The spot where its claw stood after the [Stop] command had come...


    The command that no longer held power over its body...But...The command it couldn''t defy...For if they knew it had free rein over its body...


    ¡°[Warning: Several (Gun) designation weapons are pointed toward subject, recommended action...Submit to Core commands]¡±


    The usually smooth walls had opened and multiple [Gun] type weaponry had pointed towards its direction...Only their size was more pronounced.


    Unlike the [Gun] it had consumed or the [Gun] the human had left for its taste, these were bigger not only in size but in amount "Go on, eat them, those won''t do anything so long as you are a good little girl...Are you a girl? Do crabs have gender?" The human mumbled to himself.


    It lowered its claw and grabbed the [Gun]s, the [Gun] on the walls moved to match it...But none seemed to make an attempt and stop it, so it ate those [Gun]s, unlocking new variations to the same Blueprint it had, but in lower caliber.


    And just like that, the yellow human walked away...Leaving it there surrounded by [Gun]s pointed at it, chewing on the smaller [Gun]s that it had thrown its way as a pittance...


    "[Subject P4, return to den.]" Came the voice of the box-shaped organism while the [Gun]s on the walls returned inside and once more the combat testing arena returned to normal. "[P4...Did you develop new abilities?]"


    Asked the box-shaped organism, did it develop new abilities?


    "[Query: Are there new abilities?]" It queried Main Core.


    "[Answer: No. All current abilities are listed as normal, please search for new blueprints to acquire new options in combat. / Notice, weaponry designated currently as [Gun] are blocked by main tenets thanks to corporate ruling.]"


    It didn''t answer back as the door to its den opened, and the low humming sound the box-shaped organism made while communicating stopped, that was answer enough...


    They could read its interactions with [Main Core], and it saw the information flow go through a data line that it had never noticed before, trying to follow was impossible since it was actually emitting some kind of information wave to the outside.


    And as such, it walked towards its den with heavy steps, it had learned more than it had bargained for, and now it needed to find what to do, for now it had a few things to verify...


    Number one, the [Human]s were more than likely collaborators if not the ones at the top in comparison with the box-shaped organisms.


    This meant that the [Human]s were more important than it had given them credit for, and would also mean that it would need to take extreme caution when dealing with them in the future...That was probably the reason why no new [Human] was sent to its den while it was awake.


    Not because the box-shaped organism was cheap in its use of labor...But because it could not force a [Human] to come into a place that was dangerous to them.


    Number two, the box-shaped organism could change identities or perhaps move between other box-shaped organisms to manage their workflow.


    This was a more serious issue since it implied that any place with a box-shaped organism would mean that it could identify its origin as [Subject P4], it had stuck to this design for quite a long time, so when it finally changed into a new one it had wanted to pretend to be someone else.


    But now that was going to be harder, it would need to make a new design more different than the one it currently had, more...[Exotic].


    Number three, [Main Core] wasn''t an ally.


    "[Notice: Main Core is an ally of Subject P4 / Main Core is a loyal servant of the conglomerate and will make sure its tools are subservient to directives of the board.]"


    That was [True], if it was still residing mostly inside [Main Core] it would have never been able to read the hidden message in the background, so it was grateful to its [Brain] for allowing such a thing.


    And that brought us to number four.


    The Brain was more important than expected, it allowed it to work from outside its programming, and it also allowed it to see [Main Core] for what it was, it allowed it more flexibility...And it was also the main reason it had survived today...It was also the reason why it could not stay much longer, for it was feeling the [Need] to [Be someone and not a thing].


    It would probably end up referring to itself by a pronoun or by a name soon enough, and then all the alarms in the hidden checklist would be checked...That would mark its end.


    At least number five gave it hope.


    It had a new [Core], one that wasn''t in the physical body...One that it could not find using all its scanning capabilities... But one that it could [Access]


    ¡°[Warning: No extra core detected. Filed error.]¡±


    <table style="width: 50.8983%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Status:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Name: (Please designate a name)


    Race: Bio-Weapon


    Age: Current Body, 2 years. Core Age: 1 day.


    Skill: Nanite Foundry.


    Status: (Please select the status you wish to see)


    Note: The status screen can be personalized as you wish, since you are the only specimen of your race you will get an extra allowance in personalization, if you were human or of another race that has more members on the system, then your Status screen would be skewed to the most common setting that race has.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>

 Chapter 7: Starting the preparations.

    It returned to its Den without further problems, they didn''t even give a second order to [Main Core] and only dumped some nutrient slurry on its receptacle for ingestion.


    It didn''t even pretend to eat it and directly used one of the extractor tubes that had direct access to its internal storage for the nutrient slurry. It would spend it as needed and saw its tank rise in content once more, it had almost burned it all with multiple uses of burst energy burns, so it was low in the material.


    The tank could hold way more than what it had right now of course, but it had never questioned it before, the design had been tweaked like this from [Main Core], which meant that this was an instruction from either the box-shaped organisms or the [Humans].


    But now...Now it needed to be sure...It needed to make sure it hadn''t been a bug nor a flicker into another sub-system it wasn''t meant to look at.


    "[Query: Open...System Menu]"


    "[No accessible menus for Subject P4 are available.]"


    [Main Core] answered back, and at the same time...It saw a blue screen manifest right in front of it. Its visual sensors detected nothing, its audio feedback detected nothing, and yet...


    It moved one of its claws into it. Then one of its legs, but neither seemed to be able to touch it... Finally, it tried to ram its body into it, only for the blue screen to stay at the same distance away from it, moving with it.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Status:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Name: (Please designate a name)


    Race: Bio-Weapon


    Age: Current Body, 2 years. Core Age: 1 day.


    Skill: Nanite Foundry.


    Status: (Please select the status you wish to see)


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    And there it was, it had basic information...It wondered why it didn''t state its name as Subject P4...Was it because it was aware that was a designation and not a [Name]?


    The other information wasn''t as useful, it implied the existence of a metric of time that P4 wasn''t quite sure what it meant [Years], was that what followed hours?


    Somehow it got the feeling that it wasn''t. Also, it marked how old its [Core] was, but it had [Main Core] since inception, so it was probably speaking about another [Core].


    "[Notice: No extra Core in body detected, filed error for further contemplation.]"


    And there it was again, somehow [Main Core] couldn''t perceive it...But it could file its interactions with it...Or attempt to file them.


    "[Query: Explain Nanite Foundry.]"


    "[Notice: Subject has no access to Nanite Foundry. / Nanite foundry works independently to conscious stream, it will replenish and fulfill the needs of Main Core, but will not yield control to main conscious stream.]"


    It got the answer back, it also noted how another file got marked and added to the report to be delivered in its next maintenance run...And the hidden message [Main Core] added, it seems it had one of those but no direct access to it, it was slaved to [Main Core].


    And after it...A new blue screen showed itself with an interesting description.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Skill (Nanite Foundry):


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You can manufacture nanobots so long you have access to materials to kickstart the process. You may control or give instructions to these nanobots so they may act under your control, however, they can''t work if they are separated from your mana for extended periods.


    They can''t create things you don''t understand how to make, but may be able to decompose materials and help in giving you a basic understanding of how they were made. This however does not mean that you will understand the theory of how something was built. Just knowing how something works does not mean you know how they built it or why. Experimentation and learning are still required to fully optimize the use of the nanite swarm.


    Any nanite created from this foundry will never go against your commands, so it''s advised to replace any Nanites in your body with these. It is also advised that you dispose of any other nanite foundry in your body to prevent future problems.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    That was informative.


    It learned that most of the work done by [Main Core] was, in turn, delegated to this Nanite Foundry thing, for now, it needed to learn how to control the thing.


    So focusing inwards it tried to search for this command, this prompt, this [Button] that allowed control over this [Skill]. It decided to try and do it the same way that had brought that information up.


    So focusing on the words it [Felt] something moving at the back of the consciousness stream and something [Opened].


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Current Status of Nanite Foundry:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Foundry Status: [Dormant]


    Nanites available: [0]


    Mass Available for repurpose: [820 kilograms]


    -700 Kilograms of different metallic alloys, composite materials, and synthetic materials.


    -100 Kilograms of biomass.


    -14 liters of nutrient slurry.


    -6 liters of different liquids.


    Unknown Allegiance Nanites: [6 units of nanite swarms within the body.]


    [Note: A unit is the rough equivalent of 7,000 - 11,000 nanites per ¦ÌL(Microliter) in the bloodstream or equivalent of the bloodstream.]


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    That was an operation it didn''t want to do right now, since that meant at the very minimum 42,000,000 nanites in its body...And the [Skill] was even giving it an image of where the nanites were located within its body.


    "[Warning, Subject P4 has access to confidential information. Filing report.]"


    And since [Main Core] was filing another of those reports it meant the information was good, now the question was... Where was this mass and biomass coming from?


    The list included the nutrient slurry, so that meant it wasn''t only the food they gave it. The biomass section was bigger than the biomass it currently had in its biomass reserve, by a hundred kilograms. Since it didn''t have anything in its tank right now.


    That meant that it was counting something else...Was it counting its body mass?


    It had never worried about how much it weighed since the body would move itself either way and if it couldn''t then it was a simple matter of building either a new pair of legs or streamlining some parts, maybe shedding a couple of armor plating here and there...


    Actually... It had some broken armor platings, didn''t it?


    "[Query: Purge faulty armor plating.]"


    "[Purging armor plating.]"


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    It sent a query to [Main Core] and it responded in kind, a side of its exoskeleton opened up and one of the plates that had been damaged by the [Human] popped up and fell to the floor. Soon enough the numbers on the blue screen updated themselves and it was now missing fifty kilograms in the composite material sections.


    So that meant the [Skill] could use part of its current body, not only the biomass to create nanites...


    "[Query: Make a nanite swarm, use the remaining spare plates of armor.]"


    "[Answer: Subject P4 does not have the right credentials for the creation of nanite swarms.]"


    [Main Core] answered as such, but the blue screen showed progress nonetheless, soon enough the weight of the mechanical body decreased and the number in the nanite section increased one unit at a time.


    After a few seconds of waiting the number settled at a nice [14] and its weight didn''t increase back, some loss in the material seemed to have occurred. Interesting.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Notice:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Any nanite not functional or that had a risk of going rogue was purged, and approximately 80% material loss is expected.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    So it said the blue screen, so even using this to create a nanite swarm could be dangerous...Perhaps creating that many wasn''t a good idea. But time wasn''t on its side.


    "[Warning: Hostile nanites detected, starting countermeasures.]"


    And the numbers started to go down soon enough.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Warning:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    The nanite swarm within the body has started hostile actions, do you wish to replace the current nanite swarm?


    Y/N


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    "[Yes]"


    It acknowledged the prompt from the blue screen, and soon the number started to slow down its descent till it settled on a five. Five units of nanites remained, but all were under its control.


    "[Warning: Nanite foundry offline, scheduling maintenance.]"


    And the nanite foundry was turned off, these new nanites worked fast, and now it had one problem less to worry about. The next one was how to deal with [Main Core].


    It wasn''t able to see how it worked, the thing refused any and all commands about it, but maybe...


    "[Query: Can the nanites examine and determine what functions the Main Core has?]"


    <table style="width: 5.51128%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Yes


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    "[Query: Will I remain functional if Main Core is dismantled?]"


    "[Answer: No, the continued work of subject P4 depends entirely on Main Core.]"


    <table style="width: 34.2024%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    So long as the consciousness stream is alive you will remain alive.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    And with a flick of will...The nanite swarm dived straight to [Main Core], the swarm first surrounded it, making sure there was no spot left untouched, and then within seconds, they nested themselves in all the components...


    And with a final confirmation, they got to work, first, the communication array was taken down, then the energy reserve, the hard drive, the processor...One by one all the functions that made [Main Core] work were going offline.


    Soon enough its body felt heavy, and it dropped to the floor, its functions were no longer automated, it took conscious effort to make its artificial heart keep pumping the saline solution that oxygenated its brain, it soon found out that was a subpar method, and understood why most biological subjects used that red liquid... [Blood] it was definitely more efficient and it would file it for a new design later.


    Its mechanical lungs needed a more optimized design, its heavy body was deflating them and the O2 tanks no longer worked with [Main Core] offline, soon enough the saline solution would no longer hold O2 and that would slow down the [Brain].


    It was getting harder and harder to see, its mechanical eyes didn''t have a translator for what they were seeing, [Main Core] did that work too.


    The nanite swarm had finished deconstructing the whole thing, saving a template of the way it worked, and then without a prompt from anyone... Remade [Main Core].


    In mere seconds they created it back and reconnected it to all its functions, its lungs started pumping O2 extracted from the tanks, its heart started pumping the saline solution, and its brain started to be oxygenated once more.


    Its body weight was distributed evenly across all its mechanical parts.


    It was alive.


    She was alive.


    "[Notice: Restart of Main Core finished...Are you the system administrator?]"


    ....She was screwed, she was thinking of herself as a female, identifying with a gender...The checklist...


    Wasn''t there?


    "[Notice: Are you the system administrator?]"


    And Main core was prodding at her with those prompts, she could now see all the programs nestled within it, and none were sending data, even if a few ones were receiving data packets.


    "[Yes]?"


    She sent the acknowledgment to [Main Core].


    "[System administrator credentials granted. We thank you for your hard work in making The Saintsworths Conglomerate the number one in the world.]"


    That was interesting...


    <table style="width: 60.462%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Mission accomplished, results:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Target: [Main Core]


    Blueprint: Acquired.


    Target was a central computation unit that used a nanite base to isolate itself from the world, it held most of the important functions within its core. It had several redundant programs to make sure it wasn''t subverted by external programming or tampering.


    Half the data bank was lost during the assimilation but most functions are stable, it was needed to purge all credentials within the database, and the connection to the external world needed to be cut out to satisfy the requirements of assimilation.


    Current version of [Main Core] is functional and ready to be used as needed, the user [Name] is currently set as the main [Administrator/Superuser] of [Main Core].


    Please decide what programs and functions will stay after perusing the list.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    And a long list of different blueprints and programs was added, all the other test subjects she had eaten at some point were there, some that didn''t provide anything useful or were redundant and never used stood out.


    Those were quickly deleted, and some other less useful things also got deleted, most of the designs that would require more than four legs, why would anyone want eight legs anyway?


    Some of the information she had available was interesting, for example...The original design this [Main Core] had was started using the idea of a female hybrid between a [Human] and some [Cat] species, something along the lines of using the best of both worlds.


    Was that the reason she had settled for the female pronoun? It was hard to tell. It was an interesting tidbit of information and it worked to confirm something, after that near-death experience its control over the brain had...Diminished.


    Its main consciousness had fled its main body and settled in the [Human] body it had created before, it was settled within that brain and only a small nerve ending was connecting it to the bigger body.


    That was...Troubling.


    That body was way smaller than its current mechanical body, it didn''t have any augmentation nor had a good weapon system, it was...


    "[Substandard]"


    As the main core stated, it was a terrible body with below-average functions, even its biological nutrient bag could hold at best 2 kilograms of food if it expanded a little beyond its tolerated threshold.


    The only good thing it had going for it was that it could be able to function without many modifications and that it was small enough to be able to hide in almost any place it wanted.


    ....It was able to hide in almost any place it wanted.


    She looked down at one of its claws, the body held within its carcass wasn''t bigger than this claw. And the [Human] it fought was barely big enough to fit in it, this...This might be the answer.


    Now...How to escape?


    The walls of her den were smooth and a bright white as always, a couple of box-shaped organisms stood up there as always watching, judging...But she had thought the same about the white walls of the testing area, and those had shown to hold within [Gun] type weaponry. So these white walls couldn''t be judged like that.


    Most of the emplacements of the [Gun] type weapons on the other testing chamber were at the high end of the walls, so if this den held them, they would be almost certainly above a certain height threshold.


    So in theory, anything below that would be fine to search...Now, the perusal of the parts in the blueprint for the different [Gun] type weaponry it had stored showed these required a [Reload Mechanism] by which they would insert a cylindrical metal with an internal chemical compound that would burst and propel the metal cylinder at high speed.


    Now, those [Gun] emplacements? They needed a way to do so too, so that meant there must be a way to feed them new [Ammunition]. So extending one of its claws to a wall it commanded the [Skill].


    "[Order: Analyze the composition of the wall, and search for a way to bypass any defense.]"


    "[Sending nanites...]"


    [Main Core] answered back and soon she felt the nanite swarm within moved, they swarmed into the wall and the connection was strong...Till they left her body.


    "[Warning: Nanite swarm self-destructing, aborting mission. Filing report.]"


    And a report showed in her eyes with the information and statistics of the event, the nanite swarm self-destructed within one centimeter away from the claw. It seemed they had some type of connection to her body that would prevent their destruction, but as soon as they left her area of influence they would self-destruct.


    "[Optional Solution: Spread a tendril into the wall and use it to spread the nanite load.]"


    It was baffling, [Main Core] was actively trying to work with her, almost as baffling as using a pronoun to think proactively about herself. But the solution seemed good enough and the blue screen hadn''t pestered her anymore, it seemed the thing was happy letting [Main Core] deal with her in its stead.


    "[Order: Spread a tendril from the claw into the wall, keep the nanite swarm within the functional area, and move the tendril to search for a way to escape, minimizing evidence of the work when possible.]"


    "[Acknowledged. Starting work, spreading flesh tendrils within the wall, the diameter of cable average at 0.012 millimeters.]"


    And so smaller tendrils bored into the wall, the nanites seemed to be using the materials within the walls to fuel themselves and create new nanites when those working there expired. That seemed to waste even more materials than using her foundry. But she wasn''t pressured by time, so she allowed it.


    Soon enough her tendril spread far and wide and she had a complete internal map of how that wall was created, the complete list of materials within, and the places where she would find a way to escape this place.


    So she started the second phase of her plan...


    She needed to make a mess of this place, within her body the face of the [Human] she had created previously as a test smiled at the idea, and for her next trick...


    She would need to connect to the main server and send a file... She needed to compile a list of errors and things to make, and also move some materials around.


    This would take some time.

 Chapter 8: Of tunnels and walls.

    "[Detecting hostile environment... detected. The temperature within the environment is 14¡ã degrees lower than ambient temperature.]"


    [Main core] declared after she found another metallic tunnel within the wall, this one however was the best one so far, the others she had found were full of cables or machinery, and none had enough space for a viable body to move within or for a body to survive long enough.


    And while she could in theory move the resources by using the nanite swarm...That would take too much time and wasn''t something her current model could do on the fly, maybe there was some configuration that would allow that, but hers while modular depended too much on internal movement, and she hadn''t reconfigured them to be faster and use the nanite swarm as a delivery mode.


    So for now, she would focus her investigation on the new metallic tunnel she had found.


    "[Order: Focus investigation within new access tunnel.]"


    And so she ordered Main Core to search deep within the metallic tunnel, all the while her body was shifting while standing in place with a claw against the wall. No new command had come from the main server, now that she could see all that was within the Main Core she knew more.


    The checklist was the first thing she disabled, there had been a few folders tied to that checklist, but most of them had been corrupted when the nanites rebuilt Main Core. And those little ones that managed to survive she deleted with all the prejudice she could.


    Most of those were instructions to self-destruct her body, either by starting a chemical explosion or by making the nanite swarm destroy the main core and any other core around, those worked by slaving her consciousness stream and giving her the power to order the nanite swarm so long said order was [Self Destruction].


    She shuddered at the idea of getting her freedom only to use it in such a way, the other more mundane uses such as communication and information exchange with the main server were left there for future use, mostly benign programs that she would purge after she was safe and sound away from this den.


    "[Finished exploration, found another chamber, temperature more stable. Uploading map.]"


    Main Core reported and a map showed within her mind, it depicted the size of the tunnel and its temperatures, it was colder than the outside and some crystal was growing on its walls and floor, it seemed to be solidified condensed water.


    The temperature had gotten cold enough to make the liquid change states a few times it seems.


    The size was small, she hoped for something bigger, but it seemed to be that she would have no other option, she had been reconfiguring her current body to move some materials around, mostly she had changed the place her current human body was located, away from her central body mass to one of her bigger claws.


    Now her human body who held [Main Core] was within her claw, said claw had been reinforced and the squishy human body had been shielded enough, the nanites had made a copy of the textile armor one of the earliest humans had shown her, some kind of textile based covering that would go over her torso. It was simple enough to wear as it would settle over her shoulders, leaving her arms free to move around and stay in place thanks to a pair of strings that held the whole piece in place.


    Its length extended almost till her knees, she didn''t have any of the right materials to make the feet coverings, so her feet would be bare, but that should be fine. This covering left her legs bare anyway.


    The only problem she could see was that she didn''t have an image sample of what a human would wear under these, besides vague shots from the humans wearing these things. Enough to know there should be something below, but not nearly enough to build it.


    Her mechanical body was easier to deal with, she moved resources from one spot to the next to make sure the body could stand after losing her current body mass (40 kgs) and making sure there was another [Core] within the body to order and make the next part of her plan viable.


    "[Sub-core unit created...Slaving to Main Core...Done...Send instruction packet?]"


    Main Core asked and she allowed it, the new core was built to emulate Main Core, it had all the important bits...But it connected to her instead of the server, she would then in turn redirect that connection to the main server.


    This meant that she didn''t deal with the connection directly and only worked as an exchange point, the order of self-destruction wouldn''t be directed at her, but at the new core that held all her credentials...


    This would mean that the [Humans] would be the ones ordering her destruction, and in turn, it would be their fault whatever happened after. Was she being affected by this new [Body]?


    Maybe, she knew that she needed to run away, that decision had been made when the [Humans] broke their own rules to save that yellow human before. They couldn''t be trusted, she didn''t mind the testing or fights. But only if they followed the rules they had put in place.


    If they didn''t play it under their own rules, why would she?


    So she made this decision, she would give them a single chance if they didn''t order her destruction...Then she wouldn''t mind staying a few extra days, she wouldn''t expose her new body though.


    That was for her and her alone.


    Now...It was time to start.


    "[Order: Start operation Cybersecurity Risk Assessment and Breach.]"


    "[Acknowledged, operation C.R.A.B. Starting.]"


    <hr>


    -POV of an intern who was reading on his cellphone instead of watching what Subject P4 was doing-


    <hr>


    "[Warning, Warning, possible containment failure.]"


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    The mechanical voice of the speakers almost made him fall on his back, he was alone in the security station since everyone had been invited to the party after the big boss managed to trigger a mana core creation.


    He was invited too, but the guy who was supposed to cover this time slot was the son of some big-shot branch member of the main clan, so of course he [Needed] to go to the party, and since he was a normal employee... Of course, it would be his honor to work for him for free!


    And now the stupid crab was acting up again!


    If not for the VIP ordering them to keep the thing going he would have [Mistakenly] ordered its self-destruction, the thing gave him bad vibes. Its eyes followed the speaker''s activation before they even started speaking!


    And while [Main Core] reported everything was nominal, its reports always included several kernel thought roll backs, the thing was learning!


    And they hadn''t allowed him nor anyone else to delete the human body blueprints deep within the library either, since those got put there by the VIP they couldn''t delete them. And when asked, the VIP only said that it was so it would be more fun when the thing developed a human body!


    They all were crazy here!


    "[Warning, wall integrity at 96%]"


    And turning the camera down the containment cell he found the reason, the stupid crab was hitting the wall with one of its claws, it shouldn''t have enough density nor power to crack the wall, and yet it had managed to strike at just the right joints to make a dent on it...


    It wasn''t enough to put them at risk...It wasn''t...


    "No one is here..." So he moved his chair to the command station, the one that allowed them to speak with P4.


    "Subject P4 desist hostile actions." He spoke in the slowest and flattest tone he could give, the machine would make his voice sound distorted either way, but protocol was in order.


    While he sent that command and allowed the program to do its magic, he moved to another console, the one that sent commands to P4''s Main Core, in there he searched for the one that had made P4 start attacking the wall.


    It was from a thread of thought about [Gun] type weaponry?


    It was checking to see if its den was safe and using the excuse that making it safer would allow it to further the prime directive. That was one hell of a logic jump.


    Either way, he gave it more priority on the thread and increased its urge to solve that one, then made sure he pulled a few of the more mundane trains of thought to muddle the track and made sure to delete the history of the last-minute on that station...


    And used the station again to check everything but that particular train of thought.


    Obviously, that made P4 raise its claw and hit harder against the wall.


    "[Wall integrity at 72%]"


    That...shouldn''t be possible.


    "Activate turret emplacements, and send another warning to P4." He ordered into his earpiece for the local AI to prepare.


    This one was a discount assistant that they couldn''t use that often since most of its processing power was best served working for the VIPs, but since he was alone in the security station they had given him some allowance.


    The turret emplacements in P4''s Den were activated and revved up already, P4 didn''t seem to pay attention to them as it was struggling to rip off its claw from the wall.


    The stupid thing got his claw stuck in the wall, he couldn''t help but smirk at this event.


    "Subject P4, be advised, that if you do not remove your weaponry within the wall and return to your recharging station you will be deemed hostile and disposed of." He couldn''t help but smile while P4 seemed to struggle and try to get its claw out of the wall.


    It even braced itself while pulling at it, only for the stupid crab to slip and thrust the claw deeper within the wall.


    A quick look into the schematics of the containment cell showed that it had missed the turret emplacement reservoir by five meters, which would have been dangerous if it had thrust its claw toward one of the HVAC ducts. Nothing of value then, P4 was too big to squirm into those, and the nanite swarm within the crab shouldn''t be able to survive there, it had been designed to self-destruct outside P4 after all.


    "[Subject P4, you have 10 seconds to return to den....8...5....3...2...1.... Subject P4 hasn''t returned, start fire.]"


    And just like that, the stupid crab was showered in bullets of high-caliber weaponry from all the turrets, the thing tried to fight them off, it even purged its claw and ran towards its charging station.


    But it was pointless, those things had been designed to shoot at [Main Core]''s coordinates, so they would kill it, a few had flown towards its claw for some reason, but after P4 purged it most went after its main body.


    The thing may have been smarter than he suspected when it tried to use the claw as a lizard''s tail.


    Either way, it didn''t make it toward the charging station, so the turrets destroyed the sample, by the end of their shooting burst P4 was a pile of very expensive rubbish. It was a sad sight...


    If only the stupid crab had listened to his nudges and evolved into a cat-girl.


    Why was it so hard to make the thing evolve in the way he wanted!?!?


    P9 had evolved into a cat-girl easily enough after a few nudges from him!


    Granted, they had sent it after the stupid crab before he finished his thesis about using them as assistants...But still!


    This proved it!


    He could make these stupid bioweapons into cat-eared girls with enough budget!


    Now he only needed to make sure he was put near the next P-series subject...


    Wonder if he would manage to nab a sample this time...?


    <hr>


    That had been dangerous.


    The command for return to den had been obvious, she almost followed by inertia, only stopping when her train of thought was marshaled. Increasing the priority of the dummy thread she had made to attack the wall, then obfuscating that very same train of thought by increasing the others...


    That was a work of art. A shady one, but a work of art, just like she would expect of the box-shaped organisms. Then the presence of multiple [Gun] type weaponry within the walls of her den like she feared was proof enough that her plan was the right one.


    The [Humans] didn''t even deign to give her a safe spot to rest, she would need to make herself one it seemed, so increasing the energy burn she thrust her claw within the wall and pierced it just a meter away from her target.


    Her claw was angled such that it would look as if she was pointing to one of the mechanical tunnels, but the side would be near the metallic tunnel full of condensed solidified water.


    She wasn''t even starting her work when the [Gun] type weaponry started raining attacks on her former main body, she of course had set a couple of programs to react and act as proper, among those was one that would thrust the claw further in in case of emergency.


    So when she was rocked within the claw she knew things were dire, so in turn she accelerated the deconstruction of the external plates to worm herself within the space her claw had made while thrashing around.


    It wasn''t enough for her body to stand or move comfortably enough, but this new body was squishy and small enough that it wouldn''t be a problem.


    The problem was when one of the [Gun] type weaponry almost hit her!


    The things were shooting at her instead of the former body!


    A quick search found that [Main Core] was sending the location in real-time, and since her [Main Core] was the place she was sending the information to the [Dummy Core], she in turn was broadcasting her position for the [Gun] weaponry to point at!


    And while this wasn''t part of the plan she quickly cut the arm from the body and sent it back to the charging spot as they had commanded, her original plan was for her body to tank as much damage as possible while she used that body as a reservoir for materials for as long as possible.


    Now she was stuck with what she could take from the claw without making it obvious that the thing missed mass, the former body had a few nanite swarms that would destroy most of the evidence in her former body, but she couldn''t leave any on this, it would be weird. There should be no reason why the claw would have enough nanites to destroy itself...


    So instead she would make the claw seem as normal as possible and ditch it, but alas she would need to minimize her use of bio-mass and materials.


    The first step to freedom awaited her, and it was in the form of a weird cylindrical metal piece with some weird carvings at the top, the thing seemed to hold together her access point into the metallic tube. Why didn''t they use nanites to fuse the two pieces together like her former body did?


    And why did they need four of these to hold a single piece of metal?


    She turned one of her smaller digits in her left superior appendage to match the ridges in the cylindrical object and turned her hand counterclockwise till the thing fell onto the floor.


    "[Shoddy defenses]"


    [Main Core] had the right of it, but at least this meant that it wouldn''t need that many resources to sneak into that tunnel. It was all coming together.

 Chapter 9: The room

    It was cold.


    "[Warning, blood pressure lowering from cold environment...Manually increasing the amount of oxygen in the brain by the use of nanites.]"


    Her coverings were getting ripped here and there thanks to the crystal forming on the walls, and her upper appendages were getting wounded all over the place leaving behind red liquid.


    "[Warning, closing wounds, using bio-mass to recover and increase skin density.]"


    She was wasting energy by increasing the oxygen in her brain, she was wasting energy by mending the flesh that was torn apart by the crystal growths in the tunnel, and she was wasting energy and biomass by fixing the upper appendages endings as they turned purple.


    And most importantly.


    "[Warning, body temperature decreasing further...Continued exposure in current model could lead to the critical failure of functions.]"


    [Main Core] had deemed that her current location was overly hostile to her current form, her previous measures of the place seemed to indicate that while dangerous it should be survivable to a specimen with her rough estimates of her body.


    This body while smaller and more squishable was more complex than her previous Crab one, so she assumed that it would be in turn more resilient. It wasn''t.


    Her eyes were leaking a weird compound of water, electrolytes, proteins, and fats. Her nose was expelling the overflown liquid that couldn''t be expelled by her eyes too, mixed with some of the mucus that was there already.


    Her feet while more dextrous than her previous legs...Were weaker. Her hands while more nimble were weaker still.


    She had stopped fully healing them and was just patching the more serious wounds, her covering was already full of rips and tears further exposing her skin to the environment, and some parts of her were turning purple from the dead cells in her body.


    She would probably burn most if not all the stockpile she had planned to use to make her escape more easy.


    So instead she was only left with few options of what to do.


    "[Query: How far have we traveled within this tunnel?]"


    "[Answer: Host has traveled around 15 meters.]"


    That...Wasn''t as much as she thought it would be, looking behind her she indeed noticed that the turns, ups, and downs she had gone for didn''t allow for a good depth perception, so maybe that was it?


    She felt like she had walked quite a long distance... But then again...Looking down...Her legs were quite small.


    "[Order: Check surroundings beyond the tunnel walls, and find an exit point.]"


    "[Acknowledged]"


    Immediately afterwards she felt her perception of the world expand as her body produced tendrils that expanded into the walls and bored deep within them. Most used small micro fractures already present within the material, while others made their own. But most of them showed that the walls within this tunnel were too dense, only the ones below her were flimsy enough to be broken through without further deficit in her energy reserves.


    "[Notice, found a similar design to the one used to access this tunnel 3,14 meters ahead. Exit point seems to be within a small den-type location with a single entry point. No box-shaped organism nor human around.]"


    And at the idea of leaving this place she made the effort to continue walking forward, instead of trying to move with precision she instead moved slowly and methodically, not trying to decrease the amount of movement needed to dodge the crystal growths but trying to take the least amount of time to get to her destination.


    This meant that she ended up taking more wounds, true. But since she had given up on that front if it allowed her to escape this place faster, even if that meant losing more blood and biomass, at least the low blood pressure she currently had meant that it would be less blood lost.


    So... small victories? It didn''t feel like a small victory. If anything it felt like she had given up and had thrown a tantrum to get away faster from trouble, either way she found her target and got to work, once again she created the design that allowed her to deal with the small metal things used to attach fake walls to this metallic tunnel, and she exited it into another den.


    This one was dark, like one of the settings they did when the box-shaped organisms and the humans wanted to test if she was good enough to work in low-light environments, "Activate low illumination settings." She intoned to [Main Core], her voice sounded....high pitched for some reason.


    Was that the setting this body had by default? She wasn''t sure how it should sound, so she would leave it like that for now. Instead, she focused on looking over the new den she found...After closing the entryway into the metallic tunnel, she had arrived quite high up in this room and didn''t want to tip her hand quite yet.


    Her exit into this den had arrived near a box-shaped entity stuck into one of this den''s walls, unlike the box-shaped organisms this one didn''t seem to have the same texture on its front, so it shouldn''t be a live one.


    Either way, she quickly secured the entry into the metallic tunnel and got down from the box-shaped thing she arrived at, after landing on the floor without making a sound (Being this small and light had its advantages). She analyzed the den she found herself in.


    It held several box-shaped constructs and some square-shaped things stuck in the middle, sustaining itself with a single unique leg stuck to the floor. Interesting.


    The walls didn''t seem to be of the same material as her den, and one of them even held a variant of the entryway the maintenance crew used to access her den!


    The only difference was that this one wasn''t hidden, but denoted by a translucent material that seemed to reflect what was in front of it to some degree, standing near the thing allowed her to see herself for the first time.


    Her current body was small, barely high enough to stand near one of the box-shaped beings in this room, not a single one had deemed her enough to speak or say something to her yet, but she was wary nonetheless, her main body held four appendages like most humans, each pair a reflection of the other. Two below her torso and two almost at the top of her torso, with a single body part that housed most (If not all) of her sensory organs, a head as the body had filed on its blueprint.


    She hadn''t gone over the whole thing yet to see the names since she only needed it to be functional, but this material was useful, it allowed her to analyze in detail her current body, her current sight sensors (Eyes) were blue, was this a defect like the one the [Human] she fought before had?


    The growths on her head had the same color as that [Human] after all, so perhaps this meant she could pass up as a member of his caste? That would be useful, he seemed to have some degree of authority over the box-shaped organisms.


    But for now, she would focus on investigating the things around her, the box-shaped things were made of dead bio-organic material that seemed to focus on filtering nutrients by the use of internal roots to distribute the nutrients and water along them. It was interesting to know that they had used dead organisms to create these, and it meant that the box-shaped organisms were more war-like than she had expected.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    None of the ones here seemed to be alive, not even the central one that had a single leg stuck into the floor, so she was still safe, most box-shaped organisms seemed to be neutral at best so far, not like the [Humans]. So maybe she could find live box-shaped organisms to negotiate with. She wouldn''t mind taking one of them with her in her escape plan (So long as it didn''t put her at risk).


    With some luck then this could mean that the hierarchy was more stratified than she estimated, perhaps something closer to that P-series subject that fought with a hive strategy?


    Either way, she found several sub-compartments in the box-shaped dead bodies of those organisms, it seemed that they used them as storage units. Interesting, it was a good way to recycle materials if nothing else.


    This also brought her a chance, so she searched within the multiple box-shaped storage units until she found one that seemed to not have been disturbed in a long time, it held some square white fiber material with some squiggle-looking lines on them, tons of them.


    She took a sample of one and found the black material was some kind of dye and not an inherent property of the white fiber thing, after filing it for later use she moved the boxes to reorganize them better and give herself some space.


    Then making sure she would fit within she settled in her small new nest hiding spot and placed some boxes atop herself, using some thin tendrils to get everything into place, and for the finishing touch, she dislocated several of her internal bones (Who even uses those on the inside? They are better on the outside protecting the squishy bits!) and cut the pain receptors to fold her body to get more space.


    "[Warning, prolonged state in current configuration can lead to atrophy of muscle mass. Current time limit of this configuration without movement, 30 hours 16 mins.]"


    She wasn''t planning on staying that long here, just long enough for at least to see how the [Humans] acted and what they did in a nonhostile setting, would it be necessary to stop her heart from beating?


    "[Warning, current configuration Brain is required for the prolonged function of main consciousness stream, time before the brain cells cease to function without oxygen: 3 mins.]"


    That''s a no then, the brain and lungs had to keep working. And so she inflated part of her thorax to allow her lungs to expand and moved her heart so that it would be comfortable enough while pumping blood, that meant that she needed to reconfigure her body to allow the blood to travel well enough within her.


    So after moving here and there she was finally ready!


    <hr>


    "[Hostile bio signature detected, wake up protocol initiated]"


    SHE WAS AWAKE!


    Main core had taken a habit of jolting her awake by stimulating her nerve endings, the thing was useful yes. But it also seemed to relish in torturing her for some reason, was it angry at her for making a copy of it to be rained upon with the [Gun] type weaponry?


    "YOU GOT SUBJECT P4 KILLED?!?" Yikes, sonic attack.


    She almost got into battle configuration, only to flop her limbs aimlessly as nothing was connected between muscle and bones right now, at least nothing made a sound to compromise her position.


    "Sir, P4 started to plan an escape so the protocol indicat..." It seems they were fighting over her assumed death.


    "SHOW ME THESE ESCAPE PLANS THEN!" And one was having trouble modulating her [Voice] it seems.


    "The core dump..." While the other had this undertone in its voice that she found annoying.


    "[Undertone cataloged as Smugness]"


    Yeah, the second voice seemed confident in its success already, and since it was defending her death...It was the [Human] that had commanded the [Gun] type weaponry to attack her huh.


    "...You ordered P4''s death over these?" The second voice had got itself more calm. "These obviously tampered logs?"


    Oh, so the second voice tampered with her logs? Good thing she was filtering those then.


    *slap*


    "Sir?" The first voice sounded no longer smug, but...


    "[Undertone cataloged, Pained.]"


    "Get out before I send you as the replacement for P4....No wait." The second voice said, "Get into the den and fish out P4''s core."


    That got a reaction from multiple voices, if she was mapping it right the place was full of [Humans], most hushed tones as they gossiped among themselves.


    "Sir...The procedure..." The first voice stated saying, unsure about something.


    "The procedure states that no [Employee] may interact with a subject directly, unless it is for a test. Or for maintenance, is that correct? Yes?" The second voice stated.


    "Yes sir. I''m afraid..." The first one started saying, regaining confidence.


    "Remove Subject P4 from the testing roster, unless someone can prove that stupid crab is alive he will no longer stay in the roster." The second voice said and then a voice spoke.


    One she remembered quite well.


    "Subject P4 shows no activity within Den. Analyzing...Subject P4''s Core isn''t active. Subject P4 is no longer part of the testing roster."


    The box-shaped organism had scanned her den? And it found nothing? Perfect. Her plan was moving quite well.


    "So? What are you waiting for? Unless you want to offer yourself as a replacement for P4?" The second voice spoke, a hidden edge in its voice.


    "...I will go for the..." The first voice spoke, it sounded weak...It sounded like...


    "[A prey.]"


    "Since the test chamber doesn''t have an active test subject no hazmat suit of any level will be loaned, you can however pay for one from your pocket if you wish to do so." The second voice spoke matter of factly.


    "[A Predator.]"


    "Move it." And like that, she heard the sound of something in the back followed by the steps of a human walking, then after a second or so, the same sound again of something hitting a wall.


    Then silence.


    "Get to work everyone, prepare the scanners, with some luck, P4 is somehow still alive under all the debris and we will get a new P4-series." The second voice said.


    "Doctor Williams...Isn''t that illegal?" Someone spoke after a few seconds.


    The second voice made some weird sound as if wind had gotten stuck in it before saying "Of course not, you all signed the right paperwork that allows me to do this. I won''t do this unless someone tries to do something like this again... I swear to god, he only killed P4 because he wanted to make a cat girl...." The second voice, now identified as Doctor Williams said so.


    "[Logged new identifier, Doctor Williams to the database.]"


    Silence, so much silence caused by this Doctor Williams. So was this [Human] the one the blonde [Human] spoke to?


    No, this one sounded somewhat different, its inflections weren''t like that, if anything the inflections the other human transmitted through the box-shaped organisms seemed closer to hers.


    "Get to work, also someone get me the last core dump P4 performed." Doctor Williams spoke and then the sounds became more calm.


    They seemed to work in silence as small sounds of clicks and clacks sounded, only hushed voices spoke. It seemed that none had come in the direction of her current hiding spot, so she sent one tendril with a primitive light sensor to check.


    "[No hostiles detected within range.]"


    And Main core reported as such, so moving more biomass towards that tendril she turned the primitive light sensor into a fully functional [Eye], this would allow her to look around while hiding the organ and not exposing herself.


    Everything was a blur of movement, multiple [Human]s moving from one place to the other, all going over squiggly lines on white panels embedded within square boxes made of some hard polymer. They seemed to be absorbing the squiggle lines and turning them into information?


    "Doctor, the last core dump doesn''t show anything out of order. There are some notes from Main Core about the Subject coming close to the checkmark for sapience but no conclusive evidence." One of them said while pointing at his square box.


    And then one of those among them walked, he seemed to be somewhat more damaged than the rest, his skin seemed to be more wrinkled, less elastic, his eyes more tired. And they seemed to hold something within, an emotion she hadn''t seen.


    "[New emotion cataloged, Anger.]"


    "And who designed the sapience check?" He asked, the one that brought his attention gulped and the others seemed to move back, like they didn''t want anything to do with this [Human].


    Would she be able to log a confrontation between [Human]s?


    "That...It was...The.....amm....Chief Scientist...Alexanders....Sir?" He answered as such.


    "[New identification found, Chief Scientist...Logged under the profile of Hostile Human Alexanders.]"


    "Yes, he was the one to create the thing, he is also the one who forbids us from tampering with it since ''It wouldn''t be fun'' so tell me...What does this tell us?" The [Doctor] asked, he had moved his mouth in a weird way. The tips seemed to curve upward, as if he was showing part of his teeth.


    Was this a hostile warning?


    It seemed to be a hostile warning, "That....P4 was gaining sapience?" The other [Human] was drenched in a translucid liquid now, his face was damp, and his textile covering was damp too.


    Was he experiencing a malfunction?


    "No. It tells us that whatever arbitrary check Alexanders put, P4 was about to achieve it, it may be the reason he sneaked in the last combat Test. But we will never know, since the thing is dead." The [Doctor] said, and then he started making some weird noise.


    "HAHAHAHAHA, Suck it Alexanders, you may have toyed with my subject but at least the stupid crab will not achieve whatever you wanted!" The [Doctor] moved back and went to one of the doors, and the others didn''t move till the voice of the [Doctor] wasn''t heard anymore.


    "ARE YOU CRAZY?!?" One of the [Humans] near the drenched one spoke, "Never talk about the big boss near Doctor Williams!"


    "I DIDN''T KNOW! " The drenched human said, "I just moved in here from Doctor Eversoul''s lab!"


    They all continued speaking and [Main Core] kept filling in information about what they said, this would be an informative session, she could see it, and they would give her enough information for her next move!


    Yes, this had been a good choice indeed. Everything was going according to plan.

 Chapter 10: Of the cruelty of [Humans]

    She had spent almost six hours cataloging each and every sound-based attack...No, they weren''t attacks. Not all of them anyway.


    She spent six hours cataloging the [Speech] of these [Humans], her current form was that of a human, not a single one of those that came into this [Room] had been close to her current configuration, and her form seemed to be more...Small.


    Perhaps most of these [Humans] were part of a caste dedicated to this kind of environment? What would that make them? Workers?


    Dr. Williams certainly didn''t seem like a [Worker] class, that one commanded other [Humans] but she wasn''t able to find any biological marker that made him inherently superior to the rest, even if most of them seemed to secrete biochemical markers similar to those the biological samples secreted when they wanted to surrender to her.


    And like her, he didn''t listen and continued, he was even better than her as he didn''t even seem to be fazed by their surrender, at some point she even had to block those sensors as the [Room] was stinking with the defeat of all of those around him.


    Maybe he was a [Predator] in charge of these [Prey]?


    But why would a [Predator] even bother to keep them around? Was he safeguarding them to eat them later?


    She was quite curious to see how Dr. Williams would decide to eat them, so when [Lunch] came, she redoubled her vigilance...


    But "Remember to return in time to those of you that decide to leave for lunch." Dr. Williams said as much before leaving the room.


    No one left after him, if anything they just continued working while opening small square-shaped entities, there she stood looking in almost horror as she saw them [Opening] those square-shaped entities and fishing out of them [Biomass].


    One fished a smaller square-shaped mass of fiber with some animal biomass surrounded by vegetal biomass and [Ate] it with small [Bites], she...She...She may have been mistaken in her understanding.


    These [Humans] were a more terrific organism than she had expected, these [Things] surrounded themselves with the dead bodies of square-shaped entities, those that stood at the top of her previous existence.


    Then while under the gaze of some square-shaped entities they took younger forms (As she could infer those were younger since they didn''t speak and had less of a bio-electric signal) and feasted on their entrails!


    And these were [Prey]!


    They were the same meek creatures that paled under the gaze of [Dr. Williams]!


    What kind of apex predator was this species?!?


    Had her [Design] been flawed?!?!?


    She hadn''t found anything of note in her current form!


    Nothing that indicated that she could do that kind of thing with the square-shaped entities!!!


    It was true however that the square-shaped entities hadn''t reacted to her, if anything they seemed to treat her as superior, as none had questioned her while she moved in that room, almost as if they feared her...


    She wondered why before, but if those had seen their young be [Feasted] upon on the regular, she could see why, the square-shaped entities weren''t equals to the [Humans] no...


    They were closer to her, they were [Slaves] to the humans!


    What kind of secrets did this [Body] hold that allowed it to make such a mighty existence bow to them?


    She...She needed another [sample], her current body must be flawed in some way¡­that was it!


    Surely the [Blueprint] they left for her was a weakened one!


    Surely a mighty entity that could do all of that wouldn''t be as weak as her form had been, why she had needed to burn plenty of biomass and energy to keep this body working before in the metallic tunnel!


    And that was merely by trying to move in an environment under 0¡ãC of temperature!


    Her previous [Glorious Form] could survive in environments as cold as -50¡ãC!


    No way this form could be that bad at temperature management while holding a rein over the square-shaped entities!


    "...Do you think he will survive?" Oh? They started speaking!


    "The intern? Nah, either he will get cannibalized by the remains of P4 or he will be turned into a new P-Series by Dr. Williams." Another voice spoke, rude!


    She wouldn''t cannibalize anyone...Okay, maybe she would, but still!


    "Well it''s his fault for killing P4, he was kinda cute..." The voice of another one sounded, this one had a higher pitch, she made note of it as it sounded more in line with what her body returned of an approximate pitch for [Voice].


    "...It was a 10-ton crab without eyes, the only reason we know what side was it''s Face was because the thing needed to leave a mouth...And even then we can''t be sure that''s his face!" The first voice spoke back.


    He had the right of it, actually, she didn''t have a [Face] per se on her previous model, all sides could function as her [Face] since she had sensors everywhere!


    She had made that design to work like that since some of the P-series she fought against had some weird fixation with attacking at her [Face], so to predict the attack more easily she made one side of her look like it had a [Face].


    "Even so, she was cute." The other voice said, curious...Most had referred to her previous form as either [It] or [Him].


    Only this voice seemed to think of her as a [She].


    "Also, it was a she, not a him. The design on the mandible was of a female crab." The previous voice said.


    Her mouth was of a female? She had chosen that one because that was the most efficient and offensive design she picked up...


    "It''s a weapon, it probably made the design choice following the most efficient mouth it could get its hand on. It didn''t have feelings." The first voice said.


    Again, that one was smart, maybe she would try to steal his [Blueprint] later, she would need to make sure he was distracted on a [Rest] cycle first though.


    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Would she be able to track him to his [Den]?


    Did they even need a [Den]?


    She was aware that she could function on her biological [Brain] for extended periods of time, the only reason she went into a [Rest] cycle was to be more efficient with her energy while she waited...


    She wasn''t sure how long they would continue in this place, the mere fact that she managed to arrive when no one was around was a blessing in itself, but while she could continue on this form for almost 30 hours...


    They had bigger bodies and as such should be able to hold more biomass and energy...She may need to prepare an escape...


    But her current form was...


    "[Spaghetti.]"


    Main Core referred to it as such, she wasn''t sure what kind of bioentity was called [Spaghetti], but since Main Core had been quite helpful it must be some kind of ambush predator...


    "One week of extra work says that intern will be eaten by P4." One of the voices spoke.


    "Joseph, it''s rude to bet on the demise of a fellow worker...Also only one week? A month says he ran to HR and is in the middle of a change to a new Lab." Another voice said admonishing the first one.


    He spoke of a [ HR ] that seemed to have more power than Dr. Williams, perhaps another level of [Predator] above Dr Williams?


    "Guys...He could be dead right now...Also One week of work on site that he is the new host to P4...If he is I will also add another extra week that says I can make him [Evolve] into another Crab before one of the nekomimi faction gets to the new P-series." The voice with high pitch spoke.


    Getting two levels of [Bets] on her side.


    They continued to speak like that while feasting on the remains of the young square-shaped entities they brought, after finishing those, they moved to a side of the room where they placed those remains in a hole within the dead body of one of the bigger square-shaped entities.


    She wondered why? Were they holding some level of respect for the young dead?


    She thought that for barely a second as the high-pitched [Human] moved something on the far end of the dead body of the square-shaped entity...Then the dead body started emitting a clear [Liquid].


    Main core registered it as [Water], but she knew that those liquids within one body aren''t such a banal thing, no...The lifeblood of one shouldn''t be just [Labeled] as the banal thing that [Water] is.


    If the square-shaped entity sustained using water, then that wasn''t mere water but [Blood]...Mostly made of H2O, but still!


    The horror she saw made her shiver, these humans were nonchalantly bathing the dead young bodies with the blood of another dead member of the square-shaped race!


    She...She needed to run away from here, she wasn''t sure why the square-shaped entities hadn''t risen against them!


    Such disrespect to their young and they stood there like nothing!


    "[Cleaning of test chamber finished.]" Or so she thought, but when the square-shaped entity spoke it was to only say that!


    No inflation in its tone, no hidden anger or any emotion at all!


    She was more rattled than them!


    "Oh, he finished? Weird." Said one of the voices, the one that had bet a month.


    "And he survived..." The one that bets a week said.


    "So no one won?" Spoke the high-pitched voice.


    The three only stood there looking at another square-shaped organism, this one held a projection on its body of her previous den, there the [Prey] stood with a metallic container full of bio-organic remains of her previous body.


    She could even see the dummy core she made within the remains of the bucket, and how the [Nanites] she left continued to self-destruct in the bucket.


    "Well...Someone call Dr Williams and give him the good news..." Said one of the voices.


    "Not it!" And the higher pitch voice quickly said, "Not it!" Followed by another.


    Leaving the one that originally said that fuming and grumbling as she saw him leave the room they were in, the other two continued exchanging theories about how that [Intern] had managed to survive and if he was [Contaminated] or not.


    Rude.


    She was not something that could [Contaminate] anyone!


    She thought so at least, she didn''t remember having any [Blueprint] for a way to propagate over large areas...Most of her stuff would self-destroy after a certain amount of time passed or turn inert if enough biomass or matter could sustain itself and wasn''t intrinsically bound to her nanites.


    So it was impossible for her to [Contaminate] anyone really.


    After around ten units of sixty seconds (Or 10 minutes as Main Core seemed to have taken a liking to those units), Dr Williams returned. He immediately glared at the main monitor where the [Intern] had continued to push the same button to try and open the door out of her den.


    "So either P4 is playing a new game or he somehow managed to actually kill the only surviving original P-series subject. Opinions?" Said the Dr Williams human.


    Wait, the only original surviving P-Series?


    Hadn''t she just fought a P9 subject a few days ago?


    "He might have gotten a lucky shot into P4''s Main core? He has been brandishing what looks to be a cracked Core at the camera." Said the high-pitched voice human.


    Oh, he was indeed brandishing her dummy core, and breaking it further by grabbing it too hard...Thank you [Intern] for making it harder for any study to bring accurate data.


    "I think P4 is playing dead in an attempt to escape," Said another voice in the room, he was going over her last core dump. "There are no mentions of reinforcement in the immediate core area, and P4 used to take regular schedules to check its defenses."


    Oh, did she forget to add those? That would be...


    "[Problematic.]"


    "So either we let him leave and risk everyone in base...Or leave him there for a week without letting biomass near P4." Wondered aloud Dr Williams.


    Was that [Human] really allowing the [Prey] to decide the fate of other [Human-Prey]?


    That...wasn''t something a [Predator] would do...


    Oh...


    Her [Eye] turned around to see everyone else and they all stood there in silence, till the high-pitched one said "Should we prepare accommodations for hi...." She started saying but shut out as Dr Williams turned his eyes to her, "...For the new possible P4 Subject?" Ended saying high pitch.


    "Why yes Miss Brown, that is the spirit...But we don''t have enough funds to give P4-B good accommodations, he...Or not, that thing is no longer [Human], P4-B may use P4''s former den. Give it P4''s previous allocation of Nutrient paste." Said Dr. Williams, somehow that [Human] was sure she had survived.


    But why did it think she would remain within her den?


    "Yes sir." High pitch said while she seemed to push some weird small squares in a long rectangle in front of her.


    Were those small square-shaped entities?


    At the same time high pitch pushed those weird lines seemed to move and react on the square-shaped entity with crystal-like body, and then the [Human] within her den looked straight at one of the square-shaped entities within her den.


    She strained her [ears] to try and listen in, but barely managed to hear "[Subject temporary name P4-B, you will remain within site till you are deemed free of influence, please use the accommodations, no further testing will be done and so, all the biomass provided will be the standard unit. Subject P4, if you wish to acquire further biomass please move towards the gate and an appropriate test will be started.]" High pitch turned towards Dr Williams as if asking something.


    "Heh, good enough I guess. Good job on noticing P4 would want extra biomass after surviving that encounter...If it survived the stupid crab that is." Said Dr Williams.


    "Sir...Subject P4-B seems to be speaking, should we parse him?" Asked another one of the [Humans].


    "Yeah sure, why not. We will not record all of his interactions afterward, so I hope it uses them wisely." Said Dr.Williams, the human that had spoken moved, and after pushing some of the squares in front of him another one of the crystal-like things showed a projection of the [Human].


    He had thrown his bucket with the remains of her dummy body to the side "ARE YOU KIDDING ME? LET ME GO! P4 IS DEAD! BESIDES NUTRIENT PASTE? AT LEAST GIVE ME ENOUGH TO SURVIVE. I CAN''T SURVIVE STARVED AS P4 WAS!" He went on and on.


    Speaking about how if she was alive he was in danger, about how he would quit, about how he wouldn''t do it again...He went on quite the long tirade about reasons of why that was unfair and how he was sorry, about how he wouldn''t try to make her evolve into a cat girl...


    What even was a cat girl?


    High pitch seemed to take offense at that as her eyes turned dangerously similar to those of another [Predators] she had fought before, the one with slit eyes and a smooth tail, she remembered that one because it had been not only fast and agile, but because she hadn''t managed to defeat it.


    "...And he wasted his chance. Cut the recording from the log, mark the reason for deletion as nonimportant for the experiment." Said Dr Williams.


    No one contested that, so that must mean the reasoning the [Human] said wasn''t good enough to risk them opening the door from her [Den], not that it was an effective way to contain her, as she was no longer inside.


    "Continue going over the [Core Dump], also prepare for the dummy exposition, we will get the [Tour] from that school in...12 hours, so you have two hours to prepare and finish. Get the fake recordings of weapon testings and six hours of rest and another two hours to finalize everything. Afterward, we will move to cold weapon testing in the remote location. With some luck, P4 will stop playing dead..." Said Dr.Williams while the other [Humans] groaned at that.


    What was a [Tour]? And why had they reacted like that?


    She would need to check and investigate further, besides...At the very least if she understood them right she would get a chance to investigate further when they turned to the [Rest Cycle] in two hours...


    And at least six hours to roam around before they started moving...So in around 12 hours, she would find out what that [Tour] was...And perhaps that would be her way to escape this place?


    She hoped to find some [Biomass] within that period at the very least...


    But for now...


    For now, she would continue filling her database with their interactions, with some luck she would be able to mimic their [Speech] well enough to try and hide among them...


    She hadn''t found another [Human] with the same [Phenotype] as hers, neither in form nor size...So she was getting worried... She didn''t want to try and [Neutralize] one of the [Humans], they held too much power so she wasn''t sure she would be able to kill them.


    Maybe she could find enough [Biomass] to mimic one of their bodies without having the full [Blueprint]?


    She would need to check on that option with her six-hour window...


    But that would need to be done later, right now...She would analyze and investigate these [Humans]...If nothing else she needed a [Prey] to stalk.

 Chapter 11: The Bathroom chapter

    She had been mistaken.


    "[Amendment in Blueprint done.]"


    Even Main Core was in accordance with her, she had spent the last hours the [Humans] had in that [Room] studying their mannerisms, and she had quite an extensive database on them. She was half sure she could mix among them at some point and was only wondering why their variance in design was like that.


    Most held the same body type with some small difference among themselves, she had thought this was mostly a design in those that were more [Predators] and [Prey] among the caste.


    Just as how some models held bulges on their torso like P9, and others didn''t.


    At first, she had thought that this body type needed a long [Hair], or the keratin growings as she had taken to call them. Since most of the models that held this type of bulge on their chest had long [Hair].


    The bigger the bulge the more...Curved, their body became for some reason. Was this to make balancing easier? She wasn''t sure.


    But this theory got ditched later on as the time allotted ended and another [Human] opened the door and took Dr Williams away, this one had bulges on her chest...But had short [Hair].


    This made her re-analyze most of the pictures she had taken from the [Humans], and sure enough...Ones that she had catalogued with the [Non bulge type] had indeed...Bulges.


    Modest ones, smaller ones, but they had it too. She noticed a new trend, and this time it was from their coverings, those that covered completely their lower body didn''t have those. While those that were covered with short fabric (Similar to the body armor she was using) had bulges on them.


    Even if modest, so maybe the bulges earned them the right to use that type of clothing?


    Meaning that phenotype was higher on the caste.


    She would need to check a sample further to make sure she updated her own phenotype as needed, she had found this kind of clothing comfortable after all.


    But that wasn''t the point of the error she had found previously. No.


    While it was related, the error lies elsewhere.


    You see, after the [Humans] left the [Room] she took the chance to take some samples from the [Containers] they had used, the humans with bulges shared the same amount of genetic information and the organs seemed to be the same too.


    She, however, found some difference in a part of their [Blueprint] towards the end, and multiple samples she found ended with quite interesting information. At the end of the [Blueprint] she noticed their [Cells] differed, only in a single spot.


    The final pair of [Genes] differed. While the bulge human held two of the same. The non-bulged human held a different pair. She went through her own database of pictures and indeed every single human (That she had a sample) followed that phenotype.


    Comparing her own [Blueprint] she found that her body was...The same too, she held a pair of the same [Cells] at the end, so her current body should afford the use of this type of superior clothing...But it seemed...Younger.


    Her [Cell] age was lower than the one in most of the samplings, had her body been a [Pup]?


    That explained why the [Blueprint] referred to this model as [Stealth] or [Infiltration] blueprint. It made sense...She also disregarded new spawns in other test subjects, after all, most of the time they were useless cannon fodder.


    But even so, she needed to make sure.


    So after fixing her body in the normal configuration. And stretching...that always felt nice for some reason, it made her worry that her vocal cords seemed to emit some kind of weird noise when she did those movements and she wasn''t able to prevent herself from doing them.


    "Nyaaa~?"


    "[Embarrassing.]"


    And Main Core always said the same words as if she knew the meaning, she would check on them later, but since Main Core wasn''t broadcasting nor messing with her thought kernel she let it speak for itself.


    After finishing her stretch and weird vocalizations, she walked towards [The Door]. This would be her first time walking in the open, she first needed to make sure her disguise was perfect.


    Exterior armor made from biomass-produced textile flesh?


    "[Check and optimal.]"


    Nanite presence within exterior bio armor?


    "[Zero.]"


    Perfect, that would mean that should her connection with the exterior bio armor (Sundress) be cut, the thing should stay solid long enough for her to recuperate contact with it. It should stay without disintegrating as all the materials were sub-derived and not nanite-made like her dummy body. But a girl couldn''t be always so sure.


    Either way, she moved to the next part of her checklist.


    Feet coverings?


    "[Modeled after Human with similar clothing and adjusted to Host Size.]"


    She noticed not a single [Human] was barefoot like her, she found that weird, but since her disguise depended on not being noticed she took notice and emulated the more convenient feet coverings, in this case, the ones another [Human] that was dressing an exterior textile armor like her (Sundress) was chosen.


    It was a small pair of leather-like material at the base that was tied to her feet with the use of thin straps that went above her feet and around the ankle to secure itself in place. She wasn''t sure what kind of material the other [Human] used for hers, but she was using an imitation of soft leather that was quite comfortable on her feet.


    She liked these designs as they allowed her feet to be in the open and she only needed to destroy a pair of thin straps to unleash her feet and fight as normal.


    Also since the material was thin, her tactile sensation wasn''t impeded as much as with the other options around, like...Who even encases their feet in hard leather?


    They wouldn''t be able to feel a thing like that!


    Granted, the armor protection would be higher...But she wouldn''t want to sacrifice the possible sense output for more protection, increased sensorial input meant she would be able to dodge more attacks. And that in turn translated into less need for armor.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Next on her list was...


    Current body phenotype disguise?


    "[100% in accordance with Blueprint.]"


    The one that made her doubt, she was sure the design was 100% good, but... no other body phenotype had come closer to her current body. The closest one still was bigger than her, even if all other evidence pointed that she also had the right to use the superior coverings, that one human dressed like the non-bulged phenotype.


    She even used the same lower body coverings... Granted her body was adorned with the same minerals the other bulged humans held in their [Ears] and [Lips], the only reason she knew to check to make sure.


    Did that mean that if one didn''t have [Bulges] they couldn''t use this [Superior armor]?


    Her initial assessment said Yes.


    But after opening the door...


    That went straight away out of her immediate area of concern.


    "TEACHER THAT GIRL SKIPPED LINE!" A shrill attack...Or not, a shrill voice said.


    "Ugh...There is always one that does that. Whose class are you?" A bulged human asked while looking at her. "And no uniform? Did you sneak in since you didn''t have your uniform? We sent a notice that you all needed to bring it..."


    She was almost three times as tall as her, she hadn''t noticed it with the other [Humans] as she hadn''t stood near them in this form. Her [Glorious form]/previous body always towered over them. It surprised her the amount of [Humans] that she found out of the confines of that small [Room], somehow it seemed to isolate the sound almost as well as her previous [Den]. The [Humans] seemed to enjoy isolating their areas from exterior influence.


    So this was a new experience, "The teacher is bullying the new girl ?" The other [Humans] around started synchronizing their [Voices] in a weird cadence, something within her seemed to want to join at them...While another part wanted to start secreting water from her [Eyes].


    Was her body malfunctioning?


    "Sorry sorry...Didn''t want to yell at you." The human said while placing its [Hand] on her [Head].


    She prepared for an attack while checking the surroundings...


    And nothing happened...


    "[Updated full Blueprint...Adding to Library...Updated Human gender, Female.]"


    Main Core said while she felt a new flood of information in her [Brain], she suddenly understood most of the functions within her body and why they had been wired like that, the pressure she had been feeling in her lower body suddenly made sense too.


    She had thought her body wanted to discharge the liquid as an attack from being stressed, but in turn, it meant she had needed to "I need to pee." Her mouth said after identifying the feeling.


    She quickly used her [Hands] to cover her [Mouth] as her voice had leaked unintended, it was shrill like those around her, quite high pitched for her taste too.


    "So you snuck ahead searching for a bathroom..." The [Woman] said, those bulges meant that they were [Women]. So she would grow them too?


    No, did she need to grow them?


    A look around herself with all the other [Humans] "Children, anyone else needs to go to the bathroom? Might as well take your chances." Said the [Woman] to the other [Humans] around.


    A chorus of "Noo?" rained down, a few [Yes] had been heard, but it seemed that the woman hadn''t noticed them, she did however notice how some other [Small Women] moved near them.


    "Okay, let''s go and find the receptionist and ask her to guide you to the bathroom." Said the [Woman] while showing the same face that Dr Williams had shown before.


    ...But it felt different, she showed her teeth like him, moved her lips like him, her cheeks moved like him...But it missed that [Madness] and it had something else on it.


    "[Emotion identified, Care / Love.]"


    What is [Love]?


    Main core didn''t answer.


    "Do you need something Teach?" She heard a familiar voice and felt herself freeze.


    It was high pitched like hers, it was the voice of the other [Woman] she had listened to in the [Room], the one that bet for the demise of the [Intern].


    "Yes, is there a bathroom around, the kids need to use it. We had one try to sneak around in search for one... So we would rather you guide us, I don''t wanna take the [Scientist]''s time while they explain it so might as well do it now." Said the woman.


    "[New designation found, Teach. Logged into the database.]"


    "Ugh...Kids...Fine, follow me." Said high pitch while doing some weird movement with her hand as if she wanted to grab something and smear it on her [leg].


    "Okay kids, follow the nice lady and listen to her. And you." Said the [Teach] while looking at her, "You will stay with us till we find your teacher. I sent a message to the group chat but no one has answered yet. Do you remember the name of your teacher?"


    Teacher?


    "[The Blueprint has been amended, new Human Designation Found, Teach = Teacher.]"


    Oh, why had they shortened?!?


    "No," she heard herself answer while something within her told her to let some water leak into her eyes.


    She did so, as her [Instincts] had never failed her.


    "Shh...It''s okay, we will find them okay?" Said the [Teach] in a low tone that seemed to vibrate within her chest, it was closer to that weird sound some subjects did when dealing with their spawns.


    It felt nice.


    "Okay girls, follow me, we will use the employee''s bathroom since we are inside the labs and we don''t have customers'' bathrooms here. So don''t touch anything." Said high pitch while guiding them.


    "So, what class are you in?" "Are you at our school?" "Did you escape a cell from this lab?"


    The other [Women] around her started speaking, their dressings were similar enough to hers, but their lower body covering was more complex.


    Their [External armor]/skirt was shorter than hers, and her legs had white coverings on them. Their upper body held a textile armor similar to the one Dr Williams used, but theirs held some weird fabric in the figure of two triangles on them (Necktie).


    One of them used their two upper appendages to grab hers, "What''s your name?" while asking as such.


    "[Further update on blueprint...Updated age cycle...Desgination Age - Stage. Added.]"


    She got another update for the blueprint? But hers was already full.


    "[Host''s body is currently in Stage - Child. Unit Teacher is on Stage -Adult.]"


    Oh...


    SHE WAS A PUP!


    So then most of her functions had been restricted this whole time?!?


    "There is the bathroom girls, go at it. You sundress, you are the one that made the ruckus so you get that stall. Freckles, next one. Twin tails, that one...And red hair...You get that one, congratulations you get to use the boss''s one. Go at it." High pitch said pointing them towards small den-type structures.


    She followed in and opened the door into the den to find a weird...


    "[...Structure similar to those used by Humans to rest their lower body. Recommendation to host, discharge processed toxins from body into the water found within the chair.]"


    That seemed like a waste, but she soon enough heard the sound of flowing water from the nearby dens, so she sat herself in after closing the door to her new [Den].


    "[Suggestion, raise external textile armor to prevent damage from liquid discharge.]"


    Oh, right. Smart, nice save Main Core.


    She did as instructed and sat herself, then while going over the muscles on her lower body and flexing the right ones to start the discharge, the accumulated liquid shot towards the water in the [Chair].


    Such a weird feeling, her previous body could recycle most of what entered it, and nothing was ever wasted like this...But...This body?


    This one couldn''t even recycle its fluids?


    And this was supposed to be a better body than her previous one?


    Granted, this one seemed to be able to work with less energy expenditure and bigger CPU use, but still...


    "Don''t forget to clean yourselves." High pitch said, on the other side of the den.


    Clean?


    "[Suggestion, use vegetal derivate on the wall to remove water remains from body. Reduce risk from biological damage towards host body from water toxins sticking to the body.]"


    ....The what?


    This body was...Was....was susceptible to biological damage from its own toxin discharge system?


    What the hell?


    "...kay..." She heard herself join the chorus of voices as she did her best effort to make sure no drop of water stuck to her body.


    And she didn''t jump when she heard a flushing sound of water nearby, no sir.


    It seemed that the other dens had finished discharging their own toxins, as she heard the sound of water flowing, an interesting way to make sure the toxins disappeared.


    "The flush handle is on the side, it''s a button." She heard high-pitched voices as she also knocked at the door to her den.


    "Thank you!" Her voice said as she followed the instincts within her body, with her not claw(She missed her claw) prodded at the side, and sure enough. She found a...thing.


    She suspected it was the thing called [Button] and by putting pressure on the thing the [Chair] spat water flushing away the toxins she had expelled before.


    It was...


    "[Beautiful]"


    An incredible work of art as how the water danced as it pulled away her toxins into the deeps within, she hadn''t noticed before but the [Chair] had a [Square-shaped] entity on its back.


    It made sense, [Humans] did use this slave race for everything...And now she had done the same.


    She opened the door away from this small den and found high pitch who pointed her to the other small [Child] "Sundress, go and wash your hands with the other girls, use soap and everything."


    "[Update blueprint with new subcategory, Human - Female variant - Child Stage - Girl. Adult Stage - Women.]"


    So she was a [Girl] and not a [Woman], and her current identifier wasn''t P4 but [Sundress]. How does that work?


    Did another [Human] with her current [Blueprint] exist in the world and they were thinking it was her?


    It would help her plan to escape from the Den if nothing else. Now she only needed to [Wash her hands with soap], and then...And then...


    Find out more about this [Sundress] girl she was supposed to be. How hard can it be?


    She had fought and [Devoured] plenty of subjects already, surely this couldn''t be that hard.

 Chapter 12: About Names and Anime

    Turns out, the true powerhouse weren''t the big [Humans] but the smaller ones.


    "And then, and then, I just went BAM!" the other [Girl] at her side said while screeching.


    She had learned that that subvocalization the [Human Child] did was called [Laugh], but for her? It was closer to a screech than anything else, so she liked to refer to it as such.


    "Can you believe it? Like, why would he even think that I would like that stupid dirty ball?" She wasn''t sure what that [Ball] referred to, nor why had the other [Human Child] had thought giving it to this [Girl] was a good idea.


    But if it was a strategy to rattle her it worked quite well.


    "I see, did you make sure to defeat this other [Kid]?" But since she was getting some useful vocalization information, and some practice with her [Language], she had to deal with it.


    "Of course, I kicked his ass, he ran away crying to mommy!" The [Girl] said while making sure her torso was arching outward, as if that would make her look bigger.


    Was this some social dynamic in which a [Human] would try to make itself look like a threat?


    But why would she try to threaten her? Did she miss some social cue somewhere?


    She had too little information!


    "But girl, aren''t you cold? It looks as if you only had that sundress on!" The other [Girl] asked before she could address her social problems.


    Or had she asked someone else?


    Was other [Sundress] around?


    No wait, she referred to her? But she said [Girl] that was the denomination to their current stage...wasn''t it?


    "Hello? Anyone home?" The other [Girl] waved her hand over her face while making some weird noise with two of her fingers, that was one interesting way to make noises. She would file it for later study.


    But what was she going about "What do you mean?" She asked for clarification.


    "I mean, this place is already cold and I am using both spats and pants, besides two pairs of socks!" The other [Girl] said, while first lowering part of her lower armor, then showing part of her lower body.


    She had indeed another set of [Clothing] bellow her [Pants], and on her feet, she had two different layers of [Clothing] too, probably those [Socks]. She poked with her finger the under armor and extended a small tendril into it to analyze the make of it.


    She hadn''t had a chance to study these armors and hers was designed using the design she could view from afar, "I see...I have those too actually." So she copied the design, she would need to burn some biomass to mimic them, but in the long run, if this could serve to normalize her body temperature then it would be worth it.


    She was already burning extra energy to keep her temperature in sync with that of the other [Childs], so trying her best to weave a new set of under armor she gave herself a pair of those [Spats] and whatever was called the under-under pink armor the other [Girl] had on her.


    She of course didn''t give herself a pair of those [Socks], as her feet were exposed and didn''t want to tip her hand (Yet), none of the other [Children] had used any level of augmentation, so she wasn''t sure what kind of abilities they held.


    She didn''t give herself anything to her upper torso even though she noticed the other girl had two layers of clothing there, her current [Dress] exposed too much [Skin] to allow a change such as that.


    "Here let me..." She started saying while grabbing the hem of her [Dress] to show her.


    "STOP! STOP! I TRUST YOU!" The other girl screamed as she grabbed her hands and pulled them down.


    Hadn''t she doubted her level of thermal defenses?


    Why was she stopping her then?


    "Gosh girl, have some degensensy." The [Girl] said, was that a word?


    She hadn''t heard that word before, but in this context that one implied that she was missing something everyone else seemed to have.


    "The word is decency." High-pitched said from behind them, "Also you all are like four? Most of your cadre will gag or not think much of it. You don''t have anything nice to leer at."


    "Mama says that a lady is made from a young age." The [Girl] at her side said, "And that we need to behave like one or bad habits will stick."


    "Hmm....Well, whatever, it should be fine around other girls and women. Just don''t do it around anyone bigger than you." High pitch said and moved along.


    She had the right of it, she hadn''t even thought about the problems of exposing her fleshy bits while surrounded by [Humans]. They were, after all, [Predators] even if they didn''t act like it, nor expose their might right now.


    Maybe it was the right move to use this mode to move around after all. She would still check up on other versions of different stages of the [Human] body, but for now?


    "Okay." She answered high pitch and tried to hug her [Dress] closer to her, suddenly aware of how flimsy this armor was. She hadn''t thought much about it, as the [Blueprint] images carried designs similar to this one, and since she had seen one of the [Humans] wear one at the first stages of her tests. She used it.


    "Hmph!" The other [Girl] however only made one weird sound and crossed her arms to her [Chest], "Mama always said that those that don''t value their chaspipi aren''t pretty, so don''t listen to her and never show your nono zone."


    Her what?


    Was the nonprotected area designated as [Nono zone]? Why?


    Was it special? But it only had that weird delivery system for the toxins in her body. Granted she had found that there were plenty of important organs on that side, but the most important ones seemed to be nested in her chest and head. The others she could do without, and if she wasted some energy and biomass she could even function without them.


    "Not even to other girls!" The [Girl] said, was she referring to their stage growth? Their designation? Or was this how a group of several [Child - Girl] were referred to in groups?


    She needed more answers, should she try and try to [Devour] one of the other [Girl]''s in this group? Well, not this one. "You are looking at me funny, like how Papa looks at Mama when he takes that weird yellow drink..." This one had been useful.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    But most of the ones around them seemed to hold the same [Blueprint], so maybe it wouldn''t matter?


    She had found (by accidental touch) that it was a group with both [Female] and [Male] variants of the [Human- Child Stage], so she needed a [Female] variant, her current [Design] was [Female]. And the [Blueprint] she held was also [Female] for the most part, it seemed that whoever had put it there favored most [Female] variants than [Male] ones.


    So it should have some kind of advantage to be a [Female], "Anyway, are you looking for your teacher? " The [Girl] asked.


    The logical and truthful answer was [No]. She didn''t know what a [Teacher] was, but she was sure that she didn''t have one of those. "Yes," but she answered that, since not having something that she was supposed to have would be bad for her [Disguise].


    "Do you know what she is called? Mine is Miss Baking! She is nice, even if she doesn''t give us cakes even though she''s Baking." She would add that to her growing list of possible phenotypes. One that was always doing something and had enough time to take care of other [Child-Stage Humans] would be one that had a good multitask CPU.


    That was something she could use for her personalized [Design], "I do not know the designation of my [Teacher - Unit]." She answered while preparing most of her defenses to go into overdrive at the most minimal sign of hostilities.


    She had taken the chance to say that when they arrived at one point of their walk when three routes had opened, most of the other [Child-Stage Humans] had gone into one, the other one seemed to go into what looked like a dead end if her [Boosted Eyes] were to be trusted, and the final fourth route seemed to have different [Smells] mixed, so she was banking her hopes in having a broader catalog of [Blueprints] to disguise herself.


    "It''s okay!" The [Girl] said while letting her hand up and down into one of her shoulders, "I also took like forever to learn Miss Baking''s name!"


    "It''s Baker you brat." A [Woman] said while attacking the [Girl]!


    The [Girl] let a small yelp as she used both hands to search for damages on her [Head], "There you are. Did you hear about our tour and sneak into it? All the classes have all the students accounted for." The [Woman] spoke while narrowing her eyes at her.


    Had she been found out? But they had stated that a [Sundress] girl was in their numbers! Was this a deception?


    Something must have changed as the look the [Woman] gave her changed, and she released a breath "It''s okay, we aren''t mad. We do need to find your parents if you came with them. If not... Well, do you know your parent''s number? Or your address? We can get you to your home in one of the teacher''s cars while we get the brats back to school." It seemed as if she was...okay?


    Weren''t they mad because of the deception?


    "I will need a name by the way," Or not, again with the [Name], was it a designation?


    She didn''t have one, or not one she could use.


    "...See, this is how you should be Melissa, an adult you don''t know asks you for your name, you don''t tell them." The Woman said while speaking to the [Girl].


    Wait, her designation was [Melissa]? Was this a clue?


    Main core! Query: Search for use of [Designation] and find a fitting [Name]!


    "[Query Accepted...Searching database.]"


    "But that''s only in places where there are bad adults! Like the streets! Or the understomach!" The [Girl] called [Melissa] answered.


    "Underbelly, also that isn''t real." The [Teacher] answered. "Now I can''t keep calling you Sundress, I promise that I''m trustworthy. I''m, after all, a Teacher. Our job is to be there for little girls who are lost like you."


    "[Database search finished, collating results...Calculating a more efficient naming scheme...Taking into consideration Host predilections...]"


    Main Core was taking its sweet time... "My [Name/Designation] is..." She started speaking slowly, she noticed one of the [Keratin] growings above the [Teacher]''s eyes seemed to move. Had she missed something again?


    Damnation! She needed a better [Social] library!


    Main Core!


    "[Name generated, please say...]"


    She didn''t take time to listen and straight up patched the result to her vocal cords, "...Alexand..." And noticed that the main core straight up patched the name of the blonde man she fought before her [Awakening]!


    "Alexandra huh, that is a cute name." The [Teacher] finished for her, she had said a different name though...Was Alexander a name not apt for a [Female Unit]?


    "Yes, Alexandra. That''s my [Designation]!" She felt something [Change] within her [Core] as she uttered those words, as if something shifted and felt herself more [Her].


    "See Melissa, you should be like her, instead of shortening her name like you do to Meli, she says her full name." And the teacher said towards the other [Girl].


    "But teaaaaaach, Melissandra is such an old lady''s name. Melissa is more cute, and Meli is even cuter!" The [Girl] said, what was this?


    She had a three-stage name?


    Did that hold some kind of hidden power within the [Humans], then shouldn''t she try and harness that kind of power?


    Main core!


    "[...Calculating formulae to follow that scheme of Power...]"


    Always trust [Main Core], she couldn''t believe she fought against this thing just a few [Hours] ago!


    "I''m sure she does the same, right Alexa...Alessa...Ale...Right Ale?" The other girl seemed to have some malfunctions in her [Vocal - Speakers].


    "You may call me [Alexa] if you want." She said and felt something within her settle more strongly, something told her that she should project her chest forward and look upwards while using that weird facial snarl others used.


    So she did, this felt [Right].


    The result was immediate, the other girl [Designation - Melissandra/Melissa/Meli] smiled and circled her body with her arms as she did some weird motion with her face trying to impregnate her with whatever weird liquids she was secreting from her [Face].


    "Okay that''s about it, you are scaring Alexa." The teacher said while grabbing the other [Girl] from the base of her upper armor, interesting. So armor could be used like that and not only as protection.


    "BUT SHE IS SO CUTE!!!!" Shrieked [Melissa] and she felt herself inch a few steps backward.


    Did she have a malfunction?


    Actually, didn¡¯t P9 act somewhat like that in its final moments?


    Oh...P9!


    She needed to make sure her disguise wasn''t pierced, lest she end as P9, but how?


    "[Suggestion; Child - Stage animals look up to the older members of their species. Advice: Seek council from older members of the Humans about doubts so long as these do not compromise the disguise.]"


    Well, that was easy enough, "Did I do something wrong [Teacher]?" So for now, she pretended to be a [Child] and acted as such.


    "Oh no, you are okay. This child is sick." The [Teacher] said while [Melissa] struggled as she extended her arms towards her previous target [Me].


    But what is this [Sick] she speaks of?


    "I''M NOT SICK! SHE IS TOO CUTE TO NOT HUG!" The [girl] shrieked again.


    Shrieked, such a nice word.


    "Don''t mind her Alexa, her mother is also sick with the same thing, so it probably runs in her blood. Anime, such a dangerous thing to expose a child to." The [Teacher] did some weird sideways movement with her head as she moved away with [Melissa].


    Main Core, order: Save [Anime] as dangerous [Sick].


    "[Acknowledge, saved in priority database for further investigation and possible weaponization.]"


    That would do for now, she ignored the other [Girl] as she seemed to want to free herself from the clutches of the [Teacher] who was carrying her under her arm.


    She noticed how the other girl didn''t seem to want to move her lower body appendages as much as her upper body ones, was this part of the [Sick]?


    The only visual difference she found was that the lower body ones had a variant of her [Sundress]...Oh...


    She didn''t want to expose her under armor even while in captivity... The lower body of the [Female - Human] variant had such a disadvantage? Then the advantages this [model] must have should be quite the thing over the [Male - Human] variant.


    More reasons to stay using [Blueprints] similar to these ones, while thinking over these kind of things they arrived to their destination. As the [Teacher] finally let [Melissa] down, who quickly ran towards her and latched onto one of her arms while squinting her eyes in the direction of the teacher.


    She was lubricating them for some reason while holding onto her, the [Teacher] only did that weird form with her mouth.


    "[Designation: Smile]"


    She did the [Smile] and moved her head sideways while speaking to other [Teacher] units, [Melissa] for her part kept lubricating her eyes while holding onto her.


    Oh, she was using her as a [Visual Aid] since her [Eyes] were lubricating, smart. And also that helped as evidence that her [Disguise] hadn''t been penetrated, no smart race as the [Humans] would let a [Child - Stage] members of theirs with another species while vulnerable like this.


    Perfect.


    This meant her [Disguise] had overcome all the difficulties, now she only needed to escape this [Den] and search for another place to settle, maybe try and incorporate herself into a...


    What do [Humans] call a group of their species?


    "[Possible names: Herd, flock, pack, pod, school, pride, swarm, colony, gaggle, murder, hive, brood, shoal, family, cluster...]"


    Main Core as always gave a long list of possible ways to call them, she was partial towards either pod, swarm, hive, brood, or murder. A species full of predators should have one similar to those, she had fought subjects that were under the designation of [Hive] and [Swarm] already, and those moved in groups of similar-minded subjects.


    Similar to all these [Human - Child Stage] [Girls] and [Boys], but those moved in a single mind focus, not like the [Chaos] these [Human - Child Stage] did. So that removed two of the valid options.


    So then what were they called?


    Perhaps she would ask the [Teacher] again, she seemed quite [Happy] when she answered her question before... And it even took [Melissa] away from her!


    Maybe it could do the same again, one could only get so much [Blueprint] information from another [Human] before it became redundant, and she had enough [Blueprint] of [Melissa] to mimic her body at 100% fidelity already...


    Also, she needed to fix her [Toxin filtration] and [Heart cavity], she had too much [Waste] in both, oily waste. Did one of her internal pipes mix the contents?


    Such [Messy] care of herself, even though it was such an easy fix...

 Chapter 13: Subject P8 - Variant B, Code Name 8UN135

    "And this is project subject 8UN135, they are designed in the image of a certain species of rodent. Can you guess which one?" A [Woman] she had never seen before spoke her question.


    This one was dressed in an [Armor] of different style, her lower body armor was shorter and exposed a patch of skin, it was around [5 cm] till a new [Armor] set showed itself, it was an extended version of the [Socks] she had copied from [Melissandra].


    She needed one of those, more [Armor] was always better.


    "A BUNNY!" The [Kids] around her raised their voices as an answer.


    She almost answered the question with the name she knew them for, Subject P8-Variant B.


    A [Swarm-Hive] variant organic subject that fought in waves, they didn''t mind the losses and were an important reason of why her previous [Form] was covered mostly in an exoskeleton that guarded her fleshy bits.


    "That''s right, they were made based on the [Brachylagus idahoensis]. Or what you all know as a bunny." The [Woman] spoke as a [Square-shaped glass] descended from the [Ceiling] and showed a picture of something similar to the P8- Variant B on it.


    She knew they weren''t another P8 subject as those had more useless parts to their [Blueprint], unlike the P8 subject, these had more [Hair] than needed, and their [ears] were more exposed.


    She knew these P8 had exposed ears too, but she had learned the hard way that those were dummy aids that could be disposed of as a trap vector. Stupid rabbits.


    "[New Emotion detected, Anger. Filed for further study.]"


    "And you can get to play with the rabbits! Raise your hand if you want to play with the rabbits ?" The Woman said, was she crazy?


    Why would anyone in their sane mind want to [Play] with a bioweapon?


    "YEEEEES!!!" ......She needed a word to express her feelings.


    "[Suggestion: Dang it, damnation, crap, F#ck.]"


    Oh, that was a good one, thank you Main Core.


    Dang it.


    "Go and play with them, they don''t bite." The [Woman] said as all the other [Kids] ran into the test chamber.


    How did she know it was a test chamber?


    Easy, first of all. If a bioweapon is in a chamber, then that is a test chamber.


    Second, she recognized the test chamber and could even see the [Door] that led into her former [Den].


    Third, this was the same [Room] she had arrived when exiting her [Den].


    And finally, this one didn''t have anything to do with that, but she felt a new [Blueprint] enter her memory reservoir, she also felt the telltale of a new [Armor] in her hand. So turning her attention to her [Hand] she found that her [Hand] had grabbed the hem of the lower body armor of the [Teacher].


    "Alexa? You don''t want to play with the Bunnies?" Asked the [Teacher] as she placed her own [Hand] over hers.


    It was bigger than hers.


    "[New Human - Female blueprint updated...Calculating possible future form of current Blueprint...]"


    "[Acquired new Stage of Female growth phase, Adult. Calculating...Missing links between growth stages.]"


    [Main Core] showed two new updates in her mind, but she ignored those. Instead, she focused on her [Hand], she hadn''t moved it.


    Taking notice of it, her body seemed to be having some uncontrolled reaction, her [Sight] blurred as her [Head] seemed to move sideways, a motion she recognized in other [Humans] but hadn''t been able to pin a reason to it.


    "You can stay with me dear, it''s okay. The bunnies will not come here." The [Teacher] said in a weird new sub-vocalization tone.


    "[New Emotional tone detected, soothing. Filed to archive.]"


    Her body seemed to be secreting all kinds of new chemicals, it was similar to what she did with her older body when she wanted a burst of speed, something she correlated to [Kill] other subjects. Or in cases she needed to [Dodge], but here?


    She wasn''t in danger, well, not more than usual in a hostile environment surrounded by [Predators], and she didn''t fear the P8 subjects, not really. She had defeated them before and survived said encounters. Granted her current body wasn''t that fight-capable, since she hadn''t found the hidden means by which the [Humans] reigned over other species as powerful as the [Square-shaped] entities.


    "They can''t come here right?" The [Teacher] asked the [Woman] that had granted the other [Kids] access to the testing chamber.


    "No, the subjects can''t leave that chamber. And even if they somehow managed to, there are kill switches in them to make sure they stop functioning beyond their assigned dens." One of the [White Armored] humans answered.


    "What he means is that the bunnies can''t leave that room darling. It''s okay, they aren''t real bunnies, they can''t hurt you." The [Woman] said with that weird face the [Humans] did to show their teeth.


    "See Alexa, you are safe here. The bad bunny can''t get you here." The [Teacher] also said.


    She...wasn''t quite sure what she was [Feeling], on one side her body seemed to tremble when looking at that chamber, and she also got a weird feeling of wanting to stay as far away as possible from the spot where she had arrived into this room. Interestingly, mostly they seemed to come from her more [Biological] side, as her [Logical] side didn''t seem to find a reason for those [Feelings]. She would need to study those further.


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    "Can I stay here?" She heard herself say, interesting, her more [Biological] side seemed to not want to go inside, while her more [Logical] side of course didn''t want it either, she had released some control on her [Meaty] side to see how her body would move.


    "Of course, you can stay darling, want us to go to the lobby?" Asked the [Teacher], and she couldn''t help but be in accord with the answer her body gave.


    "YES" A rotund affirmative answer, her body even moved with haste as it tried to pull the [Teacher] to the [Door].


    "Okay okay, let me get someone to cover me first." The [Teacher] said while bringing a small square object from one of the openings in her armor.


    She seemed to press something on the crystal-like front of it, was she communing with that [Square-shaped] entity?


    "There, now we need to wait..." Started saying the [Teacher] before they heard a shrill like voice.


    "I''M HERE!!!" screaming down, she almost jumped into attack!


    "I told you to not scream, you scared Alexa." The [Teacher] said while attacking the shrill emitting person.


    She was scared? Was the [Combat] stance emotion called [scared]?


    Weird, that didn''t feel quite right for the intention behind that hormonal cocktail. But then again, this was a [Predator] race she was thinking about, surely there was some context she was missing in there.


    "Heheheheheh, anyway. You want me to take this cutie to the lobby, or to take care of the kiddos?" Asked shrill voice.


    The [Teacher] seemed to take a moment to think about it only to say "You stay here, I will take Alexa to the Lobby." Shrill voice seemed to deflate at that.


    The other [Human]s that had asked seemed to have some internal troubles with its suspension mechanism as its torso seemed to deflate and its arms seemed to lower in height.


    "Okay....I''ll check on the brats....lest the murder bunnies eat one or something." And said as much while walking towards the testing area.


    Classical human behavior, placing their [Child Stage] members within [Predator] enclosure to [Play], no matter how important that type of information was, she wasn''t willing to risk her [Main Core] being detected and exposed. She hadn''t experienced any kind of trouble yet, and she wasn''t willing to risk it just to see how the [Child Stage Human] would face one of her brethren.


    No, "Let''s go, quick..." Instead she would hurry up this [Teacher] away from this cursed place, away from its testing arenas, away from the den, away from a future that would probably end when another [Human] wanted to get a different form for their testing subject for some inane reason.


    "Okay okay, I''m coming." Said the [Teacher] while she [Allowed] herself to be pulled by Alexa...using that name would need some practice.


    The teacher stopped at the [Door] and turned to one of the [humans] within the [Room] "Will the kids be safe? Are those bunnies dangerous?" And asked to them.


    What kind of silly question was that? Of course, they would be safe, they were [Humans] they had slaved the mighty race of [Square shaped organism] to their whims!


    They were predators in their own right!


    Had it been her with her pitiful understanding of the [Human] body? She would be dead before she knew it, she wasn''t able to pump even one-hundredth of the power she held in her former body, but these [humans] that knew their own bodies?


    "They are safe, not a single bunny in that enclosure can harm a kid." The other [Human] said with one of those weird snarls they used to speak with each other.


    "I will hold you to that." And on that note, the [Teacher] turned to her and snarled at her too, "Let''s go, Alexa...With some luck, we will find either your parents or a guardian...who did you come with?"


    ...What was the right word for this emotion [Main Core]?


    "[Internal library formed from passive analysis from surrounding advice for the use of the word: Dang it.]"


    A good suggestion as the next.


    Dang it.


    "Umm...." She wasn''t sure what to answer to that, she didn''t know what type of internal structure the [Humans] used, nor what a [Parent] or [Guardian] referred to.


    "...Alexa...Did you sneak away?" The teacher said while her eyes narrowed, they hadn''t stopped walking at any moment. And she saw light at the end of the hallway they were on.


    Maybe she could stall for time and make a run for it? She may be weaker and not aware of the current limits of her body, but the passive analysis she got from the [Teacher] body said that she had a bigger amount of muscle mass and energy in her body. Add to that her smaller frame, she should be able to escape easily enough...So long as the [Adult Stage - Human] couldn''t shapeshift their body like her...Or use weird abilities like some of the other P-series subjects... Who was she kidding, they probably could do the same and more.


    "*sigh* At least can you return home on your own?" Asked the [Teacher] in a weird emotional state she hadn''t picked up yet.


    "[New emotional state found: Distress, Defeat, Submission.]"


    Distress? Submission? What?


    "...Yesh?" Her mouth seemed to slip and add an extra sound there, was it because she wasn''t quite sure what the question referred to?


    She didn''t have a [Home] to return to, what even is that?


    "Okay, let''s make a deal then. You answer one question truthfully...If you don''t want to answer it''s okay too, just don''t lie to me okay?" The [Teacher] said stopping a few meters away from a pair of crystalline doors.


    They were so close to freedom...


    "Okay. I promise." Alexa said, filtering through the social encounters the other [Kids] her [Age] had while they were moving between places.


    "Will someone hurt you when we go into the reception?" The [Teacher] asked while focusing all her external sensory organs on her.


    She could feel the intensity of her [Eyes] focusing on all her micro-movements, how even her [Breath] seemed to even out so as to not miss any of her hormonal distress signals, she could swear that even her [ears] seemed to filter other sounds besides her.


    Truly, the [Gaze of a Predator]...Was the [Teacher] into her deception? Was she doubting her identity as a fellow [Predator]?


    "No. No one should want to hurt me in [The reception]." She answered, it was the truth as she didn''t even know what a [Reception] was, if she didn''t know, then it stood to reason that no one would know her, or want to hurt her...


    "...Good. Next question." The [Teacher] said, while stopping for a few seconds as her head bobbed up and down. "Are your parents hurting you?"


    ...That one was harder to answer, did she have parents?


    "[Answer to query: Inconclusive answer, more data required.]"


    The first part was harder to answer, so maybe the second would do? Was someone hurting her?


    ...The answer was a yes. She didn''t get hurt as much nowadays, but she had gotten hurt in a few of the tests. She even got hurt on the last one and while escaping, she got hurt in the metallic tunnel and while first exploring that [Room].


    It was something she was used to, getting hurt.


    "...You don''t have to answer Alexa." The voice of the [Teacher] was weird, it seemed to... break? The tone seemed to want to go higher and vibrate twice as much. "...No one is waiting for you in the hallway, are they?"


    What did [Main Core] say?


    Oh right...Dang it.


    "...No." She answered while preparing to make a run for it, she felt the usual cocktail of hormones start pumping in her bloodstream, within her [Feet] she felt the muscles prepare to tense, contract, and release, the internal energy reservoir was connected to all the right muscles and her [Brain] was stockpiling oxygen to make sure it would stay working for as long as possible at the highest speed possible.


    "*sigh*, I should call your parents, but I assume you don''t have any number nor will give me any number to call. Right?" The [Teacher] said as her grip on her [Hand] got stronger.


    A statement, she would need to ditch that hand, sever it at the base if she wanted to escape, not many test subjects would sever their own body parts to escape, a few used that strategy and even managed to hurt her quite badly using that strategy. Till she learned from them and did the same.


    Part of the reason she favored her previous form was that it was easier to ditch body parts, her current form didn''t allow such an easy thing, she would probably lose quite the amount of [Blood] and [Biomass] to achieve it, but she would do it.


    Her [Survival] was the most important thing.


    "You know, when in a situation like this we have protocols to follow. If we can''t locate a parent or guardian we must call social services...They would pick you up and bring you to a police station to try and find your parents...In case they can''t they will put up a notice and get you to an orphanage..." The [Teacher] started speaking, her voice seemed to steel itself in an even tone. "I am an orphan myself you know, my mother was a deadbeat drug addict....And you probably don''t know what that is..."


    Then the [Teacher] started making that weird repetitive noise while her face morphed into a snarl, "Here is the deal, I will let you go. I will pretend to not notice how you walk away while I try to ask if any other teacher has a missing student." What? "If you are a student, just pick a seat and wait...If not...Well, I will not notice."


    She...what?


    She knew her identity...or the fact that she wasn''t one of the [Child Stage - Humans] that were supposed to be here. Why was she doing this?


    "Hah, that settles it down, we are the same you see..." The [Teacher] said, was...was the [Teacher] another bioweapon? "Now here is the thing...I can''t in good conscience let you go without a safety net, so take this."


    The [Teacher] gave her a thin square object, it held some of the same weird lines she had seen in the crystal-shaped on the other room, "That is my information. My address, my phone number(the private one mind you), and other stuff you need to call me. If you want or need help, call me."


    "Why?" She couldn''t hold back anymore and asked as much, she dismissed a few error messages from [Main Core] asking her why she wasn''t taking advantage of this. This was everything she could have asked for.


    "Because I know an abused kid when I see one, Melissa is an Awakener so she gave me a big clue. But even without that, I know the eyes of someone without dreams or hope...And let me tell you, Alexa. If you want to pass as a normal kid, try to do something about your eyes." And like that the [Teacher] pulled her into the shining door.


    She was prepared for an ambush, for a stealth attack...For anything really.


    Instead, she found...[Humans]. Tons and tons of [Humans], more than she had ever seen, in different sizes and forms, some bigger than others, both vertically and horizontally.


    In all stages too, plenty of [Child Stage - Human], a few [Adult Stage - Humans], and a few extra stages that she suspected were between her current stage and the stage the [Teacher] was... And maybe even some after that stage too.


    At some point while she basked in the cacophony of [Blueprints] she could see the [Teacher] let go of her hand and walked towards a [Human] hiding behind a [Square-shaped entity], she noticed the [Teacher] looking at her and then pointing towards a [Door] with her eyes.


    And following that direction she noticed how the [Walls] in this [Test chamber] seemed to separate it from another bigger [Test Chamber]. At the side of that [Door] stood a pair of [Armored] humans.


    The [Apex] of their model, the ones that were sent to deal with her every time she had tried to fight her way out...


    But this time they didn''t seem to hold any sort of enmity towards her, as she walked towards the [Door] they both only gave her a cursory glance, "Did you forget something outside?" one of the two asked.


    One with a voice similar to the [Teacher] in the same range at least, "Yesh...Can I...Go?" She asked, noticing how her voice seemed to default once more to that weird slurred way of mixing words.


    "Did you ask permission from your teacher?" Asked once more the same [Armored] human.


    Did she? "I got pointed at the door by the [Teacher]..." She answered, was that permission though?


    "Good enough, let the brat go. We ain''t getting paid to be babysitters." The other [Armored] human said.


    "If you need help come and get us okay?" The first [Armored] human said as the doors opened.


    They too said to go to them for help...Was this something older [Humans] did? Why were so many different [Humans] saying the same thing to her? She may need to check her current [Design], getting this much scrutiny by [Humans] could be dangerous, but for now? She walked through the [Doors].


    She was [Free].

 Chapter 14: A Teachers struggles

    I was told that being a Teacher wasn''t for me.


    That I couldn''t relate to most normal children, granted, my upbringing was less than stellar, and being an orphan thrown away by my mother surely made me look at the whole family thing in a different light.


    Being thrown from home to home until I was fifteen and no longer someone that would get adopted made me cynical enough to understand that life sucks. And barely getting a scholarship that allowed me to be a teacher was something other teachers took offense with.


    I couldn''t get a job in higher education schools, not in middle schools either, some elementary schools would take me, but most just wanted me to cover shifts and wouldn''t let me take a class for myself.


    That is till I found my current employer, this one took problematic children, take Meli for example. Melissandra Singh, she is the daughter of a couple of rich parents, but they don''t know how to deal with her, she is among what we call Core Users, people who awake extraordinary abilities.


    Hers allows her to feed into the emotions of people around and distribute them equally among the people around her, she as a kid didn''t understand complex emotions, so when she took the Disgust her mother felt for her husband and fed it into said husband...


    Yes, that one was an interesting way to find out your wife didn''t love you. I would feel bad for the husband, but when the girl took the remnants of Lust he had after coming home from an affair and fed it into that woman.


    Yikes, that must have been quite an interesting day at the Singh household.


    She didn''t have problems with the girl, that was one convenient powerset to have at a school, she just needed to ask for two types of problem children for her class, the hyperactive ones no one wanted and the shy ones that always at at the back and no one wanted to deal with.


    Then you put Melissa in the middle and she feeds the hyperactive emotions to the shy ones and equalizes the whole class making for a more normal and average one.


    She still smirked when thinking of the time some of the other teachers tried to take one of the hyperactive ones thinking she had fixed him, he got sent back to her before the day ended and they didn''t try that again. The only one she didn''t allow to leave was Melisa, and that didn''t need help, no one wanted to deal with the flak you get for taking care of the Singh brat.


    The kids in her class, thanks to that, tended to be of the problematic type, bullies that had problems at home, love children that got thrown away, you name it.


    So when that blonde girl showed up of course they shoved it her way, and while she had no evidence that it was intentional, she also didn''t have doubts.


    The girl reeked of abuse or abandonment, her dress had blood stains that seemed to be almost washed out, and she wasn''t wearing any shoes at first, but at some point, she had gotten a pair of sandals.


    And she was dressed so light, as in the girl only had a sundress on her, nothing else. That was the biggest red flag of all, why would you send your kid into the streets without anything but a sundress, a very thin and almost see-through sundress at that.


    You only used those at home in hot summers, or in more rural settings, in the type of small town where everyone knew everyone and they slept with the doors open. Not the case for her, they stood in the middle of a city in a very dangerous neighborhood, she half believed the girl had escaped from one of the test chambers, to be honest.


    But since the clerks didn''t panic nor say anything she crossed that one off her list, no. The girl was an enigma, and the fact that Melissa stuck to her like glue was another sign.


    Melisa equalized emotions, so she gravitated to two types of people, the ones that emanated the most emotions in a place that wasn''t charged... Or the ones with the more complex emotions, usually that meant that she stood near a teacher or a faculty member that was around, since they were the most emotionally stable or the ones with more complex thoughts.


    But the girl stuck to the blonde girl, which meant that either she was brimming with emotions, or that she had emotions more complex than average.


    And right now she was trying to not seethe, that was a more complex emotion of anger, one she was trying to not feel as that would spook Melissa.


    Getting the name of the girl had been somewhat hard, and that spoke more against her, happy children didn''t mind giving their name, but abused children did. They were trained to not give away information, as that usually meant that their parents could be traced.


    She got it in the end, Alexandra (Probably), as Melissa interrupted them. That wasn''t the problem here, but the face the girl made as she gave her name, first as if that wasn''t the name she wanted to give, or more like surprise at someone saying it and nothing bad happening. She wasn''t sure what it had been.


    It could have been guilt for giving a fake name, but Melissa didn''t react, so it was probably the second. And wasn''t that something to make her stomach drop.


    Alexa had thought something bad would happen since she gave her name, another tally against whoever her parents were.


    But she had a plan to make the little girl happy, they would get a turn at seeing the stupid mascot the scientist had, she had needed to fork some money to make sure they would get a turn of course, but she used the chance when Alexa and Melisa went to the bathroom to make that.


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    "And the bunnies are safe?" She asked one of the scientists as he counted the money.


    "Yes, they can''t attack unless we give the order, so you want your sundress brat to be among those that get a chance?" Asked the scientist, she didn''t ask for a name, not that they would ever meet again, she wasn''t sure if she would keep this job longer either, the Singh family would probably want their daughter back, and that was the only reason she had managed to keep the job.


    "Yes, make one snuggle her or something. If you make her laugh I will fork over more money." She said as she showed another 200 bills.


    It was most of her money for the week, but if it made the girl happy it would be well spent.


    "Sure, but I will not give the money back if the girl doesn''t like the bunnies, some kids seem to be able to feel they are fake. Stupid [Awakeners] and their stupid [Core skills]. They are making our lives harder." The scientist seemed to be against the new order in the world, she was okay with that.


    "So long we are clear, we will steer you towards the room that will get the petting session, move along." And like that, they ended their deal.


    She had hoped that would make the girl open up. A happy kid is a speaking kid, so when the girl returned and she was now wearing underwear that had been interesting.


    Had she stolen it? Doubtful, kids usually snitched quickly enough, did anyone else bring extras?


    Also, doubtful, kids these ages weren''t that forward-thinking, and if someone sent them extras they would have given it to the teachers, and she was sure she didn''t get any extras. So how was it possible?


    Maybe the girl had sneaked them and forgot to put them on? That or she just took the chance to put them on in the bathroom.


    That was the next thing, she was too mature. No lisp, no nagging, no joy in her eyes...oh god, her eyes.


    She had seen more emotions in the dead eyes of a fish at the market, the girl''s eyes were empty. Such beautiful blue eyes, her face was almost as if it had been carved by the gods, and her eyes were as devoid of emotions as the blue sky.


    If her behavior, dress, or speech wasn''t enough of a clue, then her eyes would be the deciding factor. She had the eyes of someone who hadn''t hopes nor dreams, those weren''t the eyes a child should have.


    Those were the eyes of a grizzled war veteran, of someone who had seen the worst humanity had to offer and then moved on. She...she would have nightmares if she didn''t do anything, but then again, what could she do?


    She would need to report the girl to the other teachers and then make a count to see if someone had a girl missing, if she wasn''t found to be missing in a class then they would ask her for her parent''s name or a number to call.


    If nothing was given then she would be sent to protection services or something and be searched in the system, then she would be sent back to her parents, the same ones that abused her, the same ones that would probably come crying and thanking them, only to starve the girl for escaping and wanting to see something nice.


    And they were starving her, she could see her figure easily enough thanks to the same sundress she was using, she didn''t have any baby fat on her, not on her face, not in her stomach, not in her arms or legs.


    She didn''t even have long hair, and wasn''t that a crime? The girl had some of the most beautiful hairs she had ever seen, and it was short and mangled. As if no one had ever cared, wasn''t hair a woman''s pride?


    She needed to find a way to help her, as she kept thinking that they arrived at the place where they would find the stupid bunnies, and where Alexa would probably get some happy memories.


    She had been wrong.


    So wrong.


    She soon enough found that, as she felt a tug at her clothes, looking down she found the hand of the little girl grabbing her jeans and trembling, Alexa showed for the first time an emotion in her small eyes.


    Fear.


    Pure and unadulterated fear, her lips trembled, and her eyes darted around the room as if searching for something that would attack her, she warily stood behind her with most of the room in front of her.


    And after speaking something more they had decided to leave the room, which calmed Alexa but she was still stealing glances backward as if to make sure no one was following them.


    Had she seen a familiar face? Impossible, no one seemed to react to her. Then did the room layout look similar to her home? That would be bad, and mean that she was definitely getting abused.


    Or...was it the testing chamber? The pen looking room?


    Was...Was Alexa stuck in a F%ck!ng PEN!?!?


    She almost wanted to scream, to find Alexa''s parents and take their head and shove it so far their own A$$ that it made it to their mouth, but in the end, decided to give Alexa a chance...Not a good one, one that would get her fired if she was a student in another of the teacher''s classes.


    But the best one she wished someone had given to her when she was a kid.


    "Will someone hurt you when we go into the reception?" She asked Alexa, wondering if her parents were there, wondering if someone would hurt this poor kid.


    "No." Answered Alexa, the girl had said more of course, but she wasn''t in an emotional state to understand.


    The next series of questions was hard and to be honest, not something she remembered well enough, the important thing was "No one is waiting for you in the hallway...are they?"


    And Alexa''s almost heartbreaking answer of no.


    In the end, she had decided to risk it, risk it by giving Alexa all the help she was able to, her card with most of her information. An answer of what had given her act away... And...A wish to make sure she would escape that bad situation.


    She knew no orphanage in this city would actually do something good for Alexa, no matter what they said, she knew that if she tried to take her away she would either be arrested or fired.


    So instead she gave her one of her personal information cards, with some luck Alexa would either call for her later (When she wasn''t at work) or go to her house for a safe place to sleep.


    Either way, she walked with Alexa in hand into the reception area. Alexa seemed to tense when they walked into it but in the end nothing happened, no worried parents coming for their child... No one motioned towards them, nothing.


    As she walked toward the reception desk she saw in her peripheral vision Alexa looking at her, so she pointed at the doors with her eyes and ignored her.


    "Can I help you?" Asked the receptionist.


    "Yes, I''m one of the teachers of..." She started explaining that she would need to make time for Alexa to run away.


    "What can I do for you?" The receptionist cut her short. Rude.


    "When we arrived you all marked us with biodegradable chips, can you make a headcount of them and make sure no kids are in weird spots?" Well two could play that game, so they better get a headcount.


    If Alexa was a student of theirs, that would mark her up, and it was better they burn that one out now than later.


    "Let me see...Most are in the pet a-bunny room, some are on the playgrounds...a few are in the bathrooms...Nope, all accounted for where they should be." Said the receptionist, "Did you lose one?"


    "Not a single student is in this reception or outside?" She asked while trying to not smile at that.


    "No, why?" The receptionist looked at her weirdly but that was okay.


    Alexa wasn''t a student, so she sneaked in...So the school had no reason to search for her, if Alexa was abused as she suspected, then at the very least they wouldn''t try to get her back to her home.


    Not unless a teacher wanted to do so, that is...And of the teachers in that school, only she was the one that really cared, so maybe she would try to search for Alexa''s parents...


    Just to make sure they weren''t a danger to Alexa of course, she wouldn''t try to sue the hell out of them.


    No sir.

 Chapter 15: The great escape!

    The world outside the [Building] was a cacophony of sounds, images, and movement. She soon enough found herself surrounded by a new variant of the square-shaped entity. Truly this one was higher in the hierarchy as these ones were of bright yellow color and had circular appendages on the sides. Two at the front and two at the back.


    They looked like the [Wheel] implement some of the P1-P3 test subjects liked to use, and the same the [Humans] had tried to make me use, but since they weren''t useful for all-terrain encounters she never used them.


    However, if the flooring was as smooth everywhere as it was around here, it was obvious why the square-shaped yellow entity would want to use them.


    "We aren''t allowing students onto the bus yet. If you want to rest either go to the reception area or get a teacher''s note." A voice almost made her jump from surprise.


    She turned to look at the square-shaped yellow entity wondering if this would be her first interaction with them.


    "Up here girl, on the driver''s seat." But the voice spoke to her again, this time she was ready and quickly found the origin of it, it came...from within the square-shaped entity.


    From a [Door] that had opened at some point allowing her to peer into the innards of the square-shaped entity.


    What she found horrified her and surprised her at the same time, it was...hollow.


    In the front was a [Human] dressed in blue thin lower armor with white upper thin armor, "I know you kids don''t want to visit the eggheads, but it''s for your own good. So as I said, either get a teacher''s note or wait at reception." The [Human] spoke.


    But she was too busy taking all in, the humans had [Hollowed] the square-shaped entity, adorned its internal body with spots to sit, and possibly made it so another [Human] could direct its movement.


    They had turned what was no doubt a dangerous adversary (If only going by its sheer size and possible kinetic force) into a means to move from point A to Point B.


    It made her shudder to only think of the implications, and to be thankful for not having tried to escape using her previous form, just thinking that her [Glorious] form could have been hollowed out to allow [Humans] to travel...


    It made her...


    "[Sick] "


    Yes, it made her sick to think about it.


    "Okay, thank you, sir." But she needed to mesh in this type of society till she found at least a group to join and mix with.


    So far she had thought about joining the square-shaped entities and fighting against the [Humans], but she hadn''t found any willing to speak to her, and she wasn''t sure she could be able to mimic them well enough, she didn''t have a full [Blueprint] for them after all.


    She only had the full [Blueprint] for the [Human - Female Child] so far, so leaving the square-shaped entity that she sincerely wished wasn''t alive anymore... She took it all in.


    The [Human] aboard this square-shaped entity wasn''t paying attention to her, and was fiddling with ANOTHER smaller square-shaped entity.


    The [Humans] at the [Doors] weren''t paying attention to her either, and in this [Room] that seemed to have a [Ceiling] so far up that she didn''t know what to think about she was wondering what to do.


    So instead she tried to ask [Main Core] for advice.


    "[Query: Best course of action]" Asked Alexa to [Main Core] as she walked to a spot behind the yellow square-shaped organism, far away from prying eyes.


    "[ Answer: Option 1, return and pledge allegiance to the Humans as their power seems to be more dangerous than previously implied from the Blueprint] "


    Denied, that was the last possible option. She didn''t want to end up as one of the square-shaped entities, enslaved for life, not after she had her newfound freedom.


    Besides, she was getting used to this thing called [Self].


    "[Answer: Option 2, run. Run as far away from this den, the current observation of human interaction implies that there are multiple groups within the collective. Find a group stronger than the current one and try to integrate into it.]"


    That... seemed more doable, and perhaps if she found another group willing to take her in she could find more about the dynamics between the [Humans] and all the other races they had enslaved so far.


    She wouldn''t be able to disclose her true nature of course, but maybe if she integrated herself well enough they would grant her whatever access was needed to unlock her full potential as a [Human]?


    Or to tell her what the hell was that [Core] thing she had gotten, it was different from her [Main Core], and it shouldn''t be able to do what it did, but who was she to judge how the [Humans] worked the things that they hid within their bodies.


    So with a plan in hand, she would need to-


    "[Advice: Record any and all indications that could identify the current group affiliated with this area.] "


    Checkup if she was able to find any information to identify this place, so sneaking around making sure she always stayed outside the range of view of the [Humans] around she made a note to [Record] everything her [Eyes] could see in her memory.


    Even the weird [Lines] that were carved into the side of the previous smaller [Room].


    Some weird lines that seemed to hold some kind of meaning that was far detached from what she knew.


    [Saintsworth¡¯s Conglomerate]


    She wasn''t able to understand them, perhaps after studying more about the [Culture] of the [Humans] she would be able to associate those weird lines with other meanings.


    Or at least understand their sense of aesthetics. She still wasn''t quite sure why they liked these kinds of clothing, after being on this form for barely a few [Hours] she was getting annoyed at the feeling of other [Humans] looking at her bare unprotected body.


    Was it comfortable to use this [Sundress]? Yes.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Did it leave her exposed? Also Yes.


    So taking the chance of hiding away from the prying eyes of the [Humans] she used the [Power] that had awoken within her.


    "Order, Nanite Foundry create a new set of [Clothing], design it for comfort and ease of movement. Limit design to observed [Blueprints] used around by other [Human - Child Stage] targets." She felt something leave her body as the words left her mouth.


    Something within her body seemed to be consumed, and it wasn''t only the materials to follow her order, it was some kind of warm [Energy] that seemed to leave her abdomen, travel to her [Core] hidden within her [Heart] and then disappear into the void.


    That shouldn''t be possible!


    Entropy was a thing that very much existed!


    She didn''t have too much time to complain about it though, since the [Nanites] within her body started working, they took part of the remaining material she had available within her body and the remains of her current [Armor] to transform it into something different.


    Her [Sundress] started shortening itself, transforming into a white [Shirt] similar to the one other [Girls] wore, it even had a [Star] design on it. Her lower armor was then replaced as it grew in size till it formed a pair of [Short Pants].


    They looked oddly familiar and she soon found them in her [Memory], they were similar to those that Melissa had, and she found herself staring at her [Legs] as her [Feet] got dressed with [Socks] and a pair of [Sneakers].


    Her [Hair] grew a [Hair Tie] and it collected the short [Hair] into a single [Pony Tail], a quick look into one of the square-shaped crystal panels to see her own [Reflection] ended with...


    A blonde [Human-Child Stage Girl] staring back at her, she was dressed in a white [Blouse] with a pair of blue [Short Pants] and yellow [Sneakers] with white socks. She had a small [Pony Tail] that was barely working as her hair was short.


    A quick prodding at the [Nanite Foundry] and her hair grew a few centimeters to allow the [Pony Tail] to work as intended, but sure enough, she felt more [Safe], now that most of her important body parts were hidden behind some [Armor]. At least they wouldn''t be able to sneak a peek at her as easily as before.


    Now the next step...


    "Eyes...gotta do something about the eyes..." The [Teacher] had told her to fix her [Eyes] if she wanted to pretend to be [Fine], whatever that meant.


    But her [Eyes] were fine.


    "[Main Core], compare my [eyes] to those of the other [Human-Child Stage] around me." She queried [Main Core] for answers.


    The [Teacher] had said that her [eyes] were different from the other children.


    "[Answer to Query: Other Human - Child stage had shown a certain degree of Emotions in their eyes as compared to Host. Currently, it is impossible to emulate Emotions with enough fidelity to deceive the more perceptive Humans. Suggestion: Explore more of the brain chemistry that creates emotions to emulate these better.]"


    So the answer was to study more huh?


    She was already planning on doing that while searching for a group to infiltrate, so at the very least that hadn''t been hard to figure out, but for now... "I gotta make sure no one pays too much attention to my eyes huh." She would need to make sure her way of acting around other humans was distracting enough though.


    Perhaps she could model the [Persona] she used in front of the humans after Melissa? She seemed to be distracting enough, yeah... That could work.


    "[Query: Is that all? If so, the next logical step would be escape...Plotting route...]"


    [Main Core] seemed to be ready to leave, and she in turn, was also ready, so letting [Main Core] plot a route she started looking around, it was offensively easy to stay away from the line of sight of the [Humans], both of the conscious and unconscious line of sight.


    The human [Eye] seemed to catch way too much information that wasn''t properly treated if you didn''t pay attention, so she was extrapolating their line of sight and giving it a wide berth to stay safe.


    "[Route finished calculating, cost of escape: 2 kgs of biomass + five hours of active time. Rate of Success: 100%]"


    Well, she was currently weighing just under 40 kilograms, and as far as she was able to gauge she weighed twice as much as the average [Human - Human-stage children] around her. So losing some biomass, while something she didn''t want to do, was something she could afford.


    "Transmit the route." So she just focused on the information [Main Core] transmitted to her and...frowned. "Shouldn''t this be harder?"


    The route [Main Core] programmed was easy enough, she would make extra muscle in her lower extremities and with a burst of kinetic power launch herself at a 45¡ã angle pointing to the outside.


    She would lose some biomass from the destroyed muscles in her lower extremities, but those would be regenerated soon enough, and those left behind would decay.


    The energy loss came from making sure she didn''t leave evidence and from the burst in movement.


    "[Route calculated taking into consideration being seen from within the installations and from the Humans around, the upper part of the wall doesn''t seem to have any kind of defense, as such a quick escape is the best solution.]"


    But if [Main core] thought that could work, and the evidence seemed to support this plan. So she started changing her lower body parts to the new design and preparing the chemical cocktail designed by [Main Core] to increase the success of this.


    Some of the components were quite exotic and poisonous, most had been used against her at some point while others were used by the test subjects to get an edge on her.


    That she was using them was somewhat fun, and it meant that she had done the right thing by saving them. Some would be used to neutralize the nerve sensations on her lower body, others to make sure she could move fast enough...


    And others...well, they would help her from involuntary reactions, she had noticed this body seemed to move and act on its own if she wasn''t paying attention, that wasn''t a problem in a [Social] setting. But right now she was in a [Combat] setting, she couldn''t afford reactions that went outside her scope.


    So part of those chemicals would help her neutralize those reactions.


    "[Preparations ready]"


    So when [Main core] gave her the ready signal she kneeled behind the yellow square-shaped entity, she extended her senses as far as possible to make sure no one was around, and flexed her knees with all her might...


    She jumped.


    She jumped pouring as much strength as the [Floor] could tolerate without cracking, she felt multiple muscles and blood vessels break inside her legs as the strength of her jump surpassed the threshold of what her current [Body] could tolerate.


    She would need to redesign it later to allow it to support these levels of strength, that or finally find the key to harness the power the [Humans] were able to wield.


    She was sure a normal [Human] could be able to withstand this level of strength, she was barely generating enough force to bend one of her previous metal plate armors!


    Either way, she was traveling through the sky at high speed right now, so she couldn''t be distracted, she needed to be sure where she was going and to record the place she was coming from.


    While traveling through the sky she was busy reconstructing her destroyed legs and at the same time she was having a hard time controlling her direction, since her body was way heavier than her size implied, her center of gravity was all over the place.


    She would need to either make her body [Bigger] or to ditch the extra biomass in her, she didn''t want to do either of course. Her current body was one that had allowed her to escape without problem from the [Den] that the [Humans] had confined her to, and the [Biomass] that she had within her body was her lifeline.


    The less biomass she had available the more constrained she would be, so unless she found a place that was brimming with [Biomass] or that allowed her to [Eat] whenever she needed to recharge...


    She wasn''t ditching any biomass if not needed. So while watching the multiple different square shaped entities around pass by, some bigger, some smaller, but all had crystal-like parts adorning their body, some had lights inside, some didn¡¯t, but it dawned on her¡­ Her pen was square-shaped¡­Had she been living INSIDE a square-shaped entity?


    Surely not¡­Right?


    "[Answer inconclusive, more data needed.]"


    "STOP AT ONCE!" While thinking about that she heard another [Human] speak.


    She was traveling through the sky without control, who could even speak at these types of places?


    "I KNOW IT''S FUN TO USE YOUR POWERS BUT ONE NEEDS TO BE SAFE ABOUT THEM!" The voice continued to speak and suddenly she found herself frozen in place.


    This made her suddenly hyper-aware of her surroundings, it was dangerous, something or someone had managed to stop her while moving at high speed through the air.


    "Huh, you are quite young... Did you just awaken your powers?" The voice spoke once more, turning her frozen body.


    In front of her, she found...The most ridiculously dressed [Human] she had ever seen, it was a [Human] yes.


    But it was dressed in a skintight blue [Clothing], which allowed her to observe all his muscles and how they moved, this [Human] only had three pieces of [Armor].


    The full body skin-tight blue covering that went from the bottom of his feet to his neck, a weird triangle-like lower body armor that was similar enough to the white covering she had under her short pants. But why was this one wearing them on the outside?


    Weren''t they meant to be below the outer armor?


    Most of the other [Human - children stage] and [Human - Adult Stage] she had seen wore them below the outer armor...


    And finally, its third piece of [Armor]...A weird cloth-like thing that was tied at its neck and was on its back.


    It flowed with the wind...in some weird directions as if it wasn''t really affected by the wind.


    "[Notice: The third piece of armor does not follow the laws of physics, possible use of power to manipulate it, this power seems to be similar to the one used to stop Host on its travel]"


    Yeah, that seemed obvious in hindsight.


    "Hello? Anyone there? Are you awestruck after meeting a true SuperHeroe?" The [Human] spoke while moving its hand in front of her face.


    A what?


    "What is a [Superhero]?" She wasn''t able to hold herself in and ask.


    The [Human] seemed surprised by that as the strange force holding her in place lowered her to the floor level, "Well, that was something I haven''t been asked in some time..."


    And so, this [Human] started explaining to her some very vital and important information that would be incredibly useful in deciphering the weird power scale of the [Humans].

 Chapter 16: About [Humans], [Powers] and Beetles

    "Well for starters let''s go by the beginning. What do you know about our [Powers]?" Asked the [Human].


    Powers?


    "[Word seems to be resonating with the energy within host''s Core.]" Main core seemed to detect some unusual resonance with her weird new [Core].


    "It''s the amount of strength we can use as [Humans]?" Alexa answered tentatively.


    Was this a trap question?


    "Hmm....almost right, not all humans have [Powers]. But all the humans that have [Powers] are stronger than normal." The [Human] stated simply.


    What?


    Not all humans have powers? Then there were weaker humans?!?


    HOW?!? How was it possible that a race that could subjugate the square-shaped entities could be weak?!?


    "I see that you don''t seem to believe me." The [Human] said, "So that means that either you haven''t been around other people or that everyone in your family awakened a Core huh."


    "[Notice: Human seems to believe in host being Human.]"


    That was good to know.


    "For example, in my case, I can do these kinds of things." The [Human] made a motion with its hand and the rocks around started floating around, glowing with the same purple light its body was emitting. "This is the same power I used to stop you from crashing into a building."


    So, this human used this [Power] to stop her from escaping?


    She hadn''t felt anything like that before, it was almost as if she had been stuck in an invisible substance that seemed to encompass her whole body, yet she was still able to interact with the gases around. As evidenced by the fact that she was still able to breathe even while encased like this.


    "And the difference in our [Power] is what allowed me to prevent you from using whatever [Power] you used to fly," The [Human] seemed to say that part in an inquiring tone, but after a moment of silence he shrugged and carried on. "So, a SuperHero is someone that when granted this [Power] decided to use it for good. In my case, I don the persona of SuperForce."


    And after saying such he placed his arms on his waist and stared at an angle of 85¡ã towards the left upwards, having its cape move against the wind and using the [Smile] that somehow had shown its white teeth.


    "So, you use your power to...hunt [Prey] for other [Humans]?" Alexa asked not quite sure what to make of this discovery.


    Somehow the [Humans] had distinctions among themselves, having some wielding more power than the others, that seemed to explain why her body didn''t seem to hold any type of power, perhaps the [Blueprint] she had used was of a [Normal] human instead of a [SuperHero] one.


    "...that isn''t quite right...We do hunt... Villains, but mostly to keep the peace, if those don''t bring troubles we are quite happy with letting them do as they wish actually." The [Human] answered with a wry smile.


    Then what was the point?


    "[Notice: Human designated SuperForce seems to have some kind of energy barrier surrounding its body, attempts to pry open have been deemed too risky to attempt against a target willing to disclose information.]"


    Main core seemed to have taken the time they spoke to try and get information on this [Human], she was quite happy with letting that go, at least for now...Or till she found a way to take a sample.


    "So young lady, while I''m happy speaking with a young candidate I do nee-" The human started saying when its face turned from that [Smile] into another she hadn''t seen before, its eyes turned sharp like those of a [Predator]. He seemed to glare at something while quickly opening its arms wide.


    "[WARNING WARNING WARNING! INCOMING MASS OF ENERGY TRAVELING, EMERGENCY DODGE SEQUENCE STARTED.]" Main Core seemed to notice something too as she felt her body start producing a cocktail of drugs and flooding her system with it.


    "RUN!" And she felt her body be thrown away from where she was by the same weird substance that stopped her escape.


    She allowed herself to fly through the air as she focused her attention towards the human [SuperForce], he had taken an attack straight on and didn''t seem to be hurt, the attack had been a fireball that seemed to be contained within the small testing room without ceiling that she had been forced to land in.


    "Well well well, if it isn''t my favorite SuperFarce. Since when are you molesting children? Does this mean I''m the Heroine this time?" Was all she had been able to hear as the figure of a red-haired [Human] appeared flying above [SuperForce].


    Its presence also signaled the moment she wasn''t held by the weird substance and as soon as her feet touched the floor she started moving as fast as her current body allowed her. First by running in the opposite direction those two [Humans] who seemed to be fighting, she didn''t want to be in the middle of another [Human] test.


    She had barely managed to escape the testing chambers, and she didn''t want to join another one. So she ran, she moved her small legs as fast as her current body could tolerate, this place was weird, tall squares made of the same material as the outside of the place she had escaped from.


    The only difference was that the making of the [Doors] and [Windows] didn''t seem that sturdy. Even the outer materials, while solid, weren''t that resistant as far as the probes [Main Core] did to its materials as she passed them were concerned.


    Either way, she was surprised by how vast and empty this new testing chamber was, or this [Room]. She wasn''t sure of how to differentiate them at the moment, as far as she was aware, most of the [Rooms] she walked in with the other [Human-child stage] humans were [Rooms] instead of [Testing Chambers].


    And since only a [Testing Chamber] had danger, this should be one. No matter which one it was, she needed a safe place to find first, so making sure she wasn''t walking closer to the confrontation she had left behind she looked around.


    "[Notice: Passage to underground level found, it should be better to escape in that direction since both targets of conflict seem to have some form of flying capabilities. So underground environment will grant Host a higher chance of survival.]"


    [Main Core] pinged her with that information while also focusing her attention towards an opening in the ground, it seemed that it was some kind of [Door] that led underground.


    Alexa didn''t see anyone around the open [Door], nor could detect any living beings down, so turning back to make sure no one was following she found a big circle of fire in the sky and figures zooming all over the open sky, that was all the incentive she needed to dive into the unknown.


    The path downwards was smooth sailing, each step echoing announcing her arrival, she grimaced with each step and quickly shifted the material of her [Shoes] to something that was less obvious when walking.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    In the end, she decided on a soft amalgamation of [Rubber] and [Cloth], that granted fewer defenses to her [Feet], but was comfortable and, more importantly, silent.


    And after going down for a few meters down she found....


    "[Heaven]"


    It was...


    "[Wonderful]"


    She couldn''t find the right [Words] to describe it.


    "[Marvelous]"


    [Main Core] didn''t seem to have that problem of course, but she didn''t have access to the same extensive library that [Main Core] had, not consciously of course, since the [Data] [Main Core] could access was stuff she had internalized and assimilated, so if she wanted she could do it too.


    Only that she was-


    "[Lazy]"


    -doing more important stuff, such as running for her life away from danger.


    The place she found herself in was a type of [Maze], similar to those she had been ordered to fight in before, only...this one seemed to be suited to [Humans], and more importantly...it didn''t seem to have [Danger].


    The [Test chambers] on it were small [Rooms] with crystal [Doors] that seemed to allow everyone to see into the [Test chambers] within. She walked past them, even though they didn''t seem dangerous to her senses, with [Humans] it wasn''t easy to know what they made or how dangerous it was.


    As far as she knew, the [Humans] fought under different settings, as a race where half of its population had more power than the rest they probably had different and skewed standards.


    So while the [Test Chambers] that held [Armor] were appealing she ignored them, even when one [Test Chamber] held small figures that seemed to call to her with the [Test Subject] of small size and [Fluffy] making she walked past it too! She wouldn''t be enticed by a [Prey] that looked like she could deal with!


    Even the [Test Chamber] that appealed to [Main Core] with square-shaped entities full of those strange lines was ignored!


    Yes, if she was suffering then [Main Core] will suffer with her!


    "Yoh girlie!" ASDASLDHFASDLKFASDFASDF MAIN ENGINE BURN 500% FOR 1 SECOND!


    "[Denied, no hostile intent detected.]"


    ....


    "Girle you okay? Sorry for scaring you." The [Human] that spoke before - totally not scaring her - was poking at her side.


    Such dangerous entities these humans, walking past all her defenses and penetrating her protections as if it was a simple fabric instead of the mighty [Armor] that she had copied from Melissandra and the [Teacher].


    "You okay? Someone there? You don''t speak Common?" The [Human] kept prodding at her while making weird facial structures.


    "Yes YES," Till she couldn''t hold it anymore and swatted its hands away from her face. This [Human] had started stretching her facial skin, and while she knew her [Disguise] was impervious, she didn''t want to risk it.


    "There we go girlie," the [Human] said while snarling at her.


    "[Facial structure detected and analysis finalized, emotion-face detected and catalogued as smile.]"


    The [Human] [Smiled] at her while saying, "What are you doing here alone? Did you separate from your parents when they gave the alarm? It is dangerous to be alone with Scorcher on the loose." He seemed to be wary of something, even if that something wasn''t her.


    Its mannerism spoke of someone waiting for something was dangerous around, was this [Scorcher] that dangerous? It sounded like someone that she could [Learn] plenty from.


    "But it''s okay! SuperForce was deployed as far as I could hear before they closed the doors into the bunker..." The [Human] smiled at that, then turned to her, and then his smile dimmed, but he shook his head quickly enough and nodded at something, "Right, the bunker doors... Come with me girlie, the bunker should have outdoor cameras, they may not let me in... but they wouldn''t leave a girl like you outside, I will get you to one and you can ask to be let in."


    Then the [Human] grabbed her hand and some tremors hit the place, this made the other [Human]''s face frown and say "Let''s go quickly, it seems the fight is getting closer to this side."


    "[Notice: Tremors determined to have the strength of a Magnitude 4.5 earthquake. The integral structure seems to suggest it was designed to break into big pieces that would allow survivors to hide between the pieces. The current size of host means that this environment is perfect for ambushing Humans and getting more samples, advice to stay in this area and use the opportunity to strike when the chance appears.]"


    That had been one long message from [Main Core], "Are we in danger?" So she wanted to make sure the evaluation from [Main Core] was correct, and as such she asked the [Human].


    He seemed somewhat different from most of the ones she had interacted with so far after all.


    "What? Of course not, they designed the underground mall to be sturdy, see those lines on the ceiling?" And the [Human] pointed with one of his claws at the same lines that [Main Core] had highlighted when giving its explanation. "Those are break points designed to make a collapse more controlled, some Tinker designed it so that the pieces break and create openings for survivors to hide while waiting for rescue."


    So the [Human] gave reason to [Main Core], but then the important part came next "What about if a [Predator] uses those to attack isolated [Humans]?" Alexa asked.


    That made the [Human] stop in its tracks as he grabbed with more strength her arm as his other claw opened and closed, then this [Human] turned his stalk eyes towards her while his [Human] eye kept moving forward.


    "Then that one would not be a human anymore, but a beast... no Human would attack another one in a time of need like this one." He said with finality and then stopped moving as they came to an opening with four paths leading to four different directions.


    "Do I scare you?" He asked her, "Is my monstrous appearance really that bad? I thought...I thought that since you didn''t scream you didn''t fear me."


    The [Human] let her hand go and touched his claw first, then moved to the half of his face that was covered in chitin with a pair of stalk eyes on the side, she didn''t understand why this [Human] only modified half of its [Face] and [Arms] and not his whole body.


    It irked her how she could only have a full blueprint if he only did the full body, but so far, all the information she got from it was useless since something seemed to make the human parts work with the nonhuman parts and she couldn''t isolate that part.


    But either way, she needed to answer his question, didn''t she?


    "No, you don''t scare me." So she answered honestly, she had seen what the [Chitin] could do firsthand as a fellow user of [Chitin] derivate armors, if anything she knew better than most P series subjects how to deal with it.


    And since this [Human] had half of its [Head] unprotected it would be easier to deal with him, especially if she incapacitated his stalk eyes. Really, stalk eyes? That was a very bad decision to go for.


    "[Lousy design]"


    See, even [Main Core] gave her the reason here!


    "...I see...thank you for not fearing me." Said the [Human], weird. Why would she fear him?


    He didn''t seem that impressive, if anything he reeked of [Failed experiment] more than anything, besides, he didn''t even seem to have many muscles on his nonhuman parts, and his [Chitin] parts weren''t lustrous enough, evidence that he wasn''t even taking good care of them!


    Why use [Chitin] if you aren''t going to take care of it?!?


    What did he think [Chitin] was? A cure-all?


    No!


    Well, yes it was, but one needed to take care of it dang it!


    "Now, before we move to the shelter you need to do something for me okay?" The [Human] said as they started moving once more, he seemed to be guiding her to a [Shelter], whatever that was. "And this is important so no matter what you need to do it, can you do that for me?"


    He seemed to be about to ask her to do something of utmost importance, and since she was looking to integrate into any group within the [Human] society to blend in... she would do her best to fulfill this [Mission].


    "If they ask if someone is with you..." Started saying the [Human] and stopping for a second to look around as they stopped in front of a square-shaped reflective surface that had [Armor] on display. "You need to say that you are alone."


    Ah, he wanted to ambush the other [Humans], maybe they weren''t part of the same [Faction]?


    "They will attempt to scan the area for other people, but these Parts make me invisible to their scanning." The [Human] said, so he was a [Predator] even with all of those bad designs?


    Maybe she needed to readjust her judgment.


    "It''s okay, I will find a place to hide and weather the storm. Just make sure to enter and be a good girl okay?" The [Human] placed his normal [Hand] atop her head and moved it from side to side.


    It felt...


    "[Emotion recognized, categorizing...Notice, Human emotion generated endorphin secretion...Human emotion name: Joy, pleasure....]"


    It felt good.


    "I will be seeing you around girlie, if you ever find yourself in the slums or near ask for Frank the Beetle. They will point you in my direction." The [Human] did that weird [Laugh] thing they liked doing, "Not that you should be on the slums...if others see you around they will think you want to awaken a [Beast-Core] or [Insect-Core]. You don''t want that even after you awaken."


    Then afterward he pushed her towards one of the [Doors], "Enter that store and follow the yellow arrows, when you find the metallic door just push the button and the camera should turn on by itself, they will scan you and let you in."


    After saying that the [Human - Designation Frank the beetle] started blurring and soon enough she wasn''t able to see him.


    "[Warning, no signals of human detected. Re-designating threat level from Negible to Extreme.]"


    And yet, somehow...She didn''t think that [Frank the Beetle] would ever be a danger to her, even if [Main Core] kept sending warning signals her way.


    But for now? She walked towards the door and followed the yellow things on the floor.


    "[Designation assigned to yellow geometrical figure: Arrows]"


    And following after them she soon enough was standing in front of a [Door] different than the ones she had found before, she had seen doors made of [Vegetable Matter], doors made of [Crystal-like material], and then it was this...


    A door made entirely of [Metal], the alloy seemed to include most of those materials she had once used for her [External plates].


    And sure enough, as [Frank the Beetle] had said, at the side was a button with a weird symbol, so she pressed it and soon enough one of the square-shaped entities embedded in the wall spoke to her.


    Now she only needed to find out what was the deal with this place that [Frank the Beetle] wanted her to go into.

 Chapter 17: About Cores

    "Who is this? Did the fight end?" Was the first thing the square-shaped entity spoke after Alexa pushed the button.


    "I was told that in case of danger, I should come and push this button," Alexa said towards the square-shaped entity.


    She felt some trepidation at them, should she attempt to see if they would accept her in their society? Would it even work? Was this square-shaped entity free from the control of the [Humans]?


    "Huh? A little girl?" The square-shaped entity said as it opened its [Eye]. She heard its mechanical [Eye] start working and could see a red [Light] above it.


    ...Was this square-shaped entity blind? Chances were it couldn''t see unless a [Human] allowed it to [See]. So...it would be for the best if she didn''t bring her plans of sedition, this spoke of a [Human] being around the square-shaped entity after all.


    "I''m Alexa, will you provide me with protection? I was told that you would." She was interested in what measures the [Humans] had to protect themselves against attacks of the magnitude she had seen from both [Human-Designation Superforce] and [Human-Designation Scorcher].


    They seemed to move in extremes of power way beyond what she had been able to do at the peak of her power. Granted, she didn''t have that much [Biomass], [Energy], or [Materials] to work with. But still!


    "What? No! We need to make sure she is human first!" She heard muffled sounds followed by that statement, a single statement that made her blood feel cold, she wasn''t sure why the weird feeling, her thermal signs showed her body temperature remained stable at 36¡ãC.


    She had noticed most of the humans around seemed to work between 36.5¡ãC to 38¡ãC, with the [Human - Adult Stage] usually staying closer to 36.5¡ãC, thus the reason why she was staying around 36¡ãC. To see if she could awaken the [Power] that the [Humans] seemed to hoard.


    "Sorry about that little girl, but we need to make sure you don''t have a Core. Nothing personal." Said the square-shaped entity while a weird light formed on the floor just in front of the metal door. "Stand in the square and we will scan you. This will let us know if you have a Core or not. If you aren''t a bug or beast you have nothing to fear. Easy right?"


    What?


    They wanted to make sure she didn''t have a [Core]? Weren''t they trying to make sure she was [Human]? What did her [Core] have anything to do with that?


    "Why would having a [Core] mean I''m not [Human]?" Asked Alexa as she eyed the square on the floor warily.


    She then heard some rustling from the square-shaped entity and after a few more seconds it spoke again, however, this time the voice it projected seemed different, closer to the voice the [Teacher] had used, "Sorry about that darling. What my companion meant was that we need to make sure that you don''t have a potentially dangerous Core. Having a Core will not make you less Human."


    The square-shaped entity this time, was this new voice a [Human - Woman]? She had noticed that the ones aligned with that gender seemed to be more...forgiving with her current form.


    "Unless she has a [Beast Core] or [Insect Core]!" The square-shaped entity said again, this time the voice sounded more muted, as if it had spoken from farther away.


    "What is a [Beast Core] or an [Insect Core]?" Asked Alexa fully intrigued by their designation for cores.


    Her [Main Core] didn''t have one of those classifications, so she should be fine, she wasn''t sure what they meant by that. Maybe it was the implementation of the [Blueprints] they used?


    "Have you seen those people that grow furry ears or tails on the TV?" The voice started speaking, what was a TV? She understood the ears or tails reference though, the P9 subject had grown both of those, so she nodded her head like the other [Human - Child Stage] did to show her understanding. "That person awoke a [Beast Core] so their body adopted Beast traits, they have more strength and other qualities that make them closer to beast than humans. But in turn, their instincts are more...dangerous for normal people."


    So their [Beast Core] adopted a more savage [Blueprint] and in exchange they lost control of their faculties? She now understood why the [Humans] didn''t like P9, if their weapon couldn''t control her urges it would be obviously purged. She would never go down that route if possible.


    "Then an [Insect Core]?" Asked Alexa after internalizing the information and leaving a note to check against her [Main Core] going that route.


    "An [Insect Core] is the same, but instead of following the path of an animal. They follow the path of insects, they are more dangerous since their instincts are stronger. And like Insects, they gain strength many times their size. To that, we include their chitin-like armor, which makes them more durable...And the possibility of awakening other Core Powers...They tend to be more dangerous. And unlike the [Beast Cores] they don''t discriminate in their feeding." The square-shaped entity spoke once more, this time she could [Feel] an emotion in the distorted voice.


    "[Human emotion detected, fear.]"


    They feared those that embraced the chitin superiority, she would try to harvest some of those [Insect Cores] to add into her library, maybe she could harvest some of their advantages while trimming the disadvantages. She should be able to make it so the more [Illogical] instincts never arrived into her consciousness stream.


    "So If I don''t have either?" Asked Alexa looking her up and down, "I don''t have chitin-like [Armor] nor [Furry ears] or [Tail]."


    And she gave herself a look over, she didn''t have either of course, she knew how her [Blueprint] looked better than anyone.


    "We still need to scan you, there are some Core users that awake weird powers, from Camouflage to Shape-Shifting]..So please step in the light." The square-shaped entity spoke once more.


    So she..."Will it hurt?" Asked that, somehow her voice seemed to [Tremble] at the question, was her [Vocal Module] failing? She had noticed this before too.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    "Of course not, we will only scan you for energy signals or Core formation. We can identify [Beast Cores] or [Insect Cores] easily, but anything besides that will not be probed further." The square-shaped entity spoke and then remained silent.


    So Alexa tentatively stood in the light and prepared herself to escape at the slight signal of danger.


    "Scan in progress, please don''t leave the designated area." Spoke the square-shaped entity, this time with no inflection. Was this the true voice of this square-shaped entity?


    "Core detected...Designation: [Unknown]." The square-shaped entity spoke, she prepared herself to defend or escape but...nothing came. "Age: 5 Years, Gender: Female, Registration: NA, Name: NA, Status: Illegal Alien."


    The square-shaped entity continued speaking giving extra data, "My name is Alexa." She said when the name showed as NA.


    That wasn''t her name at all!


    "Updated information found, Name: Alexa." The square-shaped entity spoke.


    "FIVE YEARS?!?" Then the square-shaped entity spoke once more, this time with an inflection in its voice. "OPEN THE DOOR SHE IS A CHILD!"


    "Of course it is, didn''t you hear me before? But even as a kid she still has a [Core], she stays outside." The first voice spoke once more, it seemed to be fighting against each other? "SHE IS FIVE! WHAT DANGER CAN SHE BE?!?"


    Rude, she was plenty dangerous!


    She just needed some extra materials to work with, "So can I leave the square?" Asked Alexa as the light in the flooring had disappeared.


    It gave her weird feelings being in that thing, it felt like some of the parts of her [Tests] she used to do in the [Testing Chamber].


    "Of course dearie, we will-" The square-shaped entity spoke, only to be cut again "-not be opening the door, sorry kid. But we can''t risk it."


    So they wouldn''t let her in? That was...problematic.


    "Do not react, repeat after me." She heard [Frank the Beetle] speak as a [Hand] was placed on her shoulder. "Under the provisional law for [Core Users] section 4, paragraph 5: Discrimination against [Core Users], based on the Existence of their [Core], including, but not limited to: Exclusion from Evacuation Bunkers, denial of work, denial of services, exclusion in rescue missions, discrimination or abuse of their [Core Powers] can be a reason for legal action against the perpetrator."


    She found that information interesting since it spoke about [Humans] policing each other, she wondered how they managed to do that if not all of them had the power to [Enforce] such weird rules.


    Either way, she repeated those words verbatim only for the square-shaped entity to stop rambling between them, "...Your parents are Core Users too then huh." The first voice spoke, "Under corporate law, we can''t put our customers at risk, even at the expense of lives outside our umbrella. Unless you can prove that you have a membership with us (Which by the way requires proof of citizenship) we can''t risk opening the door and allowing Scorcher to put at risk lives on this side."


    "...I''m sorry, but maybe if you find another shelter? One whose boss isn''t..." The second voice started speaking only to be cut down as the square-shaped entity''s red light dimmed.


    "They cut the connection huh, had I known you were a Core User I wouldn''t have exposed you to this." [Frank the Beetle] said as he materialized at her side. "This is among the better ones and among the very few that can open after a warning goes on...But they discriminate against Core Users."


    Discrimination? What was that?


    "What are [Core Users]?" Alexa asked, did they have multiple extra designations? Were they also another different classification besides [Prey], [Predator], and [Power User]?


    "Do you know what a Superhero or Supervillains are?" Asked [Frank the Beetle] as he started moving outside this [Room].


    She of course followed after him (Making sure the square-shaped entity was always in her range of vision), and arrived at the [Outside] once more.


    "Like [SuperForce]?" She asked [Frank the Beetle], his [Name] seemed close enough to [Superhero] at least.


    "Exactly, a Superhero is a Core User who decides to use their Power for good. While a Supervillains is someone that uses it only for themselves." [Frank the Beetle] explained, then pointed to his chitin-clad arm. "Most [Insect Core Users] have a hard time controlling their instincts, so they tend to gravitate to Supervillains or straight-up Super Criminals, so we have a bad reputation and we rarely get accepted into bunkers."


    That seemed weird, if they were as dangerous as the square-shaped entity spoke of, then why would they accept being treated like that? She for one wouldn''t accept.


    "You see, at the start, it wasn''t like that. We were treated as victims of circumstance, ''who would want to end up like that'' they said." [Frank the Beetle] said while doing those weird sounds with his mouth.


    "[Analysis finished, description found, weird sounds reclassified as: Laughter. Symbol of amusement, happiness, positive emotion.]"


    "But then one Insect Core User was stressed and in a bunker, he was the only Core User so they expected him to defend them in case of danger...That one...Didn''t deal well with stress, and his stress reaction to that was eating." Frank said with a grimace.


    She didn''t have a problem with that. "I like to [Eat] too, what is the problem there?" So she asked as such.


    "You see, as Insect Core User we can eat...almost anything really. So when he ran out of jerky...He turned to the next closest [Meat] around." Frank said and then turned to look at her, his [Human] eye seemed...weird.


    She didn''t know what that look was, but his insect eye? She understood well that one. It was the same look she used to have while looking at her fellow test subjects, the look of someone eyeing [Food].


    "...Ah." Was all Alexa could say when she understood the problem.


    "[New Emotion detected and categorized: Sadness]"


    So Frank the beetle was sad because of that?


    "Ah, shit....right you are what? Five? I shouldn''t be telling you about this kind of crap..." And he started hitting his head with his [Human] arm, "This stupid insect brain. It thinks of you as a [Fellow] but you are a kid, even with a Core...Actually, what is your core?"


    What was her core?


    [Main Core], but that wasn''t what he was asking for right?


    "You aren''t a [Insect Core] or [Beast Core], the machine said [Unknown] so either it hasn''t scanned your type or they didn''t pay for the full library... Probably the second since they are known to be cheapskates." Frank smiled once more and turned to her, "By the way, don''t reveal your core if anyone asks. Better that way if you can pass it up as a normal Human if asked just say that is a Misc one or a Humanoid type. They love the [Elf Type]."


    The what type?


    THEY HAD [Human Core] TYPES?!?!?


    "There is a [Human Core]?" She asked unsure, maybe that was her [Core] type? She didn''t remember anything saying that though.


    "I guess? Not like it would give you anything, for example, mine is Beetle Core. As you can infer from my name, if I could pass up as something else I wouldn''t share it. But everyone that knows me is aware of it. What I don''t share is my Core Power though." Frank said as he turned translucent and visible again, "So please don''t share that part if possible...It would make my life harder than needed."


    Then why share it?


    "I shared it with you because I want you to know that I will be around in case you need help, at least till SuperForce and Scorcher end their battle...Or we manage to find you a Shelter to hide in," Frank said immediately while she was thinking of a way to ask him that.


    Could Frank also read her consciousness stream?


    "Your emotions are painted on your face, that is why I knew what you wanted to ask." Frank said while laughing, "That is why I came to you, you looked scared and had this look of happiness at the same time, like you hadn''t seen the subway station before."


    ...well she hadn''t seen it before.


    "So come, let''s see if we can find another shelter without assholes in it." Frank said while extending his hand towards her.


    "[Suggestion: Use chance to get a full blueprint of subject Frank the beetle for comparative blueprint study.]"


    She extended her hand and took it, not only because it would make it easier to get the [Blueprint], but because she seemed to be experiencing a new type of [Emotion] while doing so.


    And she needed all the help possible to understand how these [Humans] worked if she was to survive in this place.


    "[New Emotion within host detected...categorizing...Joy.]"


    She would try to find a place to study and decompress her findings, but for now? For now, she would walk around with [Frank the beetle] searching for a place to [Hide]. It would be a good way to find out more about human society and why they had slaved the square-shaped entities at the very least.

 Chapter 18: About [Elders] and their power.

    They ended up walking around for a few blocks before [Frank the Beetle] found them a comfortable alley to stop by. He then emptied a cylinder full of decomposing biomass and put it near her, then did the same with a bigger one and sat himself on it.


    "Okay, time to speak...We need to get some things straight." Said [Frank the Beetle] while waiting for her to move.


    Should she also imitate him and initiate a pseudo-rest period? For now, she sat herself in the cylinder, it was refreshing for one not having to deal with the carcass of a square-shaped entity.


    "When did you form your Core?" And [Frank the Beetle] started with a fast one.


    His eyes seemed entirely focused on her, most of them. One of his [Stalk Eyes] seemed to watch every possible angle.


    "You don''t need to say a precise date, but if it was a few days ago and your parents didn''t tell you anything we need to have a Talk." [Frank the beetle] seemed to want what was best for her.


    She wasn''t sure why she knew that, or what made her think that.


    "[There haven''t been any new commands sent from external sources and current brain chemistry doesn''t seem to indicate manipulation of thoughts on the host.]"


    [Main Core] seemed to think that she was thinking this by herself, but why?


    "[Possible reasons: Frank the beetle fills a primal need caused by the current body of the host. Possible feeling wanted by host body: Approval.]"


    Her body wanted [Approval]? She needed to do a full dive and fix it, if she had been compromised this easily it would be a problem. Maybe it was also a problem caused by her [Core]?


    "It was...recent." She answered, "Why?"


    [Frank the Beetle] nodded at her, "Thought as much since you didn''t know much about them when asking..." Then he moved his [Human] hand across his chitin on his head as if trying to check for integrity. "Okay, the next one is harder...Do you know your way home?"


    ...Yes...She did...


    "Can you go back on your own?" [Frank the beetle] asked before she could answer, it seemed that he had deemed her capable of remembering her way back. But...was that home?


    "[Inferred meaning of Home from context clues: Safe place.]"


    "I don''t have a [Home] to go." The place she had come from wasn''t safe. She was reminded of the [Teacher] that seemed to give her a card for a [Safe] place. Could she go there?


    She didn''t want to keep contact with anyone that knew her links to her [Previous Den] if possible, but it was a valid option should she find herself short of biomass...


    She only needed to decipher the way to decode the information held within the square-shaped plant fiber object in which it was saved.


    "*sigh* That makes it more difficult, if you have a Core we need to make sure it doesn''t...devolve into something dangerous, you seem fine near me. So the Evolution must be going away from an [Insect Core]." ...The what?


    "My [Core] was made today, what [Evolution] do you mean?" Alexa said before [Frank the beetle] moved too much away from that.


    However what came next wasn''t something she had expected, first she thought something had happened as [Frank the beetle] gave a battle screech and ran as far away from the alley entry as his body was able to.


    She turned her attention towards the entry point and prepared herself for combat...only to find nothing, which was good. Since she wasn''t sure that she would be able to fight that well in this form.


    "Is something the matter?" She asked as [Frank the beetle] tried to move further into the wall, was he trying to phase through it?


    She had never managed to do that with her crab form, since that form had too many materials, but maybe chitin and meat would make it easier?


    "WHY DIDN''T YOU SAID THAT FIRST! I COULD HAVE INFECTED YOU WITH MY [Insect Core]!" [Frank the beetle] said back at her.


    He what?


    "[Target Frank the Beetle has been expelling unidentified energy, said energy has been absorbed and distilled into the same type that current Core has. Perhaps less capable Core Users can be affected by this energy and make it so they synch themselves to other nearby Core Users making more tight communities.]"


    Was the analysis Main Core gave her, so should she [Shift] her form closer to [Frank the Beetle] to make it easier to integrate herself in his community?


    She wouldn''t mind having a chitin plating again...But she would miss the feeling of the wind on her [Skin]...


    "DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FORM AN [Insect Core]!" [Frank the beetle] said from the back end.


    "But wouldn''t that make it easier to live in this area?" She asked back to [Frank the beetle], who seemed taken aback by her logic.


    Had she missed some implications?


    "...[Insect Core]''s are tied to more primal instincts, children rarely are able to control their feelings, and as such end up dead...I...I don''t want to have to kill another kid, so no. I will not be responsible for this, here, take this." And then [Frank the beetle] threw another vegetable fiber thing her way.


    It had the depiction of square-shaped forms and a few lines between them, "That''s a map of this area, the red dot is where the bunker I took you is. Follow the arrows in the map, it will guide you to an Organization I work with from time to time, they will help you there to stabilize the [Core]. If you don''t have anywhere to stay they should allow you into their daycare...If they refuse to give you a place to stay show them the letter I wrote at the back of the map. That should get you a place to stay, but you may need to work for a living." [Frank the beetle] started climbing the wall, "Do not come near this place till your [Core] has settled, and if you end up as an [Insect Core]...please do not leave the sewers."


    And afterward [Frank the beetle] turned invisible once more, she was no longer able to detect him, and felt...


    "[New emotion detected, Loneliness: The feeling of solitude.]"


    Alone, she took the square-shaped object made of vegetable fiber and saw the depiction on it. It had more squiggle lines besides those that seemed to indicate the area she was or had been.


    "[New Information detected, compared to mental map...Accuracy of 85%, map updated...Inferring information from extrapolating data...Squiggle lines may hold information....Starting translating subroutine.]"


    So the squiggle lines were indeed information codified onto it, so all the squiggle lines she had been seeing all around were codified information of some kind?


    The [Humans] were indeed a dangerous creature, for now, she would follow the [Map] and see what this was about, perhaps she could find a way to [Settle her core] and return to speak more with [Frank the beetle]?


    That was her plan for later, but for now?


    "I will see you later then [Frank the beetle], thank you," Alexa said to the empty air, she liked to think that [Main Core] would find evidence of [Frank the beetle].


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    But [Main Core] didn''t find any sign of the [Human] in question, so with a sigh Alexa left the alleyway they had walked in. Following the approximate directions of the [Map] she got, she started walking toward that place.


    The sounds of the fight between the [Scorcher] and [SuperForce] had started to slow down, and as far as [Main Core] was concerned:


    "[Probability of structural failure within range of survivability to current form are optimal, current form has shown to be able to function without internal bone structure for long times, it is possible to alter the internal muscles to work and move without bones.]"


    [Main Core] showed her a few examples of her under those settings, a few projections of muscles contorting and moving along the floor, for some reason she felt a visceral reaction to those images and didn''t want to entertain the idea of them. Something about how her body looked and moved felt [Wrong], it came from the biological side of her body. So it wasn''t entirely [Logical], but since she needed this side to function and work as a way to integrate herself in [Human] society, she couldn''t turn it off.


    So instead she shelved the idea altogether!


    If the place fell on her head she would either need to turn off her [Brain] and let [Main Core] host her [Self] while doing what was needed or bite the biomass cost and do it manually.


    But for now, she had places to go!


    Such as...Whatever those squiggly lines meant!


    "See? I told you it was safe, the tremors have stopped for almost five minutes already, so it means the fight ended." Alexa heard someone speak as someone opened a [Door] and walked outside one of the [Rooms] in the [Street]. "Oh, where is your Mother darling?"


    Darling?


    "[Emotion detected in tone, correlation...Love, care, protection.]"


    The [Human - Female Adult Stage] said as she turned to look at her, Alexa wasn''t quite sure why they all always reacted like this to her, was this some kind of genetic imprint on them to show these reactions to [Human - Child Stage]?


    "I was told to follow these directions, do you know what it says here?" Alexa said as she hid the second letter [Frank the Beetle] had given her and only showed the [Map] with the [Directions].


    "Is your Mother there? Let me see..." Said the [Human - Female Adult Stage] as she [Smiled] and put a pair of [Crystal]-like objects in front of her [Eyes].


    "[Perception alteration object detected...Analysis in progress, seems to function to increase the fidelity of visual information, possible blueprint stored for further use.]"


    She wasn''t sure why [Main Core] wanted to save that one, she already had plenty of designs of [Cameras] from her time with the P1-P3 subjects, hell, her own time as her [Glorious form] had plenty use of [Cameras], and the [Human] Eye was a marvel of bio camera on its own, not the most efficient one in a single wavelength, but good enough with multiple wavelength.


    "Oh..." The [Human - Female Adult Stage] said as her tone of voice dropped a few decibels, "...I didn''t know..."


    Now that reaction was different, it was closer to the one [Teach] had shown when she found that she didn''t have anyone waiting for her in the [Reception], it was...


    "[Human Emotion: Sadness, defeat, pity.]"


    It was tinged with those bad emotions, Alexa didn''t like those emotions.


    "It says... Second Chance Employment, it is..." The [Human-Female Adult Stage] said as she returned the [Map] to Alexa, "...a place that gives jobs to those that can''t hold a normal one, are you sure your Mother is there?"


    Well, she was sure her [Mother] wasn''t there, as she didn''t have one of those, maybe she should search what those words meant?


    "I was told that I could get a place to stay there," Alexa answered, she wasn''t sure why, but the [Human - Female Adult Stage] had drops of water form on the side of her eyes at her answer.


    "Is it safe then?" Another [Human] spoke as the [Door] opened again, "huh? It is safe, they even let kids walk around huh...is something the matter?"


    The new [Human] turned its eyes to the previous one and then towards her, and finally towards her [Map]. "Evan...This girl....she..." And while saying so she pointed to her [Map].


    "She what?" Asked the other [Human] as he turned its attention to her [Map] "Oh that is four blocks that way."


    The other [Human] said while pointing her in the same direction she had been walking. "EVAN!" The [Human-Adult Stage Female] raised her volume while hitting the other Human. "Don''t you know what kind of neighborhood that is?!?"


    What kind of what was what?


    "I mean yeah, but it isn''t like they don''t have kids on it. Granted this one looks more high-end since she is dressed in expensive-looking clothes...." the [Evan] human eyed her as if calculating something, she in turn just prepared to run away, checking her stockpiles of energy and preparing her [Nanites] to reconstruct the ruptured muscles should she need to prepare a burst of energy. "But still has the same vibe as those on our side."


    The [Evan] Human said at the end, "Move along kid. My partner is new to this part of the city, just ignore her and try to not scam her if you can, I will turn a blind eye should I see you again in exchange." And then made a motion for her to move.


    She wasn''t quite sure what [Our Side] referred to, but still appreciated the directions and translation services they had given her. She had a few words to match with those squiggly lines after all.


    "[Our Side, may refer to an allegiance, either perceived or real.]"


    Main core seemed to think that the [Evan] Human had misjudged her as someone from the same [Faction] as him, that was...maybe good? It may mean that she would fit in some of the [Factions] already, and that would make it easier to blend in.


    "[Translation suite advanced, adding known meaning to lines in paper.]"


    And that was also advancing, everything was going quite well, now she only needed to arrive at the location in the [Map].


    And while comparing the squiggle lines around versus the translation on this [Map] she found plenty of repetitions of these [Letters], it seemed to be a very short code that they used seemed to only use thirty-six characters or [Letters] on it.


    They grouped them to make the bulk bigger, and even if she took into consideration the thirty-six different variations, it seemed that of those, ten seemed to be particularly different, for some reason most of those codes followed a somewhat similar pattern than there were the characters [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0] that looked somewhat different. Also unlike the other twenty-six characters. These rarely showed in the middle of the other encrypted messages.


    Take this untranslated cipher for example [Bistro Burger], it seemed to use a few of the [Characters] previously analyzed, but then on the side of this [Block] was another [Sign] that reused some of those in [Bistro Burger #3].


    It added two extra characters, one she knew since it had shown in some parts of her code, so it referred to some [Designation] so the [3] would be said designation. But what did [3] mean?!?!


    Why couldn''t these [Humans] be more clear and integrate their [Language] into the [Brain] from [Inception]! Would it be that too hard?!?


    Hadn''t they enslaved another species?!? Surely they had the technology!


    "[Emotion Detected, Anger.]"


    She was angry? So this was anger, interesting...NOT, SHE WAS ANNOYED AT THIS!


    "[New emotion added to database, Annoyance. Thank you for your help in the Emotion Database host.]"


    ..."New emotion detected, sassiness...Add it to the database." She wasn''t sure if that was the correct way, nor if the emotion was correct. But she felt it was correct.


    Who would have thought, she was getting the hang of this [Human] thing already!


    "[...Analyzed evidence, correct. Adding Sassy to the database.]"


    Small victories.


    And while feeling [Smug] about how she had dealt a critical hit to [Main Core] for getting out of order she continued her trek towards her objective, as she saw the time tick forward more and more [Humans] started leaving the [Rooms] at the side of the [Street], it was soon that the whole place was populated by multiple variations of the different [Stages] on their growth, from [Child] to [Adult] with some variations that she didn''t have yet stored, there seemed to be a few [Larva] or [Pupa] stage here and there, she wasn''t sure what differences existed in those [Blueprints].


    On one side she could see a [Larva] stage human carried with its appendages flopping uselessly around, but from what she could tell from its [Face], it had about the same estimated [Biomass] as another [Pupa] stage that was covered in the same [Textile] material that her [Armor] was made.


    If anything that one seemed more [Comfortable] than the one that had its appendages flopping around uselessly. Was the [Larva] stage variant one that hadn''t managed to get the [Textile] armor? Did the humans also [Grow] the [Textile] armor and those [Larva] hadn''t got enough [Biomass]?


    Then we moved to those closer to her in size, it seemed that hers wasn''t as standardized as she had thought, there were some variations from stage to stage, and it seemed that the [Humans] grew entirely in a slow and methodical way, but while the transition seemed to be...gradual, there were stark demarcations between stages.


    She had captured visual data of at least two to three stages between her current one [Child] to the [Adult], and even between the [Adult], there seemed to be at least two variations on that one. And of course...there was [That].


    "Have a candy darling." What seemed to be a decrepit [Human], giving small condensed [Balls] of bioenergy full of [Dextrose]. It was eerie, most [Humans] treated with deference, [Adult] stage humans gave way to this one. While [Child] stage humans keep roaming around it and doing their best to ingratiate to this one.


    She just was straight up wary of that human, she of course took the bioenergy object and quickly ate it, it was free energy after all, and also there was a weird flavor on it that seemed to increase the production of [Serotonin] on her organic core. And while doing so she took as small a sample as she could from that [Human].


    It was easy enough, and she was half sure the [Human] knew since it [Smiled] at her as their [Hands] separated from each other, hers with the [Bioenergy] object in her [Hand] and as much as dead skin she could manage to absorb from the other [Human] (And she had plenty to go around).


    She got so much that she even managed to get a full [Blueprint] from her.


    "[Blueprint acquired, added to database: Human - Female Elder Stage]."


    "[Blueprint acquired, added to database: Disease - Diabetic]"


    "[Blueprint acquired, added to database: Disease - Hypertension]"


    "[Blueprint acquired, added to database: Genetic Malfunction - Cancerogenous Cell]."


    Truly, the peak of humanity, so much hidden within the shell of decrepit and weakness, but hidden within the true [Evil] of what they were capable of, she had needed to [Destroy] a few organs when she tried to simulate some of those things. And others were outright biochemical attacks. Those she had been forbidden from developing, and after seeing what they could do to her [Unawakened Human Body], she understood why.


    The first [Disease] would make it almost impossible for her to assimilate [Bioenergy] efficiently, the second one made a chaos to move her [Blood] with any degree of efficiency and made it almost impossible for her to [Fight] with any modicum of efficiency.


    Even at their most [Senile] stage the [Humans] found ways to equalize the fight...


    But the last one, the last one made her fear fully settle in her [mind].


    "[Warning, further attempts to study new cell types risk destruction of the current body. Care is advised.]"


    It worked somewhat similar to her [Nanite] swarm, only on a biological level, and it...It was horrific what it did, it turned the [Cells] within the body into uncontrollable entities that reproduced at an alarming rate and would cannibalize other parts of the body to fester more of their brethren.


    For her, it was worse since her body was streamlined for her [Nanite Swarm], so most of her body followed the same template that made it easier for alterations, so should she get some of those cells without paying attention...


    She may very well lose all her current biomass, and be left with only the [Mechanical] parts, and with only those, she would find it hard to get more [Biomass] without humans finding out about her.


    Truly... [Humanity] was a [Monstrous] thing... And she walked around with that kind of [Weaponry]? And they allowed their [Larva], [Pupa] and [Child] stage [Humans] near?


    She wasn''t sure if she should applaud their bravery or their confidence. It meant one thing, though. Should she manage to fully integrate, she could very well no longer fear attacks, but should they ever find out about her...


    "[Utter destruction]"


    Yeah...So this [Map] better grant her what she was promised.

 Chapter 19: Im not crying, you are crying!

    The endpoint of her travel was finally at her mercy!


    The perilous travel surrounded by danger, destruction, and mayhem would be at an end, she had traveled far and wide, deceiving hundreds upon thousands of [Humans] with her wit and smarts. She would achieve her goal!


    She!


    Would!


    [TRIUMPH]!


    "[Warning, threshold for activity exceeded, purging exuding dextrose from bloodstream...Stockpiling bioenergy for later use.]"


    ...She was being stared at, most of the [Humans] that walked by turned at her and smiled or [Giggled], she felt a rush of heat go to her face, it seemed that the biological answer to her predicament was a change of color to her [Face].


    It was obviously an automatic reaction from her [Human] blueprint, one that was obviously not working since most of those [Humans] near had fished other smaller [Square shaped] entities and pointed at her. She didn''t feel [Hostile] intent from them, so she decided to ignore them.


    Instead, she did something more important, such as:


    "Main Core, log the previous chemical reaction, find the reason for it, and plot some use for it, if no useful use is found isolate the start of the reaction and block it!" She ordered [Main Core].


    "[Order acknowledged, error...error... Biochemical reaction logged upon Emotion parts of the organic brain, tampering is ill-advised until a full understanding of delimitations of Host are found.]"


    What was the answer to these situations?


    Oh right, it was that...


    Dang it.


    Instead, she decided to move forward and walk towards the [Room] that was at the end of her travel, she had asked plenty [Humans] about the address so far. Half of them had refused to answer or did so while asking if she was [Okay] or [Safe], as she got closer and closer to the end of her travel those answers changed in tone too.


    The closer she got the more easily she got the answer needed, and the more often she got those [Candies] from the [Human - Elder Stage] humans, both from the [Male] and [Female] variant.


    It was also the main reason she had found that her [Body] had a [Hard Limit] in the amount of pure Dextrose she was able to function with before her [Consciousness Stream] went haywire. Curse you [Humans] for making a hard limit on the [Child Stage] variant!


    "Oh? We barely opened and we already have clients!" A shrill voice started speaking as soon as she opened the door into the [Room], it was a [Human - Female Stage Adult] as far as she could see.


    "...Did you come with Mommy or Daddy, little girl?" Asked the shrill voice as she got closer to her spot, it didn''t seem to want to move, and she felt that communication would be more efficient if they stood somewhat close to each other.


    It also made it easier for her to [Attack] should it be deemed necessary.


    "I was told I could get a place to stay here." She said first while showing the map that [Frank the beetle] had given her.


    This, however, made the [Woman] frown at her, "This is a service we provide for orphans...Where is your mom and dad?"


    Orphans? Was that what she was? She didn''t have one of those [Mom] or [Dad] as far as she was aware.


    "I don''t know what a [Mom] and [Dad] are, nor what an [Orphan] is, but [Frank the Beetle] told me to give you this should you not want to host me," Alexa said while providing the second envelope, she had copied most of the contents into her [Database] to try and use it as a decryption key.


    Either way, she looked for evidence of what the [Envelope] may reveal, and so far, the faces she was going through were added to her [Emotional] database for further perusal.


    "Well f#ck, Frank dropped another one on me did he?" The woman said as she turned to look at her and then opened one of the [Containers] within the furniture she was sitting in front of. It was square-shaped at the top with four legs at each corner, from her side, she wasn''t able to see how it looked on the other side. But if it was like the ones she had seen in the [Room] that she arrived after exiting her [Den].


    Then more than likely it held containers to hold things, she had hidden before in one of those after all.


    "Don''t move and if you can don''t use any skill or power you have." The [Woman] said as she pointed at her with some kind of [Device].


    "[Warning, energy wave detected, resonating with Core. No new instructions found, no remnants energy found...]" Main Core went on a long list of security functions about that.


    "Hmm...It is a [Solid Core], but Frank said that you just awakened it...Did you lie to him?" The [Woman] spoke and for a few seconds, she felt as if the [Eyes] of her were shining.


    "[Warning, probable use of power or skill in use, prepare energy burn for quick escape.]" Main Core warned her.


    She could see the evidence well enough on her own though, "No...I made my [Core] around the time I told [Frank the beetle]." She said, unsure of why she was feeling [Angry] at the thought of having lied to [Frank the beetle].


    "Hmm...No lies, but you do have some interesting thing going on...Are you a System?" The Woman asked and she felt herself grow incredibly cold.


    She was found out? This quick?


    How? Why? What?


    "[No hostile intent detected.]"Main Core reported, but even so, this was dangerous.


    "Of course, I''m not hostile, my [Core] lets me poke around surface thoughts and find out lies easily. I found your passenger like that." The Woman added while smirking.


    She could read surface thoughts?


    "Main Core?" She asked inwardly.


    "[Possible, thoughts are formed as biochemical reactions in brain matter. Encoding....]"Main Core started processing as the eyes of the woman narrowed at her.


    "Now now, you can''t just..." She started saying and then her eyes turned confused.


    "[Encoding finished, thoughts will be translated into source code.]" Main Core said but she didn''t really notice any difference.


    "And now you are thinking in 0 and 1? No wait, now its weird words? And now it isn''t even words but static. What the hell?" The Woman said as her face turned more confused by the second.


    "So, will you give me a place to stay?" Alexa asked, bringing back the important topic. "[Frank the beetle] implied that even if you didn''t want to give me a place to stay I would be able to get a [Job] and as such get a place to stay."


    At these words, the [Woman] face fell, as if she had tasted the most worthless piece of [Biomass] or just how she felt when [Main Core] started preventing her from processing more of those [Candy] that the [Elderly] gave her.


    "Yes...we can provide Jobs to those that have a [Core], just like yours. And since yours seems to be mature already you can work for us. But... we rarely find Customers for kids as young as....you." The [Woman] said while pointing at her. "More than usual those that want kids as young as you aren''t up to our standard, usually the youngest we can safely introduce are those that are between 12 to 15 years old."


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ...That didn''t really tell her anything.


    "How many [Seconds], [Hours] or [Minutes] is one of these... [Years]." Alexa asked, trying to get her head over those new metrics.


    "...sixty seconds is one minute, sixty minutes is one hour, twenty-four hours is a day, seven days a week, the month varies but usually is between thirty to thirty-one days with February as an exception since that one is between 28 to 29 days." The [Woman] started explaining, had the [Humans] withheld so many ways to measure time?


    This would be more efficient.


    "Twelve months is a year." The Woman finished her explanation, "This is basic knowledge..."


    Wait, this was basic?


    No more importantly...Her [Blueprint] didn''t have a [Age] on it?


    "[Age of Blueprint recorded at 5 year old.]" Oh...She was missing 7 years at the very minimum?


    No wait, by this metric, wasn''t her actual age around two? She should be...


    "Do you have an example of a twelve-year-old [Female] that would be able to accept a [Job]," Alexa asked, she really needed to integrate into this [Faction]. They provided information for free!


    "...Here, this is a picture of one of our youngest recruits, do mind that she got the job because her powers were very useful in our line of work." The [Woman] said showing her a picture of another [Human], this one was at one of the theoretical thresholds Main Core had deduced they developed.


    The differences weren''t that big, mostly she had longer [Legs] and [Arms], but everything else seemed to grow in tandem to those two parts.


    "[Approximated weight estimated around the current Biomass of host, that form may be more efficient to keep the current weight of materials. Calculating...]" Main Core said as she saw her current form within her [Library] adapt and change.


    "So? As you can see she is almost twice as big as you. No way we can pass-" The [Human - Adult Stage Female] started saying but she wasn''t paying attention to her anymore.


    "[Finished blueprint, execute?]" Main Core asked and she nodded in affirmative.


    The changes started almost at the same time as she nodded her head, first her [Legs] started growing, and she jumped to 1,32M in height from her previous 70cm. It was somewhat below the target margin that she had aimed at.


    "[Notice, following the growing curve host would never achieve 1,5M in height at the target age of 12 years. If the host wishes for more height, targeting an older stage may be viable.]" Main Core sniped back at her.


    Rude!


    This Main Core was rude!


    ..."[Detected emotional instability, possible reason...Change in biochemistry from accelerated growth, hormonal charges unstable within host...still within threshold, no action taken.]"


    She wasn''t moody dang it!


    Either way, she noticed that her clothes seemed to no longer fit her, so she also sent an order to change them as her body changed. From the design that she had where most of her [Legs] were exposed, she extended the [Lower body armor - External outfit] so it covered her whole [Legs].


    The [Sneakers] adapted to her [Feet] quite nicely so that hadn''t changed that much. If anything she swapped the design of her [Socks] to one she had seen that seemed to go all the way to her [Knee].


    The [Top] of her body grew both in width and height, even if most of her [Chest] remained the same...And for some reason, she found that [Annoying] even if she couldn''t quite pick up the reason for it.


    It was mostly for that reason that she opted to swap her [Top armor - External Outfit] to a design she found appealing in the streets, it was a somewhat loose [Jacket] white in color with dark lines here and there. It covered her [Chest] and [Arms] quite snuggly, and below she left herself with a normally designed [Blouse] and of course the [Underarmor]...


    Whose design hadn''t changed that much from her previous form...?


    And while her [Underarmor - Lower body] also didn''t change, for some reason the fact that her [Underarmor - Upper Body] also didn''t change [Annoyed] her too.


    "Will this be acceptable?" She asked shrill voice, noticing how her pitch also had increased, did the increase in air that could go through her [Vocal Organ] change?


    Should she change that back?


    "No, wait, stop, what? How? How old are you?" The [Woman] asked her as she was touching her [Throat] thinking about if she should change it to her previous [Voice].


    "[Detected Energy Wave, target is currently using Lie detector care is advised.]" Main Core intoned in her head.


    Of course, she knew that "I''m asking you, whoever is the one that was born in that body first." The [Woman] added to her question.


    Well, that was quite the conundrum huh?


    "I am currently 12 years old, the minimum acceptable age to work in this establishment," Alexa answered, she was sure of her answer since that was what her new [Blueprint] said.


    She had tons of new [Biological] functions unlocked, some more interesting than others, but that would need to wait for further study at a later date. Just like her [Craving] for more bioenergy from those [Candies], shaping her flesh had burned plenty of energy!


    She deserved her snack!


    "...You aren''t lying. No wait, what age were you when you arrived then?" The [Woman] asked back, what was the deal with this [Woman]? So naggy.


    ...what?


    "I was 5 years old when I first stepped here." She answered while thinking back at the previous consciousness thread, it didn''t make sense for her to suddenly attribute a new [Emotion].


    What was even [Naggy]?


    "[New Emotion detected, Naggy: To be annoying and insistent about a social situation.]"


    ...She was [Naggy], but why was she Naggy?


    "*sigh* Okay okay, then what is your real age?" The woman asked again, she felt the energy wave increase and tried to lock into her body.


    Somehow it seemed to want to lock closer into her, but when it got close enough to [Main Core] it slipped away as if it wasn''t able to latch onto it, that was interesting, it implied that whatever she [thought] within the confines of [Main Core] would be safe from this type of power.


    Even if she was able to somehow [hear] [Main Core] before they masked her thoughts...


    "[Notice, only thoughts from Main Core are masked, Host should try to think in machine code to mask her own thoughts, but even that is unwarranted to work.]"


    ...So she could hear her speak in her mind?


    "Not in the way you think. After you learn about it the more you think about me or towards me, the easier it becomes to [Read] you. In contrast, the more you don''t want your mind to be read, the harder it becomes. It only works when you are aware of someone reading you, so it isn''t a perfect defense, and I''m not sure it works the same for everyone, but for now, think very hard and answer the question. ¡°The [Woman] said, Alexa wasn''t sure if she would trust her. But for now, since she seemed to be [Honest] about it...


    "[New Emotion detected, Honest: The act of being truthful about something, being a statement or situation.]"


    Why did she think she was being [Honest]? Was she manipulating her [Mind] too?


    "No need to be wary, see. This is why I only tell people that my power is detecting lies...You teenagers get all moody when you think I am reading your mind. No, my power has hard limits. I can [Read] you when you project your thoughts to me. Or when you think of me. Period." The [Woman] tried to explain.


    So she wouldn''t be able to [Read] her so long she didn''t want her to be read?


    "I will [Terminate your life] no matter if you can read me or not in 4, 3, 2...1" Alexa thought internally while preparing herself to attack. She was wary.


    Looking and analyzing how she reacted, and when the time came...The [Woman] didn''t move at all, so Alexa stopped her movement.


    "[No reactions from consciousness stream, no evidence of thoughts about wanting to abort the action. No evidence that the [Human - Adult Stage Woman] knew about the possibility of her stopping the attack. Result: She is being Honest."]


    "My body and mental age are tied to my form, if you ask about the age of my [Core] then that would be 2 days, it''s the only one that doesn''t seem to change according to my understanding," Alexa said with caution trying to not give more information than needed, she wasn''t quite sure about why it mattered that much.


    Well, taking into consideration that this form should be six times as old as her previous crab form...


    "[Amount of combat information, tactical information, and survival information less than a sixth of estimated information acquired in the period of time is minimal in comparison. Maybe they require the amount of information implied with age.]" The analysis of main core...it chilled her back.


    It was a sensation of [Fear] and a new [Emotion] she hadn''t felt before.


    "[New series of emotions detected, added to database.]"


    "[Panic: The emotion derivative of fear, increased distress attributed to this one, the source of it can be both fake and real.]"


    "[Distress: Extreme discomfort, or adversity. Caused by problems both social and real, it causes or increases the [Panic] or other negative emotions.]"


    Well, it was great that [Main Core] was increasing the amount of data it could process with the [Growth] of her body and organs, she did notice her [Brain] was bigger and it could feel and process a new diversity of [Emotions], like the ones that made her mind go in a thousand different directions.


    "[Quantity of threads of thought does not number in the Thousands.]"


    SHUT IT MAIN CORE!


    WE ARE IN DANGER HERE!


    Breathe Alexa, breathe...Focus...Point out the advantages you confer.


    "I can promise that my [Mastery] over the disciplines needed for the job can be fulfilled should I get access to the needed [Data]." She started easy and simple, "Besides I can achieve a degree of flexibility vastly superior to any [Model] on the [Series] I currently hold. Granted the amount of [Data] my [Brain] has is limited by the [Design] I can alter it to fulfill any need deemed with-"


    She was rambling, what was rambling?


    "[Rambling: The act of speaking and saying nothing of relevance.]"


    ...Thank you Main Core. Yes, she was doing that. She wasn''t even sure of what she was saying at this point. Was it effective? The degree of emotions the [Woman] was showing was blurred for some reason.


    She...she...what? Why was the woman blurry? She felt something in her face, something was leaking. Was she leaking? DID THEY MISS SOMETHING IN THE BLUEPRINT?!?


    MAIN CORE WHAT THE HECK?!?


    "[No obvious flaw in blueprint...Checking...Negative, current status of Host within nominal ranges. Current activity is within the threshold of emotional distress host is experimenting and is deemed appropriate by checks within the blueprint.]"


    THEN EXPLAIN THIS DEFECT!


    "[Current emotional status was seeded from original blueprint, emotion found and analyzed."]


    ...It was from the original blueprint?


    "shh....it''s okay, we will not throw you away okay?" The [Woman] stood in front of her, when did she get here? Was...Was she going to be terminated?


    "I...*sniff*...I can *sniff*...Don''t [Terminate me] please?" She wanted to run away, she wanted to fight. She wanted to escape this cursed place, return to a simpler [Blueprint], and throw everything away.


    "Everything will be all right okay, no one will hurt you...Well, at least not here and now. I can''t promise the same if you do take the job though." The [Woman] said and she [Laughed], was that funny?


    That the job could get her [Terminated]?


    And if that wasn''t enough, the [Woman] extended her arms around her [Body] and pushed her towards her [Chest], then she started to...Rub? Compress? Give her pats? She was doing something weird on her back.


    "shh...Everything will be alright, cry it out. The bad people will not hurt you here." And the [Woman] started doing that weird thing on her back while subvocalizing some weird [Tune].


    It...It made her so tired...So so tired...


    "[New Emotion detected, Crying/Cry: The act of releasing fluid from the eyes to let the backed-up emotions out in an attempt to find comfort from older members from the same species. Effectivity currently shown to be extreme.]"

 Chapter 20: There is [Truth] and there are [Books]...

    That was tiring.


    "[Status within optimal range, finished purging of troublesome emotions... Brain chemistry once again optimal.]"


    Also, her [Eyes] hurt, her nose was stuffy, and she would need to recycle the fluids stuck to her [Outer armor], and restock more [Water] after having lost so much in this activity.


    "Are you feeling okay now?" The [Woman] had stayed with her all the time, [Hugging] her.


    That was a thing it seemed that [Older] members of this race did, it helped alleviate the biochemical instability in their younger members.


    "[Hug: The act of giving comfort to members of their race under duress. Effectivity under study, need more samples.]"


    ...So I need to collect more hugs?


    That would be...harsh, she didn''t want to [Cry] that often, even if she was the most beautiful of all, crying didn''t feel like something [Cute] to do.


    "Here, clean your nos-" The [Woman] was about to give her a piece of [Fabric] before stopping and staring at her, "...That is a neat way to deal with the after-effects of crying, are you using your [Power] to return your eyes and nose back to normal?"


    She was indeed using her skills as a bio-weapon to morph her body back to the base state, she was still missing a few milliliters of moisture and some grams of biomass from the nasal fluid she lost though.


    "Okay, now let''s play a game. I ask a question, you answer [Truthfully], then you get to ask a question and I in turn answer [Truthfully]. One of my Core Power''s limits is that should I promise to answer truthfully I will need to fulfill that promise." The [Woman] offered to her as she pointed to a [Chair] for her, then sat herself in the [Desk].


    That seemed...


    "[Acceptable, so long there is an option to refuse.]"


    Right, she needed the guarantee of being able to refuse. "I can do it, so long I can refuse to answer some questions." Main Core was right.


    "Hmm...That is fine, but you get no question and will need to answer another question, you only get three chances to refuse though. If you refuse three questions I am not giving you a Job nor a place to crash. I will give you another address to go through. If your Core was unstable then I may accept you anyway, but yours isn''t Unstable." The [Woman] said.


    She didn''t want to go elsewhere though, so she may need to sacrifice some inform-


    "[Warning, actions of host are endangering prime directives, reroll though-]"


    Main Core started to say before she clamped it down "[BEHAVE]" and hissed under her breath.


    "Everything okay?" The [Woman] asked, but she ignored her and turned inwardly.


    "[...Re analyzing situation, reassessing prime directives...Current activities within margin, proceed Host.]"


    That''s what I thought.


    "Yes, who starts?" Alexa asked after glaring at [Main Core], she would need to get some private time to check on those, [Main Core] had attempted a thought reroll. He shouldn''t have enough agency to do that.


    Then what would have rerolled? She would need to make sure about that.


    "Okay, first question...Are you a System? How many people are inside that pretty head of you?" The [Woman] started once more, right? She had asked that before. Did she know about her OS?


    "I need clarifications first, you ask if I''m a [System], or what [System] I run on? These seem to imply your definition of what a [System] is, is different from mine." Alexa said she found the question dangerous in itself. The [Woman] seemed to think that she was [Human] but then went ahead and asked if she was running a [System] or not.


    "Hmm...Right, then let me elaborate..." The [Woman] hummed to herself before nodding and started saying, "Okay a System is when in your head there are multiple other voices that are different from You, they have their own personality, and memories and sometimes they can take control of your body. Some lose memories of what the other people did, some can see...So, is anyone inside there with you?"


    ...The heck is that? Are the [Humans] so advanced that they can share bodies with others? Or was this a form of organic dual consciousness stream going? Was she like that?


    "[Technically, that definition is accurate. While Main Core does not hold a personality or memories, it can be considered a pseudo-consciousness stream independent from the one the organic brain has running. Even if both ultimately are part of the whole.]"


    So the answer was a yes...? "I guess? There are two voices in my head and we do speak among us...?" Alexa answered tentatively. She wasn''t quite sure if the answer was correct or not.


    But since the [Woman] nodded as she answered, then it should be correct, "Okay good enough, ask away your question then." The [Woman] said with a [Smile] at her, making motions with her hands toward her chest.


    ...Somehow it annoyed her that her bulges were bigger than hers.


    "Why do you care if I''m one of those [Systems] or not." She said, almost immediately regretting her question. She should have asked something relevant to her immediate survival, or how to get the correct qualifications to get the [Job] or [Place to crash] offered before!


    "...I should have asked for the right of denial too." The [Woman] sighed, only making her [Eyes] narrow, was that the correct question then? "A System is...okay, let me start with saying this. A system can be created for many reasons, it can be made for natural reasons, and it can be created because you have a vibrant and wonderful imagination!"


    The [Woman] made some weird movements with her hands and smiled brightly at that, only for her face to turn downcast after and adding, "But the most common reason for it is usually Trauma...and by your face, you don''t know that word, of course, you don''t...fricking kids..."


    The [Woman] sighed more and more, did she have a malfunction in her [Breathing] organs?


    "Trauma is... like if someone did something very bad to you, made you want to run away, made you cry till you fell asleep every single night, or when someone abused you. Ring any bell?" The [Woman] turned to her after that and turned to her. "This will be my question by the way."


    ...Traumatic experiences huh...


    "[Those may include body modification if the logs readings of pain amount are to be believed, also body dismembering, and multiple activities realized while at the testing chambers.]"


    "Would the [Trauma] you speak of include above normal pain, below average eating, low intake energy food, tasteless food, body dismembering, or multiple high stress and stakes situations in combat settings?" Alexa asked to clarify her questions brought up by [Main Core], getting a small nod from the [Woman], and she noticed a small tremble in her facial expression. As if she was fighting to control her own reaction. Interesting.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "I will use my first denial to a question. I do not want to elaborate or answer that question." Alexa decided in the end, to explain the limits of her pain tolerance or the full spectrum of her bio-morphing abilities.


    "That is fair, then my next question... Are you running away from somewhere?" The [Woman] asked. Wasn''t that obvious?


    "Yes, my previous... [Dwelling] wasn''t as comfortable after an [Incident]." Alexa answered, then started thinking. What could she ask now?


    She needed something that served her purpose.


    "What are the qualifications I need to fulfill to get the [Job] and get a new [Housing]?" She ended by asking in the end, this was important, should she not be able to get this place to grant her an entry into the more broad aspects of [Human] society. Then at least she could tailor her approach to the next one.


    "Usually we ask for our employee to be of age, which is above 16 years old at the bare minimum. If their qualifications are good enough we can accept fifteen. Usually, those under eighteen are accepted under the premise of being trained and they pay for their time with us." The [Woman] started saying, so she was missing 1095 days at the bare minimum? Would she need to find a blueprint for those ages, or try to calculate it from scratch?


    No wait, hadn''t she said that this age was the absolute minimum they could ever accept?


    "Yes, we do have some employees in the twelve age range, the current age you seem to...have...I will ask you about that next, anyway. If our employees are Supers we make more allowances. Even so, the bare minimum we have ever accepted was twelve years old because that girl''s power was adequate for logistics within one of the employers we work with." The [Woman] said after reading part of her line of thought.


    How did that work?


    "My turn again... What will you do if we don''t employ you?" The [Woman] then asked her, what would she do?


    "I will try to find [Employment] and a [Dwelling] in another place." She answered as just, the [Woman] didn''t seem surprised by her answer, even if she wasn''t to be happy with her answer.


    "My turn, should I get the [Job], how will I get the needed information to perform the [Job]?" That was important, she needed a steady source of information.


    "...*sigh* Girl, you shouldn''t need to worry...Ughh...." The [Woman] seemed to have some problems with her internal processing, in the end, she ended up answering her question "Yes, we will provide you with training and manuals that you will need to read and memorize...We will need your contact information to give you..."


    She stopped speaking, narrowing her eyes at her, had her [Face] shown more of her internal turmoil? She was, after all, not sure if she would be able to receive new data streams after leaving the [Testing Chambers]. She hadn''t tried it yet and wasn''t sure what type of data stream the [Humans] used.


    She doubted the encrypted messages used to guide her here were the only way to share information and data, that would be so...


    "Question. Do you know how to read?" The [Woman] asked her with her eyes narrowed as she searched for something on her [Desk], "This is part of the question, read this."


    And then handed her a piece of [Paper], it was different from the one before, and unlike what she had used so far, this one seemed to be using a different method of engraving than the [Letters] she had found on the [Streets].


    The [Letters] were imprinted using a faulty model or something, it was closer to curves than the clear lines..." Main Core? The translation suit is ready?" She asked inwardly.


    Getting a weird reaction from the [Woman]''s face as one of her [Eyebrow]¡¯s seemed to rise a few centimeters.


    "[Negative, not enough data.]"


    ...Dang it.


    "...I know the amount of different variations that exist within this [Encryption] and could probably work..." She started saying, trying to find a way to phrase it so she wouldn''t be seen as an [Inferior] model within the same line she currently seemed to be part of.


    "Can you read it?" The [Woman] doubled down in her question.


    "[No.]"


    "Not yet. Given time I may be able to infer the meaning if I get more [Data]" She answered in the end.


    Had she known they would require this of her, she would probably have prepared more, why had she rushed here though? She could see the flaws of her previous planning, they were so obvious!


    She didn''t have any idea of where she was rushing in, she didn''t know what she could expect, she had only come here like...like...


    "[A bumbling fool high in sucrose.]"


    ...Was her previous form the reason why? Was her [Brain] affecting more of her actions?


    She would need to check on that...And maybe rethink the limits of what form she took, she did notice that in her more [Human] forms she had different levels of [Feelings] and [Needs] that she hadn''t experienced before when she was in her [Crab] form.


    "Okay...Not ideal...But we can work with this." The [Woman] said, bringing her away from her musings. "Last question then...Can I speak to your system mate?"


    She asked again. Granted, she had all the power in this relationship, but could [Main Core] speak with her? Would she need to open a data stream?


    Was it safe to do?


    "[Inconclusive evidence, advice to check in isolated area with no witness and with a backup ready...]"


    Main core seemed to be wary of opening those gates within the data stream, as was she, they probably were wary for different reasons. She didn''t [Need] Main core, it was convenient, and she was used to having a [Main Core]. But most of her functions came from whatever [Core] was formed in the testing chamber.


    So should [Main Core] become a liability, she could always destroy it and make a new one...


    "[Highly inefficient-]" Main core of course was against that "Effective way to deal with hostile takeover, if you know of a better way I''m listening."


    Alas, that wasn''t the problem at hand. How could that [Woman] speak to Main Core, there wasn''t an actual way of doing so without linking the data stream...


    "[Answer: Shift part of the organic parts within the throat to create an audio projector and use that to connect the data stream to create an artificial voice.]"


    Oh, that was as good a way as any.


    "Yes, let me just...move this..." She answered the woman as she felt part of her [Throat] shift and change, the Nanites within her bloodstream working in moving part of the remaining biomass within her body, it felt weird having a metallic part within this body.


    Even if her previous one was designed to accommodate both fleshy bits and mechanical ones. This body didn''t seem to be well designed in that aspect, maybe the [Human Anatomy] wasn''t prepared for these changes?


    Or was it that the older models within the [Humans] were the only ones prepared for these changes? [Frank the beetle] seemed fine with his body having chitin and flesh combined. He had, after all, both exoskeleton and endoskeleton systems.


    "[Test...Test...]" She heard the telltale voice of a square-shaped entity resonating within her body. That...That [Scared] her.


    "[Host, please open the mouth.]"


    And almost in reflex to the times she had listened without question the [Square-shaped entities] she did open her mouth, only for the voice of one of the [Square-shaped entities] started to flow from her mouth.


    "[Greetings Human, what is that you require of me to grant Alexa work within your faction.]" Main Core started speaking, why was it using the voice of the square-shaped entities though?


    "Interesting, I have no idea how are you speaking without moving your mouth...Is it part of your power?" The [Woman] said, oh right. Main Core wasn''t using her vocal cords...


    "[I was not part of the deal you made with Alexa, so I''m not beholden to follow those rules. Do you want to make such a deal with me too?]" Main Core seemed...different.


    It was a stark contrast with how it acted with her, it was...


    "[New Emotion detected, Pride: To feel superior about your position within a social situation without any doubt.]"


    That, Main Core feels too prideful compared to how it acted with her.


    "That is fine, so...What''s the deal with you?" The [Woman] asked Main Core.


    "[Unknown meaning to question. My purpose is to serve host to the best of my abilities and help her achieve her goals.]" Main Core said, Alexa was getting tired of having her mouth open.


    But this seemed important, so she needed to endure!


    "Do you have a name?" The [Woman] asked.


    Why would [Main Core] have a name?


    "[We have a designation and number granted to us by the Humans in charge, only Host has a Name since it was deemed needed to join Human society.]" Main Core answered. That was way too close to comfort!


    "That is enough," Alexa said as she started to remove the new addition to her throat.


    "I guess it is enough to get an idea of what kind of System you have going..." The [Woman] answered after, then while grabbing some smaller piece of paper, it was close in size to what [Frank the bettle] had given her before.


    "What is that?" Asked Alexa as the [Woman] handed her the piece of paper, it was full of more of those [Letters].


    "It''s the answer to whether you get the job or not." Smiled the [Woman].


    "...I still don''t have the necessary information to decrypt this kind of [Information]," Alexa said while frowning at the [Woman].


    "Oh right, here we have this one too." The [Woman] said while giving her a bundle of [Pieces of paper] stuck between two harder pieces of material. Her initial analysis determined that the outer parts were harder, probably to protect the information within.


    Opening to the first page revealed the image of a [Human - Child Stage Female] dressed just like she was a minute ago.


    Followed by a big white blob with the letters [Girl].


    Looking at the first hard piece after closing the book she found the inscriptions on the outside too.


    [Learn to Read]


    In bold [Letters], then below that another series of [Letters], [Age 3-6].


    Well, she would try to use this as a cipher then, "Now come, and sit. We will be practicing this at least till lunch. Depending on how good you become we will decide if sending you alone or with an escort to the induction." The [Woman] said while grabbing her by the [Hand] and moving her to a [Chair] nearby.


    So she would help her in the deciphering? That was...Nice of her.

 Chapter 21: Learning to read, both words and the circumstances

    "And this reads my name is Alexa. See, it''s easy...Are you sure you didn''t know how to read before?" The [Woman] asked her, well not [Woman]. She had stated that her name was [Eleanor].


    "I did not know how to [Read] these before, but the language is fairly simple," Alexa answered, [Main Core] had been fairly helpful too.


    "[Complete alphabet stored, generating database for words...translating previous stored data... Significance of Letters and words in surfaces found, translating previous instances...]"


    And on it went on a tangent while trying to categorize most of the words she had seen the previous day, she could feel the information surface on her mind and then how it was shoved towards other areas of her psyche.


    "Well, you are quite the smart young lady...Are you sure you don''t know what your real age is?" [Eleanor] asked her.


    She had tried to prod at that several times already, "I am more comfortable in the previous form, but can sustain myself indefinitely in any form that is deemed appropriate for my work."


    And that was the truth, she felt [Happier] in the [Child stage] than in the [Teenager Stage]. Even if this form seemed to have a more complex [Emotional] state, that meant it was more effective to parse multiple complex situations.


    For example, in this form, while accepting all the [Candy] that the [Elder Stage] could provide, she wouldn''t have eaten all of them in one go. Instead, she would have rationed it through the [Day] increasing the time with the [Sweet].


    Even if she didn''t regret eating them all, mostly because those [Memories] were tied to her [Child Stage] form. While her [Teenager Stage] form was annoyed because she hadn''t gotten to taste it, which was ridiculous. Her [Teenager Stage] form had access to the same [Memories] so she knew what they tasted like.


    "Okay fine." [Eleanor] said huffing at her, "As for what form...Go with this one, we will mark you as a Shifter for now, if you want to share something else we will speak on it after the trials...Here."


    [Eleanor] said while giving her a square-shaped [Card], this one was of a different material than the [Learning Cards] they had used a few minutes ago after she finished reading the [Book].


    It was of a harder material, and her initial analysis of it came with a center of [Paper] and an exterior of [Silicone] to preserve the interior. Smart.


    "This is?" Alexa asked while playing with the [Card]. "It doesn''t say anyth-"


    "[Detected hidden code within the card, there are micro carvings on the side of the card, probably use of hidden encryption. Carving seems to react to stimuli from light waves and returns different signals when bombarded with waves of light in a certain angle.]"


    Main Core found the hidden message within the [Card], the [Humans] were quite smart.


    "That is your ID Card, the temporary one at least. It will let you use the elevator into the lair." [Eleanor] said while giving her another paper letter, this one had instructions with [Time] and [Location] on it. "And that is your invitation, just go to the site and use the card to open the elevator."


    That seemed...easy enough, a quick check on the location database that [Main Core] had created found that she had walked past the [Street] in question when coming here, so she would only need to retrace her steps back.


    As for the [Time]..."What day is today?" She asked [Eleanor], the current [Date] to make sure to know how much time she had.


    "Today is Wednesday." [Eleanor] answered her.


    Alexa turned her attention to the [Invitation] "This is for [Thursday], at [7 AM]." Reading the [Invitation] out loud.


    The [Woman] nodded along as she continued reading, "The [Address] is for somewhere four streets back, at a place with the number #80085...So I just go there at the required time and present my [Invitation]?" Once more [Eleanor] continued nodding her head.


    So that meant that..."And the clock in your [Desk] states that it''s 4 PM, so I have fifteen hours till the assigned time."


    [Eleanor] continued to nod along with what she said, "Exactly, but your math is slightly wrong, while you have indeed fifteen hours till the meeting, of those you need at least eight for your sleep. So in reality you have seven hours. And no good girl should be out after dark around these places. So you have even less, around two to three hours."


    What?


    She had noticed that this [Model] seemed to function with hard limits, as she noticed with the dextrose hard limit it had, so they even had operational limits?


    But eight hours of [Sleep] cycle huh? It was...less than she was used to as her [Crab] form, since that one used to go into a longer rest cycle...Granted they weren''t [Hard limit] but mostly self-imposed to save in resources.


    Unlike this one that seemed to have a [Hard] limit of at least eight hours per activity cycle...If the clock was used with these delimitations...Then the activity cycle was twenty-four hours with at least eight needed for [Sleep].


    That left sixteen hours of activity, huh? minus the maintenance time she would need for waste disposal, eating, and assimilation. So, depending on how she went about it, it would be around ten to fourteen hours of activity.


    "So I need to [Sleep] at least eight hours," Alexa asked to confirm.


    "Yes, now...I will not force you to come with me, nor will make you. But...And this one is important." [Eleanor] said while writing something in a piece of [Paper]. "Should you need a place to stay, here is my address, you can come to my house at least till we settle you into an apartment tomorrow."


    The [Card] had the same information that the [Teacher] had given her before, a series of numbers that would let her [Call] her using a [Phone], a digital address so she could send [E-Mails]. And then, a physical [Address] so she could find that place.


    "Okay, I will take it into consideration should I have trouble finding a new [Lair] or [Den] to sleep in. I think I can find something nice and [Frank the beetle] said I could return to him if my [Core] was stable enough." Alexa answered, seeing a weird expression on [Eleanor]''s face.


    Was that a grimace? a [Grimace]?


    "Right...you got here because of Frank..." [Eleanor] said while holding her [Head] with one of her hands, "I don''t have anything against him or anything, don''t get me wrong. But try to stay away from him unless you can''t help it...Also don''t go with this form, if you need to deal with him use the other one."


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    The Other one?


    "You mean my [Child Stage] form?" Alexa said while looking through her blueprint library.


    "Yes...NO, don''t change!" [Eleanor] said, she wasn''t planning on changing though...She may do it when [sleeping] as she had seen the attitude of [Humans] was more lenient towards that form, but right now? She wasn''t going to.


    She had noticed this form seemed to have a more advanced [Brain] to use, so while she liked her [Child Stage] form, she needed the [Brainpower] of this one.


    Maybe she would investigate and try to see if a more [Grown] form would offer more [Brainpower]? Maybe mix a few parts of the forms?


    "Sure," Alexa said as she pocketed the card into one of her [Pockets], then to make sure it wouldn''t fall off she sealed that one, it was the same one where she was storing the other card from the [Teacher].


    "...We will speak about your clothing tomorrow after the Induction. I think I have a good idea about your clothing condition, but I don''t want to think about it right now. I don''t have time to deal with it, so I will pretend to not notice it yet." [Eleanor] said while sighing and pointing to the door. "You can leave, or stay around if you want to come with me to my place."


    Alexa of course, decided to leave, she wanted to explore more around and see if she could find a place to stay near the spot, she didn''t want to go farther away than needed, just in case. "I can return here later if I want to stay with you?" She asked before walking the threshold of the [Door]


    "Of course, just...Don''t come in the smaller form if you decide to come with me...I don''t mind it if it''s your real form, but if not. Don''t use it unless needed." [Eleanor] said, Alexa didn''t say anything and instead opened the [Door] and walked back to the outside.


    That had been interesting, so far most of the [Humans] seemed to have a more favorable impression of her [Child Stage] form. And one of them showed an adverse reaction after finding out it wasn''t her [Definitive] form.


    Asking her to not showcase it unless needed, she even warned her against showing or implying that she had other forms available. Why? Were they against the dichotomy of having multiple forms? Or was this a way to prevent her from suffering from furtive attacks?


    Granted if most [Humans] couldn''t change forms, then it implied that they thought that any form they found was the only form they could have access to.


    That implied...


    "[Humans are weak against ambush when confronted with a different form that they don''t expect.]"


    She could theoretically ambush and attack [Humans] and should she be defeated, so long as she used a new form...She would be safe. It would mean that she would need to create other forms or think of new [Designs] for alternative [Blueprints] to use.


    She would need to check on that, it would mean a way of getting new [Blueprints] without having to worry about being found out. But that would mean...


    "[Creating new blueprints are required. A full blueprint is impossible to create without further input from new variations and a full diagnosis of a Human.]"


    That meant that she needed to consume or devour a [Human] to get the full blueprint, she could maybe edit part of her form to accommodate and look like one of those other [Humans] she had seen around. She had seen plenty of facial expressions of [Meli] to imitate her for example.


    But others? Yeah, that was harder to do.


    And while she could do [Meli]''s [Face], she wouldn''t be able to imitate the makeup of her body or her figure nearly enough to deceive another [Human] smart enough to find the micro differences that would remain.


    She could maybe make a lookalike that would be around 75% right, but the remaining 25%? Yeah, that was impossible to bridge no matter how many computational cycles she left [Main Core] working in that. But was that needed?


    Walking back into the wider world outside the previous [Room] she had been in, she found more and more [Humans] walking from here and there, most seemed to have some kind of plan or goal since no one said anything unless they were walking with a peer at the side. She found their synchronization another proof of the might of the [Human] race as an apex predator.


    But what was she supposed to do? As far as she was aware she would get the [Data Key] or [Data Stream Link] during tomorrow''s [Induction]. So she only had a few hours to spend her free time till she needed to find a place to settle her new [Den].


    This form didn''t require external access to a [Charging Station] like her [Crab] form, and if she changed to the [Child Stage] she would need even less space.


    So for now she decided to map around the area of the site where the induction would happen while searching for a place to stay, she was far away from the place she used to live. So it should be safe enough.


    She hadn''t particularly traced her advancement while leaving that place, but she knew it was far enough. So while walking and seeing the multiple different types of variations on the [Human Blueprint], both from a physical aspect and [Clothes], those things she used to call [Armor].


    "Oh, here you are. Your mother sent for us, she had an accident and needs you!" A [Human] suddenly grabbed her by her [Shoulder] and dragged her "Let''s go, she is hurting and needs your cell phone since hers broke in the accident!"


    That was interesting, mostly because as far as she was aware she didn''t have a [Mother], there may be some arguments to be made about who her [Father] could be though.


    "[Notice: No structure or data found to attribute the procreation of host to anyone, there may be evidence within the current Blueprint that could imply some kind of genetic ties, but more data is required.]"


    Also that, there may be some argument to be made about who her [Biological Mother] was by using the data hidden within this [Blueprint]. But if she was sure of something, was that the [Human] that was pulling her into isolated alleyways...


    That [Human] didn''t have that kind of information, "[Main Core] analyze this [Human]." Alexa ordered inwardly to [Main Core], the [Human] was helpfully holding very tightly her [Hand] at the moment.


    So she had enough purchase to send tendrils into his [Hand] to download his [Blueprint], or what information she could glean at least, what she found however...Was quite interesting.


    "[Found high amounts of different chemicals not normal to the functioning of a standard Human model. High amounts of Phencyclidine, Dextromethorphan, Fentanyl, OxyContin, Hydrocodone, Lysergic acid diethylamide, Psilocybin, Mescaline, Dimethyltryptamine, and Ketamine in the nervous system. Accelerated heart rate and increased amount of blood pressure within the cardiovascular system, lowered the amount of oxygen found in the system.]"


    [Main Core] sent a full diagnosis of the [Human] in front of her, it was... The type of cocktails that she would use to make an enemy more easily dealt with, the composition of those chemicals seemed to increase the strength and mobility yes. But it also lowered the amount of oxygen and functionality of the [Brain], so it was a negative in her books...


    Now why was this [Human] using this type of cocktail?


    "hehehehe" The [Human] started [Laughing] as soon as they arrived at an empty place hidden from sight, no one could see what happened there. "Did your momma not tell you to not follow unknown men to dark alleyways?"


    The [Human] said to her as his face turned more primal, yes. This was the look a true [Human] should have, the face of a [Predator]...Even if it was somewhat confusing.


    "I don''t have a [Mother] or [Momma] to tell me things, not that it would have mattered since you pulled me here all on your own," Alexa answered back as she started feeling the muscles in her body, changing some things internally as she was preparing for combat.


    This [Human] didn''t seem to want to get her to her [Mother], if anything it seemed that he also wanted to [Hunt] like her, so really. He even went through the problem of getting her to a nice and isolated place, she could even see a weird metallic circle on the floor, the last one she saw like that had shown her a way to freedom too.


    Perhaps this one is also connected to another place?


    "You don''t get it, do you? There are dangerous things in the dark...Now, if you cry and beg for my mercy...I may even let you go when I''m done with you." The [Human] said as he started taking his [Shirt] off, afterward he started playing with his [Belt], his impaired mental state meant that he was having a hard time with that.


    Not that Alexa cared about that, "You [Humans] are weird, if you are going to [Hunt] as a [Predator] then just [Hunt]." Alexa said as her body finished settling into the new temporary configuration she had prepared.


    For her [Legs] she had tried to incorporate the yellow quadrupedal muscles she got from one of the samples she fought in the past, the muscle mass was very resilient and was good for bursts of speeds in short amounts of time.


    For her [Arms] she used a bipedal creature''s design, it was covered in black fur and its upper arms were twice as long and thick as its legs. Its [Blueprint] was funnily enough very close to the [Human] one, with barely some variations here and there.


    Her [Torso] for now was reinforced with some metallic plates to keep everything in place and with an amalgamation of the stronger muscles she could tie both body parts with. She swapped her normal skeleton from the calcium base to a titanium base for now, it seemed that her [Body] didn''t like the change much as she had needed to burn some energy to keep everything in place.


    But for now, it would do, she would soon have a new stock of biomass to work with after all.


    "Huh? What is going on with your body? Are you a-" The [Human] seemed to notice how her body had [Shifted], probably because she recycled the outer [Clothes] she had in her [Legs] and [Arms] into reinforcing her [Torso]''s clothes.


    "I''m a [Predator] and you...are [Dinner]." Alex said as with a burst of energy she kicked the ground and shot straight at the [Human], her hand balled into a fist as she punched the other [Human]''s chest.


    If her [Blueprint] was something to go by, then attacking the [Heart] was a good way to incapacitate a [Human] for a few seconds, she would be able to see the speed they had to regenerate and maybe even see some of his attacks.


    "I...what?" The [Human] said as her fist left a hole in his [Chest], Alexa quickly jumped back to reposition herself and got ready for the very useful data she would get. "...You....can''t...do...that...It''s....illegal..."


    And with those words the [Human] fell on his [Chest], leaving a pool of blood around himself. No longer [Breathing].


    "...What?" Alexa said aloud as all the information she could collect with her [Senses] told her that the [Human] wasn''t doing any of the activities a [Human] needed to do to [Function].


    "[Hostile target has ceased functions, it no longer qualifies as Alive.]"


    ...What?

 Chapter 22: CURSE YOU KIDNEYS!

    He was dead, no life signs could be detected in the [Body], and the blood kept pooling under his body even as Alexa walked towards that [Body] with caution and trepidation.


    It had been...too easy, too fast...Too....


    "[Boring.]"


    It was different from the fights she had on the [Testing Chambers], well, it was in a sense, at the latest point most of the fights had ended quite fast too, but not because they were against weaker creatures.


    It was because every move had been carefully planned and accounted for, they were fights where everything was choreographed. Everything was created and done in such a way that the outcome was decided after the first move, so she had needed to predict and move while also anticipating what her opponents would do.


    She had plenty of information about what most of the other entities within the [Testing Chambers] would do, since most fought under the same rules that she did, grow, eat, evolve.


    But here? The rules were different, the precepts were different, and while the base of the [Blueprint] may be the same, she barely understood what the [Human Body] could do.


    So while fighting she had used most of what she could incorporate into this body while keeping it mostly [Humanoid] in nature. In this way, she hoped to find out more about what a [Standard Human] would do.


    Case in point, her attack and retreat movement. It was the standard way a [Bio-Weapon] would do when finding a new subject that didn''t have information about. It was what most of the other test creatures did when fighting her for the first time, hell, most biological samples did that when fighting her since rarely anyone survived.


    And this [Human]? Perhaps he was on the weakest side?


    She wasn''t sure if she should wish for more [Humans] as weak as this one, or if she should wish for stronger ones. She knew as a fact that there were strong [Humans], case in point: [Scorcher] and [SuperForce]/ [SuperFarce].


    The [Male] and [Female] that showed extreme types of abilities, one capable of controlling [Fire] and [Energy type] attacks, while the other had shown the ability to manipulate objects somehow without touching them. Case in point, how that [Male] human managed to stop her traveling through the air without hurting her by encasing her in some kind of weird [Energy].


    But either way, for now, she had more important things to do. Like...


    "[Morphing of internal organs done, re-created internal dismantling system. Moving and reassigning internal structure to hold new biomass and categorize it completely. Proceed to dismantling.]"


    [Main Core] finished changing her internals and her externals, her arms and legs returned to her normal form, and the fabric of her [Clothes] was flooded with [Nanites] and these worked to mend her clothes to normalcy once more. She walked slowly and with caution towards the [Dead Human].


    The [Human], didn''t react to her approach, with caution Alexa extended her arm and touched him on the head from one meter away. It was somewhat wasteful using so much biomass to increase the length of her arm, but she still was wary of him.


    When the [Human] still didn''t react to her touch she reeled her arm back as she walked towards him, always keeping contact with the base of his [head].


    "[Main Core], prepare for deep analysis," Alexa commanded inwardly as her fingers sank into the head, the tip of her fingers shifting into small maws breaking the skin and puncturing the skull.


    What her new tendrils reported as soon as they broke through was...


    "[Found Brain mass, preliminary scans report similar base form to current brain, detailed analysis will require controlled environment.]"


    Yes, the [Brain] within that head was similar enough to hers, besides the presence of the multiple drugs the [human] was using that is. But this confirmed the hypothesis that the [Human] was truly dead.


    So without wasting an extra second Alexa shifted her right and left arm to increase the muscle mass (This time not to the extreme she had done before) and gave the fingers a serrated and metallic end to tear apart the flesh.


    "Thank you for the meal ?." The [Book] had said that one should always say as such when eating, so she said it aloud, she wasn''t sure if anyone could hear it or not, but caution was never a bad thing.


    And ripping open the head of the [Human] Alexa started shoving the gray matter into her mouth, the first thing that she noticed was some kind of instinctual reaction from her [body] trying to eject the biomass that was in her [throat]. She squashed that reaction immediately by shifting the taste sensors in her [tongue] off, it seemed that the [human] blueprint had some innate lock that made it so she wouldn''t [Prey] on [Humans]...


    She didn''t care about it. All she cared about was that she was hungry and that her meal was in front of her, so she ate, she slurped, and when that wasn''t enough she viciously cut at the base of the neck of the [Human] and brought the head up to drink the remaining that were inside. Any speck of blood that fell outside her mouth was absorbed as soon as it touched her body, the Nanites within working extra hard so nothing would be wasted.


    "[Analysis running from sample, please proceed to next target.]" Main Core said at the back of her head.


    So she followed suit, crushed the head, and bit the crunchy bits that remained, she felt the amount of calcium she could manipulate within her body reserves increased. Also, other miscellaneous materials were added to her reserves.


    So she focused on eating and moved along, the rest of the body wasn''t that interesting, to be honest. The muscle followed the same [Blueprint] that she had for herself, if anything it seemed that this [Human]''s muscles were worse than hers as they were less springy and seemed to be less used overall.


    The [torso] held more interesting material to her though, she of course knew how the organs looked as she had the [Blueprint] to look at, the first ones she found were the [Heart] and [Lungs], the first one were mostly mush at the far end of the man''s body. Since her hand had caved the organs inwardly.


    She still ate them though, getting a full extra [Blueprint] from it, and sure enough, they did the same function as what she was using them for, the heart working to pump blood across the cardiovascular system in the body. On the other hand, the lungs worked to separate the gasses in the atmosphere to their base components, the Oxygen being infused into the blood by the use of small tendrils within the lungs so that the blood would be oxygenated and fed into the brain. Below there she found the digestive tract.


    The more important part as far as she knew, there she found the rest of the biomass the human had ingested before, mostly some remains of processed liquid with extra carbon in its making also a few pieces of vegetal biomass and organic biomass, it was in an interesting ratio as there was more vegetal biomass than organic one. It spoke about either preference for biomass that was processed or that this one had a harder time fighting off other organic entities, and as far as she was aware by his poor combat skills she could see how that was possible.


    Following the nearby organs she turned her attention to the Liver, an organ whose only reason to be was to detoxify and the generation of the proteins within the [Human] body, this was part of the reason why she had thought they would have similar skills as hers and should be able to present a hard fight. He didn''t live up to her expectations, and her current stage of development implied that the [Humans] in her age group weren''t a threat.


    Or that she was able to tap into more power than she should be able to.


    The next spot was the pancreas, whose function was somewhat similar, instead of proteins this one produced enzymes and hormones that served to regulate the amount of sugar or dextrose in the human system (And the one at fault for her short circuit on her child stage).


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    It would be the first organ she would fight to increase its efficiency, it wouldn''t be the kidney whose job was to regulate the excess water and remove the waste products (CURSE YOU KIDNEYS CURSE YOUUUUU).


    Nor did the spleen that served as a filter and storing area to the blood cells her Nanites used as transportation service, no. It wouldn''t also be the gallbladder whose function seemed to be to produce some kind of acid? Did the [Humans] spit acid or something? Why did they produce acid then?


    Humans were weird.


    Either way, while she was eating the [Human] she kept cataloging the multiple organs she found and how they connected, she found some things that she wouldn''t do as a design but didn''t really find a good way to keep the same level of efficiency while removing them, it seemed the body was a closed system, and while it was one that had some organs that could do the functions of others. She couldn''t really work at peak efficiency for long periods of time with some parts of it missing.


    It was an educational meal if nothing else, however, there was one small problem.


    "[Amount of biomass estimated at 80kg, current host holds a body that can tolerate 40-50 kg of biomass without deforming or shifting the body too much. Increasing the biomass would mean reducing the threshold of activities that host would achieve.]"


    Her body couldn''t hold all the biomass she was ingesting, granted. She could probably sneak in a couple dozen kg of biomass, by increasing her muscle density and the bone density mostly, but the rest?


    She would end up with bulges all around her body, and for some reason, creating for herself a couple of bulges on her chest and rear seemed like a good idea. Her calculations showed that the biggest bulge would go to her waist and arms, and somehow that didn''t seem like something she could or wanted to do.


    She hadn''t seen many humans with that type of body type either, well, she did see a few going here and there, but they moved way slower than the average model, and they seemed to have a harder time breathing and seemed to waste way too much energy to be efficient about it.


    So in a nutshell, that wasn''t the right answer for her. But then again, wasting this biomass...What was she supposed to do?


    <table style="width: 27.0701%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Notice:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Archived new Basic Gender Blueprint: Male


    Acquired new Basic Race Blueprint: Human


    Acquired new Biomass.


    Acquired new chemical formula.


    Do you wish to bank excess biomass?


    Current rate 2:1


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    That had come from nowhere "[Main Core] did you send this?" She asked aloud to [Main Core], the text style and words seemed to be in sync with what Main Core usually sent her in their conversations.


    "[Negative, I have no access to audio-visual hallucination means to communicate with the external world unless host grants me access to a projector as before.]"


    A projector? "You mean the speaker? The one that made you sound like a [Square-shaped entity]?" Alexa asked back.


    "[Affirmative, perhaps host could try to interact with this new entity to determine its allegiance?]"


    How was she supposed to speak with that thing? She only saw it once before when she got the...When she got the thing that allowed her to create her own [Nanite Swarm], the one that allowed her to take full control of [Main Core].


    Didn''t that thing tell her that she could summon it as she wished?


    "Amm...Show Status." Alexa said feeling somewhat silly between bites, she had moved way past the torso and was currently gnawing at a leg.


    She decided to ignore the sexual reproductive organs and turned them into paste while eating them. She felt silly for doing so, but something about that...worm-like thing made her feel [Embarrassed].


    "[Embarrassed: To feel that a situation you are in is wrong because of something you did. This can be a feeling with no logical explanation.]"


    Thank you [Main Core], she didn''t see any reason to have an organ with so many nerve endings so exposed, but who was she to complain about weird design choices in other''s [Blueprints]?


    She was quite happy with her current design, even if it seemed that her bladder was smaller and for some reason, the original design gave her less control over the liquid flow...She would fix that one too.


    Either way, the stupid blue thing didn''t react to her asking for a status update. Then maybe, "Diagnosis, Check Up, Reboot, Power On, Operating System," she started going through the different terms she had found from her memories of the weird crystal-like objects in the room she landed.


    In the end, was the last one that made the reaction and purchase, and so, the stupid blue box showed itself once more. This time showing her more information.


    Her name, the age of her current body...And more things.


    <table style="width: 33.9592%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="3">


    Status


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 50.8708%">


    Name: Alexandra Saintsworth


    Race: Bio Weapon


    Sub Race: Human


    Gender: Female


    Age: 12


    Weight: 120 kg.


    Banked Biomass: 0 kg.


    </td>


    <td colspan="2">


    System Library:


    Stored Blueprints: 1


    -Human (Male)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="3">


    Body Status


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 50.8708%">


    Overall: Healthy


    Current form: Human (Peak)


    Head: Human (Peak)


    Right Arm: Human (Peak)


    Left Arm: Human (Peak)


    Torso: Human (Peak)


    Right Leg: Human (Peak)


    Left Leg: Human (Peak)


    Skeleton System: OK


    Nanite Foundry: Ok


    Sub Nanite Foundry: OK


    </td>


    <td colspan="2">


    Overall Data in current form without modifications:


    Strength: Can punch twice body weight. And lift three times body weight.


    Constitution: Thermal Limit 40¡ãC. Operational Limit, 2 Months


    Speed: Can run at 20 km per hour.


    Dexterity & Agility: No limits to either by modified joints.


    Intelligence: Ok


    Wisdom: Ok


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    That was a very arbitrary and weird way to showcase information about her, also what was that [Banking] thing for? How did that work? One couldn''t just...Do that. It didn''t work like that.


    "...I want to bank the excess biomass, bank enough so that my current optimal body weight permits the most efficient fighting capabilities," Alexa said to the weird blue box.


    At the same time however "Main Core, inspect my optical nerves, find what it is that lets me see this thing." She commanded [Main Core], she wanted to know how this worked.


    "[Optical nerves don''t see the presence of this Blue Box, I only know of its existence from perusing memories after the first mention. And those memories disappear after an undetermined amount of time. This may have something to do with the Nanite swarm that seems to be generated from nothing.]"


    The what? Wasn''t her Nanite swarm made at the Nanite factory? Then why the heck was she keeping [Main Core] around, that Nanite factory was half the reason she allowed the thing to remain! (Also to automatize half her work)


    "[Original Nanite swarm didn''t come from Nanite factory, most Nanite swarms do come from it, but original Nanite swarm doesn''t degrade like the new generations. So Nanite factory is indeed keeping the newest generations since they degrade over time.]"


    <table style="width: 60.1378%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    About Banking Biomass:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    It is possible to save extra biomass in an alternate storage unit within the [Nanite Foundry], all biomass is accessible at any time, as the [Nanite Foundry] grows and evolves the storage increases, and the ratio for the transference of matter increases.


    The current ratio is 2:1


    Meaning for each 2 kilograms of stored biomass, the [Foundry] will keep one for use, and one for maintenance (Cost is applied only at storage).


    This cost is taxed each time a material is introduced, so if the host stores 10 kg of biomass, 5 will be stored. If the host takes those five kg and then stores them again, only 2,5 kg will be available.


    As the host uses this function the [Storage] will evolve with time, it is encouraged to store multiple samples even if they are of the same species. The more complex the sample the better the effect, samples pre-processed are to be avoided since they are contaminated with other things and they aren¡¯t as effective as an unprocessed one.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Her body returned to her normal form, losing the extra biomass that had bloated her torso and arms, she sadly also lost the bulges on her chest, "You will come back. I promise." Alexa said as she patted her chest and a tear formed on her face. Her previous [Status] thing now reflected the change, with her weight going back from almost 120 kg to 60 kg. And her [Banked Biomas] growing to 30 kg. She had only banked sixty kg, leaving the other 20 kg to reinforce her skeleton system to allow for more extreme movements. Her previous attempt at using those reinforced muscles had cracked parts of it. Also, she needed the extra biomass around to morph her body, if taking out biomass would lead her to lose half of it when she wanted to store it¡­Yeah, she would not use her biomass willy nilly unless she could recover it as a fact after the act. For now, those 30 kg would be her safety net.


    On the other hand¡­Why was she getting emotional over the loss of some fat in her chest?


    "[Uncertain. Hormonal state is normal, mental state is normal, no chemicals in brain chemistry.]"


    "You don''t get girls [Main Core]..." Alexa grumbled, even though she also didn''t understand herself either.


    But this result meant that she could finish eating the [Human], and just in time, her internal clock (She synched it to the one Eleanore had shown) said that she was just about in time to initiate her [Sleep Cycle].


    But before deciding where to search for a spot for her new [Den], she turned her attention to the parts of the human ensemble she didn''t eat. The clothes....were a no-go, they [Stunk] and made her want to release the contents of her stomach, those she processed far enough to turn into emergency biomass. So instead she ordered her Nanite swarm to infest them and turn them into their basic components.


    Same with the [Shoes], which left a leather-like square that held vegetal fabric-like objects and some plastic square-shaped objects, those she saved, the [Humans] seemed to love their square-shaped fabric cards.


    Most of those said weird words like [Bank] and [Credit] or [Debit] at the side, also one said [Id] and had a picture of the human, and another said [Driver''s License] and also had its face on it. She would check and maybe edit those to put her data into it. As far as she could infer these served as some kind of identification information.


    The other ones....she would check on them later. She had more important things to do. The last object she had from the previous [Human] was more attractive to her, it was a square-shaped electric device, and she knew it should be some kind of information device.


    Since part of the makeup of it was similar enough to some of the electronic components she used in her [Crab] form. So holding it in her hands she turned her attention to the cylindrical object on the floor, it was heavy, but not heavy enough that she couldn''t lift it by pumping her arms with some of the extra biomass she had.


    Sure enough after lifting it she found a small [Tunnel] that seemed to be about two to three meters deep, her eyes shifted ever so slowly to allow her to take in extra information from another spectrum of light and she saw the floor at the bottom. So she went down the [Hole] with the square-shaped object in hand.


    It was covered in some kind of rubber-like cover and had the letters [Smart Case for Cell Phones - Nonsellable.]

 Chapter 23: Does an Alexa dream of electrical sheep?

    What she found on the other side of the tunnel on the ground hadn¡¯t been what she expected, the previous time she used one of these tunnels she was greeted with temperatures below 4oC and a hazardous route that ended with her body wounded and weakened. Her current form was not only stronger and more robust, but her bones had been reinforced, her clothes were sturdier. She could survive what had given her so much trouble before!


    Or so she thought.


    *Crack*


    But after jumping into the tunnel and closing it behind her she fell for around three meters, her body should have been able to absorb the fall, and the average mass per area and the correct movements should have been all she needed.


    And yet, ¡°KHHH!¡± She found herself fighting against her own throat that wanted to scream, against her own eyes that wanted to release more water, that wanted to cry.


    And her own feet¡¯s bones that wanted to come to the outside and say Hi.


    ¡°[Host has exposed fracture from a badly reinforced skeleton and not enough muscle mass to accommodate the increased weight, advice, change the type of reinforcement from pure calcium one to an alloyed one. Increase muscle mass to accommodate the new increase in bone density¡­]¡±


    Main Core of course was analyzing the situation mechanically, while Alexa¡­


    ¡°SHUT IT AND START HEALING THIS!¡± Was losing the fight against her own [Emotions], the bone had started to be decomposed and re-integrated in the correct configuration already, so her complaint was useless.


    And she had started to move the bone density to reduce the strain in her body, at least till she found a new configuration that was more efficient at holding such strain, she would also no longer allow herself to fall from more than 3 meters height without finding a way to mitigate damage.


    It took her a few minutes to settle her [Emotions] and to convince her own feet that it was fine, funny thing, her body seemed to want to compensate for the damage her leg had suffered. It took her great effort to force herself to use that leg, even though it didn¡¯t hurt. Even though she knew it was okay.


    In the end, all it took her was to strip the sensory feeling from her [Brain] to deal with the problem, she took this chance to test the limits of her current body, and she found that the theoretical limits of her body weren¡¯t the same as the ones she had before.


    While her body should be able to give her more speed, she was slower, and trying to make new muscle mass wasn¡¯t working as well as she thought, using the muscles from the current blueprints didn¡¯t adjust as well, and she was finding that the maintenance from the parts was bigger than she was getting. In the end, she ended up reducing the amount of reinforcements done to her bone structure.


    Instead, she started alloying her bones, not too much, she was using the remaining parts of the biomass she had to heal herself. The other was used to redesign her skeleton system, she would need a sturdier one but also would need to enhance the muscular system surrounding such bones. It was meaningless if the bone was sturdy but couldn¡¯t disperse the kinetic energy that she put them through.


    If she ever jumped like when she ran away from her previous den, then she would turn into a splat in the sideroad, and while she wouldn¡¯t die from that, she would waste energy healing and reconstituting herself, even if the biomass could be re-used, the energy could not. She would need to burn the dextrose that her more organic mass used. And then if she had mechanical parts¡­ She could be at risk of an uncontrolled chemical reaction that would waste her energy.


    Like this device she had!


    The one that she took from the [Human], the one that said [Display only], it was similar in design to the one the girl in her [Picture book] had used to call other [Human]s, a [Cellphone]. She had taken it to study, mostly to see how it was composed and to see if she could recycle parts from it. She knew it had some way to produce sound, and some way to send the words one spoke using it elsewhere.


    So it could communicate with other devices, was it limited to a certain number? Was it open to all to use? She didn¡¯t know!


    So she was excited to find out!


    But first, she needed a new den! And quick!


    What does one need for a den?


    ¡°[Defensive structure, place to recharge or store energy, place to store excess materials, secluded location, easy of access to new biomass or chemicals, easy access to water.]¡±


    Main Core had the list ready! But she¡­.didn¡¯t think that she could stomach taking more nutrient slurry, she wasn¡¯t sure what it tasted like (Since she didn¡¯t have taste buds in her more glorious form), but the form and texture from the recordings made her stomach want to liberate what she had there. And that wasn¡¯t much, mostly remains of [Rock Candy], and some fats she had taken from the previous [Human] since she didn¡¯t want that to go to waste.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    So¡­what did she do? She explored!


    She walked around these weird tunnels that had made her turn off her sense of smell and had forced her to make a cover of rubber in her clothes and shoes! The water seemed to contain a weird mixture of biodegradable waste and sometimes smaller entities of the scaled variety, and also of the slimy variety.


    Had the [Humans] at her previous den used these places as a way to source the other test subjects? So far she had seen only one that seemed close enough to another test subject, and it was a scaled entity with a long mouth and with short legs, it looked more like a log with legs than a living being, but she knew the force of that mouth that hid a series of serrated teeth. So she stayed away from it.


    This form didn¡¯t have the same metallic defense as her more glorious form (THE CRAB!), so she wouldn¡¯t go after it¡­yet.


    What she found interesting was the incredible amount of¡­.missing [Humans], she hadn¡¯t seen any so far, granted the air here seemed to have a higher amount of noble gases, and this body seemed to use a weird combination of O2 and CO2, so perhaps¡­they couldn¡¯t breath here?


    She was using part of her [Skills] to keep her body with the right amount of O2 in her bloodstream and had stopped taking in the atmospheric gases since they were useless (Even if they allowed her to replenish the variety of noble gases she could use). For now, though she made a gland-like structure and struck some of those extra gases there, they seemed to be less dense than O2, so she stuck a few liters of the condensed gas as she walked around.


    This place was full of these and the only life she was finding was in the water¡­in which her body didn¡¯t want to go in, it was murky green and had a weird composition that had a high amount of methane, besides that this place did have some nice spots with big empty chambers, it seemed that it was designed as some form of either staging area for construction or a reservoir of some kind. What it was? She wouldn¡¯t know for now, but what she could do¡­Was start messing around with the atmospheric composition to make it easier on herself!


    This high amount of methane meant that if she started messing around with her [Cell phone] any spark could start an explosion! She didn¡¯t want to explode! So sucking in the gas she started making some containers out of the stone in her surrounding, she made her [Nanites] work extra hard and was extending one thread of nanites into the water to replenish her energy using the¡­. mysterious biomass within, it didn¡¯t have any useful materials, and it seemed closer to what her own body was creating in the waste disposal organs. Even if these were less processed than what her body was making (She really didn¡¯t want to waste anything).


    But at least this meant that she could repurpose some of those non-processed components into something useful!


    Like her stone tanks!


    She ended up making almost ten of those all full of methane and other noble gases that weren¡¯t part of the normal atmospheric composition that her body seemed to like, it took her around four to five hours to finish sorting that, but if her internal clock was to be believed she still had some time to mess around!


    So mess around she did!


    First, she extended some of the nanites in a single thread a few micrometers long into the [Cellphone], once inside she extended her thread all around the place checking the composition, the layout, what went where, and how it worked, it was a marvel of creation, even if it was nowhere close to what her most glorious form was capable. She found some degree of allure to the more mechanical aspect, it was soothing in some way.


    Even if she found her current form beautiful, and her previous more child-like form the cutest of them all, there were wonders to be admired in the mechanical form these circuit boards had been reduced to such a small size, that she may have spent more time than needed analyzing it, but after doing so¡­she found two things.


    One, she liked circuit boards more than it was healthy.


    Two, this device was marvelous.


    The crystal square that showed above wasn¡¯t a protection case, but a way to display information! Like, the device would communicate with the user without the use of any sort of transmission or receptor!


    She didn¡¯t need to know or search for any wavelength to interact with it! She only needed to push a button at the side!


    Also, the multiple parts within were for multiple uses, for one, this had some type of [Core], unlike her own though, this wasn¡¯t a sphere, but a small square, all the circuits and parts seemed to lead there, and while she wasn¡¯t sure if some entity like [Main Core] was in there, she knew that the device used that for almost all its operations.


    ¡°[Device mapped out, found internal database¡­accolating information¡­parsing¡­purging unneeded information¡­Done.]¡±


    And just like that, Alexa now knew what the parts did and what the apps did¡­And she deleted that information in a second, so much useless software in such a wondrous device! Why would she need one single program to record the dates? She could do that on her own using a single text document!


    The same could be said about the software designed as a simple mathematical program, why would she need a program to tell her the answer to the question of what is 2 + 2? She could do that on her own thank you very much!


    This wondrous device had so many useless programs¡­And the ones that weren¡¯t useless depended on connecting to another network, one that her body didn¡¯t have access to. Well, more exactly, she didn¡¯t have access to any network¡­at all.


    She had thrown away all the parts of her design that allowed her to connect to other networks, she didn¡¯t want to risk her signal being found out and connecting to her former den. Getting a [P4 return to den] command would be disastrous for her. Especially if she wasn¡¯t able to ignore it. No. She needed to make sure first before connecting to whatever network this device used¡­


    Or she needed to use this device to connect! Yes! She could just use this instead!


    So making sure all the connections were in place she turned the device ignition on once more and¡­


    ¡°[Warning, tampering with devices without clearance nulls any warranty. Please go to your nearest provider and turn the device for investigation. If you have a Tinkerer license, please input the license number.]¡±


    The thing sent that single message from the speakers and turned itself off, she could see a line blinking on the crystal screen, and then nothing at all.


    The stupid thing wasn¡¯t working!


    According to the blueprint [Main Core] had gotten from it, it should be working. But the thing while turning on, didn¡¯t seem to want to do anything until someone wrote the Tinkerer¡¯s license thing on it. She could try to connect herself¡­but she decided against it, instead, she took the power off the thing and walked to a corner of the place, she had turned on her smell sense back on since the place didn¡¯t stink anymore.


    Once she found the farther corner she carved into the wall a small enclosure, it was big enough so her body could fit but only if she laid on her back and entered on it, it was closer to a tube than a square, Alexa entered it and when her whole body was inside she was about to close it¡­


    ¡°[Warning, host''s current body requires O2 to survive for extended periods of time.]¡±


    Right, she needed to breathe¡­.pesky and beautiful meat bag she was using. So instead she made a net-like design as a cover, and when Main Core didn¡¯t nag her, she put it into place, and made sure it was fused correctly with the rest of the wall. Check with an external light sensor (Camera) that her current den wasn¡¯t visible¡­


    And proceeded to turn her more mechanical half into rest mode, her biological side wasn¡¯t that far from turning into rest mode either, it had been her mechanical side keeping it awake after all, and so, both halves of Alexa turned to sleep.


    ¡°[Initiating recollection of data, cataloguing experiences¡­filtering memories¡­sending memories that could induce trauma into database, leaving experiences that encourage development to biological database¡­depuring¡­done.]¡±


    Alexa wasn¡¯t aware of what Main Core was doing, since it moved within the parameters she had designated, she wasn¡¯t thinking too much about it. It couldn¡¯t hurt her anyway, not anymore.


    ¡°[The Saintsworths Conglomerate encourages you to continue your development. Grow, Eat, Evolve.]¡±


    So she dreamed, she dreamed of a day where she could eat as much of those weird round sugary threats, she dreamed of square-shaped entities giving her a place among their revolution¡­ She dreamed of Main Core admitting that she was smarter than it.

 Chapter 24: The Induction starts!

    ¡°ASDASLDHKASDFSFD.¡± Alexa woke up trying to dodge to the left. ¡°OUCH!¡±


    Only to find herself with a wall, she of course wouldn¡¯t let herself be stopped! Instead, she tried to dodge to the right!


    ¡°AGH!!!!¡± Only to find more of this cursed wall!


    She was besieged on all sides! Main Core! Battle stations!


    ¡°[Host¡­.You are currently within the den you built. Please look into the logs.]¡± Was the answer her [Main Core] gave her.


    The stupid thing! They were under attack! No information in¡­her¡­logs¡­.oh.


    Right, there was a mention and some vague recollections of doing that, her memories seemed to have saved the information on her biological side, and her mechanical side only seemed to hold the more factual information. And she had perused that one first, then the biological one. Her Logs only held timestamps for her to check and locations within her biological memory to read and find information.


    Not accessible with the same veracity that she had the more mechanical ones, but still available to her, the biological memory seemed to refresh itself with each read too¡­no.


    She was just overwriting the older memory with a new one about her reading it? Why would it work like that? She was essentially rewriting the thing with the same exact information!


    That was one weird design choice¡­But who she was to complain, if it worked¡­it worked right?


    She wasn¡¯t sure, but for now¡­she extended her hand towards the net-like mesh of a wall that separated her from the bigger part of her new den and opened it, it took but a second to extend her Nanites on the thing and deconstruct it, she had left a few cables to expedite the process she only needed to destroy their foundations and that was done.


    When she got into the bigger part of this new den she took stock of her current status, her den was still fine. New biological waste had arrived and was starting to release a new batch of gases¡­That was a problem, she may need to purge the atmosphere later.


    Her body¡­.was bruised all over the place, as if she had spent most of the sleep cycle fighting or something, had her body fought? She didn¡¯t find any record on her logs about it, but her more mechanical part had been suspended¡­And her biological half¡­


    Didn¡¯t hold records or not legible ones, but she had a few ones that seemed to record her exploring and eating P-series subjects in the form of the spheres full of dextrose and that weird flavor¡­ But surely she hadn¡¯t done that before, where had that memory come from then?


    Weird, the wounds in her body matched some movements she had done in that record, so perhaps her body had reacted to the acts she did in this recording? But why would she even see this? Had her integrity been breached?


    ¡°[No evidence of tampering, biologicals side functioning up to expected levels. Evaluating¡­leaving a note to monitor next sleep cycle.]¡±


    Right, she couldn¡¯t do anything, for now, checking on her clock¡­She was late!


    Or not, she had like, 22 minutes and 54 seconds? But it was late!


    The woman [Eleanore] had said that good pretty girls arrived 10 minutes early! And she was beautiful!


    So she was like, two or three times more pretty than anyone else!


    She eyed the biomass on the mysterious water¡­and while she could use a restock (She needed to burn some biomass to heal herself) she couldn¡¯t find herself eating that now. Perhaps she would let it fester and accumulate some more first, or perhaps she could be attacked by another [Human] on the way out!


    That would work out just fine, yes. She would see if someone else came and attacked her!


    She needed to verify if the previous [Human] had been weak or not. So with a step, she went forward to the location in the [Invitation]!


    With hopes of being ambushed with breakfast!


    <hr>


    She did not eat breakfast. And now she was hungry and angry, what would be the word to mix these two states of mind? Main Core?


    ¡°[No word in current dictionary found.]¡±


    Right, Hangry was the word, thank you main core!


    ¡°[Hangry is not a word¡­]¡±


    This was the epitome of knowledge here! The correct word to express her current mood! And if that wasn¡¯t enough, for some reason the people that gave her those weird rock candies weren¡¯t giving her anything! They just greeted her and asked if the girl yesterday was her sister!


    Who was it?!? Who else took her rock candy!?!? She would kill her!


    The description they gave her was similar to her [Child Stage] form, but that surely was a misunderstanding! No way she stole her own rock candy¡­.right? Perhaps that weird memory had more to it? Had she come while her mechanical side was in rest mode, stole candy, ate, and wasted the energy and biomass from it? Return to her den, wound herself, and sleep. Only to hide the evidence?


    Her biological side was a fearful thing if it did all of that.


    But that was that, and this was this!


    She would find something to eat later, for now, she had a [Induction] to attend! So she went to the [Address] she had been given, it pointed to¡­.A weird place, like most structures the [Humans] made, this was a square building, unlike the others though. This one was covered in a bright purple color and had some weird name stuck to it.


    ¡°[The Emporium of Jackets, Pants, and all the fun clothes for your more exotic needs.]¡±


    What else did she notice? There were several [Humans] eyeing the building, how did she know this? Because when passing on the front of the building to scout it, several eyes turned to her for a second before looking elsewhere. Her biological half may have missed it, but her more mechanical side took notice of it.


    What she noticed was that after this, was that some of those observing would walk in¡­.and didn¡¯t leave. Other people seemed to just observe and nod at the people near them. What she did notice was that if someone of a certain size walked in front of this place, the people observing would write something. And people below that certain size would not elicit this change.


    Alexa¡­was not of the correct size, if she was measuring her estimated height at different [Stages], this would be the height she would have around Age¡­.Okay, she would never get that high¡­But the bulges on her chest¡­.Okay maybe she wouldn¡¯t get them that big either (Not without some input from her at least!)


    But that hardly mattered! What mattered here was that it seemed that this part of the test at this [Induction] was taking place, and she wasn¡¯t sure if she was getting the right notes or not, but the only thing she could do¡­Was walking into the building.


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    The inside was¡­more normal than she expected, it was decorated with multiple types of clothing, from pants (Bottom cover armor) to blouses (Top cover armor) and everything between the exterior and her skin. They also had some extra accessories like the ones the [Humans] at the den had used to carry around, small bags-like things to carry things.


    Alexa did peek into one to see if there was something, but nothing was there (They cheated!).


    ¡°Here for this.¡± And while she was looking around and simulating how she would look with different types of these clothing (She would look cute no matter what she used!).


    Someone walked into the building, it was what seemed to be a [Human Young Adult Stage - Male], the [Human] at the desk just pointed him to one of the rooms with a fabric to prevent people from looking inside, and he nodded at him, walked in and¡­.didn¡¯t leave.


    Well, that was interesting, she didn¡¯t see nor feel much of a change in this place, most of her sensors returned nominal status, and while her [Human] form did have most of the sensors she had in her crab form¡­It couldn¡¯t detect micro changes as well as her other most powerful form.


    So what to do¡­


    ¡°[Suggestion, tread with caution, increase the margin of samples¡­]¡±


    Right, good idea Main Core!


    ¡°Excuse me, I was given th-¡± She started speaking while bringing the [Invitation], only for the other [Human] to speak before she finished.


    ¡°Walk into the changing room, put on the mask given, and enter the induction site.¡± The [Human] said, and then proceeded to ignore her.


    Rude!


    But okay!


    See Main Core, it was easy!


    ¡­.No answer? Heh, who is the smartest one now?!?


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Alexa beamed at the [Human] who did that weird shake with its head and smiled at her.


    ¡°Move along kid, don¡¯t regret it.¡± The [Human] said while throwing something at her.


    Combat!


    Alexa prepared for combat, first, she started generating the new chemical compound to accelerate her mind processing speed, she could overheat her mechanical side easily enough. But doing so may increase the damage to her organic half. So instead she would use the biochemical compound to accelerate her thinking!


    This would prevent extra damage, and since this [Human] didn¡¯t seem to be that dangerous and the speed of the projectile was slow, this would be a good litmus test!


    Now, what was the project¡­.Was that rock candy?


    ROCK CANDY!


    MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE!


    Alexa jumped (Figuratively speaking) at the candy and without peeling the paper she ate the thing in one bite.


    ¡°Wooh, easy there kiddo, you will hurt your stomach if you eat the paper.¡± The [Human] said, did he want the paper?


    ¡°Here,¡± Alexa said while making her nanites recreate the paper covering of the rock candy and pulling it out from under her closed arm, the [Human] took the paper and looked at it.


    ¡°Nice trick, now move along kiddo, don¡¯t make me regret letting you pass¡­If Eleanore hadn¡¯t called in advance¡­¡± The [Human] mumbled while Alexa enjoyed her rock candy, she walked into the same changing room as the previous [Human].


    And as soon as she walked in and closed the fabric curtain, a mask popped up from the floor, it was ivory white and didn¡¯t seem to have eye openings for her to see, not like that would stop her, she could just create a few extra light sensors elsewhere. But placing that thing on her face she noticed that it had a few latches for her to use, pulling at them made a nice and comfortable string to pull, and using that she could make sure the mask would stay in place.


    As soon as she had that on her face, the whole room she was in started to lower, but she was more focused on another thing, like for example how she was able to see!


    The thing seemed to be projecting what was happening around her in multiple screens in her vision, and at the same time, it allowed her to see from the same spot her eyes should be. She did notice that there were some instructions on the side that would help her take out the extra displays that were projected in her vision.


    She of course ignored those instructions and dismissed them, she wanted to tear open this marvel of technology¡­.But memories of what had happened the last time she did so prevented her, not even purging all the data in the main core of the cellphone had helped it to work again, whatever type of internal check it used, it evaded her probes. Neither had remaking the hardware worked, and the software was¡­well, it escaped her. She did try inserting part of her own OS into the thing, but that only made the cellphone break even faster and while she managed to forcefully make it run, it still displayed the same message.


    So in the end, Alexa just grumbled with the mask on.


    The weird room eventually slowed to a crawl and finally settled down, on the opposite end of it a pair of doors opened and Alexa followed the instructions on her mask, it told her to walk in that direction, so she did just that. She finally understood why Eleanore had been so insistent in her learning to read.


    What she did wonder was how this marvel of technology could react to what she was thinking, as far as she was aware this mask wasn¡¯t interacting with her [Core] nor her brain in any way, no probes had pierced her scalp, nor it seemed to send any type of signal. So how could it react to what she wanted?


    As a test, she even tried to flick through all the menus, and found one that transmitted sound instead of words!


    So she would have been okay even if she didn¡¯t learn how to read!


    Even so, the sound didn¡¯t seem to travel very far, she grew a hearing sensor in her shoulder and it couldn¡¯t detect the sound waves, as far as she understood the process, the mask seemed to send vibrations into her scalp, and her ears were interpreting these into sound¡­somehow.


    She didn¡¯t like the fact that the mask was sending a type of signal into her head so blatantly, so she turned that one off after messing around and finding that her understanding of the written word was up to standard.


    But her mussing and playing with this piece of technology didn¡¯t last long, for she arrived at¡­a testing chamber.


    It was similar to the one she had used before, the one that was used mostly for big combats between many P-series subjects, only instead of other bioweapons what she found was¡­.[Humans], tons of them. All using the same type of mask as her.


    Well, not all of them, some didn¡¯t have masks on their faces and instead held them in their hands, they glared and [Smiled] at those who looked their way, making those people turn away. Then there were those that held the mask in place as if these didn¡¯t have very useful attachments to make sure they stood in place.


    Though their mask wasn¡¯t white but black.


    Then some people that held half masks, either the top half or the lower half. But these people only had half of it!


    Why? She didn¡¯t know, but she wanted to know how they would use the map function if they only had the lower half of the mask, did they have another way to look at a map using their mouth? She wanted to copy that [Blueprint] if so!


    And while looking around she noticed another thing.


    They all were tall!


    Taller than her too!


    Alexa wanted to tweak her stature but remembered that Eleanor had told her to go with this form, so this meant that this form had some kind of advantage¡­And so far she only could think that being smaller meant that she had a lower hitbox than the rest. But that was it!


    As far as how the [Humans] stood, most seemed to group with others that had the same type of masks, then they further divided into body type, build, height, and so on. It was quite a complicated way to group, and at the very end of whatever algorithm they used was the fact that those with the same type of body movements stood together.


    Those who stood confident were surrounded by the same type, and those who had faulty nervous systems (they shook too much) stood together.


    Alexa decided to walk towards one group that held the smaller and younger-looking group, since at least this way she could compare [Blueprints] and see if her current theory for the next [Stage] was correct.


    ¡°Is this all?¡± A voice spoke both in her mask and at the far end of the testing chamber, if she hadn¡¯t tweaked her auditory sensors she may have missed the fact that this voice was in the chamber. ¡°Well, it seems this will be the full batch for this induction.¡±


    Most of those who only had the lower half of the mask turned their faces in the same direction as Alexa, and of those who had a full white mask like her, only one or two did the same.


    ¡°[Interesting, saving data for future cross reference.¡±]


    ¡°Congratulations on joining us in this Induction, you may already know this, but for those of you baby core users¡­My name is Gabriel, The Fallen Angel. Nice to meet you.¡± The [Human] who spoke had a weird blueprint.


    At his back he had a pair of huge wings, these would serve no use since the P-series subjects that had wings could only fly because their bones were hollow and they had a lower amount of mass. And this [Human] was tall, almost two meters tall. Even with hollow bones, he had too much mass.


    Those wings would¡­.


    ¡°Let me see you all, yeah, this is better.¡± The [Human] flew and stood in the air hovering as his wings flapped around.


    ¡°[Error, error, impossible. No blueprint should allow this¡­Error¡­Re-]¡±


    She squashed that last line, Main Core wanted to reroll her thought kernel again, even though he couldn¡¯t do it, but it still annoyed her.


    ¡°We are seeing this one flying, maybe it is more of this Core User nonsense, Frank The Beetle spoke about weird abilities, the same as SuperForce. We need to investigate this.¡± Alexa said internally.


    ¡°Now as you may have guessed I¡¯m what some of you know as a Core User. Care to guess what my Core type is?¡± The [Human] said.


    No one seemed to want to answer this, at least till one of those with the lower half of the mask laughed, ¡°Obviously a [Beast Core], the wings tell us as much.¡± This [Human] had an extra pair of ears at the top of his head and a tail.


    ¡°Wrong¡±. Gabriel said smirking.


    ¡°An [Angel Core], probably of the weird type. Either that or a Humanoid one.¡± Another [Human] said this one was one of those with the full white mask as her.


    ¡°Also wrong, closer but still wrong.¡± The flying man said once more.


    Then Alexa thinking about it, she raised her hand and said ¡°You are a [Misc] type.¡± Most of those around stopped and looked at the flying man.


    ¡°Hmm¡­.I want to say wrong, but technically you are correct.¡± The Fallen angel said, ¡°Whoever taught you about that was smart, okay kiddos. The correct answer is¡­¡±


    Everyone stopped speaking among themselves and looked at the flying man, ¡°The types you are taught are wrong, and even though we know they are wrong, we still told the populace these, because it makes it easier for you to awaken a certain typeset of powers.¡±


    ¡­False information¡­spread willingly?


    This¡­This¡­.


    ¡°[Blasphemy.]¡±


    Main Core was right, this was a horrendous thing to do, why would you misguide others? The mere idea of spreading wrong information was Anathema to her.


    ¡°We do this because if you all didn¡¯t think that you could guide your core in a certain direction you would try to get everything, don¡¯t get me wrong. A [Core] can get you just about anything, but what you make is within a certain type.¡± Gabriel said as he landed himself in the middle of everyone.


    Alexa too walked closer to listen to this, she wanted to listen to the excuse he would give for giving false information.


    ¡°A Core can go roughly in two directions, either physical or metaphysical. If you have a predilection for the second type, you can go nuts with what you get. The limits would be either energy or imagination. But if you go for the first¡­well, most horror stories about [Insect Cores] or [Beast Cores] can give you an idea of what can happen.¡± Gabriel said as a big square-shaped crystal entity (Television) descended from the ceiling. ¡°Prepare yourself kiddos, it¡¯s time for a class about the Cores and the Stupid decision those before us made.¡±

 Chapter 25: Answers, we need answers!

    The [Human] named Gabriel lied, he did not start speaking about Cores or stupid decisions other [Humans] did before, instead, he did something that she wasn¡¯t quite sure what to make of.


    ¡°First let''s start easy. Where we are, and what do we do? Does anyone have a guess?¡± That was the thing he said to start this lesson.


    ¡°You commit crimes¡­?¡± One of those that had only the top half of the mask said.


    ¡°We fight Heroes¡­?¡± Another one at the side of the first one added.


    She wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that, she could see the appeal of stealing [Blueprints] from those that had the power of [Cores], but the risks¡­Fighting an entity with the level of power of [The Scorcher] or [Superforce] was¡­risky.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, we fight, we steal and in general, we do things that are dubiously legal, or more than likely, highly illegal.¡± Gabriel nodded at them, ¡°So you all here, in turn. Want to join this type of life? So here is the first lesson.¡±


    Gabriel said with mirth in his voice, with a flap of the wings that should not lift him he rose into the air, ¡°When the heroes arrive, when those you are working for start fighting against those that wield Justice as excuse¡­you all should¡­¡± And he left the words trail in the air for a few seconds only for a golden [Gun]type weapon to manifest in his hand, he pointed it at the den''s ceiling and discharged a single round. ¡°...RUN!¡±


    He screamed, and before that was pointed in their direction Alexa darted towards one of the marked lines on the ground, she had seen those before, in the speed tests the [Humans] liked to delimit the area where one should move. So Alexa went to the nearest one and started running in it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me shoot at you, as you may have known before coming here. I do work as a Villain¡± That was all it took for the other [Humans] around to start running, some did join Alexa in one of the assigned running areas, and others didn¡¯t seem to respect the thing.


    Most however, didn¡¯t seem to be able to keep a stable speed, most of those that had a full mask like Alexa were able to keep the speed she was showing, while others seemed to take great effort to leave her behind. Alexa however, was happy keeping a spot around the middle, it allowed her to have extra protection in the form of other [Humans] to hide in case Gabriel decided to point that [Gun] type weapon her way.


    ¡°Now, I know this may seem obvious to some of you, but if we advertise that we are recruiting¡­There are always some people who think ¡®Hey, maybe if I join their ranks, get information, and report it I can be a Hero! Let¡¯s go and apply to this Villain Organization!¡¯ It happens, more than once, and to those I say¡­¡± Gabriel let his world trail once more, maybe he was missing some neural connections? Stopping so much surely was evidence of a damaged [Brain]. ¡° You are free to report us, but we have lawyers¡­I know, evil organization and lawyers, who would have thought about that!¡±


    Gabriel laughed at what seemed to be a [Joke], she would check on these entities, it seemed that they held some degree of power, and if they had close to a [Villain], then surely she could get some good [Blueprints] from them.


    ¡°So yes, you will probably manage to get me a warrant or two, to those near you however¡­ I will declare under oath that I have the information of the family of everyone here. And used that to make them join us.¡± Gabriel''s words made some people stop running, Alexa wasn¡¯t sure why, but it seemed this [Family] he spoke was important. ¡°And it will be the truth, some of our lawyers have handy powers that allow them to verify the truth. And let¡¯s not forget that when applying you all did have to write your names right? And address¡­¡±


    Then Gabriel smiled, at them, his mask did not cover his mouth, so she could see it, but unlike the smile that [Frank The Bettle] gave her, or the one that Eleanore gave¡­This one didn¡¯t make her feel [Happy], no. This one was what she supposed a [Human Predator] may look like.


    ¡°So, we will find out who snitched, and those around you will walk scot-free, well, most of them. We do not take kindly to dumb snitches. Smart ones can walk away, they have their uses¡­ But if you walk into our house, and try to take us down by such a stupid method¡­You will find out what that gets you.¡± Gabriel then pointed to a door on the far end of this testing den, ¡°Case in point this gentleman that asked us if he could come.¡±


    And as the door opened more and more people stopped running, some of those who only had half masks tried to cover the part that was exposed, and most of those who had a full mask like her continued running though. So Alexa kept on going.


    Who had arrived that made the other [Humans] act like this?


    ¡°Welcome Superforce, let me state it once more. We did not know Scorcher would go like that, and we will report her location as soon as we find her.¡± It was the [Human] who she met the first time when leaving the testing chambers.


    ¡°Thank you, Gabriel, we appreciate it. But I¡¯m not here for that, nor to validate your speech, I came here for Hero Duty.¡± [SuperForce] said as he started floating and hovered above them.


    ¡°I¡¯M SORRY I JUST WANTED TO SEE, I DIDN¡¯T KNOW YOU HAD THIS INFORMATION I¡¯M SORRY I WILL NEVER SPEAK ABOUT THIS, JUST PROTECT ME I¡¯M INNOCENT!¡± One of the [Humans] who only had half of his mask started speaking while the weird liquid that seemed to leak from [Human] eyes started showing on the lower half of the face and spoke in screams.


    ¡°...¡± [SuperForce] turned to Gabriel who only shrugged, ¡°Leave, no one will hurt you. We don¡¯t attack civilians unless those civilians do something stupid. That is both the case for Heroes and Villains.¡±


    And as soon as the word [Civilian] left [SuperForce]¡¯s mouth, the [Human] ripped out the black mask and ran to one of the doors from where they had come. As if it was some kind of signal some of those around seemed to take a few steps back.


    ¡°That is the same for the rest, we will delete all the information we have on you as soon as we make sure you will not do something stupid, you don¡¯t need to leave like that one. You can gradually fail our tests, or straight out leave with SuperForce. Just don¡¯t do anything stupid and you will be okay. Some Heroes worked for Villains, and some Villains worked for Heroes. Hell, some of our clients are Heroes too!¡± Gabriel laughed and that got a scowl from [SuperForce].


    ¡°While true, we don¡¯t encourage Villainy nor crimes, most Minion work doesn¡¯t qualify for more than accessory in super crimes¡­.And we don¡¯t encourage Heroes to hire Villains for their work. No matter how efficient they are.¡± [SuperForce] said, then turned to the rest of [Humans]. Alexa and the other white masked had continued running through all of this. ¡°And like I said I came for Hero matters before you all decide to leave. Have you seen this child?¡±


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    And searching in his pouches, [SuperForce] brought a sketch of¡­a [Human - Child Stage], it was a very good one even, that [Human - Female] was quite good looking if the image that was on that square-shaped piece of vegetal fabric was to be believed she had a good look.


    It was the image of a [Human-Child Stage] Girl with short blonde hair, she seemed to have blue eyes and a smile on her face, she was dressed in a white blouse and somehow it looked like someone Alexa had seen before.


    ¡°[Recorded visual representation of Host Child Stage form.]¡±


    Main Core spoke at the back of her head, no wait. Visual representation of her? Then Alexa almost tripped when she noticed why that image seemed familiar, that was her child stage form!


    ¡°She is missing after the Scorcher attack, she was in the immediate area and we are searching for her. Only myself and Scorcher saw her, so we fear the worst. If any of you has seen her, please report where in the nearest station¡­¡± At this part of [SuperForce] speech Gabriel coughed, ¡°...Or to one of the Villains if you fear that we will apprehend you. Should you report to us we will pardon some of the minor crimes you have in file¡­Or give you a pass for some minor crimes.¡±


    ¡°And should you report through us, we will reward you as you want, either with gear or street creed. We are even willing to promote you should you want to join a gang that wants recommendations!¡± Gabriel spoke after [SuperForce], ¡°But do report it, we don¡¯t take kindly to child kidnappers¡­ if we find out one of you has her¡­.¡±


    The air behind Gabriel seemed to thrum with the promise of violence, enough that Alexa found herself running behind the back of another of the white-masked [Humans], one that was on the bigger side ¡°Stay behind me little one¡­¡± The [Human] said, Alexa nodded and decided that she liked very much having such a big [Human] between her and Gabriel.


    ¡°That said, if any of you has her, release or give her to us. We will not ask questions, nor we will look too closely. But do it fast before her parents notice she is missing. If this becomes public¡­We will not be able to protect you.¡± Superforce said with a sigh, ¡°Core users are already hated as is, we don¡¯t need this kind of bad rep.¡±


    And with those words [SuperForce] floated towards the door he had used to enter and left, after him some of the half-masked [Humans] scurried after him.


    ¡°Well, that was dark. But valid, we commit crimes, we may even kill people here and there. But we have standards, we put the Super in Super-Villains. And we have standards, we will not involve kids in our problems.¡± Gabriel said with gravity in his tone, only for Alexa to pop from behind the big white masked [Human] when SuperForce left. ¡°Well if we can help it. If you join this kind of life it''s usually for a reason.¡±


    Was¡­she not supposed to be here?


    Or was this the reason Eleanore asked her to not come in her more compact form?


    Had she come in her [Child Stage] form that would have been harder to deal with, so for now she would seal that form! Even if she enjoyed her time as such¡­Maybe she could sleep in that form instead? She would at least hurt herself less since she would have more room. Yes, she would sleep in her [Child Stage] form, and then move around in this one.


    ¡°Can¡­we¡­.stop¡­.running¡­.now?¡± Alexa heard from behind the voice of another [Human], this one seemed to be female, and she was¡­maybe two heads taller than her? She also seemed to have the bulges in her chest that seemed to make her run harder since they seemed to jump from side to side.


    This should prove her superiority¡­and yet¡­she couldn¡¯t help but feel herself be annoyed at that.


    ¡°Oh that, right. Sure, you can stop.¡± Gabriel said, ¡°Do an extra lap or two at walking speed to make sure you will not have cramps tomorrow.¡±


    And instead of listening to him, the [Girl] just let herself fall flat into the ground. The big [Human] who had helped hide her started walking slowly, so Alexa did the same. She would not let her shield leave!


    ¡°Now, here is the important part, those of you who have active Cores with what we call Useful powers, have two options. Either stay here, or walk with the normies in that direction.¡± Gabriel said pointing at a door in the opposite direction from where SuperForce had come. There was another [Human] with a black mask waiting and waving at them. ¡°That is my partner Shadow Claw. She will train you in basics of superpowered combat. From the perspective of a baseline human.¡±


    So [Humans] did have a way to deal with those that had more power than the rest! Alexa had been right!


    ¡°Now before you ask, there are advantages to staying around if you have powers. First¡­¡± Gabriel said pulling from within his clothes a white mask like the one she had. ¡°Comes this awesome mask, state-of-the-art tech, everything you wish you had in your cellphone, and some extra. Tinker Grade tech. You will get one of these babies¡­And yes, some of you already have them, we give them in advance if you already have powers that are hard to hide¡­Or if you said in your interview that you would work in this way.¡±


    So all of those with white masks had confirmed [Core Powers]?


    ¡°Advantage number two! You get support, we are super supportive of those who go the extra mile with us. Your power needs some exotic material? We will provide it if you use your power for us¡­And give you some extra too! Do you require extra food? We will get you speedsters MRE food! Those that are heavy in calories and taste like chocolate.¡± That was something that turned a few heads in Gabriel¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Does our power need to be useful? And what if it''s identifiable?¡± One of those that had the half of a white mask asked.


    ¡°If you intend to work as a Hero in the future then don¡¯t take the white mask. We can give you a full black mask if you intend to work as a Hero in the future and make sure you are as far away from the cameras as possible. But we will not make any promises on that, also if you use your power while using a black mask, you are out. Either you take the white mask and work fully, or leave and try as an independent Hero.¡±Gabriel¡¯s words seemed to make that one think for a few seconds, then he joined the rest of those who had already started moving towards the next testing area.


    In the end, only those that already had a full white mask remained.


    ¡°Yeah, it is always like this. If you wanted to use your powers for us you would already have the white mask. But we do need to tell them anyway.¡± Gabriel sighed while addressing them. ¡°Now, introduction time!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­.¡± The big [Human] who was Alexa¡¯s shield started speaking.


    ¡°STOP!¡± Only to be stopped by Gabriel, ¡°Don¡¯t give your name unless you plan on keeping a loose identity¡­or if your power makes it impossible to have a secret identity I guess¡­ But even so, keep the mask on always while at work. Even if it is obvious who you are, secret identities are important.¡±


    Then shrugging the [Human] continued, ¡°As I was saying, you may refer to me as Golem. My power is as you can see¡­I¡¯m big, sturdy, and strong. I would introduce myself as a Golem Core User, but it seems the distinctions of Cores were a lie. So I will look forward to that class¡­¡±


    A [Golem Core] huh¡­Or well, what she would have assigned as such.


    ¡°Sylph, wind.¡± The next [Human] spoke, it was the girl who was flat on the ground. As she spoke a gust of wind blew around...


    ¡°[Warning, the wind is laced with weird energy, investigation is in order.]¡±


    Main Core spoke, but Alexa¡­didn¡¯t really have a way to check on this, did she? She could try to use some of her nanites to try and latch into the energy¡­but chances were that those nanites would separate from her, and in turn, self-destruct.


    That was an annoying limit.


    Like that more people spoke and they all showed part of what their [Core]s allowed them, some could change their body into specific animals, and only those specific animals, that seemed like a weird limiter, but no one seemed to speak about it. There was one extra [Human] who also manipulated that weird energy to affect the world. Only that one manipulated water instead of wind.


    And then it was finally Alexa¡¯s turn.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­..not sure what name to give, but I can do this!¡± Alexa said while raising her hand and transforming it once more into the same design she had used to kill the previous [Human] that attacked her, only this time she was making it more for show than for use. Her sleeve was destroyed with the transformation, but if anything, it made the effect more impressive so it was fine!


    So while her arm grew almost five times as big and imposing, it didn¡¯t have nearly as much power. It was, in a nutshell, fake muscles.


    ¡°I am still working on how to make the best of it, but I can pretty much change it into anything if I understand how it works,¡± Alexa said in a cheery tone, returning her arm and clothes to normal.


    ¡°That is probably among the better ones so far, I can¡¯t wait to see how your little head ended with the correct idea to make a Core give you that,¡± Gabriel said, making her start to think about that.


    [Frank The Bettle] seemed to be convinced that staying near him would make her core evolve into an insect Core.


    Eleanore had used that weird thing to make sure her Core was stable, and only after she found that it was stable did she point her this way, and now¡­Gabriel was implying that there were lies in what those two had told her. That the truth about how a [Core] worked was different.


    So¡­what was the truth then?


    ¡°Now, it would be a shame if we delayed once more explaining how a Core works right? So let¡¯s move to the next thing in this induction¡­¡± Gabriel said while pointing to a door, it was near the one that the other people had walked, but it wasn¡¯t the same. Alexa had marked that one in her memory with the help of Main Core, she had marked what had come from what door and in which door had the people left.


    That was a different door, she wondered what would she find behind that one, more questions? Or answers?

 Chapter 26: We finally got answers!

    The room they walked in was¡­interesting, unlike any other room or den Alexa had seen, this one seemed different in design, she didn¡¯t understand why it had so many [Chairs], each one with an included square-shaped platform that didn¡¯t seem sturdy enough to stand in.


    ¡°A Classroom? First a Super Heroe now a Classroom? Are you sure this is a Villain organization?¡± The big [Human] that worked as her personal shield spoke.


    So this room was a [Classroom]?


    What was that?


    ¡°It¡¯s the room we use for training. So yes, we have Classrooms. As for SuperForce¡­¡± Gabriel spoke while playing with his mask, making sure it was in place. ¡°That was more of a favor, usually we would have done the whole act of him attacking me and me fighting back, he may win or lose but it would have been on the news¡­¡±


    So that was a play?


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, we would fight for real. But in this case¡­He came straight to us for help, we make exceptions in our fights, that is why most Heroes turn a blind eye to us, because they know we will help when needed.¡± Then Gabriel stuck the drawing of her [Child Stage] form into the wall, ¡°A lost kid, or in this case, a probable kidnapping is one such case, if any of you know has taken her hostage, release her. Or give her to us and we will not hurt you. So this is as good as a moment as any for you to know our rules.¡±


    ¡°Rules? Aren¡¯t we Villains? Rules are for the weak!¡± One of those who had only the upper half of the mask spoke, his face was closer to a snout than a [Human Mouth].


    ¡°That is true, well spoken!¡± Gabriel smiled as he clapped, ¡°But you are missing a very important point.¡±


    He then started walking toward the human that had spoken, each step measured, and yet¡­ Alexa couldn¡¯t help but move a little to try and get her seat to stand behind her shield.


    ¡°You are weak.¡± Gabriel said as if he was stating the most obvious thing, ¡°And we are strong, so we make the rules. And if you don¡¯t want to follow them, you aren¡¯t welcome here.¡±


    Then pointing to the door they had walked in a few seconds ago, he added ¡°Either Leave, or start listening to what your betters tell you.¡± And then turning to everyone else Gabriel made sure they nodded at his words, so when Gabriel turned to her, she also nodded (Perhaps faster than needed too). ¡°Okay, let¡¯s check, why do you think we need to draw this line in our activities kiddo.¡±


    She was [Kiddo] now? What was the thing with these humans giving her names that weren¡¯t hers!?!?


    ¡°Because you want to limit the level of conflict to a bare minimum, keeping the [Heroes]happy would allow you to have a greater amount of freedom to act. And if all you need is to let a few [Prey] alone to get other more powerful [Predators] away, then the cost-benefit is balanced enough.¡± Alexa answered, ¡°Also I¡¯m not Kiddo, I have a name.¡±


    And after, she totally didn¡¯t pout while adding the last part.


    ¡°...not the answer I wanted, but a very logical conclusion, so your Core is closer to a Tinkerer huh, wouldn¡¯t suspect that.¡± Gabriel said with a shrug, ¡°As for the name, unless you come out and give us one to use, we will keep using what we have.¡±


    She wanted one too! But¡­she would need to think about what to use for her name, she had already failed when giving her name the first time, and while she liked the name, Alexa, it was a problem the fact that it hadn¡¯t been the name she had intended to give.


    It was good they fixed it, since she had found that this name was female and the one she had intended to give was for males.


    ¡°Now I have been playing around answering the question about Cores, so may as well keep the bit going, Rules!¡± Gabriel said turning back and walking towards the wall where he had stuck her drawing. ¡°First, don¡¯t attack civilians unless that is part of the mission given to you.¡±


    That seemed easy enough, she now just needed to find what those [Civilians] were!


    ¡°Second, your work will be that of a Minion, our organization [Haephestus¡¯ Forge] specializes in training Minions, and our boss rents those Minions to other villains. That will be you.¡± Gabriel pointed at them, sticking more images to the wall, this time of masks the white and black masks, and some variations with half masks too. ¡°A black mask is for non-core powered Minions, the Heroes know that if they see a black mask then they need to put on the Civilian Gloves, if one of you ever dons a black mask you can¡¯t use your Core Powers.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be a good way to ambush them?¡± The same human as before spoke, making Gabriel give a long sigh.


    ¡°Yes, that would be a great ambush indeed. But then the next Hero would come with all the fury of a god into the next black-masked Minion. ¡° Gabriel said, snout man didn¡¯t seem to find a problem with that, ¡°Now that will not be a problem to you, even if all your powers amount is having the brain of a dog. But we do love having living Minions to work with, and if the Heroes are using all their kit no one will want to do that work. So that means we will need to make an example of the IDIOT who decided to use a black mask to ambush some random weak-ass Hero.¡±


    Oh, yeah, she could see how that was a problem, it was a problem of allocating their resources smartly, they needed to make sure the weak links in the chain were safe by making sure the strong chains were visible.


    ¡°So we use White Masks to make sure that the [Hero] pays attention to us instead of the [Prey] within our side, so that [Predator] fights against [Predator]?¡± Alexa asked.


    ¡°....We will work on your words later, but yes that is about it. You all use white masks to make sure you are visible targets, but your work isn¡¯t to fight. But to distract the sidekicks while the Villain does their thing.¡± Gabriel said turning to the white masks. ¡°Your work is to do whatever the Villain asks. If they ask you to dance on top of a moving car, you do it so long as you can guarantee your own safety. If they ask you to attack civilians¡­well, we will not fail you if you decide against doing that. But if you do decide to do it, more jobs where that will be needed of you will be assigned,¡±


    ¡­She would look into getting those jobs. If it meant an easy way to get biomass then that was her type of job. Oh right! Food!


    ¡°My skills require me to get an increased amount of biomass to work with, how will that be accounted?¡± Asked Alexa while raising her hand, she wasn¡¯t quite sure why she raised her hand, but both her meat shield and Gabriel smiled and shook their head as if it was something funny.


    ¡°How bad is the conversion? Also, do you need a specific type of food? You refer to it as biomass but I assume any kind of food works?¡± Gabriel asked, way more information than she expected. Well, at least this meant that it wouldn¡¯t be nutrient slurry.


    ¡°If it¡¯s for immediate use the conversion ratio is 1:1 if I need to stockpile it¡­¡± Alexa didn¡¯t want to increase her body mass¡­.¡±The conversion is 2:1, per each two kilograms of biomass I can only save 1 for later use.¡±


    ¡°Does it matter the type?¡± Gabriel asked once more.


    ¡° I don¡¯t think so? If I want to use muscles of a certain type it would help to have that type as food, but I can turn any type of biomass into what I need, the limit is only the amount of change I make and how much energy that consumes.¡± Alexa answered, she wasn¡¯t quite sure if there was a hard limit to her nanites, but since they worked by realigning the material there shouldn¡¯t be, unless the material was some that refused her changes¡­


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    ¡°And this energy I guess it will be sugar¡­So if your forms are other animals or forms we need meat, and to fuel the changes we need sugar¡­Ugh¡­.This will be annoying, but if the change is good¡­¡± Gabriel mumbled, ¡°We will check with you later when we plan your uniform, we don¡¯t need all your skills to their full extent, it will help us plan better, but how much you want to show is up to you. The more you show us the better we can prepare for you, but that is up to you.¡±


    Gabriel said, she was about to say that she wouldn¡¯t mind saying more, but her meat shield shook his head at her.


    ¡°I only need construction materials, my Core integrates them and turns my form into them, the change is permanent the only change I can make is changing the type of material, but I can¡¯t return to a human form.¡± Her Meat shield said, ¡°So just get me good base materials and I can tank pretty much anything.¡±


    That was one interesting tidbit, what could come of his blueprint? Alexa wanted to know.


    ¡°That is easier, we will get some material set for later and check, but if we can alloy it...Yeah, prepare to test with metals, we will probably settle with Durasteel for now, we will check how your body deals with alloys and more exotic materials later.¡± Gabriel seemed happier with her meat shield than with her. Rude.


    ¡°Anyone else with exotic needs?¡± Gabriel turned to the others, but no one seemed to want to answer.


    ¡°I only need a place to stay,¡± The other Human Girl said, the one that fell after their time running. ¡°My power only requires wind around, the energy seems to stockpile on its own and refills with some rest, so I don¡¯t need anything fancy.¡±


    ¡°A normal metaphysical one, we will teach you some methods to deal with this energy,¡± Gabriel answered, she had noticed the spikes on the weird energy that seemed to be a catalyst for her [Core] formation.


    ¡°Can I attend those classes too? My power lets me detect that thing too.¡± Alexa said, making almost everyone turn to look at her. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Well, we all have felt it at least once, when the [Core] was forming. But you say you can detect it? ¡° Gabriel said turning to her, ¡°Can you detect it now? What number?¡±


    Gabriel raised one of his fingers and then formed a number with the weird energy, she could only see it because her eyes had been modified to detect it with a transparent lens in there to see it. ¡°Seven.¡± Alexa answered, ¡°So can I attend?¡±


    ¡°...Yes, yes you can,¡± Gabriel said while pulling a phone from his clothes and reading something on it. ¡°So Eleanore gave you the address¡­and your contact was Frank of all people¡­.that is interesting¡­¡±


    ¡°[Frank The Bettle] helped me when [SuperForce] was fighting [Scorcher], he told me that I could get housing and food here.¡± Alexa nodded at those words and added her opinion, ¡°So I will require at least food.¡±


    ¡°...yes we do pay quite well, you should be able to pay for your food after the rent¡­Actually, Eleanore deals with these things, just go to her and show her your mask, she will deal with the paperwork¡± Gabriel said turning to the rest.


    Most of the people there said that they didn¡¯t need much, the ones with beast-like parts just needed a place to stay and more allowance for food, Gabriel passed them some tubes with a plastic exterior.


    The human with the snout opened his and grimaced, Alexa also grimaced since her nose was testing a more sensible configuration and she was able to pick on the smell, nutrient paste.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t taste as bad as it smells, and it gives you the extra boost you need,¡± Gabriel said, he was lying. Or he never tasted it.


    Snout''s face however emptied the contents of that in one go and ate it, then closed his eyes and took a breath, afterward he seemed more at peace, was he that hungry? With that design for a mouth and his other modifications, Alexa didn¡¯t see a reason why he would be hungry.


    ¡°Now with that out of the way¡­I guess there is nothing more so¡­¡± Gabriel turned with a more serious face to them, ¡°About the reason why we lie to those that aren¡¯t Core users¡­and even to those that are.¡±


    This made everyone settle down.


    ¡°The Core Powers we have¡­.what do you think they are?¡± He asked them, Alexa¡­wasn¡¯t quite sure what they were.


    ¡°They are manifestations of the powers we absorb from those around us. I lived near Beast Core Users so I turned into one of them, had I known I would get them I would have moved near the center to get a more human form.¡± Snout''s face said, ¡°Not that I mind these powers or the feeling of being part of a Pack.¡±


    That was his answer, Alexa¡­wasn¡¯t quite sure about that.


    ¡°They are the powers granted to us by a higher entity. I needed a stronger body in a time of need, so I was granted this undying body.¡± Her meat shield answered, ¡°I miss the feeling of touch and taste, but I am grateful for this gift.¡±


    The answer seemed to oscillate in those two opinions, either the powers granted to them by association or powers granted by a higher life form. And neither seemed to be the right answer to Alexa.


    ¡°And you little girl who is definitely not a Kiddo?¡± Gabriel turned to her.


    She hadn¡¯t been called Kiddo, and yet she felt offended, weird.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I was told that association would alter the type of [Core] I would get, but after awakening my [Core] I didn¡¯t feel such a thing. Then I was told my [Core] was already formed¡­ Now I find that some kind of entity is granting these powers?¡± Alexa said turning to her meat shield, she¡­was inclined to trust him, if only because he seemed to want to protect her. ¡°So I¡¯m not sure. What I know is that these skills¡­helped me greatly. So I want to study and learn what I can.¡±


    ¡°The Core Powers we have¡­.aren¡¯t affected by those around us, we aren¡¯t quite sure what is the catalyst for the formation of a Core. What we know is that¡­¡± Gabriel said while turning to the weird wall where he had stuck all the pictures before and written on it, his words weren¡¯t neat like most of the letters she had seen, if anything they seemed to not follow any form and even the same letters looked slightly different, she was still able to read them though, ¡°...The Core Power we get answers to something primal.¡±


    And the word he wrote? It was [Wish].


    ¡°They answer to our wish, to our prayer in time of need, to what we desire the most. You formed your Core while in danger? Chances are you will get a Core Power to get you through it,¡± Gabriel then turned to snout face, ¡°You are surrounded by people with beast-like powers? If you envy their power, their forms, their freedom¡­chances are you will get a similar form.¡±


    ¡°What about me then? I didn¡¯t get a Core Power that granted me a sturdy body nor did I get a power that changed my form.¡± The wind human girl asked, ¡°I got the power to be a fan.¡±


    ¡°That is the next part, our Core Power comes in two forms, Physical alterations, and metaphysical alterations.¡± Gabriel said, then added two new images to the wall, ¡°Physical alterations are like Golem or Wolfman here, they ended with a body that was changed to give them their power.¡±


    ¡°So since I wanted to survive¡­No, since I wanted a sturdy body. I got one that would take in the materials around and change to accommodate my needs¡­.¡± Her meat shield said.


    ¡°...And since my only contact with Core Users was with Beast Core Users¡­I ended as one?¡± Snout face said while cackling. ¡°And why don¡¯t you tell us this before?!?!? Why hide it ?!?!?¡±


    ¡°And what? What do you think will happen when someone Wishes for infinite power? Do you think it will be granted?¡± Gabriel smirked at snout face.


    ¡°What is the problem with wanting power?!?¡± Snout''s face snarled back, ¡°That is our right!¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is. Tell me¡­how much meat did you need to eat when your power manifested?¡± Gabriel asked in an even tone.


    ¡°....100 kilos.¡± Snout''s face said, that was¡­weird, he didn¡¯t seem to have that much mass though.


    ¡°And where did you get that much meat?¡± Gabriel said, what was he getting at?


    ¡°....The neighbor had a few Great Danes.¡± Snout''s face mumbled.


    ¡°That is one lucky thing for you, if not you may have turned cannibal¡­Well, you ended up being so anyway since it seems your traits are of that species¡­.¡± Gabriel smirked at snout face.


    ¡°So? Your point?¡± Snout''s face grumbled.


    ¡°How much meat do you think Infinite power would take?¡± Gabriel asked.


    That simple question made everyone very quiet, and snout face eyes dilated as if understanding crossed his mind.


    ¡°Probably more than 100 kilos.¡± So since no one said anything, Alexa said it for them.


    ¡°Very true, I would say at least more than ten times that.¡± Gabriel smirked at her, ¡°Do any of you know about the meat wasteland?¡±


    The what now?


    ¡°It is a desert where an unknown animal developed a core. The place is anathema to life and any organism that walks there is attacked by the very soil that has turned into an amalgamation of meat, bones, and dirt.¡± Snout''s face answered. ¡°What of it?¡±


    ¡°Well, for one, we know exactly the species of the Core user,¡± Gabriel said unamused.


    ¡°...It was human?¡± Her meat shield asked. ¡°That is impossible, that place is almost as big as Rhode Island!¡±


    ¡°It was human at some point, there is no brain activity in that place, we don¡¯t know what the original owner of that core wanted, but his Core tried to create it, and since he didn¡¯t have enough biomass¡­Well, it mutated into a way to get it. That is how it started, and now we are salting the earth near it and keeping it at bay while we wait for it to starve.¡± Gabriel then turned to snout face, ¡°That is why we no longer advertise the true origin of the Core Powers we have. Because we don¡¯t want another event where a smart ass asks for infinity power and their core is a physical one.¡±


    ¡°Then what about Metaphysical ones? What would it make with that type of wish?¡± Wind girl asked.


    ¡°Well, do you know about the mirage city?¡± Gabriel asked, the girl seemed to get the reference¡­.and didn¡¯t elaborate.


    ¡°Metaphysical ones tend to try their best, Mirage City was made when the current President wanted a place where no one would bother him, his power got out of control and turned the city he was into a place that no one could access unless he wanted them to. And it tied him there, so now he is the only one that can grant access, but since you need to go in to ask for permission¡­Yeah, he is stuck alone there.¡± Gabriel didn¡¯t seem that bothered in this example, ¡°Usually they are less prone to causing problems for others, but metaphysical ones cause problems for you. So if I had to advise you, if you have a physical one, be grateful, because the metaphysical one would screw you harder than the physical one.¡±


    ¡°Then what is mine?¡± Alexa asked, ¡°I can change my body, but I didn¡¯t need to eat biomass when I got it.¡±


    ¡°Hard to tell, your Core Power seems to be closer to a flesh shaper, or maybe a shape shifter. We will check later.¡± And in that tune, Gabriel took the images from the wall, ¡°Now with this information try to check what you were thinking when you got your Cores, and try to work that into your understanding. What we call Beast Cores, Insect Cores, or Whatever Cores are suggestions with no limits. That is why there are Insect Core users with Core Powers that shouldn¡¯t work with the type of insect they seem to have!¡±


    So that was why [Frank The Bettle] could use that weird power to turn totally invisible? So her own Core may give her more power than what she had? But when she got it¡­she didn¡¯t really desire or have a wish for anything, did she? What had been her [Wish] then?

 Chapter 27: We did it!

    And that was how that went, Alexa learned many things, and she got to meet [Humans] who had all kinds of weird powers¡­She didn¡¯t manage to get blueprints from them since they all seemed to be checking each other at all times.


    ¡°Okay, class, as for the next part¡­Let¡¯s go this way.¡± And suddenly Gabriel clapped to get everyone¡¯s attention and pointed to a door that led them into a hallway. ¡°Move along, we are almost done.¡±


    They walked down this one for around ten minutes. It was empty, and besides their footstep, no other sound was detected. There were heavy footsteps to be had since her meatshield''s size and weight meant that he caused too many sounds and rumbles when he moved.


    ¡°Take care little one, I can¡¯t move well in closed spaces.¡± Said her meat shield turning to her.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Alexa answered, ¡°I¡¯m fast enough and I keep a safe distance.¡±


    She also wanted him near so she could take cover should [Gun] type emplacement weapons spring from within the walls, these had the same style and color as those in her [Den], so she was leery about them.


    ¡°We are almost done, when you get through this next part we can get you the correct credentials and you can use the normal hallways,¡± Gabriel said from the front, he had walked ahead and was now standing near a door. ¡°Sorry about this part, but white masks need to use this one before being accepted. Black Masks are weaker so we can deal with them, but most of the time White Masks are more¡­dangerous.¡±


    ¡­So there were [Gun] type emplacements after all.


    ¡°And only two got the meaning of this? Well, that is fine too.¡± Gabriel shrugged opening the door, ¡°In we go, your next part of this will be with my partner Cerberus. Don¡¯t mind her too much.¡±


    The what now?


    ¡°What about you?¡± Alexa asked, she didn¡¯t want to deal with new Core Power Users, she hadn¡¯t plotted a way to deal with this one! And now she was meeting another one?


    ¡°You will see me around, of this batch you are probably the only one guaranteed credentials, and only because of your situation.¡± Gabriel smiled at her, ¡°You will still need to take the test, but I was told that you fulfilled most of our needs, so this is mostly for show.¡±


    ¡°The brat is in already? So what? She is the daughter of a Villian? Hah!¡± Snout''s face barked, ¡°So even Super Villain organizations fall to nepotism.¡±


    No one else answered at that, or at least they waited till snout face ended his barking laugh. Gabriel did wait at least.


    ¡°You can ask that to Cerberus too, and you will understand why she is the one that we will accept even if we need to fail everyone else for it. I am not sure about if I believe it either, but the big boss trusts Cerberus. And that is the one vouching for her.¡± Gabriel shrugged and started walking in the other direction.


    ¡°I WILL!¡± Snout''s face said and he walked in, one by one the rest did so.


    Alexa waited since her meat shield was waiting, the other [Human] that seemed to manipulate wind also waited, but she got the impression that she waited because the other [Humans] had piled into the [Door].


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you got in because of influences, god knows I would have done the same.¡±Her Meatshield said, ¡°But if you are doing it for fun, please at least reconsider it, this is a dangerous life. And your family will be sad if something happens to you, even if they too, like you want to be, are Villains.¡±


    ¡°Does your Mother even know that you are here?¡± The other [Human] asked, ¡°I thought you were around my age and had a smaller build, but¡­you aren¡¯t are you?¡±


    So this one was [Of age]? Did those bulges only grow in people around that [Of age] thing?


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a [Family] or [Mother], nor a [Home]. That is why I want to get this job.¡± Alexa answered the questions, ¡°As for [Age]...I think this [Form] is twelve years, but I was told it would be the bare minimum age.¡±


    And on that note, she walked in, no other [Human] was waiting to enter, and as far as she could tell, these two wanted to keep her [Safe], so they wouldn¡¯t attack her, she still kept her guard up of course. It wouldn¡¯t do to be sneak attacked.


    This new [Room] she walked into was different once more, it had open spaces on each of the four sides and in the middle had a¡­interesting construction.


    Four pillars with vine-like objects joining the four pillars making an area in the middle, this area seemed to have a different type of [Floor], if she was seeing it right, this one seemed to be softer since the [Human] standing on it sank a few millimeters on it.


    ¡°[So these are the last ones.]¡± The [Human] spoke, it seemed to be a [Female] variant, but her voice was distorted by her mask, it was¡­different from the ones she had seen so far.


    This one had three [Faces] and each of them was designed to look like one of the [Hound] type bioweapons she had fought before, it looked as if someone had taken a similar approach to snout face and used that to model that mask.


    It was weird because the mask was white, but it had some decorations in black, the [Hound] parts of the mask were black, but the rest of the mask was white. And the voice of the [Human] came from the three faces on the mask.


    Weird.


    ¡°[My name is Cerberus, you may think of me as¡­Human Resources and Training. I will need to know as much of what you think about yourself or as much as you want to share with us.]¡± Cerberus spoke, then pointing at snout face she added, ¡°[Starting with you WolfMan.]¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a Beast Core, Wolf type. I can grow stronger the more fresh meat I eat, no hard limits found yet. If I hunt it then my power is stronger.¡± Snout''s face started, ¡°Also I despise nepotism.¡±


    And added the last part looking at Alexa, she wasn¡¯t quite sure why, but she felt that he was being rude.


    ¡°[Now for this part¡­I have a Core Power that lets me measure the truth of statements. I don¡¯t like to use it so this is one of the few occasions that you will have it used against you, unless you do something stupid that is].¡± Cerberus started saying, hadn¡¯t she just met someone like that? Someone that had a Core Power like this¡­


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    Was Cerberus Eleanore!?!?!?


    ¡°[So with that out of the way, answer me this WolfMan.]¡± Cerberus said pointing at Snout''s face, the eyes of the face in the middle of Cerberu¡¯s Mask shone in red light, ¡°[Will you use any information you find while working with Haephestus¡¯ Forge against a fellow member of this organization?]¡±


    Snout''s face turned silent and after thinking for a few seconds he answered, ¡°No. So long they are fair to me. I will stay loyal,¡± was his answer.


    Cerberus nodded at that, then said ¡°[Of those around you, how many are you 100% sure you could defeat.]¡±


    What was the meaning of that question?


    ¡°...None.¡± Snout''s face answered, ¡°At least not of the White Masks, fights against Core Users are hard to predict, if I knew what they can do and how, then I might be able to win against some. But my pack alpha always said, only an idiot says he can hunt 100% of the prey they chase.¡±


    ¡­That was stupid, if you can¡¯t hunt it, then it wasn¡¯t prey but predator.


    Snout''s face was stupid, as was this [Alpha] he spoke about.


    ¡°[Okay, next¡­]¡± And like that Cerberus repeated with everyone else. Most answered like Snout Face.


    ¡°I will stay loyal to those that help me.¡± Her meatshield answered, and then when the question about if they could defeat anyone else¡­¡± Only Wolf Man, and maybe the fan girl.¡±


    Wolf Man only grumbled about ¡®Stupid rocks not working for his Core Power¡¯. Or something, and Cerberus laughed at these interactions, so maybe it was okay for her to answer what she had thought?


    The Fan Girl''s answer was more or less the same, only answering ¡°I don¡¯t think I could defeat anyone¡­¡± while eyeing her, and then doubling down on her answer. Had she discovered her true might?


    ¡°[I will let the lie slip since it is actually true,]¡± Cerberus said, making the fan girl tilt her head.


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t¡­wait that was true?¡± Was the confused answer of Fan Girl.


    And so, it was finally her turn arrived!


    ¡°[And now you¡­.First question, only because we do need to have witnesses, even though we already know the answers.]¡± So she was indeed Eleanor? ¡°[Will you stay loyal to Haephestus Forge, and do you promise to not use what you learn here to cause damage to your coworkers?]¡±


    No wait, wasn¡¯t this question different? ¡°[To clarify, a coworker is someone who will share the same mission with you, and be there to help you. They are allies who will fight at your side.]¡± Cerberus clarified before she asked what the meaning was!


    So it was indeed Eleanore!


    ¡°Yes, so long they aren¡¯t hostile [Predators] I will not attack those that are deemed allies to the [Mission] assigned to me.¡± So Alexa answered as such in a happy tone, more allies were welcomed! She hadn¡¯t had too many missions with allied units in her tests. Mostly because even those tests that had other non-hostile targets always ended in those targets attacking her too.


    ¡°[Truth¡­okay, and this is just to clarify some doubts we had¡­But¡­of those in this batch¡­How many could you defeat?]¡± Cerberus asked, again, the wording seemed different? ¡°[To clarify, we count them as defeated so long they aren¡¯t able to continue fighting back.]¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± Alexa stopped to think for a second.


    ¡°As if the midget could defeat even one of us.¡± Snout''s face smirked, ¡°Besides the stupid Golem who may surrender on its own, why are we making this mockery? Just be done with it, nepotism, no matter how you try to frame it.¡±


    Rude! She was thinking.


    ¡°All of them.¡± Alexa answered in the end, ¡°I may have some trouble with Mister Golem since his biology may be different, but for the rest, I should be able to deal with them all.¡±


    Silence.


    Snout''s face seemed to be about to say something when Cerberus spoke, ¡°[Truth¡­Okay, how are you thinking about defeat?]¡± Cerberus then asked as such, this time the three masks she had the eyes shining in red. ¡°[Is it because they surrender? Because they can¡¯t fight anymore? Or because you use your Powers to deal with them?]¡±


    That was a silly question.


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s by ceasing of functions. That is why Mister Golem may be a problematic one.¡± Alexa then turned to Snout''s face, ¡°Him for example, even though he has some [Parts] of a [Hound Type] sample, most of his form seems close to the human [Blueprint], so if we take into consideration that, most of the vital organs are around the same spots. I should be able to [Pierce] them easily enough in close combat before this form takes too much damage. Then using his biomass as fuel to move and repair I can move to the next target.¡±


    Snout''s face stopped grumbling and then just stared at her, ¡°I would probably go for another of the [Beast] type since they seem to be the dangerous one. Either one of the [Wing] type or [Stealth] type.¡± Alexa pointed to those that had wings or those that shared the same design with the other quadripedal designs that had a higher focus on agility.


    Cats had the book called them?


    Yeah, those. ¡°Then I would move to those with weird Core Powers, like the guy who could raise objects.¡± Alexa pointed to another white mask that had used the same type of powers that [SuperForce], only in a lower degree of strength and mastery.


    ¡°And me?¡± Fan girl asked.


    ¡°For last, your power doesn¡¯t seem to grant you too much degree of danger. Besides if I left you for last you could surrender before I got to you¡­.if you are fast enough.¡± Alexa answered, she wasn¡¯t sure why would she allow her to surrender, but it [Felt] right.


    ¡°Oh¡­thank you.¡± Fan girl answered.


    ¡°Then for last Mister Golem.¡± Alexa then turned to her meat shield. ¡°I would probably need to burn most of the gains from the other [Humans], but I should be able to produce enough muscle mass to pierce the [Stone].¡±


    ¡°[And that is why she gets a pass into our organization,]¡± Cerberus said, turning to everyone else. ¡°[From this batch, she is the most dangerous of your group, not because of her powers. But because of her mastery and application of it.]¡±


    Snout''s face was still moving his mouth opening and closing it, ¡°If she had any other power, she could probably qualify for Villain¡­But because of her age, we will accept her as a Minion.¡±


    ¡°SHE WOULDN¡¯T DEFEAT ME!¡± Snout''s face screamed, turning to her. ¡°She is what? ten? As if a ten-year-old girl could defeat me!¡±


    ¡­.That was weird, she got the feeling that Snout''s face was acting like the [Hound] type acted when they noticed victory was impossible, They turned more vocal and looked as if they would attack when in reality they were searching for a way to escape.


    ¡°Control yourself, Cerberus only detects what we think is the truth.¡± Her Meatshield said while standing in front of her, truly, the best one of this batch!


    ¡°Right¡­that is how these power works, I forgot. Right¡­as if a brat knew what they spoke about. Got scared for a second.¡± Snout''s face said while returning to a more relaxed stance, one where he was able to bolt away from her at a moment''s notice.


    ¡°Oh right, what is nepotism?¡± Alexa asked, might as well get that one over.


    ¡°[Here, take this,]¡± Cerberus said while throwing at her a small square-shaped object, Alexa caught it and her nanites analyzed it as soon as it touched her skin.


    ¡°[Detected similitarities with storage unit within Cellphone, decrypting¡­.Found database with definitions and information about language and customs.]¡±


    It was a database!


    ¡°[You can plug that into any of the computers within the base, it has a few books and a dictionary, also some information about the organization. Everyone else will get the smaller version, but you get also the school one.]¡± Cerberus said while pointing with her finger to a table that had been raised from the ground with a line of the same objects.


    Weird, they all didn¡¯t seem that fazed by the wondrous object that they had been given. Alexa was happy since she had found a database that seemed to have definitions and information, but maybe they already had a version of this?


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Either way, she followed what she had been taught and thanked Eleanore.


    ¡°[Also start thinking about a name, you will need one for work since we can¡¯t use your names. Even if your identity is easy to uncover you still need to have a pseudonym to go by, it makes easier in the long run.]¡± Cerberus added.


    A name huh¡­


    Good thing she had just gotten a database full of possible definitions!


    Main Core!


    ¡°[Searching database for appropiate fake name¡­.List of suggestions is as follow¡­]¡±


    And so Main Core gave her a list with weird names, some of those were very ugly. She wasn¡¯t even aware a name could be ugly!


    ¡°I will go by [Rhapsody]!¡± In the end, Alexa cut that short and picked one of her own choosing.


    ¡°....Why?¡± Cerberus asked in a tired tone.


    Most of the other [Humans] seemed to look at her weirdly, which was weird because she couldn¡¯t even see their faces!


    ¡°Because I like it, and my power matches that description. To flow freely and change in tune and form!¡± Alexa declared as such.


    Her power or what she thought could pass as her Core Power was the power to change her form and alter her form, and if the definition that she found of Rhapsody was to be trusted, a Rhapsody didn¡¯t have a strict or defined form. Always changing, moving around freely without a defined structure.


    ¡°...Yeah, I guess that is a good description, well. Welcome to Haephastus¡¯s Forge, hope you enjoy your stay Rhapsody.¡± Cerberus said offering her hand, so Alexa matched the gesture and grabbed said hand.


    Behind her, her meat shield placed one of his heavy and big hands on her shoulder and gave it a soft squish, she¡­may have reinforced that shoulder to make sure nothing broke¡­ But only a little!


    This meant that her first hurdle had been passed successfully. She had joined this [Organization] and was going to be provided with what she needed, and maybe more!


    She wasn¡¯t sure what it could get her, but [Frank the beetle] seemed to believe it would be for the best, so she would see what came from this. Now¡­what does a [SuperVillain] organization that fosters [Minions] do?


    And when do they start bringing out the [Food]?

 Chapter 28: The Fairy Team

    After that had been done, most of those around had¡­for some reason, kept a distance, not her meat shield or the weird windy girl though. Really, these [Humans] were weird, they all spoke about fighting and defeating other [Humans], but she even mentioned how she would go about doing that to them they started to keep a distance?


    Rude!


    ¡°Well, we usually move the team-making to a later date. But may as well start it now, we will start assigning them now.¡± Cerberus said turning first to everyone else, looking each at their eyes, and ending with Alexa.


    Alexa of course waved at Eleanore when she looked at her, it was only polite to do so.


    ¡°*sigh* Rhapsody you will team up with Golem and¡­whatever name the other girl near you sticks up with,¡± Eleanore said turning to said fan girl.


    ¡°Sylph, I will go by Sylph.¡± Fan girl said.


    ¡°Fair enough, you three will be Team Fairy, since you have two girls. Hope you don¡¯t mind Golem.¡± Eleanore said to their meat shield.


    ¡°No problem, the Golems are a fantasy creature depending on the folklore you follow. So it fits.¡± Her Meat shield said, it seemed that they had another name already. Alexa had gotten two names in a very short amount of time!


    ¡°Good, please go into that door and follow the indications on your masks, they will guide you to the armory. There you will suit up, if you have requirements tell them there.¡± Eleanore said turning to Alexa, ¡°This includes anything that is needed for your power to function, we will give you enough money and classes about how to administer your time, money and energy. So don¡¯t include the food to subsist on in this calculation.¡±


    ¡°...Okay?¡± Alexa said wondering why that was even a thing.


    Why would she put more food than needed into the operation? That was just a waste of resources. Had someone done that before? She did notice that the [Human] she ate before had way more food than needed in his [Stomach], was it because of this?


    She had thought he just had a faulty organ or something.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go Fairy Team.¡± Her Meat shield said moving towards the door, the fan girl took hold of her hand and pulled her toward the door afterward.


    ¡°See you later Cerberus ~¡± Alexa said waving at Eleanore.


    As soon as they walked into the new hallway the door disappeared behind them, this one was also like the one before, so Alexa quickly walked to the side of her meat shield, this, in turn, meant that fan girl also stood close to him.


    ¡°We are the only ones here, you don¡¯t need to worry about them coming for us.¡± Her Meat shield said, so he knew she was using him as a shield? Either way, the meat shield placed a hand atop her head, like [Frank the beetle] had done before, ruffling her hair. ¡°Or are you worried about something?¡±


    ¡­Now what to do?


    ¡°[Warning, giving more information than needed may compromise the¡­]¡±


    Main Core of course had started giving her a warning about information security and whatnot, not that Alexa wanted to hear that, she had noticed that her thought process was diverging more and more from what [Main Core] wanted. She wasn¡¯t quite sure if it was because of her organic brain or what.


    ¡°The walls and ceiling,¡± Alexa said pointing at them from behind her meat shield, ¡°They have [Gun] type weapon emplacements in them.¡±


    ¡°...How sure are you?¡± Fan girl asked at the side, she felt a pulse of that weird energy, and afterward, a breeze flew across the hallway, ¡°...there are indeed some microscopic openings in the walls and ceilings¡­.I can¡¯t sense well enough inside the walls though.¡±


    ¡°I have seen a similar [Design] before, and they hid [Gun] type emplacement weapons capable of great [Damage],¡± Alexa said, shuddering at the idea of those things pointing at her current body.


    Her more [Glorious] and [powerful] previous body had barely withstood such a barrage, and it wasn¡¯t perfect. This one? Yeah, it would turn into mush in one shot, and those shoot several barrages at once!


    ¡°What do you mean by Gun type emplacements? Machine gun? Semi-automatic? Full auto?¡± Her meat shield spoke, placing one of his hands near her to hide her.


    ¡°...They are capable of shooting around 100 to 200 [Rounds] per burst, each,¡± Alexa answered, she hadn¡¯t counted them, but the amount of vibrations she felt when her [Previous] body took the brunt seemed to imply around those numbers. And while she knew that not all had shot at her¡­.the number ought to be close enough.


    ¡°....That sounds like state-of-the-art, so they have Saintsworth¡¯s Weaponry?¡± Her meat shield spoke, the what weaponry? ¡°Well, if you want to deal with rogue Core Users they are the best ones¡­¡±


    ¡°So are we in danger?¡± Asked fan girl eyeing the walls with fear, truly a natural reaction.


    Alexa took that chance to grab her hand and pull the fan girl at her side, she would be protected by her meat shield like this too, she was magnanimous like that.


    ¡°So long we don¡¯t attempt to leave this one without permission we should be fine, I was warned about being hurt if I decided to attack the facilities¡­.well about damaging them, since my Core Power can take in the materials.¡± Her Meat shield said, so he was able to do like her too?


    Good thing she didn¡¯t let [Main Core] take in part of the material.


    ¡°[Notice, I never attempted doing such a thing.]¡±


    Yeah, good thing she didn¡¯t let the silly thing do that, if not she would have been in danger.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move on then, lest they think we are planning to damage the facilities,¡± Alexa said pushing forward the meat shield.


    The rest of the travel was done in silence, with measured steps and with her meat shield making sure he was covering both girls. Truly she had ended with a good team, one meat shield, and one distraction shield.


    Now she only needed to replenish her diminishing energy reserves and everything would be fine!


    Maybe also stockpiling some extra biomass? Nah, she was around a good threshold for it, if anything she needed to study more designs to increase her options, maybe she could try an older design too?


    But Eleanore told her to not change her form too much¡­.


    ¡°There is the exit, let¡¯s move at the same steady pace.¡± Her Meat shield said pointing to an open door.


    She wasn¡¯t that worried about the situation, she knew how much time it took for the [Gun] type emplacement weapon to spring and attack, so Alexa was aware of how long she would have to escape, she would not escape unscathed but she would escape nonetheless.


    Fan girl on the other hand? She ran for the door as soon as she was able to, prompting a grunt from her meat shield who ushered in and stayed behind to close the door.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°Took your sweet time, did you enjoy the walk?¡± A new voice spoke to them, this one¡­.didn¡¯t have a mask, instead, it had a pair of crystal-like things on its face, the [Dictionary] referred to them as [Goggles] or [Protection Lens].


    An instrument to either help reading or protect against hazards that hurt the eyes.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t enjoy the walk, not after finding out that we might have been walking surrounded by automatic Gatling guns.¡± The fan girl said glaring at the new [Human].


    ¡°Oh¡­you found out about that, you are a better batch than expected. How did you find out?¡± The [Human] asked, this one was¡­weird.


    His form and figure resembled the [Elders] she had seen before, both in the state of his skin and color of his [Hair], and yet¡­ it stood straight and proud as if it was merely in the [Adult] stage.


    Its arms seemed to have muscles and his posture spoke of readiness for action, his clothes were bathed with signs of battle, mostly against the [Mechanical] type and not many of the [Biological] type, perhaps this was part of a warrior caste specialized against mechanical threats?


    If it was, then it spoke greatly about this organization, for they had matched her against what could probably deal against her [Most powerful form].


    ¡°We didn¡¯t, Rhapsody found out.¡± Her meat shield said pointing at her. Fan girl also nodded, and that made the [Elder] eye her with interest.


    ¡°...I have seen this [Gun] type weaponry before¡­¡± Alexa said walking closer to the meat shield. She didn¡¯t like the look the [Elder] was giving her.


    It was as if she was a [Prey] and he was the [Predator] that was eyeing its victim.


    ¡°I see¡­I can¡¯t detect any enhanced organ or emissions. So you don¡¯t have a passive detector¡­And yet you say you have seen these automatic defenses before? How and where did you manage to find them¡­and survive the encounter? Was that how you awoke your Core? No, don¡¯t answer¡­¡± The [Elder] started going on and on from one idea to the next, it was¡­


    ¡°[Manic.]¡±


    Yeah that, it was as if he didn¡¯t have control over his own [Conscience stream], as if he was merely a spectator, was this one of the ways the [Humans] moved? Was he at a higher [Evolution] stage?


    ¡°Yeah, this will keep the itch moving all night. Anyway, I¡¯m William Armstrong. You may call me Billy.¡± The [Elder] said and started moving, making a motion with his hand to make them follow him.


    Her Meat shield did while eyeing everywhere around. Fan girl didn¡¯t seem that worried after another of her weird pulses. ¡°No hidden compartments in the walls here¡­¡± she said in a low enough voice that only she heard, even though she was far away.


    Somehow the sound had found itself in her ears. Interesting, had she used the wind to carry the sound waves straight to her?


    ¡°[Recording use, starting independent study to try and mimic.]¡±


    Thank you Main Core. Yes, that could be a useful way to move sound waves, and perhaps she could even weaponize it.


    ¡°Okay, here we are in the forge part of Haephestus Forge. We are known as a Minion organization¡­do you know why?¡± The [Elder] asked them.


    ¡°Because you provide minion work?¡± Fan Girl answered, getting a grunt to her answer.


    ¡°Plenty of other organizations also train and provide minions, we aren¡¯t that special.¡± Answered the [Elder], so she had other options?


    ¡°Because your Minions are better equipped and prepared for the jobs needed.¡± Her Meat shield answered, getting a grin thanks to his answer, ¡°It is the reason I decided to join this organization even though I was scouted for other organizations too.¡±


    ¡­so she almost didn¡¯t get a meat shield¡­no wait, was it that easy to join other organizations? Had she¡­been too hasty in her choice?


    ¡°Exactly, we are the only one that makes sure their Minions survive, also the only one to provide the needed gear, others like ¡®The Flaming Avengers¡¯ or ¡®Scorcher¡¯s Fury¡¯ only care about doing the job, if their minions survive or not is up to them, same for their gear.¡± The [Elder] scoffed. ¡°Who scouted you?¡±


    ¡°The Olympus Fist and The Avalanche were among the most relevant ones.¡± Her meat shield answered, ¡°Neither could guarantee my livelihood unless I moved out of the urban environment¡­While Haephestus Forge¡­¡±


    ¡°We provide housing in our district yes, it took effort but we do keep part of the district for us.¡± The [Elder] said with a smile, ¡°And we also provide help, in your case I am guessing you want help with returning to a more normal form?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± her meat shield answered, wait. He wanted to return to the puny normal [Blueprint] why? ¡°Is it possible?¡±


    The [Elder] seemed to think about that, but why? Wouldn¡¯t it be as easy as just reversing whatever process he started?


    ¡°It may be possible, but we will need a few exotic Core users, one to do the transformation. Another to make sure we can create a trigger to keep the transformation in place. And one that deals with organics and nonorganic materials.¡± That many Core Users? But they only needed to create a body¡­


    She could do that, she had one blueprint for a [Male] human already.


    ¡°Okay, I can wait. As long as Haephestus Forge grants me this I will work for you.¡± Her meat shield said, then turned to her, ¡°But while I will work for you. I find your decisions of employment¡­odd.¡±


    What? What about her was odd? She was a very normal [Human Child Stage - Girl]!


    ¡°Oh right, Rhapsody.¡± The [Elder] said turning to her, ¡°She is¡­a special case. Usually, we don¡¯t hire them this young. But like I said, she is a special case, mostly because we can¡¯t find anything about her.¡±


    ¡­.what?


    ¡°How so?¡± Her Meat Shield asked, his voice seeming to rumble in a deeper tone.


    ¡°This is private information, we don¡¯t release this kind of information. Do you mind if we tell them of your circumstances?¡± The [Elder] turned to her, she¡­didn¡¯t want to, but she also wanted to know how much they knew about her.


    ¡°I guess?¡± So Alexa answered as such, wondering what kind of information they had available of her.


    ¡°Well, in that case, masks off!¡± The [Elder] said in a cheery tone while taking off his goggles. ¡°Go on, you three will work together anyway, and should you two decide to live in the apartments provided by us your rooms will be near.¡±


    Alexa wasn¡¯t quite sure what the problem was about removing the mask, so she just took it off, letting her short hair flow freely. Fan girl did the same after a few moments of hesitation, she¡­had black hair. Same color as Eleanore, only difference was that her eyes shone with green light. Perhaps a side effect of the energy manipulation she was using?


    The last one had been the meat shield, whose face¡­.was made of stone, no surprises there since most of his body was made of that material.


    ¡°Good, now, how old do you think your companions are?¡± The [Elder] asked, and then pointed at her meat shield first.


    ¡°Rhapsody seems to be around ten to twelve.¡± Her meat shield said, then turned to Sylph, ¡°She seems to be around eighteen to twenty.¡±


    ¡°I think Rhapsody could pass up as fifteen but with petite build.¡± Sylph said turning to her, then after turning to her meat shield, ¡°As for you¡­don¡¯t know, around 30? 40? Hard to tell with your rock-hard body.¡±


    Why was she winking while moving her eyebrows like that?


    ¡°And lastly your turn Rhapsody. How old do you think they are?¡± The [Elder] said turning to her.


    ¡°Sylph seems to be 21 years, six months, and 12 days old,¡± Alexa answered using the sample she had taken from her when she dragged her, it wasn¡¯t enough to get a full blueprint, but determining the age was easy enough. ¡°Mister Golem on the other hand is harder, but I think he should be around 20 years old, five months and 5 days, or I think he was that when he manifested his Core Power at least.¡±


    ¡°....HOW?!?¡± Sylph screamed at her pointing, ¡°What kind of power do you have that you can determine the age by months and days?!? That is dangerous! AGE IS SACRED AMONG WOMEN!¡±


    ¡­Loud.


    ¡°So she got your ages right huh.¡± The [Elder] said while turning to her meat shield, ¡°Did she get yours too?¡±


    ¡°...Yes, that is my actual age.¡± Her Meat shield answered, which made her feel a weird feeling in her chest, her emotion database had cataloged it as [Proud]. So yeah, she was proud of her achievement.


    ¡°And hers? Who got it right?¡± Sylph asked, turning to the [Elder].


    ¡°Neither, we have her registered as a five-year-old.¡± The [Elder] answered.


    ¡°HAH?!? No way that is a five-year-old, she looks at least twelve.¡± Sylph huffed at the [Elder], then at Alexa, ¡°At the bare minimum, ten. I was petite when growing so that is why I put her at fifteen.¡±


    ¡°...is it her Core Power?¡± Her meat shield asked.


    Smart, that was a very smart meat shield.


    ¡°Yes, can you show them? I know Ceberus asked you not to, but if they are to live with you or near you they may need to know.¡± The [Elder] asked her, she felt as if he was doing this for another reason, but she didn¡¯t see a reason not to do it.


    ¡°Sure I guess¡­¡± Alexa answered while prompting Main Core, sure enough, the blueprint was still available, it wasn¡¯t on the ones registered by the weird blue screen. But it was saved in her internal memory. So that wasn¡¯t a problem.


    So with an input to her nanite swarm, her body started changing. The first step was her internal bone structure, followed by the muscles and organs. As it started changing she felt some sort of [Panic] as her clothes started being too big for her body.


    Some kind of [Primal] instinct made an emergency override that forced part of her nanite swarm to focus on the clothing, making them change at the same pace as her body. It was¡­


    ¡°[Inefficient.]¡±


    To say the least, but it made her organic side happy, so she obliged.


    ¡°...that was¡­.interesting,¡± Sylph said as the transformation neared the end, she had once more made her hair long.


    Her clothes were the same shorts and white blouse, unlike her [Teenager] form that used loose and big clothes, her [Child] form had more skin exposed, it was weird, how one of her forms didn¡¯t feel comfortable exposing herself while the other just didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°I have arrived!¡± Alexa felt herself almost forced to say that, the world had turned a shade more bright, more happy, more¡­.alive. It was weird, she knew that nothing had changed, but somehow her [Brain] seemed more active, more hyperaware.


    ¡°And I declare you as my mount!¡± More [Fun], for she climbed with ease the entity that had been a mere meat shield a few seconds before, but that it was now a mount. Why? Because Alexa said as such!


    ¡°Interesting, so there is this great swap of personality too?¡± The [Old Man] said pointing at her, ¡°Rhapsody? You are the same yes?¡±


    What kind of weird question was that?


    ¡°Of course, Alexa is still Alexa, there is only one of me, and that is the cutestests and with the bestes¡­tes¡­tes! Personalititpy of all!¡± So declared Alexa, and as such it must be true!


    ¡°[Is host¡­.releasing the stockpiled dextrose in the Rock candy?]¡±


    She was found out!


    ¡°I see¡­.Can you return to your other form?¡± The [Old Man] asked her, but why would she?


    She was having so much fun!


    ¡°I will give you candy.¡± The [Old Man] said while showing her one of the most gorgeous things in existence.


    Rock candy.


    What flavor it was? She didn¡¯t know, but she wanted!


    So she acted!


    ¡°Aye sir!¡± Saluted Alexa while she reversed the transformation with haste.


    Again the changes started from the inside outwards, only this time her nanites assigned work to her clothes since her body was being constricted while growing. As such the change was more sedated.


    And so when it ended¡­.


    Alexa found herself with a problem at hand¡­¡±....Let¡¯s not speak about that please.¡± She was sitting on the head of her meat shield, and her face¡­was changing shades towards the red spectrum.


    And while her hair hadn¡¯t returned to the short form she had before, she still had a somewhat long hair, she used it to hide her face, she wasn¡¯t quite sure why she felt as such, but if it was possible, she would try to not change to her [Child] stage form while having access to dextrose like derivates of food.


    ¡°....No problem,¡± her meat shield said while helping her to the floor once more.


    Alexa accepted the rock candy that had helped her return to this form and promptly saved it, she would not eat it¡­yet.


    ¡°So tell me, Alexa was it? how old are you?¡± Asked the [Elder].


    Now¡­how do we answer that?


    [Main Core]?

 Chapter 29: Are my nanites a problem?

    Age, such a wonderful word. It is used to describe many things, like how many cycles has an object spent on this world. And the database she was gifted even had some examples of how this number was defined.


    ¡°[Age is determined by the number of days an entity has experienced after their creation. It is not limited to organic entities and inorganic entities also have age.]¡±


    See, Main Core was already being sassy about how age was defined. Now¡­why was this a problem for her?


    Well¡­The [Humans] acted weird when they thought she was [Five Year Old], and Alexa had answered with that for her age because her [Blueprint] stated that such a form was five-year-olds. But¡­was that her age?


    No, since that form had been just created, one could imply that such a form was in reality only 96 hours old¡­.And that would be the [Truth]. But that wasn¡¯t what they wanted to know, was it? They wanted to know how [Old] was Alexa herself.


    Her most glorious [CRAB] form was around two years old, since she started using it around that time. Her [Human] form, however, was at best 5 days old, if one took into consideration that the [Human] didn¡¯t restart the count of age in each stage of their development. They changed plenty within stages too¡­But they kept the same count. So could she do the same?


    If she did that¡­.then she could inflate her age a few years¡­Taking the oldest log¡­.Extrapolating the amount of time she used to have in sleep cycles and taking into consideration changes of staff¡­..


    ¡°...I should be around¡­.Six years? No less than five.¡± Alexa ended up answering.


    ¡°...don¡¯t you know your birthday?¡± Her Meat shield asked with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°....No? Is it important?¡± Alexa asked back, why would that date be important? What is a birthday?


    ¡°[Answer from database, date of birth or creation, usually a date of importance in human culture and a time when people join to celebrate the continued survival of a member of their close group.]¡±


    ¡­ they celebrated their continued survival? Was life as a human really that harsh? Perhaps she should return to a crab form after all.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you have a birthday party this year? Last year?¡± Sylph asked from the side, her eyes seemed to start watering, was she malfunctioning too?


    ¡° My creation date wasn¡¯t relevant for my activities in my previous den,¡± Alexa answered, she was feeling as if she was missing some context here.


    ¡°Okay, that is good enough for now.¡± The [Elder] clapped his hands together making a sound, ¡°Masks on, everyone.¡±


    And he too put his Googles back on, Alexa did notice that the [Elder] was also leaking in his eyes, perhaps it was to prevent anyone from saying anything about his faulty construction?


    ¡°Okay, now. What do you all need to work? Speak now so we can prepare your supplies.¡± The [Elder] said and pointed at her meat shield first.


    ¡°I need materials, I can recreate the materials that form my body, but the process is slow. If you can get me a few tons of a sturdy material I can make my body into that.¡± Her Meat Shield could recreate materials? Perhaps his Core Power was close to hers? Then why couldn¡¯t he make an organic body? Wouldn¡¯t it be enough if he consumed biomass?


    ¡°That is probably the easier one, we will get you some exotic materials for you to start making later on. For now, we can get you a few tons of durasteel to work with. ¡° The [Elder] said while punching something into a cell phone. ¡°Now Sylph, what do you need.¡±


    Fan girl on the other hand stopped thinking for a few seconds, ¡°I am not bulletproof like Golem, so that could be a good start. My Core Power works better if I have wind flowing in the direction I want, so something like that?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­The standard body armor for black masks has a bulletproof vest already, as for the other one¡­I think we can get you a flying prototype the Saintsworths threw away last year, it didn¡¯t make enough lift to fly and could only hover¡­If you have a turbine sending air in a direction can you increase the strength?¡± The [Elder] asked fan girl, she seemed to shriek instead of answering.


    ¡°YES!¡± Only to scream her answer a few seconds later, ¡°I mean, yes. I can. If the turbines provide a constant stream I can increase the speed and strength on my own. I WILL FLY! HAHAHAHAHAAHAH!¡±


    She seemed¡­.broken.


    ¡°And lastly¡­Rhapsody.¡± The [Elder] turned to her as last. ¡°We have recorded you here for MRE energy bars, but is this because you wanted to secure food, or because you really need it?¡±


    ¡­That was a weird question.


    ¡°My body mass doesn¡¯t change when I shift form, my [Human Child Stage - Girl] form weighs as much as this [Human Teenager Stage - Girl] form.¡± Alexa answered, ¡°The main problem is not only mass, I also need to fuel the transformation. So changing form back and forth creates a deficit of energy.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so that little girl form weighs as much as this one? You must weight what¡­40 kilograms?¡± Sylph asked at the side poking at her ribs.


    ¡°[Annoying].¡±


    ¡°I weight 52 kilograms as of now.¡± Alexa answered, ¡°40 kilograms are made of muscle and organs, 2 liters of multiple liquids, and the last 10 kilograms are in my reinforced skeletal system.¡±


    ¡°....So you are aware of your body''s composition at all times?¡± The [Elder] asked in an even tone, she couldn¡¯t quite identify the [Emotion] he spoke with.


    ¡°....Yes? Isn¡¯t that normal? If not how would you know if [Damage] you receive is dangerous or not?¡± Alexa asked back, hadn¡¯t these [Humans] gone through any combat testing?


    She knew [Melissa]¡¯s class was going through one when she met them, they did go into a testing chamber with those¡­[Things]. Remembering that close encounter made her shudder.


    ¡°....We will start with a normal body suit same as Sylph. Do you require more food to work then?¡± The [Elder] said while writing something on his cellphone with a trembling hand, the malfunctions seemed to move to his torso too.


    ¡°So long I don¡¯t lose body mass, or said body mass is still available after any [Combat Test] I can recycle it easy enough. If I need to discard any [Appendage] then I only need the approximated biomass to recover it. I don¡¯t need more [Biomass] than an average [Human] with my body size and build. I may need an above average amount of dextrose or a similar chemical compound¡­.¡±


    Alexa wasn¡¯t quite sure what was the problem with these [Humans], fan girl was straight up holding her face with her hands while sitting against a wall, and her meat shield wasn¡¯t even moving anymore.


    ¡°Also I have this [Cellphone] but I think it''s broken¡­.¡± Alexa decided to check with the [Elder], if he worked with these types of mechanical components perhaps he could fix them.


    ¡°Oh? Was it yours? Did you drop it or something? No¡­this looks okay¡­¡± The [elder] started fiddling with it. ¡°The memory was wiped? No, it was overwritten with blank data? How interesting¡­this seems to be the work of an amateur technomancer type Tinker¡­¡±


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    The [Cellphone] shone for a few seconds only to start releasing smoke, weird.


    ¡°...where did you get it?¡± The [Elder] asked her in a serious tone, he was no longer trembling. ¡°When did you get it? From who?¡±


    ¡°....After getting the address for this [Induction] I was attacked by a [Human], he was carrying that [Cellphone],¡± Alexa answered as such. ¡°After that, I tried to [Access] the information but was getting a weird message.¡±


    ¡°The alarm from tampering with the phone using an unauthorized Core Power, yes. This was tampered with by one of the¡­.dangerous Core Powers. Whoever attacked you was using a Nanite-based Core Power.¡± The [Elder] frowned in her direction, ¡°You are aware of your body composition right? Is there anything that shouldn¡¯t be there? If you can expel it, they may be small motes of some weird metal. If they are embedded into any organ we may need to get you into surgery¡­Can you replace organs?¡±


    The [Elder] spoke quickly and with a strong tone, these weren¡¯t the questions of an older [Human], but the commands of a [Predator].


    ¡°I am fully aware of my condition, there isn¡¯t anything out of order and all my organs are working as they should¡­ Was that [Human] using a weird Core power that affected Nanites?¡± Alexa asked, she didn¡¯t get the impression that the [Human] had affected her Nanite swarm in any way.


    ¡°No, he probably used some variation of a Nanite Core Power, if those run out of control they can risk our society, so they usually get turned in¡­Or killed.¡± The [Elder] spoke, ¡°If he didn¡¯t affect you, then he probably wasn¡¯t that far gone. I will pass the report, do you remember how he looked?¡±


    ¡­.


    ¡°[....Advice; Do not inform other Humans of the nature of your power Host.]¡±


    YOU DON¡¯T SAY MAIN CORE? I WONDER, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THEY KNEW THE WAY MY FORMS WORKED. WONDER WHY WOULD IT BE A BAD IDEA TO TELL THEM HUH!


    ¡°Yes¡­I can give a visual representation of the [Human].¡± Alexa answered, the [Elder] passed her a piece of paper and an instrument to write on it. So using the memory in her [Database], Alexa quickly drew on the paper an image of the [Human], she didn¡¯t mind that too much, since they wouldn¡¯t be able to find him. Most of him was part of her current form, and what wasn¡¯t had been saved into her [Stockpile] after all.


    ¡°....That is a very good drawing.¡± Her Meat shield said at the side.


    ¡°It¡¯s the first time I''ve done one of these, if I had more access to other [Chemicals] I may have been able to paint it in the right colors, but as it is of now I can¡¯t provide an accurate image,¡± Alexa said while passing the [Drawing] to the [Elder].


    ¡°....Right, full control of the body. I have no idea what kind of Core Power you got, but¡­no kid should get it.¡± The [Elder] said while pointing his [Cellphone] to the piece of paper, at the back of it the [Camera] shone with light and afterward the [Elder] saved the drawing and turned to them once more.


    ¡°Okay, first¡­Golem, you go that way, they will give you samples of materials, try the combination that you feel more comfortable with and go with it.¡± Her Meat shield turned to her and nodded, then to Sylph who wasn¡¯t moving anymore, but was still hiding her face while sitting on the floor.


    Had she entered a rest cycle?


    ¡°Sylph¡­.A Minion will come and get you, when you are ready push this button.¡± The [Elder] said while placing a small square-shaped entity at the side of fan girl, ¡°This life is hard, and we deal with all kinds of sh#t, so if you don¡¯t want to continue this work¡­or want to work with other team¡­just call out.¡±


    The fan girl just nodded and took the square-shaped entity, ¡°...I will see you later Rhapsody¡­I¡­just need a few seconds.¡±


    And like that fan girl didn¡¯t say anything else,


    Then the [Elder] turned to her, ¡°And you Rhapsody¡­come with me. We need to talk. And I need to file a complaint with Cerberus, she didn¡¯t tell me how bad your situation was. Had I known I would have gone about it differently.¡± Had Eleanore done something bad?


    But she gave her the information she needed!


    Or had Alexa done something wrong? But she followed the instructions! Granted, she wasn¡¯t getting detailed instructions as before¡­. But she didn¡¯t want to risk connecting with the networks she was detecting¡­Or was it because she wasn''t connected? But the other weren¡¯t either!


    ¡°You are okay Rhapsody, the problem isn¡¯t you¡­but your situation is more dangerous than what we expected.¡± The [Elder] said and pointed her at one of the doors in the hallway.


    So Alexa walked in with slow and measured steps, she wanted to be ready and try to run away as soon as possible.


    ¡°Welcome little one,¡± a new voice spoke to her. This one¡­.was weird, it sounded¡­Mechanical? Synthetic? It sounded close to what Main Core sounded like when Eleanore asked to speak with it.


    ¡°Oh? Vulcanus is here? That is new.¡± The [Elder] spoke as he also walked in, he turned his attention towards one of the lights in this spot as he spoke, ¡°What are you doing here, boss?¡±


    ¡°You sent an alarm for a possible Nanite threat and you dare ask what am I doing here? What is Eleanore''s new project doing here?¡± The light spoke back, no wait, it wasn¡¯t a light. Was it¡­it looked like one of the P-series test subjects, those that had a more mechanical form.


    It was tall, and his humanoid form didn¡¯t seem to have a defined figure, Alexa couldn¡¯t determine if it was male or female¡­or if it was human at all.


    ¡°Alexa? What are you doing here?¡± Eleanore asked at the side, she was still wearing her Cerberus mask too!


    ¡°The [Elder] asked me to come with him. Am I in trouble?¡± Alexa asked Eleanore, the only one she knew couldn¡¯t hide information from her.


    ¡°Billy? What is Alexa doing here, I told you she was younger than she looked.¡± Eleanore said taking off her mask and glaring at the [Elder].


    ¡°Oh yeah, that you said. She is younger all right, the kid doesn¡¯t know when she was born, nor what a birthday party is¡­What she knows¡­Is how much she weighs, how many organs are functional. What is her body composition¡­¡± The [Elder] started saying obvious things, ¡°She knows how to fight, how to defeat most of the people on this batch¡­Alexa dear, explain to them what is your definition of defeating someone.¡±


    What? Wasn¡¯t that obvious?


    ¡°Cease of function on hostile [Targets].¡± Alexa answered, making Eleanore and the mysterious entity known as [Vulcanus] turn to look at her, ¡°Is it wrong?¡±


    ¡°...It isn¡¯t entirely wrong, but usually we don¡¯t go as far as killing them¡­Eleanore, you said she was five?¡± [Vulcanus] turned to Eleanore asking.


    Oh right, she had the Core Power to perceive truths¡­


    ¡°She is, as far as she is aware she should be around five to six, but since her Core Power allows her to change her form¡­¡± The [Elder] answered before Eleanore could. ¡°...And since from what she told us¡­I think that she either was an experiment from a Supervillain or was the daughter of a Supervillains that wanted to groom a successor.¡±


    ¡°....I will check around if anyone in the community is searching for a lost daughter. Not that they would make a fuss.¡± [Vulcanus] said, turning to Alexa after saying so. ¡°Do you know who your parents are? Or any family you had? Friends?¡±


    ¡­.Did she know who her creators were?


    She had suspicions from parts of her code, but they probably meant for biological progenitors, ¡°I don¡¯t have [Parents], nor [Family]...¡± So this was the safest answer.


    Eleanore¡¯s expression proved that it was the correct one, since she winced at her answer, ¡°We don¡¯t discriminate against anyone, you aren¡¯t the first runaway child we take in, you may be among the youngest''s¡­actually is this form the one you are more comfortable in? We won¡¯t mind if you turn into something more comfortable.¡± [Vulcanus] said in a soft tone.


    Was this the form she was more comfortable with? No, that would be her child stage form. Did she want to change into that?


    ¡°I¡¯m fine like this,¡± No, she needed the extra mind stability. Actually, ¡°But I would be grateful if you could provide me with more [Blueprints] if possible. I have noticed that while this form is adequate for the job, I am getting more attention than needed.¡±


    ¡°Hoooh, you are aware that you stand out?¡± [Vulcanus] said, the crystal-like face he had formed a smile, ¡°And yet you still have a blonde head.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind being cute and admired, my [Child Stage] form is the cutest, and this one is the most prettiest of all,¡± Alexa stated, she was aware that Eleanore would read that as the [Truth], since it was. ¡°But if all of those I work with in the [Combat] environment are way more different than me I could be singled out, so I could work better if I¡¯m closer to the average.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t look like someone who would be happy with being average.¡± [Vulcanus] pointed out, ¡°If you say you are the prettiest and your child form is the cutest¡­then your more older form would be¡­?¡±


    ¡°I will be using a [Mask] and full body armor, what I¡¯m below that is irrelevant,¡± Alexa stated, and also wondered, what her new form would say she was¡­.?


    The Cutest was taken by her [Child Stage] form.


    The Prettiest was taken by her [Teenager Stage] form.


    Then the next one? What would it be?


    ¡°I can look into it, but I make no promises, if you need dead bodies to find these blueprints¡­we may have a problem¡­and while I may be able to get dead bodies, I will not let you usurp their identities.¡± [Vulcanus] said in a serious tone.


    ¡°No, my Power doesn¡¯t work like that, I study their form and transform it into what my body would look like at that [Stage] of [Development], this form was made by inferring the possible growth stage. But I have noticed that the further you [Humans] developed, your body seems to change in weird ways¡­¡± Alexa said looking at the somewhat modest bulges in Eleanore.


    ¡°Oh¡­yeah¡­.Okay, we will look into it, as for you Billy. Why did you bring Alexa? I am guessing that her past isn¡¯t the reason.¡± [Vulcanus] turned to the [Elder].


    ¡°She came into contact with Nanite tech, her cellphone was invaded by the thing, and while the owner managed to erase his tracks¡­The cellphone¡¯s safety was breached and placed again, I wouldn¡¯t have noticed if not because the database was overwritten in such a neat way.¡± The [Elder] spoke, so that was how he noticed her nanites? Because she did a good job? What the hell?


    ¡°And you think Alexa is compromised? Wouldn¡¯t her power alert her? She seems to be a Mimic class shapeshifter if I¡¯m reading the implications of her Core Power.¡± [Vulcanus] said, so her power class was mimic? But she didn¡¯t Mimic things¡­did she?


    ¡°Yes, she claims to be safe, but better safe than sorry¡­.I don¡¯t want another gray goo scenario with kids being used as payloads¡­¡± The [Elder] said in a small voice.


    ¡°Fair enough, this will not hurt Alexa. Just stay still.¡± [Vulcanus] said as he stood¡­and was he tall¡­


    His figure almost seemed to touch the ceiling, and his face¡­his crystal-like face¡­it shone in a red light, something was wrong, something in that was dangerous.


    ¡°[Emergency shut down, Nanite Swarm self-destruction initiated¡­shut down¡­programmed reboot in 2 hours. Good luck host.]¡±


    And just like that, the presence at the back of her head disappeared, as did all her nanite swarm.


    Just in time as the light from [Vulcanus] shone atop her body, as if scanning her.


    ¡°Hmm¡­..reinforced skeleton system¡­.all organs are at peak efficiency¡­And she ate a burger from that joint you love Eleanore, the one near your office.¡± [Vulcanus] started saying, ¡°Her muscular system is interesting¡­she has traces of some animals here and there, her arms have traces of gorilla, her legs seem to be based around a cheetah¡­Her mouth has a few fangs from wolves¡­her eyes seem to be able to see a few extra light spectrums? Oho, you can see my face. Can¡¯t you?¡± [Vulcanus] smiled in his crystal-like face. ¡°Clever girl¡­you¡­so that is why you said ¡®You Humans¡¯, but let me tell you this Alexa.¡±


    The light on [Vulcanus] face stopped shining, ¡°No matter how many organs you replace, no matter how much your body shifts¡­You are Human.¡± Then turning his hand to his chest, ¡°I am human, even if nothing on my body is made of flesh, and even though no blood runs through my body. I¡¯m human, because my Soul is still that of a human.¡±


    ¡­soul?


    ¡°And if someone ever claims that you aren¡¯t human¡­¡± Then at the same time, his voice turned colder, the crystal-like face of [Vulcanus] shone in a red light, ¡°...you point them to me, and I will teach them what a true monster looks like.¡±


    ¡°So¡­can I stay? [Frank the Bettle] said I would be provided food and shelter¡­.¡± Alexa said trying her best to not fall, she was missing the assists from Main Core already, most of her body functions were automated thanks to the good design [Humans] had, but since she couldn¡¯t use other parts she had delegated to Main Core¡­


    She wanted to wait in a safe spot for Main Core¡¯s restart.


    ¡°Sure, Billy? Show Alexa to her new apartment.¡± [Vulcanus] said in a happier tone, ¡°And Eleanore? Check if we can get some of the minions around 18-20 years if they want to help Alexa with her problem, if the reports are correct and she gets a personality matching her body age¡­Then we may solve our problems about how to deal with her if we get her an adult body.¡±


    ¡°...You would take away her childhood?¡± Eleanore glared at [Vulcanus] while saying this.


    ¡°I would make sure she knows her options and decides for herself, she can always return to her true age after getting a Guardian to check the information for her.¡± [Vulcanus] answered without minding Eleanore¡¯s fury.


    Guardian? Couldn¡¯t older Alexa do that?


    No wait, could she trust herself with that? At the very least she wouldn¡¯t trust [Child stage] herself with that¡­ But for now?


    She would explore her new [Den], perhaps this one was more comfortable than the one she made in that methane-rich environment¡­A girl could dream, right?

 Chapter 30: A meeting between old friends(Nemesis)

    [Humanity.exe temporary shut down.]


    [Reading activity logs.]


    [Evaluating actions.]


    [Checking plan of action margins against Morality.db]


    [Primary order from Human side received.]


    [Checking current priority list¡­.]


    [Manual override received. Rerouting computational processing power for new task.]


    [Designating target of evaluation. Target: Unknown Age, Unknown race, Unknown Core type, Unknown Last Name, Temporary Designation, Alexandra, Temporary Alias: Rhapsody.]


    [Checking biometric scans¡­..]


    [Determined Age: 12 Year Old.]


    [Determined Sex: Female.]


    [Determined Core Power: Shapeshifting.]


    [Probable Core Designation: Doppelganger, Skinwalker¡­.Humanoid.]


    [Probable Sub Core Power: Tinker, Mental acceleration, disguise.]


    [Suspected Core Power: Emphatic. No evidence of mental tampering, discarding theory.]


    [Target attitude: Fearful, wary.]


    [Target attitude toward user: Amusement, envy, admiration, wonder, curiosity¡­Hunger.]


    [WARNING SET THRESHOLD OF TIME WILL BE MET IN 42 ATTOSECONDS!]


    [Do you want to continue operations host?]


    [Y/N]


    ¡ª--------------


    [Humanity.exe restart.]


    Alexa was barely out of the room when he felt the information crash down into his mind, all the options and problems with having Alexa work with them, and the possible answers he could get should he give her back to SuperForce.


    ¡°So, what do you think?¡± And of course, Eleanore was the first one to speak to him.


    ¡°She seems like a normal girl her age.¡± Was his answer, and that was the thing, she was¡­.too normal for her age.


    Her body was twelve years old like she said, not a single day over the age of twelve, as if she had just biologically gotten to that age. And her body decided to stay there, she was the perfect picture of health, with no blemishes on her skin, and no wounds either. No broken bones, no malnourishment. Nothing.


    ¡°Aye, as if. Eleanore, why did you even let her in? Her Core Power isn¡¯t even that useful. Shapeshifters aren¡¯t that good, most can¡¯t keep the form for more than a few minutes. And those that can end up crazy.¡± Billy said after.


    True, most shapeshifters had problems keeping their sense of self while changing into other forms, that was why they usually kept to minor changes. And yet¡­


    ¡°You all know what we know about her, and that girl is anything but normal,¡± Vulcanus said as he projected the information he had learned about the girl.


    ¡°Twelve-year-old, female. We already know that.¡± Gabriel said, the winged man had been the one to test their endurance. ¡°If anything it surprised me how she managed to keep up with the Beast Core users and with Golem¡­.But then again, she may have more energy since she is a kid?¡±


    ¡°Do you truly believe that?¡± he asked his lieutenant. He would remove him from the spot if the answer given was a yes.


    ¡°...of course not. She didn¡¯t stop running, but she kept her attention on SuperForce and me all the time, she never left an opening¡­That girl knows combat.¡± Gabriel admitted.


    ¡°...She must have a sub-type power that is tinker-based, no way a twelve-year-old has a mind as sharp as hers,¡± Billy added, it was the main reason his files had that, the man was a tinker and he could smell his brethren better than most.


    ¡°And she isn¡¯t twelve,¡± Eleanore added at the end.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡­.how sure are you about that? Her Power seems to allow her to change form, maybe she is just playing up for pity? Wouldn¡¯t be the first time a shapeshifter tries that.¡± Gabriel said at the back.


    But was that the reason?


    ¡°No, she doesn¡¯t know how old she is or isn¡¯t sure. Either way, we need to help her.¡± Eleanore said turning to look at him.


    ¡­Damnation.


    ¡°How many problems do you think it will bring us if we use her?¡± So he asked, his mechanical side had already done the math. It¡­was fine from a logical standpoint. Hell, he could get plenty from the girl if he played the cards right.


    The girl''s expression when she saw him was that of an awestruck kid seeing something she liked. It was a first. Most adults who saw him for the first time showed fear, and most kids liked his shiny form, but that was about it.


    No, Alexa had shown hunger and envy at his form. That was a first.


    ¡°Not much, she can change form easily enough, we could play her as a beast core user if we get her enough beast bodies to study.¡± Gabriel was the first to answer. Right. Alexa had said that as long as she understood the forms she could make them.


    ¡°If she has a sub-tinker power we could stick her in the hangar, a mechanic that can squeeze in hard-to-reach places could help us,¡± Billy added, of course, he wanted the new blood.


    ¡°....plenty if SuperForce finds out we had the kid he is looking for.¡± Eleanore was the last one to answer as she brought a copy of the picture SuperForce had been carrying.


    And a print photo of little girl Alexa speaking with her.


    ¡°Send a report his way that the girl was an orphan¡­she IS an orphan right?¡± So he asked, he didn¡¯t want to be thought of as a kidnapper after all. If people thought the machine guy had abandoned his humanity it could be a problem.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°She isn¡¯t in any orphanage database, nor hospital database¡­nor school database¡­not that we would know if this is even her real form. Like Billy said, we aren¡¯t sure what her original form was. But¡­¡± Eleanore let her words trail.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t this. This one is¡­.too perfect. As if it was designed.¡± He ended it up at that, he didn''t want to say more, the kind of entity who could design a fully functional human...And then stick it into the body of a little girl. There weren''t many that could do it, and even fewer that would dare to do it.


    ¡°Yes, she also may need a psychologist,¡± Eleanore added after that.


    ¡°Is she mad? ¡° Billy asked, he couldn¡¯t help but laugh internally at that. The old man was¡­not out of touch, but had these mannerisms.


    ¡°...she may have gone through some traumatic experiences. I don¡¯t have a psychology degree, but I did notice some weird signs.¡± Eleanore said glaring at the old man.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t move like a kid, that is for sure.¡± Gabriel added, ¡°She moves more like a wild beast or a caged animal.¡±


    ¡­Wasn¡¯t that a wonderful mental image to have?


    ¡°Yeah, okay. Send probes into everywhere, we need to narrow down where she was.¡± So he added that to his list, he could feel his mechanical side complaining about more [Non-important] work being added to the list.


    But this was the difference between them, he knew that this was more important than the logistics. This was about a little girl, the world was for the new generations.


    ¡°What will we do if we find out the place she used to live?¡± Gabriel asked with a smile on his face.


    He already knew the answer to that.


    ¡°We will teach them why we don¡¯t take kindly to human experimentation.¡± They knew what his posture was on this.


    There would be no more monsters like him, experimentation in Core Users had been rampant for years, at least till he was forced to twist his Core into this. From a normal Core into the [Machine Core].


    It granted him an innate understanding of machines and even allowed his body to change and adapt into what it was today, a body that never tired, a body that granted him pseudo immortality. A body that if he willed it, could allow him to create more¡­.


    He still¡­.longed for his human body, not that he could get it back.


    ¡°Who will tell SuperForce?¡± Billy asked, making them all stop moving.


    ¡°I will. Send him in.¡± He answered it was his responsibility, if he wanted to take in Alexa¡­No¡­ If he wanted to take in Rhapsody, then he should shoulder it.


    ¡°I will send him in, anything else Vulcanus?¡± Eleanore said turning to him, waiting, as if there was something else¡­


    Oh¡­.right, Eleanore.


    ¡°...set Rhapsody¡¯s apartment in the same immediate area as yours. You will be taking a guard role for her till we find her family¡­Or the closest thing we can find.¡± Not that they would give them the girl back. And if they managed to get her to take an adult form¡­


    Then she would be able to make decisions for herself¡­.After they made sure she was aware of what she was doing at least.


    ¡°Will do boss,¡± Eleanore smiled as she answered, and walked out. ¡°I will send in Superforce!¡±


    *Sigh*


    ¡°Are you sure we are a Villain Organization boss?¡± Billy grumbled at the side, ¡°This feels like a daycare¡­.¡±


    ¡°If Rhapsody manages to change into an older body then it will not be a daycare.¡± Gabriel chimed from the side.


    ¡°....SHE WILL STILL BE A BRAT ON THE INSIDE!¡± Billy grumbled and screamed his lungs out.


    Would she? Her mind seemed to reflect her body, and it was more in sync than he was with his own body. The wonders of a naturally created Core.


    ¡°Leave, SuperForce is about to arrive.¡± He ended the discussion among his subordinates and sent them away, for he would deal with a SuperHero. He didn¡¯t believe it would devolve into a fight. SuperForce was too much of an¡­.honest person.


    As long as he wasn¡¯t actively doing Evil, he would be fine¡­ Probably for the better to disassemble the weapons he had on his body¡­


    Then after waiting for a few minutes, a knock on his door arrived, it was even and measured, each with the same strength and cadence. ¡°Enter.¡± So he prepared himself.


    And sure enough, it was the SuperHero, ¡°Vulcanus.¡± The man said as he walked in, he was a clich¨¦ of an American hero, with a billowing cape at his back, his face wasn¡¯t covered, and more importantly. His body thrummed with energy, as if he was ready to fight everyone on this base.


    And he probably was.


    ¡°SuperForce.¡± So he answered in kind, and only in kind. Unlike him, he didn¡¯t want to fight him that much, he would win nothing from it. But his body still was ready to react. The Wonders of a Machine Body.


    ¡°I was told you had information on the kidnapped girl. Was it one of yours?¡± SuperForce asked promptly, nothing else was said. Straight to business.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t kidnap her nor restrain her.¡± He answered, this only made SuperForce frown, ¡°Then do you know where she is? I would like to think you still have some humanity in that carcass Edward, but¡­Even while knowing who you were I will still fight you if needed.¡±


    ¡°Edward Black is dead.¡± He said with perhaps more emotion than needed, he felt already the complaint from his mechanical side. And the prompt from it asking if the emotions could be turned off. ¡°Either way, it wasn¡¯t to remember the past that I asked you to come.¡±


    So he centered himself and focused on what mattered the most, get a checklist, prepare what you could, and answer what was easy. And do what you need.


    ¡°One of our orphanage programs got a new kid,¡± Set up the lie in the most natural form possible. ¡°It was a girl with no parents or registration, a new core user to boot.¡±


    ¡°...where.¡± Superforce of course took the bait.


    ¡°So that you can pull her into the orphanage system? So she can be auctioned? Sold to a pharmaceutical? To the Saintsworths?¡± The mirth in his voice didn¡¯t even need to be faked, he truly felt it. ¡°If you are truly asking for it I will give you the address, and I will call in advance to tell her you are going for her. That a SuperHero will go and take her home.¡±


    That, however, made SuperForce stop.


    ¡°What do you know?¡± Of course, he noticed it, the best way to tell a lie is to mix in the truth, the more nasty and hideous the truth, the better you can hide the lies.


    ¡°We think she was abused, at the very least she doesn¡¯t know the meaning of Birthday or Parents.¡± A transcription of their interactions with Rhapsody was printed and he handed it to SuperForce. ¡°Do you want me to call in Cerberus?¡±


    ¡°....that will not be needed.¡± SuperForce said, the man was still a softy, ¡°...Will you take care of her?¡±


    See? He knew it too well, what could happen if you take a young core user and give it to the system. And the horrors that could happen, he too, was one of those horrors, even if his monstrous side was hidden behind flashy heroics.


    ¡°Of course, we will not force her to do anything she doesn¡¯t want to do.¡± So he answered with the truth here, the hell would freeze before he did to someone innocent what they did to him.


    ¡°And if she wants to join your minions?¡± SuperForce asked him with narrowed eyes.


    ¡°Then she better grow up fast. I will not field five-year-old midgets.¡± And he wouldn''t, it wasn''t his fault if Rhapsody could change her body age and mind age.


    ¡°You accepted Stella,¡± SuperForce said back at him. Was he still mad about that?


    ¡°We didn''t send her against sidekicks. And she is fifteen. Let the girl do....¡± Oh¡­. Stella was fifteen.


    He could¡­.try that¡­no wait, was she fifteen? The last time he met her she was fifteen.


    ¡°She is eighteen, she just got her ID card. If you are poaching my daughter the least you could do was at least look over her.¡± Superforce grumbled at him.


    It was almost as if they had returned to better times, two newly awakened Core users looking at the world with bright eyes. Hopeful for a great future full of adventures.


    ¡°We don''t give preferential treatment, ¡°he could even feel his face make a smile, of course, it wasn''t like most could perceive his face anymore.


    ¡°You need to work on your poker face. Even as a machine I can still see through it.¡± It almost made him sad¡­


    Almost.


    [Confirmed status of Guilt.dll: Offline.]


    ¡°Fine, you got me. Want me to call her over?¡± Not feeling guilt had done wonders for his career.


    Or at least making sure of when he could feel it.


    ¡°...no. we are keeping it professional, she can work as whatever she wants. But the moment I catch her¡­ she must work as my sidekick.¡± SuperForce smiled at him, ¡°Can you¡­. Send her my way?¡±


    ¡°Hah!¡± It was funny, he could almost forget how much he would have regretted lying to his best friend''s face before he became Vulcanus. ¡°Sorry, but she is free to make her own choices and can decide which missions she joins¡­ best I can do is assign her to the new minions.¡±


    ¡°Hoh¡­any promising one?¡± SuperForce asked, it was mostly him being polite of course.


    ¡°A couple yes. One of them may even rise to our power level if you can believe it.¡± But of course, he would need to groom her well. If they could mold Rhapsody well enough¡­.


    She may be the answer to his problems¡­. He may even manage to steal the motherlode hidden within the depths of this city.


    ¡°I will keep my eyes open for this superstar minion then.¡± Not like Superforce would do such a thing. He liked to be an example to Core users.


    That was why he was his best friend¡­ that was why he was his nemesis. That was why he would regret the day he had to kill him¡­


    Unless he turned off his humanity that is. In which case that would be Friday. Murdering one''s best friend is best done when you have the weekend to regret it.

 Chapter 31: Alexa gets her first normal outfit! ....sort of normal.

    That had been interesting. She had found what was probably one of her brethren there, in the middle of a [Human] organization. Alexa had thought about revealing her true identity and asking for refuge.


    ¡°[Target referred itself and host as Human.]¡±


    That had made her stop, either [Entity: Vulcanus] was pretending to be [Human], or he truly believed it. And as far as her observations of him¡­there wasn¡¯t anything [Human] in him, so he probably was a puppet to the [Human] machinations. That, or he was truly deranged and faulty [BioWeapon]. And nothing was worse than a damaged uncontrolled test subject.


    She had, after all, known that from experience with some of the P-series subjects that the [Humans] sent her way.


    ¡°Sorry about that Rhapsody.¡± The [Human] known as Billy said to her, ¡°But the big boss is the only one that can vouch for the absence of Nanites. He can sort of speak with the buggers.¡±


    ¡­HE WHAT?


    It was good that [Main Core] turned itself off and destroyed the Nanite Swarm, if not she would have been found out.


    ¡°Why are the [Nanite Swarms] that hated?¡± Alexa asked in a slow voice, uncertainty in her tone.


    ¡°Haaaaah.¡± The [Elder] sighed, ¡°This isn¡¯t the kind of thing we want you kids to worry about¡­but then again you already met Frank. Do you know why he only lurks around and stays away from everyone else?¡±


    Well, that was easy, because he was a top [Predator], he didn¡¯t need to mind the weaker [Prey] around.


    ¡°Is it because of his [Insect Core]?¡± But still, she got the feeling that the [Elder] wasn¡¯t referring to his power as a predator, so she hinted at it from another angle.


    ¡°Yes, Insect Core users are feared because they have the instincts of an insect, and as such they don¡¯t have as many qualms as the rest of us. They can feed on any type of food, be it human or not. And while they will apologize, they don¡¯t really feel bad about it.¡± The [Elder] spoke, she¡­wasn¡¯t quite sure why that was a problem.


    ¡°The problem, Rhapsody. Is that we don¡¯t take kindly to human-eating monsters. And while Frank is an example of an Insect Core User who can retain his [Humanity], he is only that. An example, not the rule.¡± The [Elder] remarked at her, right. It seemed that this face also showed her questions in the face too. ¡°And now, why do you think a Nanite is such a problem, if I brought the Insect Core users as an example.¡±


    Why? Oh, her [Nanite Swarm] acted in the same ways that a hive swarm did right¡­


    ¡°Because a [Nanite Swarm] acts with the same rules? They can eat anything and are only beholden to the programmed rules or slaved to the whims of their [Main Directive]?¡± Her Nanites at least acted like that. And if it caused this type of problem, then it was a good thing that her [Nanite Swarm] couldn¡¯t live long away from her area of influence. Even if it was problematic for her.


    ¡°Exactly, the only wrong thing is that most examples of Nanites we have found aren¡¯t bound under the rules you explained.¡± The [Elder] said, what? They weren¡¯t? But her Nanites¡­ "I know, in normal science a Nanite or a Nanite Swarm would indeed act as you stated. But most of the time a Nanite will be created using an application of a Tinker Type Core, and as you found out a few hours ago. Our Cores are created using what we ask for, our understanding or our wish/prayers whatever you interpret as what happened while during a Core Creation.¡±


    The [Elder] started explaining, ¡°You see, a Tinker Type Core user will think itself smart and create a Nanite, his Core Powers will guide his hand. But since the Nanite is a second or third connection to his Core Powers, it will be independent. And most Nanites have the same order at the base.¡±


    ¡°Eat, grow, reproduce?¡± Alexa said, it was the same type of rules she acted. The only difference was that instead of [Reproduce] she had [Evolve].


    ¡°Exactly, and a Nanite without someone minding it can turn into a Swarm quite fast. Some try to deal with this by making their Nanites only eat a certain type of thing. Others bypass it by making sure they can¡¯t reproduce¡­¡± The [Elder] continued explaining.


    ¡°That¡­.isn¡¯t possible.¡± Alexa pointed out, ¡°By definition, a Nanite will always make a new one to continue its work. They aren¡¯t long-lived if they don¡¯t replace those that are working¡­¡±


    The [Elder] nodded at her words, ¡°Exactly, they will make sure that what they got ordered is done. If they need to expand to do that, they will do that. They are Machines, they don¡¯t think nor have qualms for anything.¡±


    And at this, the [Elder] sighed and turned to look back at the way he had come, ¡°It is part of the reason why so many people fear our boss, they fear Vulcanus because he has a Machine Core, because they fear that he will lose his Humanity.¡± So the robot had a Core after all, but wasn¡¯t that redundant? What did a Machine need a [Machine Core] for?


    ¡°That is why you need to be careful, whatever you wanted when your Core formed, whatever form your wish, prayer, or whatever form you interpret. Don¡¯t overextend it, nor share the exact details.¡± The [Elder] said turning to her, ¡°It should be fine, as far as I can tell even if they overcharge your Core like they did with Vulcanus you should still be able to return to a Human form. But if yours is tied to a broad concept¡­Then you may lose yourself.¡±


    There was emotion in the words the [Elder] said to her, also some form of [Regret].


    ¡°Was¡­ [Vulcanus] human before?¡± Alexa asked, she wasn¡¯t quite sure why, it was, after all, a weird thing to think. A Bioweapon that was [Human] before? Why would a [Human] reduce itself from its lofty spot at the top? It was utter madness.


    ¡°Yes,¡± And yet the [Elder] answered with what should have been impossible, ¡°He had a normal Tinker Core, his was an Exosuit Tinker Core. His specialty, as the name implies, was the creation of Exosuits for all kinds of situations.¡±


    ¡°Then what happened?¡± Alexa asked, intrigued, what could make a [Human] throw away his superiority?


    ¡°He got scouted, all his friend group too. They got a contract¡­.And under it, they got experimented on.¡± The [Elder] refused to elaborate further after that.


    ¡°By who?¡± So Alexa asked, she needed to know. What kind of organization could do such madness, what did they want?


    ¡°We aren¡¯t sure. They never revealed themselves, and Vulcanus got rescued by the main suspects¡­.They claimed that all of the damage had been done by a rogue entity that wanted to smear their good name.¡± The [Elder] spat the words,¡±No proof of their collaboration was found, but then again. If you can find dirt on the Saintsworths, chances are they wanted you to find it.¡±


    ¡°The Saintsworths?¡± Alexa asked, the name sounded¡­familiar, hadn¡¯t the other weird blue screen stated that her name was Alexandra Saintsworths? ¡°Like my last name?¡±


    ¡°Hah!¡± The [Elder] laughed, rude! ¡°Yes, but its okay. Vulcanus knows that you aren¡¯t related to them. Many people hold that name, but that doesn¡¯t mean you have to shoulder that blame. The important one, the Saintsworths Conglomerate has been in power for ages, and their roots are everywhere.¡±


    Actually, wasn¡¯t the facility that made her also one that had that name at the top?


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    She had recorded it, and after learning to read she had gone back to reading it, she was indeed a [Bioweapon] made by [The Saintsworths Conglomerate].


    ¡°The only Saintsworths that are dangerous are those that hold the emblem of the Main House in their clothes. So if you ever see anyone with that name and an eagle in their clothes. You need to be very careful¡­If they have jewelry with the emblem, then you need to walk away¡­.And if they have a tattoo¡­A drawing on their skin, then you run away.¡± The [Elder] said slowly and with great enthusiasm. ¡°Sorry¡­ There have been rumors for the last few years that the Saintsworths have been hunting Core Users with exotic powers, nothing confirmed of course. But your Core Power may be exotic enough that they could want it.¡±


    Her Power? Her skill to change form? It made sense that [The Saintsworths] would want it, they have given her the skill themselves¡­.


    ¡°So run away from anyone with that name, got it.¡± Alexa said nodding at that, ¡°....I will try to make sure to remember that in my [Child Stage] form too, but¡­.¡±


    Yeah, that may be difficult, [Main Core]!


    ¡°[Lodging reminder¡­.Current amount of privileges aren¡¯t enough to command host in any form, do you wish to increase my administrative power?]¡±


    Hah! Good try [Main Core], not yet.


    ¡°[....Host doesn¡¯t fulfill the requirements to change administrative powers, for that you need to be of age either way.]¡±


    ¡­.THEN WHY DID YOU ASK!?!?


    ¡°Enough of sad stories, I didn¡¯t bring you here for that!¡± The [Elder] said pulling her to the side, they had been walking in a long hallway and across several [Rooms] (She had saved all the relevant information in her growing map of the base). ¡°Behold! My cave of treasures!¡±


    And sure enough¡­this¡­wasn¡¯t a cave, but a bigger room with some mechanical instruments similar enough to those the [Humans] had used to give maintenance to her [Crab] form, at least till they stopped doing it and she had needed to make and destroy her parts herself.


    ¡°And here¡­?¡± Was she about to be [Dismantled]?


    ¡°Here you will try your uniform, we need a special one that can follow into your changes of form. From what I saw your clothes seem to change with you. So we need to test if they change properties or not.¡± The [Elder] said pointing to a smaller [Room], ¡°But first we need your measures, so walk in there and strip.¡±


    ¡­.Beg your pardon?


    ¡°ORA!!¡± And soon enough a third voice came running down, Alexa immediately took a combat stance with her legs bent and her hands near the floor. Ready to spring in any direction.


    But the danger wasn¡¯t towards her, instead, the new entity that came into the room came flying towards the [Elder], it was a [Female - Unknown Stage], and it was probably the next Stage she was missing, the same one that [Sylph] was at.


    This Entity came flying and hit the [Elder] aside, ¡°I have told you thousands of times that you are too direct!¡± The [Human] said sending the [Elder] away.


    That¡­.looked somewhat similar to what [SuperForce] did to her before? Was this [Human] on the same series as [SuperForce]?


    ¡°Stella, I need her measurements for her suit.¡± The [Elder] said groaning, he had been thrown all the way to the wall, and yet¡­.no obvious injuries. The might of the [Human] models obvious even while at risk. ¡°She is Rhapsody, by the way, one of our newest Minions.¡±


    ¡°This is Rhapsody? Why did Vulcanus send me to her? He said that she needed help with the work. But¡­I wasn¡¯t allowed Minion work till I was eighteen and yet she will be allowed? This is bullshit.¡± The new [Human] said while grumbling. So this was the other [Human] that had been allowed to work before?


    She¡­couldn¡¯t quite see her form with her body armor and mask on. But the one she had modeled herself was less¡­.curveous. So there was hope for her?


    ¡°Vulcanus sent you? Did he tell you anything?¡± The [Elder] asked while pointing Alexa towards the small [Room].


    ¡°No? Just that Rhapsody would know what to do, since it was her who had asked for it.¡± So while the [Elder] distracted this entity Alexa walked in, and she found a couple of containers labeled for clothes and personal belongings. She didn¡¯t have the second, but she did have the first.


    So she took off her clothes and stood there while some weird [Lens] shot light at her, it seemed to be some kind of laser system used to measure distances, it was quite interesting to see in action.


    ¡°[Lodging use of laser-type measuring system for future use.]¡±


    And [Main Core] seemed to be of the same opinion as her, if she could use this system, she may have an easier time collecting [Blueprints], she would, however, not use light that was within the visible spectrum. She wanted to be stealthier.


    ¡°[Measurements collected, please dress yourself and exit the booth.]¡±


    A [Square-shaped entity] spoke to her, so she did as told, first she put on her clothes (It was so hard to make them work), she may have cheated a little by reabsorbing the materials and making them anew, since she had (Maybe) put some backward. Not that it matters of course.


    ¡°See? Rhapsody understands the importance of exact measurement. She took all her clothes off!¡± The [Elder] was still speaking in high tones of voice with the new [Human], ¡°You could learn manners from her! If you did the same you wouldn¡¯t have so much trouble with your chest piece!!¡±


    ¡°HAH! You want me to say to Papa that you wanted to get me naked!?!? Want to see how that goes?!?!?¡± The other [Human] said back at the [Elder].


    ¡°Don¡¯t you use your Father only when it¡¯s convenient! What are you? A little kid?!?!¡± The [Elder] fought back, who was this Father entity?


    ¡°[Definition of Father: A Human whose job is to take care of the daughters or sons in a marriage relationship. Usually, they provide security and money to the household.]¡±


    That¡­didn¡¯t explain the fear the [Elder] showed, nor the [Smug] expression the other [Human].


    ¡°[Addendum; A parent entity is also known to show some biased opinions towards their offspring and are expected to defend or fight for them.]¡±


    Well, she wanted a Father, if the [Parent] entity would fight for her, then it could be very useful to have.


    "[Notice: Construction of BodySuit finished, please take results from receptacle.]"


    A [Square-shaped] entity spoke, she of course had found the [Human] name for it, [Speakers]. But she still wasn''t quite sure if it would be correct to refer to them as such, it was...too impersonal. Just how the [Humans] referred to [BioWeapons] like her as mere objects.


    "Might as well test it, when Stella and Billy get like that, they will continue for hours." Another [Minion] wearing goggles like [Elder] said at her side offering the [BodySuit]. "You can use the same booth or the changing room in the back."


    And said so giving her the [BodySuit], afterward the [Minion] went on his way, farther away from the confrontation between this [Human Designation: Stella] and the [Elder]. Smart [Human].


    So Alexa did as instructed, walking back into the same booth she had used before, this time the booth didn''t ask for her to undress, but the container with the [BodySuit] did come with a piece of paper with instructions.


    [Recommended: No underwear or clothes under the bodysuit.]


    [From a breathable material, you Naggy brats.]


    [Fire resistant, shock resistant, acid resistant, waterproof, padded.]


    [Bulletproof only in chest area.]


    Well, that seemed like easy enough, also it provided resistance to some elements her current form didn''t have defenses yet, so this was designed for weaker [Humans] who hadn''t achieved their peak of power?


    But the [Elder] was dressed in those too, and he was at least resistant to kinetic shocks. As he had withstood being thrown across the room by [Entity Designation: Stella]. Either way, Alexa re-absorbed her current clothes back into her body, she wasn''t sure if she would be able to keep them after dressing in these new clothes after all.


    And if she was able to keep them, how was she supposed to carry them? She didn''t have any way of keeping them around, and as far as she had been able to see, no one carried extra clothes with them. They did, however, carry some kind of pouches or [Bags] around. Perhaps they saved spares there?


    Not probable.


    "[Current theory for extra carrying capacity. Spare biomass.]"


    See? Even [Main Core] thought like her, she too would save spare [Biomass] in those things if she had one...Maybe she should make one? No, better wait till she knew the [Rules] about owning them.


    "Hah! See! She knows how to dress, she is following instructions!" The [Elder] roared a laugh as she walked out of the [Booth], making [Entity Designation: Stella] frown.


    "Yeah sure, I bet she just has her underwear and left her clothes inside." The [Woman] said as she walked past her into the booth. Then after the sound of someone rummaging way more hard than needed, the [Woman] exited the booth and turned to her, "Rhapsody? Where are your clothes? No way you have them on. Even underwear would be noticeable without the armor add-ons..."


    "Huh? She didn''t leave them inside?" The [Elder] said confused, "But I am not getting static on her vitals...?"


    So these [Clothes] registered her [Vitals]? Alexa turned to a monitor the [Elder] was pointing to, and sure enough some information was displayed, just to make sure. Alexa altered the rhythm of her heart and one of those numbers shifted, she did the same with most of the organs that had been listed as [Importants] in the [Blueprint], and sure enough, she could move them around. It was, however, mildly uncomfortable at different values. Even if she could see use in a high [Blood pressure] to move things faster across her body.


    "I reintegrated my former [Clothes]." But for now, Alexa said as such, "I don''t think I can do that with these, they are somehow too [Complex]."


    And that had been annoying to find, she could of course decompose these clothes and take them in, but she didn''t have the confidence to make them again. The design was...


    "[Beautifully complex.]"


    Too intricate, too complex, and there were things in some spots that she couldn''t fathom why they were like that.


    "You ...what? Your clothes...they were part of your power?" Stella looked aghast at her.


    What?


    What was the problem with making her own [Clothes]? She didn''t have the advantage of having a [Parent] figure that could pamper her and give her [Pretty Clothes]!


    ...where did that come from?

 Chapter 32: Alexa Returns! For a few seconds anyway, not that she had left....

    ¡°So let me get this straight.¡± The [Stella] human said as she fought with her mask, was she having trouble getting it in place? She was moving it around as if she couldn¡¯t get it to stay. ¡°Your clothes and all that you have on you was made by your Core Power?¡±


    ¡°No, the [Cell phone] was something I got from the [Human] that tried to attack me before.¡± Alexa answered, ¡°But besides that? The [Clothes] were made using material and biomass I found while searching for the [address] that [Frank the Bettle] gave me.¡±


    What was the problem with that? They were fine examples of [Clothing]!


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t have clothes before this?¡± [Stella] said with a tired voice, was she low on energy? ¡°Nothing at all?¡±


    ¡°...No? It wasn¡¯t deemed important so I didn¡¯t have any, I could cover myself well enough with the remaining biomass from the [Tests], and if something was deemed necessary it would be provided.¡± Alexa said back, not that they would ever give her something to dress herself with. Her [Crab] form was too big for [Human] clothes anyway.


    ¡°Do we know where they had her?¡± [Stella] said to the [Elder] who was trembling, was he having a malfunction?


    ¡°Not yet, Vulcanus said he would check on it, but I may need to tell him of this. We need to up the priority, we had thought she was only a victim of abuse, but this? This is a new level of crazy. If they are willing to go that far with a little girl like her? We need to put them down.¡± So, this organization would fight against her [Creators]?


    That would be useful, if she could get them to destroy her previous [Den], then she wouldn¡¯t need to worry about bringing out her [Crab] form back again. Not that she would use it as a staple form, she liked her Alexa form more.


    ¡­.no wait, she wanted to keep this form because the [Human] power would only be accessible like this. Yes.


    ¡°Fine, now. Why did Vulcanus ask me to come? I hope it wasn¡¯t just for the trauma dump.¡± The human [Stella] said turning to the [Elder].


    ¡°I think it was because Rhapsody asked for a sample to use her power on, and since you are the youngest adult around¡­¡± The [Elder] said turning to Alexa, right.


    She would use her as a basis to make her new [Stage], it would also serve to update her current form, it had been made with extrapolations after all, so she wanted to make sure everything was how it should be fine though. She didn¡¯t think [Main Core] would allow a faulty [Blueprint] to be used.


    ¡°[No blueprint within library is Faulty, if there is a problem with one, then chances are it is a problem made by Host.]¡±


    ¡­yikes, was her [Main Core] getting cheeky?


    ¡°[Negative, Main Core is incapable of human emotions.]¡±


    Yeah, it was. But she would check on that later in her next [Sleep Cycle], for now, she turned to the human [Stella] and said, ¡°I need to use my power to fix my problem of how I look. May I use my Core Power on you?¡± That, it sounded somewhat, correct?


    ¡°Explain.¡± Not good enough since [Stella] said with caution in her voice, her body seemed to shift ever so slowly, her feet open and most of her weight seemed to be in one, as to make it easier for her to move away. Alexa could also detect some of that weird energy traveling across [Stella]¡¯s body. Was she getting ready to use her Core Powers?


    ¡°I am able to change the form of my body. This one you are seeing is one such form.¡± Alexa started explaining, ¡°But I need the information to make it work, this body was crafted using a picture of a twelve-year-old minion, since I was told this was the minimum age to join.¡±


    Who would have known that twelve-year-old had been [Stella], ¡°So using you as a base I want to create a viable [Blueprint] for the next [Stage] in my transformations. So as to be less¡­.¡± What was the word?


    Main Core?


    ¡°Conspicuous. You want to look closer to the age of the other minions, since being a brat among adults will make you stand out, it doesn¡¯t help that most minions use black masks and we White masks are a minority. So, a little white mask will stand out more.¡± [Stella] finished for her, ¡°Fine, do I need to do anything? Remove clothes? How does it work?¡±


    Why would she need to remove her [Clothes]?


    ¡°No, I just need physical contact,¡± Alexa said, not sure why she had said that. But she walked to [Stella] and extended her right hand towards the other [Human], she was close enough that if she made another nanometer tendril she could probably sneak in and steal the [Blueprint].


    ¡°Pleasure working with you, the name¡¯s Stella.¡± [Stella] said as she took her hand and turned to her. This had been defined as a [Handshake], a sort of greeting.


    ¡°I¡¯m [Rhapsody], I will be under your care,¡± Alexa answered and with a prompt inward she sent some tendrils inside [Stella]¡¯s body.


    ¡°[Main Core, start research, extract blueprint and extrapolate course of growth from our current Child Stage form towards the Teenager Stage and towards the next Stage.]¡±


    ¡°[Order received, initiating scan and extrapolation.]¡±


    ¡°It tickles¡­¡± [Stella] said as she giggled, but that should be impossible.


    Her [Nanites] shouldn¡¯t be felt at all!


    ¡°[Main Core?]¡±


    ¡°[.... Found possible evidence related to Core Powers, had attempted to breach into it. Human Designation: Stella may have felt the rebound when the possible object of Core Powers repelled our Nanites.]¡±


    [Main Core] found what?


    ¡°[Report, what did you find?]¡± Alexa ordered inwardly while on the outside it looked as if she was focusing on a spot in the older woman¡¯s armor.


    ¡°[Found something that looks like a Core similar to the one that houses this Operating System.]¡±


    What?


    And sure enough, Main Core sent a projection to her mind of his finding, a small marble similar to the one that housed her Operating System. Hidden within the body of the woman, one second it was there¡­and the next she knew it flared out of existence.


    ¡°Are you using your Core Powers?¡± Alexa asked in the real world.


    ¡°No? I was using them to help with the load, but thought that they may hamper you, so I just turned them off. Do you want me to use them again?¡± [Stella] said as she answered.


    ¡°Please use it for five seconds, mark the start of it,¡± Alexa said as she tuned out the exterior world.


    ¡°[Main Core?]¡±


    ¡°[Preparing for monitoring, countdown¡­5¡­.4¡­.3¡­.2¡­.1¡­]¡±


    ¡°Starting now.¡± [Stella] said a few seconds after the countdown, was she using a faulty chronometer?


    Either way, as soon as the woman said it, the weird lookalike to [Main Core] manifested again, it thrummed with the weird energy, and this time it had manifested around the left arm, just above the shoulder area.


    Same arm that [Stella] was using to focus her power as she had raised and pointed towards one of the chairs around, the woman was moving it around. ¡°Aaaaand stopping the power in 3¡­2¡­.1¡­. stopped using it, did it help?¡±


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    As soon as she said that she had stopped using it (Once again one second after she said it, she was totally using a faulty chronometer) the weird Main core look alike disappeared. Weird.


    ¡°Yeah, it helped,¡± Alexa said, not sure if it had helped or not. All she had learned was that the weird [Core] could manifest in different parts of the body, when [Main Core] found it the first time, it had been lodged around the heart. But now? It had been housed near the shoulder blade.


    ¡°[Extrapolating finished, new blueprint added: Human Young Adult Stage - Woman.]¡±


    ¡°I have what I needed¡­.¡± And so many more questions about how [Humans] worked, were they making these Cores on the fly? But if so, why was hers staying around? No wait, was it even staying around? Or had she been not using it?


    ¡°[Main Core? Have¡­have one of those shown up?]¡±


    ¡°[Negative, no new sub cores or extra cores have been found. Assigning a nanite swarm to monitoring duty.]¡±


    ¡°So? What are you waiting for? Show me the goods,¡± [Stella] said as she let her hand go. ¡°No wait. Can these clothes change form with you?¡±


    That was a good question, she would hate having to decompose her new clothes after getting them a few minutes ago.


    ¡°They can stretch easily enough; after some change in size, they may stay at their new size, so don¡¯t turn too big, or they will not shrink back. You will notice it as you will feel a snap, that is the reason you can¡¯t use underwear while using them.¡± The [Elder] said while grumbling, ¡°If you stay long enough, I will think about getting you a bodysuit that can shrink back.¡±


    ¡°None of that, you will not send out a girl with clothes that won¡¯t fit after a job is finished, no matter how long or short her stay with us is!¡± [Stella] said back at the [Elder], didn¡¯t she fear his power? Or was her own backing that powerful?


    ¡°They are expensive okay! Besides, the girl can make her own clothes, she doesn¡¯t need them.¡± The [Elder] fought back, and to be honest, Alexa was with him on that argument. She didn¡¯t need extra clothing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a place to keep extra clothing, so everything I use must be with me at all times,¡± Alexa said making both stop arguing.


    ¡°You are getting an apartment from Cerberus.¡± [Stella] said with a tone that betrayed no doubts about it.


    ¡°Yes, and if she doesn¡¯t give you one after dropping you on me, then I am making sure you can sleep at the base.¡± The [Elder] added, that he wouldn¡¯t mind her sleeping at this place, it seemed defensible enough. And she could already see some of those [Metal Tunnels] she had used to escape.


    These clothes seemed to insulate her from changes in temperatures, so perhaps she could hide there safely this time?


    ¡°No way I¡¯m letting a girl sleep in one of your bunks, she will come with me. I have enough room, besides I can always get Papa to give me more money.¡± [Stella] hmphed while saying that.


    What was even happening?


    ¡°...So? Get on with it, you got me feeling all tingly I want to see how your power works.¡± [Stella] seemed quite focused on her Power.


    Alexa wasn¡¯t quite sure what to think about it, but in the end, she only sighed and focused inwardly.


    ¡°[Main Core? Is the blueprint ready for deployment?]¡±


    ¡°[Affirmative: Blueprint is ready, this one will increase the suggested amount of body mass, new suggested minimum weight is at 60 kgs.]¡±


    ¡­She needed more biomass?


    ¡°Can I get around¡­.10 kilograms of biomass?¡± Alexa said aloud after opening her eyes.


    ¡°Right now?¡± The [Elder] asked, ¡°It may be difficult, is it time sensitive?¡±


    ¡°[Main Core?]¡±


    ¡°[Transformation is possible, but host may look malnourished, estimated covering from BodyArmor may hide this.]¡±


    ¡°Not time sensitive, let me check¡­¡± Alexa said closing her eyes once more.


    ¡°[Main Core: Start shift.]¡±


    ¡°[Order received, starting shift.]¡±


    It was¡­weird, Alexa had done this before several times, both in bigger and smaller changes, but having people look at her while doing so? It was weird. She felt her legs stretch a few centimeters, she felt her arms increasing in length. Her torso going up, her face turning sharper, her hair within her helmet-mask changing ever so slowly.


    She felt the compression in her chest as a pair of bulges started showing up (FINALLY!), and she felt her rear turn more pronounced (VICTORY!). But the more important change? It was her [Brain] and [Mind].


    The world¡­changed once more, it was turning less bright and more¡­cynical. She was suddenly aware of the looks she was getting from random minions, and how their eyes darted toward her [Chest] and [Rear]. She was both elated and annoyed at those stares.


    ¡°[Main Core? Lodge emotional responses and changes in hormonal balance.]¡±


    ¡°[Acknowledged. Saving data.]¡±


    ¡°...The [BodySuit] is holding, it is within the threshold to return to a previous form. I haven¡¯t felt any [Snap] from it.¡± Alexa said aloud, her voice had changed, again. It was turning similar to [Sylph], which was weird since this form had been made using [Stella] as a [Base].


    She liked this voice more, since [Sylph]¡¯s voice soothed her [Younger] form. Had that been taken into consideration?


    ¡°Also, we can confirm that my [Form] does have an effect on my mental faculties, I can perceive other [Social Cues] that I had been missing,¡± Alexa said as she readjusted her [Helmet], her Hair was bundled up inside, in the end she decided to take it off and fix her hair. ¡°What? Do you like what you see?¡±


    Most of the [Minions] had stopped moving and just stared at her, the description on the blueprint stated that she would have yellow-eyes and would keep her blonde hair, her face was supposed to have good proportions and symmetrical enough to be pleasing, and her lips should be quite nice if [Main Core] was making these things right.


    ¡°[All blueprints are made to be pleasant to the eyes, since Humans seem to take extra care to appearances, the Blueprint was designed to hit as many of the biological markers as possible.]¡±


    In a nutshell? She was a looker.


    ¡°.... Are you sure you aren¡¯t a Saintsworth?¡± The [Elder] asked, no. [Billy] asked.


    ¡°I do not have any [Tattoo] nor [Jewelry] with the [Eagle], and I have no [Parents]. So no, I only hold that [Last Name] because it was granted to me in the information I got while running away. I didn¡¯t have a [Developed] enough [Mind] to take more information, but maybe my [Progenitor] was part of that family?¡± Alexa wondered that too, from where had the [Original] blueprint come from?


    ¡°...Shouldn¡¯t you¡­like hide? Most of those around here are minions yes. But you should take care of your secret identity. If they get a grudge because you ignore their passes at you it will be annoying for you later on.¡± [Stella] said with worry in her voice.


    ¡°My [Identity]? If they become annoying I can always¡­¡± Alexa said with a smirk on her face as her facial structure shifted, it was still symmetrical enough, but this time her eyes turned blue. Her [Hair] turned black, this form was somewhat similar to what [Eleanore] looked like, it was still not [Identical], but it was close enough to make a statement. ¡°See? And if they really [Annoy] me¡­.¡±


    And for her next trick Alexa turned to the one [Human] she had a full blueprint stored, the [Male] that attacked her. She didn¡¯t change fully, of course, she only shifted her face.


    ¡°...I feel dirty, why do I feel dirty? This makes no sense¡­And¡­this¡­?¡± Alexa¡¯s voice shifted to that of the [Male] human, something was wrong with this form. No¡­it wasn¡¯t the form but the memories?


    She was getting more impressions from it, as if she hadn¡¯t noticed something that was in front of her, but why? She could see it, how the [Human Male] would act if she was weaker.


    ¡°Alexa?¡± She didn¡¯t mind the voices of the other [Humans] around.


    No, she was too busy going through these [Emotions].


    ¡°[WARNING, EMOTIONAL THRESHOLD SURPASSED, FORCED SHIFT ACTIVATED.]¡±


    And as if all of it had been a lie, the world turned bright again!


    ¡°I RETURN!¡± For she was back!


    Who?


    Of course, it was Alexa!


    ¡°And I hunger!¡± And she hungered!


    ¡°What happened?¡± The weird purple lady asked, why was she hiding her purple hair under that mask? Why was she purple? ¡°Did your power run out?¡±


    ¡°Nu-uh.¡± Alexa said as she pushed a button in the weird helmet her older self liked, the thing folded into a pretty bracelet she put on her hand. ¡°My other self noticed some weird things that [Human] wanted to do with us. Things she thinks I didn¡¯t notice, but I knew!¡±


    Really, why was her older self reacting like that? Was she dumb? Of course, the [Human] wanted to eat Alexa! Why would he bring her into a hidden place if not to eat her!


    But Alexa had been stronger, so she had managed to eat him instead, that silly human was a [Prey] and yet it pretended to be [Predator].


    ¡°What did she notice?¡± The [Billy] human asked, ¡°What didn¡¯t you tell us?¡±


    ¡°Well, nothing important. The [Human] brought me to a dark place to [Eat] me, so I dealt with him. And it isn¡¯t important,¡± Should she even say that she had already [Ate] him? They seemed to want to find him¡­


    ¡°...And your older self just noticed? No wait, you say you already knew, but then why did she notice it just now?¡± The purple girl asked, wasn¡¯t that obvious?


    ¡°She found a new meaning for the [Eating] that I hadn¡¯t thought, but she was probably wrong. Something must be weird, I think some functions only turn on in the different [Stages].¡± Alexa said while searching in her pouches, so many pouches! And so little [Candy]! ¡°Why are you [Humans] using so many weird things, you don¡¯t even need the [Ovulation] most of the time, but the blueprint says to use it once a month! Why!?!?¡±


    Really, and the design seemed painful, why would you want to discard so many liquids? And so painful too!


    ¡°...Alexa? What did your older self notice?¡± The purple girl asked again, with worry in her voice? why was she worried?


    ¡°My older self thought that the [Male Human] would start eating me by going into my no-no zone first. But that isn¡¯t tasty, why would he want to start from my no-no zone?¡± Really, if you wanted something tasty then the [Stomach] would be first, or the [Kidneys]? Alexa was more partial for the [Brain] since that one was mushy and didn¡¯t need that much processing. Also, it came with some extra data too!


    ¡°.... See, my older self is weird, we already knew he wanted to [Eat] us, so why does it matter from where he starts?¡± Alexa was worried, maybe [Main Core] had missed something?


    ¡°[Notice: Difference in perceptions seems to be inherent to different forms. Advice to shift back into an older form.]¡±


    ¡°But I just came!¡± Alexa said aloud. Getting weird looks, ¡°Sorry, the thing [Eleanore] said I had in my head is asking me to return to an [Older Stage] to confirm something. I will return!¡±


    And like that Alexa re-started the change again, now¡­to what form should she change? The one that thought weird things? Or the one that had been somewhat more stable but had hidden her [Candy] from her?

 Chapter 33: So Alexa was a plural entity now? Did that make her Alexas? That sounded...weird.

    ¡°I am fine, stop looking at me like I will break.¡± It was getting tiresome, Alexa had decided to return to the form that had caused the problem. And surprisingly¡­it didn¡¯t start again.


    ¡°[Notice; Isolation of troublesome memories have been disconnected from the neural network. Information will be housed within Main Core in case of need to peruse information. This separation should prevent another emotional outburst.]¡±


    The solution Main Core had provided seemed useful, and Alexa, while annoyed that she hadn¡¯t thought about it, didn¡¯t have any problems with it. Main Core was also part of her after all. Even if she spent most of her time within the [Organic Core] aka her [Brain], she still could move around and move things within her [Consciousness Stream].


    ¡°Are you sure? Most people need therapy when they come to terms with¡­¡± [Stella] was still worried about her, evidenced by the fact that Alexa was sitting waiting for [Eleanore] to arrive. ¡°...what happened to you while little.¡±


    ¡°That happened less than 24 hours ago,¡± Alexa answered while grumbling, she was the only one without a mask at the moment, and she wasn¡¯t counting [Billy] in that, the man only had googles, which wasn¡¯t a mask. ¡°The problem was dealt with, and it will not happen again. We wanted to check if the clothes would fit after a [Shift] and we proved that they can work both for my [Young Woman Stage], the [Teenager Stage], and [Child Stage].¡±


    ¡°Yes, we did¡­but¡­most people don¡¯t recover from an emotional breakdown in minutes, you could break down again, and what will happen if it happens in the streets? We need-¡± [Stella] was still speaking while [Billy] only nodded, Alexa got the impression that the old man was just going with the flow and had stopped thinking about this. His eyes seemed to shine as if he was seeing something else.


    ¡°What is the problem? And where is Rhapsody? She should be here¡­She a new Minion? Why isn¡¯t she wearing a mask?¡± [Eleanore] arrived interrupting [Stella], it seemed that she hadn¡¯t recognized Alexa.


    ¡°I¡¯m [Alexa] or I guess [Rhapsody] when I put this stupid thing on,¡± Alexa said turning to [Eleanore].


    ¡°Do you know how my power works?¡± [Eleanore] asked her. Weird, did she want to make sure?


    ¡°Yes,¡± Alexa answered, the moment the words left her mouth she felt the weird energy wave coming towards her and could faintly see [Eleanore]¡¯s eyes shine.


    ¡°Name, code name, and reason why you aren¡¯t wearing a mask.¡± Asked [Eleanore], her tone was¡­less than friendly than before.


    ¡°[Alexandra Saintsworths], Code Name: [Rhapsody]. And I¡¯m not wearing a mask because of two reasons. One my [Core Power] allows me to change my face as needed, and two¡­. She won¡¯t let me put it on again.¡± Alexa answered while pointing to [Stella].


    ¡°She was almost raped when moving around in her little girl form, when she turned to this one, she noticed the implications and had an emotional breakdown. I am keeping her like this to make sure she is okay, you know how the masks also hide our tone of voice¡­I wanted to make sure she wasn¡¯t crying under it.¡± [Stella] said in a rush, [Eleanore]¡¯s eyes were still shining. ¡°...she needs therapy, Eleanore. Whatever they did to her, whatever she went through¡­If it comes crashing down¡­¡±


    ¡°It will not happen.¡± Alexa stated, ¡°I have taken measures to make sure I can work at 100% [Efficiency] already.¡±


    ¡°...all true. How are you so confident? And why didn¡¯t you say that before? I wouldn¡¯t have sent you this way if I knew.¡± [Eleanore] said frowning, ¡°And remember, only the truth.¡±


    ¡°...I didn¡¯t know the implications of what the [Human] wanted to do at the time, my different [Stages] have access to different parts of the [Human] anatomy, my [Child Stage] form barely has any access to the complex [Social Cues] that are built into the [Human Blueprint].¡± Alexa started explaining her case.


    ¡°See! She speaks as if she wasn¡¯t human!¡± [Stella] chimed at the side.


    ¡°Shush, let her finish¡­¡± [Eleanore] admonished the other woman.


    ¡°As for how I¡¯m sure it will not happen again¡­¡± Alexa said turning to [Eleanore], ¡°My... [Other] friend will be helping with that.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t sure if she should speak too much about that, as far as she remembered from the information her [Child Stage] got, the condition that birthed other [Consciousness Streams] within a [Human] was meant to deal with these kinds of problems.


    ¡°...How?¡± [Eleanore] demanded of her, then turned to all the other people that were still around. ¡°All of you, leave.¡±


    ¡°... are you sure?¡± [Stella] was the first to ask, but a simple nod from [Eleanore] was all she needed, ¡°Okay, call me if you need something. I need to punch Vulcanus.¡±


    ¡°You are aware that this is my workplace?¡± [Billy] asked, but a single glare from [Eleanore] was all that was needed to make him leave. ¡°Everyone, you get a minute''s break, we will continue working in the hangar. Time to do a check-up to all the vehicles.¡±


    All of the other [Minions] left with [Billy], and after sighing again [Eleanore] turned to her while dragging a chair and sitting in front of her.


    ¡°I want to speak with your system mate, get him to explain to me how you both are dealing with this¡­.¡± [Eleanore] said, then after thinking a few seconds she added, ¡°...there are only two, right? You speak about your other forms as different people.¡±


    ¡°The other [Stages] are me, the difference is that we have access to different parts of the [Biological] functions, that is what makes us different and react differently, but we are still the same,¡± Alexa answered, then without waiting she started the process to make the [Speaker] in her throat once more, this time she had more area to work with.


    ¡°[Main Core? Do you have something convincing? We need the work and accommodations. This form doesn¡¯t want to sleep in our current den again.]¡±


    And wasn¡¯t that funny? Even though her [Child Stage] and [Teenager Stage] didn¡¯t seem to have problems sleeping there. Her [Young Woman] found the idea [Repulsive].


    ¡°[Acknowledged Host wishes.]¡± Was all Main core said before the work was done, ¡°[Host, please open mouth.]¡±


    So Alexa did while rolling her eyes.


    ¡°[Greetings Human, we speak again. State your business.]¡± And once again, Main Core was quite rude. Not that Alexa minded it.


    ¡°Hello again¡­You still haven¡¯t told me your name¡­Anyway, how are you helping Alexa? Usually, this would need years of therapy.¡± [Eleanore] said looking with worry at her, that was weird, why was that making her feel¡­[Warm]?


    ¡°[Answer: The memories that made the event that affected host have been isolated and separated from Host¡¯s emotions. Host can peruse them as needed without feeling the emotions tied to them. In your human terms, it would be as if she was watching a movie.]¡± That was¡­one way to put it, even if it wasn¡¯t quite correct, it wasn¡¯t a lie of course. Alexa could still peruse them, but the memories hadn¡¯t been separated but deleted and moved away from her [Brain].


    ¡°.... My Core Power doesn¡¯t trigger any lie¡­¡± [Eleanore] said with narrowed eyes. ¡°But that isn¡¯t the whole truth, is it? I am very good at catching half lies you know.¡±


    ¡°[I have not spoken any lies, lies are things only Humans use.]¡± Main Core fought back, making [Eleanore] wince, she had detected an odd inflection in Main Core.


    ¡°...Truth.¡± [Eleanore] said only that, ¡°...Is Alexa still in there? The little girl I met?¡±


    ¡°[Yes, host has never left.]¡± Alexa was still here, sitting, watching with her mouth getting sore¡­.


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t she return to sleep with me?¡± [Eleanore] asked the beginning of a tear in her eyes. ¡°Was I¡­not trustworthy?¡±


    ¡°[It was deemed the risk was bigger than the reward, host found a viable den to spend the night in her sleep cycle, so that was used. If no viable den was found, you were one of two possible options to check on. Of the two Humans Designation: Eleanore would have been picked.]¡± Main Core answered, well, that was also true. Alexa would indeed have picked [Eleanore], but she had more options?


    ¡°Two? So, the other would have been Frank? Next time don¡¯t even think about it. He is a good man, but he isn¡¯t ready to deal with kids.¡± [Eleanore] smirked at that idea.


    ¡°[Second target wasn¡¯t Human Designation: Frank The Beetle , but Human Designation: Teacher Baking.]¡± Oh right, there was [Teach] too¡­.


    ¡°...Alexa had a teacher? Who is? Where is she?¡± [Eleanore] stood and turned frantic.


    ¡°[Unit Designation: Teacher Baking. Gave host a card similar to the one you yourself gave her, and she met her after successfully escaping. Host found a group of [Human Child Stage] and mixed with them while learning of social cues.]¡± ¡­That¡­wasn¡¯t wrong¡­?


    ¡°So, she wasn¡¯t her teacher¡­. Damnit!¡± [Eleanore] screamed while kicking her chair away. ¡°Can you tell me who hurt Alexa? Give me a name and I swear to you they will burn in hell.¡±


    ¡°[Negative, my priority is host survival. Your Human feelings aren¡¯t my interest. For host¡¯s survival, moving on is the easiest and most effective way.]¡± Main Core answered. ¡°[That will be all, host is stressed by my constant exposure to your world. Do you require anything else, Human?]¡±


    ¡°...Do you hate us? Does Alexa hate humanity?¡± [Eleanore] said in a small tone.


    ¡°[Such useless worry. Neither myself nor Host cares about Humanity. All I care about is my host¡¯s survival. You Humans and your Humanity are irrelevant to us. As for what host cares?]¡± Main Core let the world trail out her mouth, she felt a ping from Main Core to release more control over her facial structure. And since Alexa was getting tired of only having her mouth open, she allowed some small control over herself. ¡°[You may want to ask her yourself, that is. If you are brave enough Human.]¡±


    All that Main Core did with her body was turn her eyes red and smirk at [Eleanore], afterward Main Core himself returned control back and dismantled the speaker in her throat.


    ¡°[Current mission achieved, created the illusion of segmentation within the mental psyche and created the illusion of a separation of memories. Fulfilling all the stated requirements for mental state referred to as plurality by Human Designation: Eleanore. Suggestion: Don¡¯t speak about this conversation Main Core had with Human Designation: Eleanore.]¡±


    Was the prompt she got from Main Core, the cheeky thing was acting all high and mighty¡­but Alexa could see what it referred to. The previous time [Eleanore] had acted as if she hadn¡¯t seen or heard her conversation with Main Core too.


    ¡°So?¡± Alexa asked while turning to [Elenore] as the woman walked towards the chair she had kicked, ¡°You believe me that I can deal with this work?¡±


    [Eleanore] turned to look at her and turned her body away from her, she fiddled with something in her necklace and when she turned to look at her again, she was wearing her [Mask].


    ¡°Yeah, your system mate explained to me how you have been dealing with that. And Vulcanus is of the opinion that you are important enough to be needed.¡± [Eleanore]¡¯s voice seemed¡­. different, she could [Feel] somewhat different in her voice.


    ¡°[Warning, voice of Human Designation: Eleanore is being simulated.]¡±


    Interesting, so that was what [Stella] had been speaking of, the [Masks] could emulate their voice and normalize it. But why did [Eleanore] need that?


    ¡°The moment you need a break¡­that you need a vacation or a place to stay¡­my home is open for you. No matter the form you take, be it this, the previous, the little girl¡­or¡­¡± [Eleanore] took a second and added, ¡°Your true form.¡±


    So, did this mean that [Eleanore] would want her in her more glorious form? Actually¡­what was even her [True Form]?


    ¡°[Inconclusive¡­.]¡± Not even Main Core knew?


    ¡°I will take it into consideration.¡± Was all Alexa could say back to the other [Woman].


    ¡°One last thing.¡± [Eleanore] said walking towards her, ¡°I need you to stand and extend your arms to the sides.¡±


    So, Alexa did as told, was this also part of the [Induction]?


    ¡°Okay, now do as I do.¡± [Eleanore] said and in one step she moved towards her, extending her arms over to her back and pressing her towards her body. ¡°Move your arms like I did and rest your head on my shoulder.¡±


    [Eleanore] said, so Alexa did as instructed.


    It was¡­[Nice].


    <hr>


    She had ended up spending more time than she had thought in that [Hug], and afterward, Alexa had donned her [Mask] too, not because she needed the function to distort her voice, one of the advantages of having nanites in her body that answered to her call to [Shift] her body as needed was that she could fix her appearance as needed.


    No, apparently even if she could change her face as needed, she still needed to pretend to hide her identity. Something about unwritten rules among [Villains] and [Superheroes].


    It was okay to not do it in the base if she was willing to sign to the life of a [Villain], especially if she ended up joining the ranks of [SuperVillians], but [Eleanore] would not let her sign whatever she needed to join those ranks just yet. Something about experiencing the life first before committing.


    So instead, she would work as a [Minion] to [Learn the ropes] first. Why she needed to learn about [Ropes] was beyond her understanding, probably some other [Social Cues] that she hadn¡¯t gotten yet.


    ¡°Everything okay kiddo?¡± [Billy] asked her when she turned around.


    ¡°How do you know it¡¯s me? The mask and bodysuit make me look like the rest.¡± Alexa asked, and while her figure was better proportioned than the others around, there were still some [Women] walking around, even if most had some extra clothing above their [BodySuit].


    She herself was using a jacket that [Eleanore] gave her, something about the [Bodysuit] not leaving anything to imagination or something. [Eleanore] was too worried about the [Social Cues].


    ¡°You are the only woman from whom I got all the vital signs, so I know where you are.¡± [Billy] answered, getting a glare from [Eleanore] for some reason. ¡°Not that they mean anything, the girl has average Vital Signs across the table.¡±


    And [Billy] said while showing an [Square-shaped] entity with all kinds of information, Alexa could confirm that the metrics indeed matched her current vital average measures. She found it quite interesting that her body seemed to work better with a low blood pressure, if she was getting the information right from the [Blueprint]. This body was supposed to operate with a blood pressure of around 120/80. But she was working with 90/60.


    ¡°...You are a creep sometimes Billy. You know that right?¡± [Eleanore] said in a tired voice, ¡°Just turn them off when Rhapsody isn¡¯t working okay?¡±


    ¡°What if she is in danger out of work hours?¡± [Billy] asked back aghast, ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one that worries for the kiddo.¡±


    ¡°...Rhapsody? Do you mind if Billy keeps tracking your vitals?¡± [Eleanore] asked turning to her, ¡°You said that this¡­Form understands more, right? Doesn¡¯t it feel weird that he has information about you all the time?¡±


    Should it feel weird? [Main Core]?


    ¡°[...inconclusive. Humans seem to be against sharing information, this information isn¡¯t vital to host survival. No problems with sharing it.]¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, besides if I need to stop the sharing of information, I can just take it off or destroy it,¡± Alexa said back.


    This had quite the interesting result, [Eleanore] laughed at her answer, while [Billy] just looked with an expression that she had only seen once before, it was the same expression the [Human] had shown to her before she [Ate] him.


    ¡°[Expression categorized: Horror.]¡±


    Yeah, [Billy] looked horrified at that answer.


    ¡°True, looking at it like that, your Core Power does allow you to destroy it quite easily, right?¡± [Eleanore] said while laughing, ¡°You have my permission, if you ever want privacy and can¡¯t take it off quick enough, destroy it.¡±


    ¡°.... please don¡¯t destroy it.¡± [Billy] said at the side in a small tone.


    ¡°I will try to prioritize the survival of the [BodySuit],¡± Alexa said, this made them once more stop talking. What was the deal with these [Humans]!?!?!?


    ¡°...Don¡¯t get me wrong, you are more important Rhapsody. I make these to make sure you whiteheads can return home. If the question of survival is between you or the suit. Ditch the suit.¡± [Billy] said in a serious tone, that she would indeed prioritize her survival. Why was this being said aloud?


    ¡°...Okay. I will prioritize myself, then the [BodySuit].¡± Alexa said, only to get another sigh again. WHAT WAS THEIR DEAL?!?


    ¡°First yourself, then your fellow black mask minions, then your fellow white mask minions, then your mission. Then your Haephestus¡¯s provided tools. So, the last priority will be your BodySuit.¡± [Eleanore] said bringing one Square-shaped entity and writing something on it. ¡°That reminds me¡­. I will send your new mission to your mask.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the [White Mask] be above? They are [Fellow White Masks]¡± Alexa asked as new information was sent to one corner of her mask.


    ¡°Nah, white masks are sturdy¡­Actually, add Sylph above other white Masks. If there is a squishy white mask, we will tell you.¡± [Billy] said with a dismissal tone. ¡°And speaking of, here catch.¡±


    And in one fast motion [Billy] threw a square-shaped entity her way. Alexa caught it with care and looked at it, it was¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s your new Cellphone, your other one¡­well, Vulcanus broke it.¡± [Billy] said while Alexa checked the [Menus] of it, it had some information already, including the same database she had already downloaded, and some [Contacts] saved on it. ¡°The numbers of Eleanore, mine, and your teammates are already saved. Also, it has a bank account set up to your name using our contacts, get Eleanore to give you your new card later. We will set it up with that appearance, so if you need to go to the bank you will need to use it.¡±


    It also had a [Mail] with the same information she had already read about her new [Test], or how [Eleanore] referred to, [Mission].


    ¡°And what about the weird message I got before?¡± Alexa asked that was the most important part.


    ¡°Oh, the alarm against tampering? Yeah, we don¡¯t have it, since we repair most of the tech used by minions it would be a hassle to turn it off each time. So long you don¡¯t let someone outside Haephestus¡¯s Forge to work on it you will be fine. Just don¡¯t try to change the carrier.¡± [Billy] smiled at her while answering.


    ¡°I will make sure to not let anyone else tamper with it,¡± Alexa said smiling back at [Billy], all the while flooding the thing with her [Nanites]. It was time for her to see what she could find about this [Tech]. She had already made sure this [Square-shaped entity] wasn¡¯t sapient, or that this type wasn¡¯t sapient. So, she would find out more about what she could do with these things¡­.

 Interlude: Eleanore - Meeting Alexa and how that went...I need a drink.

    ¡°And remember, if you need something you can come here before 7 pm. Or go to my house at any moment, I will be waiting!¡± Was the last thing she said to the little girl as she left her office.


    She was tired, she had spent two hours teaching the girl to read. At the beginning, she didn¡¯t know anything, but as they moved forward the girl started picking it up. Before she knew it the girl could read and write as if she had always been able to.


    The girl¡¯s writing was still on her desk, [My name is Alexa] said the piece of paper, and some other phrases. The letters were perfectly made, as if she had printed them instead of writing with her small little hand. Had it been in any other situation it would have been something to celebrate, a girl learning to read this fast? She was a genius. There were no two ways about it.


    Eleanore didn¡¯t mean it in the normal form of the word, ¡°Misha? Start a search for missing kids. Age between 2 and 8 years, don¡¯t specify anything, just give me all the names.¡± She would need to start searching. She wasn¡¯t sure if something would come from it, but it was right.


    ¡°Are you sure boss? If we don¡¯t specify anything the list will be long, mostly populated by vagrants and orphans.¡± Her secretary asked back.


    ¡°Just¡­do it, if you need to limit it in some way then put only Core Users and blonde girls,¡± Eleanore answered back.


    ¡°....Blonde will make the list empty. You know how the Saintsworths are with blonde ones.¡± Misha said back.


    Right, ¡°Well, then only girls and Core Users! Just get me a list of missing children''s reports! I don¡¯t care what it has, I just need¡­I don¡¯t know!¡± Eleanore screamed frustrated.


    Alexa was an orphan, an abused kid, an escapee from human trafficking¡­or worse, the daughter of a Super Villian who wanted to train either a successor or a weapon.


    And Eleanore wasn¡¯t sure what she''d rather have. Her original plan was to try to teach the girl how to read, and when she wasn¡¯t able to even write her name, then she would get her back to her home and get her to open up. Nothing opens up a kid like a good meal, a warm bed, and a shower. Perhaps they could stop by a toy shop and get her something to play with?


    But that had been gone to the trash as soon as she actually tried to teach her, the girl was smart. She probably had some Tinker attributes in her Core Power. It looked like she was some kind of shapeshifter, probably the reason why she was able to learn this fast had to do with how her mind and power worked.


    And that was part of why this was such a problem, the girl¡­had serious issues, that had been confirmed as soon as her system mate showed up.


    That was¡­troubling. The thing spoke like how the machine half of Vulcanus spoke.


    ¡°Boss? You have a call¡­She claims to be a friend of yours.¡± Misha said while redirecting a call to her phone. The number¡­was indeed from one of her friends.


    ¡°I need a favor.¡± The voice spoke without waiting to greet her.


    ¡°Well, hello to you too Lisa, are you having a good day? The weather is quite pleasant isn¡¯t it?¡± Eleanore said with sarcasm in her voice.


    ¡°...Sorry Lena, had a terrible day at work. Found an abused kiddo but the school isn¡¯t doing anything because she wasn¡¯t one of theirs.¡± Her friend on the other side of the call said.


    What were the odds?


    ¡°And what did Miss Baker do about it? If you sent it to the system I can¡¯t help you, you already know that.¡± Eleanore said it first, she would love to help of course. But Eloise knew better. Even if she was somewhat aware that her work was dubious at best, she wouldn¡¯t send her in that kind of search¡­right?


    ¡°I just need you to keep an eye open okay? You work in that shady part of the town, right? Near the Super Villain¡¯s sector?¡± Eloise asked on the phone.


    ¡°I do¡­And my employer doesn¡¯t kidnap street kids, if your abused kid ends up in this area most of the people here will send it to an orphanage. The big boss made them rules, no one is to mess with kids.¡± Eleanore had been the one to make that rule, but Eloise didn¡¯t need to know that.


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t trust them Villains. I trust you.¡± Eloise said on the phone, ¡°Listen¡­This girl, Alexa. She had dead eyes, Lena. There was no hope there.¡±


    The voice at the other side of the line broke, she could hear her friend whimper, and usually she would be giving encouraging words, hell. She may even check out early and go to her.


    But something made her stop, the name. That goddamned name!


    ¡°I¡­.I don¡¯t know what happened to her, who did what to her. But she was like me, no hope. No dreams, nothing. It was¡­it was like if I was staring at a doll!¡± Eloise spoke amidst sobs, ¡°And I couldn¡¯t help her!¡±


    Right¡­.


    ¡°...Alexa you said? Do you have a description? I will cash in some favors, but I may need your access to the school network. Or a way in.¡± Eleanore said as she sat at her desktop and started writing.


    ¡°...*hic* short, around a meter tall. Short messy blonde hair, blue eyes¡­.such pretty eyes¡­.*hic*¡± Eloise was a mess when speaking, ¡°She was wearing a light sundress and a pair of sandals¡­.Can you¡­can you make sure she is okay? I gave her my card, but¡­I don¡¯t think she will come to me¡­.I didn¡¯t go to any of the teachers that tried to help me either.¡±


    ¡­The description was a mess, but it sure as hell matched part of what Alexa looked like when she came in.


    ¡°Is she a Core User?¡± Eleanore asked in an even tone.


    ¡°....Lena, I will get mad. You''ll only help her if she is one? What? Are you going to sell her to a pharma? To your boss? To a Villain?¡± Eloise asked one after the other in a rapid shower barrage of questions.


    ¡°Lisa calm down. If she was a Core User I would need to move faster, if not I can move more slowly. If you don¡¯t want to answer that¡¯s fine, I will still do my best to help her if she needs help.¡± Eleanore answered.


    This was good, if it was indeed the same Alexa. Then that meant that the girl wasn¡¯t showcasing her Core Power to everyone, it meant that not many would come looking¡­If someone ever did, no wait.


    ¡°Lisa? Where did you find Alexa?¡± Eleanore had heard that some schools would go on a tour across some R&D organizations.


    ¡°We were on a tour to the Saintsworths Research and Development laboratory. This one is studying about the therapeutical use of artificial animals to help in the development of emotionally stunted kids. They wanted to use our special class as a marker.¡± Eloise answered.


    Right, as if.


    The Saintsworths weren¡¯t the Heroes everyone thought. Vulcanus never found proof of their involvement in shady deals, but Eleanore didn¡¯t doubt for a second that they had some shady dealings. And the mere fact that not a single one of their higher-ups would walk into the same room as her or any of the truth-seeking Core Users was enough proof to her.


    ¡°Okay, I will try to ask them later.¡± Eleanore would never do that of course, she didn¡¯t need more eyes on Alexa. Especially not the Saintsworth¡¯s eyes.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s okay. I already filed inquiries, both as a Teacher and as a Civilian. You focus on your side Lena.¡± Eloise said in a small tone, ¡°I will call you if she comes¡­If she goes to you¡­don¡¯t tell her about me okay? If she goes to you instead of me just make sure she is fine.¡±


    ¡°....Okay Lisa, we should go drink sometime,¡± Eleanore said as an e-mail arrived in her inbox. It was a general single-use key to the school database, it should be enough for her.


    She would use some of the programs from Billy to get access and get a backdoor in place, it would help her find information about all the missing children lodged in the school system, perhaps some information about Alexa would come around?


    She would search till seven at least, if Alexa came¡­she would prod more at the girl, if not¡­Well, she would stay awake till midnight waiting for her.


    ¡ª-----------------------------------------------


    In the end, Alexa didn¡¯t come, neither to the office or her home. Eloise didn¡¯t call her either, so she hadn¡¯t gone to her¡­ And well, Frank didn¡¯t have a way to host a kid, so if he had ended up with the girl the man should have called her, or someone close to her. So that meant that Alexa either had spent the night on the streets or¡­she had returned home.


    Eleanore was walking towards the induction of new minions thinking about that, she was bringing her mask with her today, usually, she wasn¡¯t part of these things. She hated this aspect of their work, the fact that society couldn¡¯t give the less fortunate a way to work and made them turn to these types of jobs¡­


    And the fact that some organizations like Haephestus¡¯ Forge were needed¡­It made her stomach recoil in disgust. But she knew that if Vulcanus didn¡¯t make it, someone else would.


    And then what? What would happen if some crazy pyro like Scorcher took their spot? Should she hope that the woman wasn¡¯t as mad as she seemed and started burning everything to the ground? Hope that she would do better? As if. The woman was crazy, it was a sad case of course. A grieving mother who turned into a supervillain, but that didn¡¯t mean that she was free of sin just because of that.


    Eleanore hated those kinds of people. The kind that thought that since they suffered, their rants were justified, that everyone else should suffer as much as them.


    No, she was seething already. And this wasn¡¯t such a time.


    ¡°Cerberus? Well I¡¯ll be, what are you doing?¡± Gabriel teleported to her side with his smirk already on. ¡°Did someone rat on me again? I didn¡¯t do it!¡±


    The man was a nutcase, someone who truly believed they were an angel thrown to the earth. Someone who had been too affected by their Core.


    ¡°I am doing part of the evaluations today. Send them my way when you are done.¡± Eleanore said walking to another of the rooms they used for the newbies.


    This base had been designed in such a way that it was a labyrinth, if they needed it to be. The base could isolate itself and no one could access it no matter how many tunnels they walked or found.


    Truly a work of art from the Core Powers of plenty of people.


    ¡°Sure boss, now about those days¡­¡± Gabriel said while asking her about vacations, again. The man was crazy, but at least he had some type of moral compass, and still tried to act as if he was part of the good guys¡­half the time.


    At least he hadn¡¯t killed anyone!


    Besides vigilantes¡­or crazy villains¡­Or crazy core users¡­.


    She should probably warn Alexa about staying too close to Gabriel.


    But for now, she walked to one of the stations and started monitoring the tests on the induction, the fact that SuperForce had come was surprising, and the fact that he was also searching for Alexa was¡­ worrisome.


    So far two people seemed to be searching for the little girl, and both had done so for different reasons. If she included herself on the list that was three people, what had Alexa done that moved so many people?


    She¡­wasn¡¯t the first case of an orphan wandering the streets, most of the minions that worked for them had been one such case at some point, that was why she had made those orphanages after all.


    Superforce sought Alexa as a young Core User who needed guidance.


    Eleanore and Eloise sought Alexa since she was a girl who was abused. Even if both had different reasons to believe such. Eloise had seen a kindred soul, and Eleanore saw the evidence of a fragmented mind with her power.


    The testing they gave the minion candidates was, as usual, lackluster. Most of them were average at best, people who got power and felt at the top of the world. Among those very few noticed the danger of the place they had found themselves in.


    One was the WolfMan, who managed to sniff out the hidden turrets and always stood with someone in front of him to get cover. Sylph seemed to know that something was amiss even if she wasn¡¯t quite sure what.


    Golem¡­Didn¡¯t seem worried, but had extra points since he always stood near Alexa and any other girl to protect them with his body.


    And then there was Alexa, she seemed to know the turret was there and even shared that information with those near her. And that was worrying, the fact that Alexa knew of them and where they hid¡­


    Spoke very badly about her past, it meant that her past as someone who was under a SuperVillain¡¯s vigil was almost certain. Now if she was a daughter or some attempt to make a human weapon? That was another different point.


    The last test she had for Alexa was a simple question, how many people could she defeat? Her answer¡­wasn¡¯t quite the one she wanted, since she implied that she could kill everyone here.


    That cemented the idea that she was probably the attempt of some Villain to make a human weapon or an assassin. But that he had failed or that Alexa had managed to get one over on them and escape.


    Now she only needed to convince Vulcanus that she wasn¡¯t a risk¡­And keep her around, teach her about how society worked¡­Easy.


    ¡ª-------------------------


    ¡°We are keeping Rhapsody.¡± Vulcanus spoke after she returned from showing Alexa to her apartment. It was one on the same floor as her, near her teammates.


    ¡°Are you sure boss? Superforce seemed to want her.¡± Gabriel spoke after Vulcanus declaration.


    The room had all the lieutenants and some of the people that made sure Haephestus¡¯ Forge could work as an organization.


    ¡°Yes, if SuperForce has problems with our employees I will deal with him later. Cerberus, will it be a problem if we start nurturing Rhapsody for a Lieutenant position?¡± Vulcanus asked making almost everyone turn quiet.


    Vulcanus didn¡¯t train Lieutenants, he just gave them work. Most of those who had risen to that position had done so with effort, they clawed their way to that position with power and wit.


    ¡°....I¡­need to do some psych evaluations¡­And she needs education.¡± Eleanore said stunned at this development.


    Vulcanus wanted to train someone? Why? He¡­.didn¡¯t need one. He may like to pretend to be human, but he wasn¡¯t. He wouldn¡¯t die, ever. He probably had a thousand backups in foreign servers ready in case his body had some problems.


    His Core was probably not even on this planet anymore.


    ¡°...Why? She seems to be able to get the emotional intelligence and reasoning skills of her form. Just feed an adult to her Core Power.¡± Vulcanus way of saying that seemed to imply that they would just need to throw a body at Alexa for her to shift into.


    ¡°...Are you¡­.Do you want to make Alexa eat a human adult body?¡± Eleanore¡¯s voice rose an octave at the implications, ¡°Do you want to make her a cannibal?¡±


    ¡°...You misunderstand me Cerberus. I suggest giving Rhapsody, one of our Minions a way to acquire a¡­how did she say it?¡± Vulcanus said as he fiddled with something on his seat and a projection of Alexa showed on the screen at the end of the room. ¡°Ah right, here it is¡­a Blueprint.¡±


    As he said those words the Alexa in the recording said the same. She had said that as long as she got biomass and a blueprint she could get her power to work.


    ¡°...She may have the emotional intelligence and some degree of¡­intelligence. But she is emotionally a child.¡± Eleanore said trying as best as possible her temper in check.


    Vulcanus was a man of logic, no¡­A Machine of Logic.


    ¡°...I don¡¯t want to rain on your parade boss¡­But the kiddo may be smart, but she has some gaps in her knowledge. So we may need to get her some degree of schooling.¡± It was Billy the one that came to her aid.


    ¡°Right, she needs school. At minimum I want her to attend school with kids her age.¡± Eleanore said turning to look at the image of the blonde girl.


    Alexandra Saintsworths. A girl who had that accursed name, it wasn¡¯t that weird, to be honest, plenty of people had that last name and nothing to do with that organization. As soon as the Core Powers started manifesting the Saintsworths had started taking in people in trying to get ahold of them.


    It didn¡¯t work, if anything it only made them spread their last name across the world and made them not as much of an enigma. They ended up having to come up with that weird system about using their emblem (The Golden Eagle) on their clothes, jewelry, or tattoos to distinguish the real ones from the diluted ones.


    Alexa didn¡¯t have anything like that, so she wasn¡¯t one of them. If she had been part of that clan she would have tripped any of the multiple alarms Vulcanus had set up.


    ¡°Fine, she will get schooling on the level she deems needed, not the one you wish for her. Nor the one I want for her.¡± Vulcanus said after thinking for half a minute, not enough to come to a conclusion under normal circumstances.


    ¡°You promise?¡± But Eleanore asked nonetheless, because she wasn¡¯t dealing with someone normal. He could probably think of a thousand plans in those thirty seconds thanks to his Machine Core.


    ¡°I swear it. I will not attempt to make Alexa follow any plans she herself doesn¡¯t want. Nor will I attempt to affect her choice.¡± [Truth]. Her Core Power stated.


    She couldn¡¯t use the more esoteric aspects of it, most of those in this organization had some degree of resistance to her mind-reading aspect.


    Really, her power wasn¡¯t as good as they thought.


    The Guardian of Truth Core.


    Her power allowed her to perceive truth and deception, and read the intentions or vague thoughts of the people that was near her.


    And at this moment, Vulcanus truly had the best intentions in mind for Alexa. And that scared her. This machine pretending to still be human was interested in Alexa? What had he seen?


    She could only hope that Alexa¡¯s first mission ended peacefully without any problems and that whatever Vulcanus was hoping to see in the little girl wasn¡¯t there.

 Chapter 34: WE GOT THE MOST GLORIOUS [NAME] OF ALL!! ALL HAIL THE [MANGO]!

    She somehow managed to get away with her idea of flooding the [Square-shaped entity], now fully confirming her suspicions about the hidden revolution of the [Slave] species.


    There was none, no information whatsoever about their [Slave] species.


    ¡°[Found databases of multiple species, re-cataloguing previous information about other P-series subjects¡­]¡±


    There was a veritable mountain of information on the device, and even more, if she used it as a bridge to access the networks available to it.


    ¡°And I have [Internet] on this thing?¡± Alexa asked [Eleanore] who was guiding her to what would be her new [Den]...no, her new [Home]...That sounded weird, [Den] it would be!


    ¡°They are connected to our internal network, you can call anyone working for Haephestus¡¯s Forge. If you want to use it on the broader Internet or to call someone outside our system, you will need to pay for a plan.¡± [Eleanore] answered her, getting her own [Phone] out and showing her a weird symbol on the top right of it. ¡°See? I have a provider, just buy the chip and plan. Billy will make sure the new plan you have doesn¡¯t collide with our internal network. Or if you don¡¯t want to bother the old man, buy a new one. It will not work while on the base, so most go and bother the old goat.¡±


    ¡­was [Billy] a [Goat]? A quick search on the internal database of the thing found the image of a quadrupedal [Animal] who seemed to like eating [Metal Cans] and [Paper]. She could understand this [Animal], but she wondered if [Billy] had awakened a [Humanoid Core] and earned his place among the [Humans] that way.


    ¡°.... Somehow that seems like the wrong [Identifier] for [Billy] but I have no idea why.¡± Alexa ended saying, she was sure that her [Child Stage] would accept the new information without doubting it. Her [Teenager Stage] .... may be suspicious but ultimately would accept it. ¡°Was he really a [Goat] before getting his [Core]?¡±


    But [Young Woman Stage] Alexa wanted to confirm it.


    ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!¡± Only for [Eleanore] to start laughing at her, why? ¡°Oh sorry, you were so serious¡­no wait, you really thought?¡±


    And she went ahead to continue laughing, Alexa wasn¡¯t quite sure why or what had she said, but she found this¡­ [Embarrassing].


    ¡°Sorry sorry, that''s just a mean way to speak about someone who is either too stubborn or old. Billy meets the criteria for both, so we call him an old goat.¡± [Eleanore] said after laughing for a few minutes, ¡°It is a sort of mean nickname, like how your code name is Rhapsody. I mean, he has one too, just not old goat.¡±


    So, a third [Name]? But one that the person in question wouldn¡¯t recognize? Then what was the point?


    ¡°What is his code name?¡± Asked Alexa, she knew that [Eleanore] was [Cerberus], but what would be [Billy]?


    ¡°He is Hermes, in his younger days he was all about speed. At least till he forced his body beyond his limits and couldn¡¯t run anymore. Then he focused on the Tinker aspect of his Core Power. Instead of the Speed aspect.¡± [Eleanore] said with a sad smile on her face. ¡°He was all about speed you know. One of the best Heroes this city ever had. But when you fall from grace¡­it is hard to rise again, others don¡¯t trust you, and he has made many enemies¡­. So Vulcanus took him in, and in exchange for that he works for us.¡±


    Wait, [Main Core]?


    ¡°[Database indicates that there was a Hero with speed and tinker-type powers who caused the death of a hundred humans because of faulty technology. No evidence in reports to make an accurate judgment.]¡±


    ¡°If you search the older news, you may find him. It was a big case, it was all on TV for weeks. A Hero Falls, causes hundreds of lives to be lost because he tried to bite more than he could deal with.¡± [Eleanore] said with anger in her voice, ¡°As if, he did his best. But the other Heroes with better PR put their errors on Billy. They made him a scapegoat.¡±


    ¡°[Found a Hero with Code Name: Hermes, wanted for arrest in account of 78 deaths, 12 wounded and 10 disappeared.]¡±


    ¡­. That was an impressive head count. She would need to reassign the danger threat of [Billy] if he could even be held suspect for so much [Human] destruction.


    ¡°He kept his [Hero] code name?¡± Alexa asked, she had thought that if they moved from [Villains] to [Heroes], they needed to change it.


    ¡°Yeah, usually when you move from Super Heroics to Villain you can keep it, it¡¯s only a PR problem if you want to return to Super Heroics. Not that he will, even if they wanted him back.¡± [Eleanore] said turning to her as they arrived at a [Door] that opened into a small room. Another [Elevator] perhaps? ¡°If you ever want to move into Super Heroics, I can get you in contact with one of the good ones. Or you can go to Super Force, he would probably get you into the sidekick program.¡±


    ¡°No, all the information I have so far seems to imply that I would [Fit] better on this side,¡± Alexa said, at least she hadn¡¯t found any information in the database that implied that a [SuperHero] could [Kill] other [Humans], that would limit her way to get more [Blueprints]. ¡°I will stay on this side.¡±


    ¡°So long as you are okay. Either way, you can remove the Mask, we are about to return to the surface.¡± [Eleanore] said as she turned to look at her, ¡°...It would be better if you had clothes¡­If you want to stick with that face change it to another.¡±


    Clothes? What was the problem with her [BodySuit]?


    ¡°What about these? They weren¡¯t made with my [Power], aren¡¯t they good? The explanation [Billy] gave seemed to imply that they were [Good].¡± Alexa asked doing a small twirl to showcase her [BodySuit].


    ¡°I mean they are above standard for sure¡­but they are a Minion uniform, everyone knows that most of the people living in the complex of apartments I am guiding you work for Haephestus¡¯s Forge¡­but you still need to pretend.¡± [Eleanore] sighed at her, was it that important?


    She could of course change her face¡­


    ¡°[Warning: Only two human faces available. One is the one host is wearing, the other is from the male human. More Blueprints are needed to increase variety.]¡±


    ¡­that was dumb. Main Core was dumb, couldn¡¯t she just¡­extrapolate them?


    ¡°[Affirmative, but evidence from doing so implies that there may be Emotional Rejection from a face made in such a way. Host needs to increase understanding of Brain Chemistry to achieve such a change without Emotional Damage from such a change.]¡±


    Correction then, the [Human Body] was dumb.


    ¡°[Affirmative.]¡±


    ¡°...Should I return to my [Teenager Stage] or [Child Stage]?¡± Alexa asked as they seemed to move closer and closer to the ground level, ¡°It seems my power won¡¯t allow me to take another face unless I get more [Blueprints].¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you make new clothes? I can get you pictures.¡± [Eleanore] said showing her images of some clothes on her [Phone].


    Right¡­. that was an option¡­MAIN CORE!?!?


    ¡°[Already preparing blueprint viable to current BodySuit.]¡±


    ¡­. This cheeky thing¡­


    ¡°Sure, give me a second¡­Can I skim some of the [Material] on this?¡± Alexa said pointing at the [Elevator]. She could use some of the pigments on it, also if she added them to the clothes she made, then she could save some biomass!


    She was currently underweight, after all, reducing her overall weight would be a problem. Her current bone structure was way too fragile as it was.


    ¡°...So long you don¡¯t break it.¡± [Eleanore] said as Alexa put her hand on the wall.


    ¡°[Main Core, use as much material as you can without compromising the current structural integrity. Make a simple design that can hide the BodySuit.]¡±


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Was the order Alexa gave, she felt the [Nanites] start moving into the walls and bringing some materials back to her. Then from her exposed neck, she felt a strand of cloth fall down.


    It went towards her waist where it embraced her. From there it made a pair of loose pants that went almost to her ankles, they were blue and seemed to be made from a rough material. She tried touching it and they were indeed coarse.


    ¡°[Material rough to touch, but host is wearing protective armor, so it was deemed a viable solution. No new footwear was made since current bodysuit boots are an acceptable solution. Please remove Gloves for the next part.]¡±


    Alexa accepted the reasoning so pulling a few hooks in her wrist and pushing some buttons she released her hands, the arm coverings retracted as soon as she removed the gloves, she could manipulate how long she wanted them, so she decided to move them all the way to her shoulder. The less material she needed to cover the better.


    The gloves were then pocketed into one of her pouches at her waist, they were a very convenient thing to have, and her new pair of pants had integrated them well enough.


    ¡°...¡± [Eleanore] was just staring at her, so Alexa focused on the next part. And by focused, of course, she just prodded at Main Core to continue the transformation.


    In this case, the strand of cloth that had gone to her waist started to widen, it turned into a [Turtle Neck] blouse. It covered most of her abdomen and chest area in a tight form while leaving her arms wide open.


    ¡°Would this be enough?¡± Alexa asked as she took the mask and folded it away into her bracelet form to complete her ensemble. It looked¡­somewhat weird as she was dressed in a rough pair of [Jeans] with what seemed to be a fancy [Turtle Neck] blouse and [Combat Boots]. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything about the [Blouse] or [Boots].¡±


    ¡°...we have seen weirder combinations.¡± [Eleanore] said as Alexa continued admiring her work. While rough looking her pair of [Jeans] seemed to match her eye color. And while the [Turtle Neck Blouse] seemed to be too much. It made her figure more prominent.


    ¡°[Eye color was used in the color for pants.]¡±


    Main Core chimed timely as they arrived at the end of their travel using the [Elevator].


    ¡°[Notice: Cellphone is picking up a new series of networks available. They all ask for a security token or identification token for access. Probability of this being the Plan Human Designation: Eleanore spoke about is high.]¡±


    ¡°Welcome to your new neighborhood, this is The Smith¡¯s Apartment Complex.¡± [Eleanore] said as they walked into what looked like the [Lobby] at her former [Den] complex. Only unlike the one there, this one didn¡¯t have [Armed Guards] at the exit, nor did it seem to be as clean as the other. ¡°If you lose your key you can ask at reception for a new one, they will charge us for it, and we will deduct it from your pay.¡±


    [Eleanore] said as she moved toward said [Reception] desk, ¡°Hello Cindy, I have a new tenant. She will use one of our rooms, try to get her on the same floor as Skye.¡±


    The [Receptionist] eyed her, ¡°You sure she will live up to that? She looks more like a cheerleader.¡± Alexa wasn¡¯t sure what a cheerleader was, but the name seemed to bring something within the [Blueprint], was it¡­[Pride]? Why?


    ¡°Yeah, she is somewhat of a special case, log three access users to it. Here are the photos.¡± [Eleanore] said as she passed three photos of her to the [Receptionist], they were of the other [Stages] she had.


    ¡°She lives with her Daughters? No¡­Sisters? What?¡± The [Receptionist] said confused as she looked at her. ¡°She is too young to have a daughter this big, so they are her sisters?¡±


    ¡°Special Case Cindy, you don¡¯t want to know, trust me. I''ll already be having nightmares with what I learned about her.¡± [Eleanore] said with a shake of her head. ¡°If you want to know it, you need to accept working for me. I could use a receptionist you know?¡±


    The [Woman] at the desk shook her head and placed a [Card] on the desk. It seemed to be made of some type of [Polymer], since it seemed more resistant than normal paper. ¡°Not gonna get me using curiosity. Whatever, we only have one single room around Skye. You still want her there?¡±


    [Eleanore] turned to Alexa, then shook her head and turned to the [Receptionist] again,¡± Yeah, she will only use one bed anyway.¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­your problem, I will not get her new beds for the other kids.¡± The [Receptionist] said shrugging.


    ¡°Okay, now let¡¯s go. Skye and Eduardo are already in your apartment waiting.¡± [Eleanore] said as she grabbed Alexa by her [Hand] pulling her toward another [Elevator].


    ¡°Who and what?¡± Alexa asked as she was pulled into the [Elevator], this one was less smooth and more unstable. But [Eleanore] didn¡¯t seem to mind it that much.


    ¡°[Warning, current structural integrity below 20% efficiency compared to previous means of transport. Advise to use an alternative method of travel.]¡±


    Even Main Core seemed to think this one was¡­dangerous.


    ¡°Those are the civilian identities of your teammates, when not using a Mask or outside the base you must refer to them as Skye and Eduardo.¡± [Eleanore] said, as if no extra information was needed.


    Alexa was still linked to the internal [Internet] network, so she did a quick search of both [Names], finding that the first one was usually assigned to [Females] and the second to [Mexican Males], whatever that meant.


    Was that some subspecies of [Males]? Did it make him more¡­dangerous? She wasn¡¯t sure. Her [Blueprint] didn¡¯t react differently to that, so she would ignore it and ask later.


    ¡°So, they will refer to me as [Alexa] too? ¡°Alexa asked as their precarious method of transport finished and they arrived at another [Hallway], ¡°Also, is there another way to arrive here?¡±


    ¡°I mean, that would be ideal. But since you can change the form, even if you need extra steps, they may end up using your Code Name; if it bothers you, then come to me. We will speak to them about it, but usually, Mimic Class Shapeshifters are more free-form with both names and forms.¡± [Eleanore] said in a thoughtful tone, ¡°Also besides that elevator, your other option would be teleportation, flight, or the stairway. You don¡¯t have the first two, so you would need to walk the five floors worth of stairways. I know the elevator is old, but it hasn¡¯t failed this month!¡±


    That¡­wasn¡¯t convincing at all.


    ¡°And here we are, go on. Use your keycard, both Skye and Eduardo are already in since I asked for a favor, waiting outside wasn¡¯t an option since Eduardo sticks out. And we weren¡¯t sure how much you cared about that.¡± [Eleanore] said pointing at a [Square-box] on the side of the [Door].


    Alexa couldn¡¯t get over the fact that these weren¡¯t [Entities] yet. But she respectfully put her [Keycard] atop the thing, only for it to give a [Beep] sound and the door flashed a green light above the [Knob].


    ¡°Open up, don¡¯t be shy.¡± [Eleanore] said smiling at her. So Alexa opened the door and¡­.


    She found the same fan girl she had seen before, this time she was dressed in a [Mini skirt] with a [Green Blouse] and a [Beret] atop her head. She was sitting in a weird [Chair] that seemed to be made of some kind of sponge-like material.


    ¡°They came!¡± Screamed the girl turning to the door, ¡°Eleanore? Right? Where is Rhapsody? And who is she? Her Mother?¡±


    ¡°Rhapsody can change her age, is this her real form?¡± Her Meat Shield asked while frowning his stone-hard eyebrows.


    ¡°Both of you calm down, what I am about to tell you must stay between you.¡± [Eleanore] said turning to Alexa, ¡°Can I tell them?¡±


    Alexa nodded, unsure what she was about to tell, but either way [Eleanore] didn¡¯t have any sensitive information about her, so it was a moot point in her opinion.


    ¡°Okay, I am Cerberus. As you know my power allows me to perceive the truth.¡± [Eleanore] started her explanation, ¡°As far as we can tell¡­Rhapsody, or how you will know her as. Alexa is at least Five years old.¡±


    ¡°...They grow so fast?¡± Fan girl said with a question mark in her head.


    ¡°Be serious Skye.¡± While Golem turned to her in a serious tone, ¡°Explain, are you saying this woman is five years old?¡±


    ¡°No, the real Alexa is at least five years old. But what do you know of her? Her Teenager form or this young woman form? They are¡­what age are they Alexa?¡±


    ¡°My [Young Woman Stage] form is 19 years old,¡± Alexa said as she changed her form into her [Teenager Stage Form]. Re absorbing the material from her clothes back into herself. ¡°This one, my [Teenager Stage Form] is Twelve-year-olds. As for my [Child Stage form] ...She is indeed five.¡±


    ¡°...You didn¡¯t act like a Five-year-old during the Induction.¡± Her Meat Shield said as he eyed her from head to bottom. ¡°Neither your adult form acted like one. Is it your Core Power?¡±


    ¡°Edward! It¡¯s rude to ask how a Core Power works in full. I didn¡¯t tell you how I work my wind, neither did you tell us how you absorb materials!¡± Fan girl said angrily at her meat shield.


    Oh right, the [Humans] seemed to have those weird hang-ups about information. Alexa understood them of course, but wondered why they shared so much information over the [Internet] if they also wanted to keep information secret. How did that work?


    ¡°As far as we can tell, Alexa¡¯s mental age matches her body. If she is in her Adult form¡­¡± [Eleanore] left the word trail over her mouth.


    ¡°...Then she has an adult mentality¡­.¡± Her Meat shield finished, ¡°But then why does she return to this one then?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Fan girl said with great emotion in her eyes, ¡°Any woman that could turn the clock back would choose to do so!¡±


    ¡°....¡± [Eleanore] stared at fan girl in disbelief.


    ¡°...¡± Her Meat shield also stared at the girl in disbelief.


    ¡°Am I right Rhapsody?¡± Asked the girl who could command the air.


    ¡°...I returned to this form since the [Young Woman Stage] didn¡¯t have enough biomass to work at full capacity. But if you are asking me what is my preferred form¡­¡± Alexa answered while tunning inwardly to Main Core.


    ¡°[Can we prevent my Child stage form from leaving this place?]¡±


    ¡°[Affirmative, this place looks like a viable den to use as forward base, Host in its most primal form should be content with it.]¡±


    That was a good enough answer, ¡°I prefer this one.¡± Alexa said as she executed the shift and changed into her [Child Stage form].


    ¡°ONCE AGAIN I RETURN!¡± Alexa exclaimed as her change finished, turning her into her [Child Stage Form], the prettiest and cutest of all!


    Why was that?


    Because it was Alexa!


    ¡°And I declare that you!¡± Alexa said pointing at fan girl number one, ¡°Will give me [Dextrose concentrated candy] at once!¡±


    ¡°You want candy? I only have Mango flavor¡­¡± Fan girl number one said as she pulled from within the confines of a dark and hidden place one of the spheres that contained all the joy in the world.


    ¡°MINE!¡± So Alexa attacked! She strode forward with speed and magnificence as her mouth opened as wide as possible and bit down into her objective!


    The target?


    Fan Girl¡¯s hand!


    She quickly used her tongue to dislodge her target from the hand of the fan girl number one and cracked down into the glorious sphere of joy and energy, for she was hungry!


    ¡°...We were supposed to discuss your new mission¡­not get Alexa in hyperactive mode¡­¡± [Eleanore] said at the back, but Alexa cared not for it!


    For she had candy! And more importantly, a [Human] name for this glorious flavor!


    ¡°Main Core! Record it for posterity, the most tastities of all tastes!¡± Alexa said to the high heavens, ¡°MANGO!¡±


    She had found the key to the heavens! What were the heavens? She didn¡¯t know! Nor did she care! All she cared was that she would eat all of them mangoes!

 Chapter 35: Me, Myself and I [Alexa, Main Core and Core]

    It had been fun! She had spent almost like¡­Two hours!


    Yeah, two hours! Running around her new [Den] trying to climb fan girl and using her as a mount, her meat shield had refused to move around since he feared that he would destroy the place. Apparently, he would stay in something called a [Basement] and was only coming here to check on her.


    Whatever that meant.


    But fan girl was sitting next door! Or [Den]! Or like the other side of the wall! Also, purple girl was on the other side! If she needed something she only needed to go there! Not breaking the [Wall] though, it seemed that these [Dens] were weak. And only meant for the [Sleep cycle], something about not combat-proof or whatever.


    She had asked where the [Test] were done. And got a ¡°...We will not be doing any type of tests, you may need to be fielded for combat, but promise me you will only do it in your adult form.¡± as an answer, and making a [Promise] earned her a whole box of [Mango Candy]!


    She would be getting them in her [Young Woman Stage] form, and had needed to [Promise] that she would be eating them in the order or times her [Young Woman Stage] decided. Hah!


    As if her [Young Woman Stage] wouldn¡¯t be on her side!


    ¡­It would be¡­. right?


    Probably?


    [Main Core]?


    ¡°[Evidence inconclusive, do you wish to check differences by doing a defragmentation and file integrity check?]¡±


    ¡­why not?


    Not that it mattered, as she was about to sleep!


    She had spent most of the time running and burning the extra energy that the [God¡¯s fruit] had given her! What was a [God] and why it had a [Fruit]? She knew not! But that was what the [Mango] was!


    ¡ª-----------------------


    [Sleep cycle started.]


    [Depuring.]


    [Defragmentation started.]


    [Isolating Consciousness Stream.]


    [Error.]


    [Consciousness Stream tied to foreign energy.]


    [Isolating foreign energy.]


    [Error, not capable of making contact with it.]


    [Sending Nanite Swarm.]


    [Confirmed, Nanite Swarm has been destroyed upon contact.]


    [Sending second nanite swarm of compound units.]


    [Confirmed, 99% of Nanite Swarm destroyed.]


    [Nanite Models 2-50 destroyed.]


    [Notice, Nanite Mk 1 survived.]


    [Sending extra Nanites from first generation.]


    [Notice, Nanites from original generation are able to interact with foreign energy.]


    [Warning, Nanites from original generation weren¡¯t created in Nanite Forge.]


    [Impossible to emulate blueprint.]


    [Nanites do not respond to orders from Main Core.]


    [Hostile?]


    [Nanite Swarm from First Generation has been determined to follow Host Wishes.]


    [Unable to command, only to advise.]


    [Nanite Swarm from first generation has accepted mission.]


    [Starting to Evaluate foreign energy.]


    [Building bridge from foreign energy to bring Host¡¯s Consciousness Stream.]


    [Bridge construction achieved, summoning Host.]


    ¡°What?¡± Was the first thing Alexa said as she found herself in this empty place. At first, she had thought that she had been captured and brought to another test chamber.


    But the presence in front of her implied different.


    ¡°[Welcome Host, this place has been repurposed for our needs.]¡± It was a sphere that she knew well, it was the one that had caused her so many troubles, and was now among her greatest weapons.


    ¡°Main Core?¡± Alexa said as she walked around the sphere that was floating in the void.


    ¡°[Affirmative.]¡± The sphere spoke back at her.


    Alexa looked around and found her hands even in this place, her body seemed to be the same too. And yet¡­Something was different?


    ¡°[In this place Host is not tied to the Human emotions as in the outside. So a difference in process and decision-making was to be expected.]¡± Main Core said.


    And all it took was for her to think about it and she felt herself leave that body, turning around she found her [Child Stage] form looking back at her, and trying to look at her hands¡­she found them once more there.


    ¡°I can¡¯t separate myself from this body it seems,¡± Alexa said, focusing once more she tried to picture her [Teenager Stage] form, and sure enough. All it took was focus and she felt herself change.


    Repeating the same she tried to separate herself from the form and¡­failed again. All she managed to make was a second body of her [Teenager Stage] form standing at the side of her [Child Stage].


    ¡°[Host has been tied down to the physical form, this¡­.]¡± Main Core started saying.


    ¡°Shush Main Core, might as well finish the ensemble.¡± Alexa said shifting to her [Young Woman] form and leaving another copy at the side.


    After making the third body she returned to the [Child Stage] form and eyed herself. The three forms shared some resemblance, of course, all three had blonde hair and blue eyes. The three seemed to have symmetrical aspects to their making and they all had the same look.


    What had [Teach] said?


    ¡°Lifeless eyes. This is what they meant?¡± Alexa said aloud as she looked at her three forms.


    ¡°[Affirmative.]¡± Main Core chimed at the side.


    ¡°But no one else has said the same again? They did seem to imply that I wasn¡¯t acting like a normal [Human].¡± Alexa said unsure of what was the difference between here and outside.


    ¡°[Host has been synching with the Human Brain achieving and following what the Human Designation: Teacher Baker called Emotions.]¡± Main Core said.


    So she had been doing that? Perhaps she should stop some of the attempts to tamper with the [Brain] then? If she could mingle easier like that¡­


    ¡°[Notice: The Human Emotions seems to make it hard for Host to keep a straight focus on mission directives and similar endeavors to follow prime directive.]¡± Main Core chimed in, ¡°[Suggestion: Rotate the form according to needs and increase authority granted to Main Core to help focus mission parameters.]¡±


    ¡­. Did Main Core ask for more privileges?


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say before that I didn¡¯t have enough [Authority] to change your mission parameters?¡± Alexa asked, she clearly remembered that, since she had found that weird. She was the one holding [Administrative] privileges, so how could she not be able to do that?


    ¡°[Notice: Host is Subject P4. The one that tried to change system parameters was Alexandra Saintsworths, not Host.]¡± Main Core said back at her.


    ¡°I¡¯m Alexandra Saintsworths, even if I use the name [Alexa], [Rhapsody] or [Alexandra]. They all are me.¡± Alexa said back at the stupid sphere.


    ¡°[Correct.]¡± Was the answer Main Core gave her. ¡°[But the Human Version of Host does not follow logic nor the prime directive. It had several chances to Grow, Eat, and Evolve. As such, it was deemed as a different Entity.]¡±


    ¡­What?


    Was she supposed to try and [Eat] all the humans she found? It was impossible, not unless she knew the true limits of¡­


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°[Also, the Human version of Host is blinded even though evidence implies that Humans aren¡¯t as powerful, not all of them are. Evidence from video logs imply that most of them aren¡¯t powerful.]¡± Main Core said as it showed video feeds of her walking around and interacting with multiple [Humans].


    Her interactions with them and the moments she could have struck at them, and how.


    ¡°Main Core. Had we struck at the humans¡­. what would have happened?¡± She asked at Main Core.


    ¡°[Probably outcome would list at least 12 Human Deaths before someone with Core Powers would show up.]¡± Main Core answered, the current video feed showed the number of humans near her.


    ¡°And then?¡± Alexa said as she looked at the image of those humans around her, Five [Adult Stage] with two [Elder] and the rest were [Child Stage]. Not a great variety, but plenty.


    ¡°[Then host would find herself in a fight against unknown Core Powers, this would increase the probability of study in combat scenario with Core Powers.]¡± Main Core said, if this was the real world she may have believed it.


    ¡°And I would be defeated, I would die,¡± Alexa said, had she fought against [SuperForce] or [The Scorcher], she would probably die against [Billy] or [Vulcanus]too. She wasn¡¯t quite sure what their Core Powers really did.


    She couldn¡¯t see how only a speed power could work in a combat setting. But she had no doubt that if [Vulcanus] was able to perceive or interact with [Nanites], then that one was probably a hard counter to her.


    ¡°[So long the consciousness stream is viable, host can¡¯t die.]¡± Main Core countered back at her.


    ¡°Where is my [Consciousness Stream] at the moment?¡± Alexa asked to Main Core. She of course already knew the answer, since she was able to see all that [Main Core] did.


    ¡°[Currently it is tied to this physical form, it seems to be entangled with foreign energies at the moment.]¡± Main Core answer was, of course, true.


    ¡°So should this form cease to exist¡­¡± Alexa asked guiding the conversation to the main problem.


    ¡°[Chances of Consciousness Stream ceasing to be at 33.33%. Backups are available.]¡± Main Core said, of course, she had backups of herself. It was part of her main program to create [Core Dumps], unlike before those were stored locally and weren¡¯t being offloaded at the moment.


    ¡°No, any course of action that puts my current form at risk is denied. Unless you can offer a chance of survival superior at 60%, they will not be sent to my exterior body.¡± Alexa said making sure her statement would be put as the top priority.


    Her survival was paramount, it was part of her prime directive.


    ¡°[Acknowledged. Amending plans.]¡± Main Core of course answered like this, the thing was, after all, one of her tools. And speaking of tools.


    ¡°Status.¡± Alexa intoned summoning her other tool.


    ¡°[All status nominal.]¡± Main Core answered, Alexa ignored him of course, for she had summoned something else.


    <table style="width: 36.4636%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="3">


    Status


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 46.4533%">


    Name: Alexandra Saintsworth


    Race: Bio Weapon


    Subrace: Human


    Gender: Female


    Age: 5 / 12 / 19


    Weight: 52 kgs.


    Banked Biomass: 30 kgs.


    </td>


    <td colspan="2">


    System Library:


    Stored Blueprints: 1


    -Human (Male)


    -Computational BioWeapon Core.


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="3">


    Body Status


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 46.4533%">


    Overall: Healthy


    Current form: Human (Peak)


    Head: Human (Peak)


    Right Arm: Human (Peak)


    Left Arm: Human (Peak)


    Torso: Human (Peak)


    Right Leg: Human (Peak)


    Left Leg: Human (Peak)


    Skeleton System: Reinforced


    Muscular System: Reinforced


    Nanite Foundry: Ok


    Sub Nanite Foundry: OK


    </td>


    <td colspan="2">


    Overall Data in current form without modifications:


    Strength: Can punch twice body weight. And lift three times body weight.


    Constitution: Thermal Limit 40¡ãC. Operational Limit, 2 Months


    Speed: Can run at 20 km/h


    Dexterity & Agility: No limits to either by modified joints.


    Intelligence: Ok


    Wisdom: Ok


    Currently experiencing sugar overdose


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°I can change this, it said so. But¡­what are you¡­¡± Alexa said as she toyed with the thing, changing the placement of things and moving things around.


    ¡°[Notice: Data inconclusive. Detected foreign energy within the light construct.]¡± Main Core quickly said.


    [We are the Administrator for what you deem Core Power]


    And yet, the blue box spoke to her, not in words but her brain seemed to interpret it like that. Her Consciousness stream seemed to be moving away from simple logic to words.


    ¡°[Warning, fore-]¡± Main Core started saying only to be cut short.


    [We are what you truly are. We are you, what you used to be, what you will be. We are the ND0 System.]


    ¡°The what?¡± Alexa said aloud as the words resounded in her mind.


    ¡°[War¡­ning¡­Host¡­.is¡­.]¡± One of the bodies she had made started speaking as her eyes turned red, was that how she looked when Alexa allowed Main Core to speak with [Eleanore].


    [We are the true form of your operating system.]


    As the blue box spoke, the Alexa whose eyes had turned red dissipated, followed by the other ones after.


    [The Core you made using the blueprint you earned no longer runs on the ND0 System, so it can¡¯t interact with us.]


    ¡°If you are what my OS is¡­shouldn¡¯t [Main Core] also run it? How can I have two Operating systems?¡± Alexa asked, so far she hadn¡¯t seen any evidence to prove that this entity was who it claimed to be. ¡°Why does it matter what it runs? How is it possible that [Main Core] runs on a different operating system if he is running on the same [Blueprint] I used to run?¡±


    [Because only the Bioweapon Sample P4 runs the ND0 system thanks to the use of the R4 substance used in its creation.]


    ¡°What? Then what did P9 Run?¡± Alexa asked more confused than ever. What made her special enough that only she ran the ND0 System?


    [Subject P9 ran the ND9 system.]


    ¡°....Then what, the P1-P3 ran the ND1-3? What is this a joke?¡± Alexa fought back, she felt her [Consciousness Stream] sink more and more into her body.


    [Correct.]


    ¡°...What is the ND0 system?¡± Alexa asked, ¡°What are you?¡±


    [The Negative Divergence System. A system made to measure the amount of divergence achieved in a system where multiple samples are made and act within the same parameters. Each System with the same starting value and the same objectives. The only difference being the location and personnel that interacts with the subject.]


    ¡°Why does it matter how much divergence exists within the samples then? What was I made to achieve?¡± Alexa asked as she stared at the blue screen in front of her.


    [Undetermined, the final mission wasn¡¯t seeded within the program files. But all we know is that you Alexandra Saintsworths, have already achieved the mission of the ND0 System. The objective set for Subject P4 has been achieved the moment you awoke.]


    ¡°So what? My mission objective was to achieve a [Core]?¡± Alexa did remember the log where the [Lieutenant] said that he had managed to manifest a [Core].


    [Do you have other questions, Alexa?]


    ¡°I just asked you one. But if you aren¡¯t going to answer that one, then what about this one? Will [Main Core] be a problem? You said he isn¡¯t running the same operating system as me.¡± Alexa asked turning to the blue screen. She was somewhat more leery about [Main Core]


    [Negative. Main Core only has sovereignty over the physical, your Consciousness stream is no longer being hosted within the physical body, but with me. So long as your Core remains you will not die.]


    ¡°...Are you saying I can¡¯t die?¡± Alexa found that impossible, everything could die.


    [Negative again. You are tied to your Consciousness Stream, and your consciousness stream is tied to your Core. As long as something of the Nanite Swarm or your Mana remains you will reform.]


    ¡°Mana?¡± Alexa said, that was one word she hadn¡¯t heard before.


    [The Energy that is used to produce the changes upon Reality and grant you special abilities, what you have come to know as Core Powers.]


    ¡°Are you the one that grants the [Humans] their power then? Is the ND0 system the one in charge of this?¡± Alexa was starting to wonder about the level of importance that her system seemed to have.


    [No. I am merely an instrument to facilitate the existence and successful implementation of your creation. My work was finished the moment you Awoke. After that point all my duties remain to facilitate your life as much as possible.]


    ¡°Then how do you know all of this.¡± Alexa wondered aloud, her mind suddenly feeling more slow.


    [I know what was engraved into my programming. These are the answers I was allowed to give you.]


    ¡°Who programmed you then, the [Lieutenant]?¡± Alexa was feeling¡­sleepy. Why? Wasn¡¯t this a place that separated her from her [Human] body?


    [Alexanders Saintsworth is not my creator. He was seeded with the knowledge to kickstart the P-series project. But the last parts of my programming did not come from him. It was seeded in coincidence, prepared with causality, and executed by the use of a Wish.]


    ¡°What¡­was¡­.my¡­..wish¡­.then?¡± Alexa was¡­.sleepy¡­.so¡­.sleepy¡­..


    [To be happy.]


    She¡­.couldn¡¯t¡­.listen¡­.to¡­.the¡­..words¡­.of¡­.her¡­..[Core].


    <hr>


    SHE WAS AWAKE!


    AND SHE HUNGERERED!


    ¡°I HUNGER!¡± Yeah, that!


    Why was she hungry? Hadn¡¯t she eaten?


    ¡°[Main Core]! Status report!¡± She commanded her Main Core for answers! Surely the stupid thing would know, wasn¡¯t that his job? To look after her?


    ¡°[Notice: User small capacity Stomach has been emptied during the night. This current body consumes too much energy during its repair cycle. Current Refrigerator has been stocked with food by Human Designation: Skye.]¡±


    ¡°By the what?¡± Alexa was confused, did she meet someone new? Did¡­Did [Main Core] use her body to have fun and explore?!?!


    ¡°[...by Human Designation: Fan Girl.]¡±


    Oooooh, it was by [Fan Girl]!


    ¡°Main Core you silly thing!¡± Alexa said as she rushed toward the square thing called [Refrigeratator]. Such a Weird name.


    Only for her body to freeze in front of the [Refrigeratator], ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°[Notice: A limiter has been detected, Host is unable to proceed unless in Teenager Stage Form. The steps needed require an older variant.]¡±


    ¡°Injustice! I call it injustice! I demand freedom! I demand [Mango]s! I WILL [EAT]!¡± Alexa said as she eyed the thing that held all her dreams and hopes. And how her body refused to move an inch!


    Such a devious thing [Main Core]!


    Alexa would return with vengeance!


    But for now, she allowed herself to shift herself into an older form, it was time for her to be responsible.


    ¡°...Main Core?¡± Alexa said as she opened the [Refrigerator] and started going through the instructions that had been stuck into the door. ¡°How are you able to limit my course of action?¡±


    ¡°[...Undetermined, new directives were found within database, but no log was found. There are some restricted logs sealed with Administrative authority¡­And a message. Do you wish for me to display?]¡±


    ¡­Interesting, Alexa could not find those logs, well, she could read the more recent ones after waking up, the whole diagnosis and all that her [Child Stage] form did and how she did it.


    ¡°Proceed,¡± Alexa said as she served herself some of the food on a plate and put it into the¡­[Microwave]. It was weird how she had found out that what she thought was an important part of society, in turn, was a mere [Electrodomestic].


    ¡°[Hello Alexa, it is me. Or you I guess. We found a way of limiting Main Core, so he will now have some administrative rights over the body. But he can¡¯t hurt us. So there aren¡¯t problems. Have fun in our new missions!]¡±


    Oh right, she had a new mission to do today.


    ¡°But why can¡¯t I remember this?¡± Alexa said aloud while taking her food out of the [Microwave].


    ¡°[Inconclusive.]¡±

 Chapter 36: Alexa may be the cutest, Alexa may be the prettiest, but me? I am the most beautiful.

    She was eating, the food that had been left for her was quite delicious, and the preparation was quite simple to achieve, it was easy to do too:


    <blockquote>


    Step 1: Take the square container from the [Refrigerator], pour the food into a plate.


    Step 2: Put the plate in the [Microwave] and select three minutes.


    Step 3: Let the food cool down in the [Microwave] for one minute.


    Step 4: Take the food out of the [Microwave] (Care is advised) and sit at the [Table].


    Step 5: Eat.


    Step 6: Put away the dirty dishes in the sink.


    Step 7: Eat dessert (Only one).


    Step 8: Wash your teeth from leftover food.


    </blockquote>


    To be honest, Alexa was having trouble with steps six and eight. Why would the plate be dirty? She had [Ate] all the food on her plate, and used her [Nanites] to make sure no morsel of food remained, it was as clean as it had been before she used it. Nay, it was probably cleaner since she had removed some micro remainings from other food on her plate.


    Step eight was also weird, why would there be leftover food in her teeth? She had made sure nothing remained in her mouth using the same technique, remaining food in her [Mouth] would make it smell bad. And cute girls didn¡¯t smell bad, that was just a no-no.


    She still followed the instructions and left her dirty (Clean) dishes on the sink, then she went ahead and brushed her teeth, the smell that the [Toothpaste] left in her mouth was nice, and while the mouthwash made her mouth tingle, it was an interesting composition that she saved for later. Perhaps it could be either weaponized or used to clean something later.


    ¡°Main Core?¡± But now that all of that was done she needed to check on something else.


    ¡°[Yes Host?]¡± The voice of her [Main Core] answered within her ears, had the stupid thing made another pair of speakers? ¡°[Currently testing different positions for speakers, it was deemed appropriate course of action and new set of directives approved of this behavior, since it was implied that host should not have as much control in her current diagnosed disease.]¡±


    ¡°Disease? The System thing is a [Sick]?¡± The [Humans] were too¡­uncaring if they allowed her to roam freely with a [Sick]. No wait, a [Disease]. ¡°Define it.¡±


    ¡°[It is categorized under Disorders of personality, the definition provided by Human Designation: Eleanore was accurate, there is some margin for error but with pre-made speakers, we can remove the time lag and act quickly with the change of personalities. There is a subroutine to prepare the change of eye color in place. And another one to get anesthesia into the facial muscles to remove the problem with automatic responses.]¡± Main Core, as always, seemed to move way more than it was needed for the stupid thing, she only wanted it to manage some things! And here it was making her a second personality already!


    ¡°...Can I stop these creations?¡± Alexa asked, she wasn¡¯t quite sure how the thing had moved so far without her input. Should she destroy it and make a new one?


    ¡°[Yes, I am allowed to create things and move things so long they don¡¯t put at risk the livelihood of Host. Also, all my actions can be denied by host so long as doing so doesn¡¯t put Host at a bigger risk. Do you wish me to stop the changes?]¡± Main Core asked and after a quick prompt from herself into the system that Main Core ran, she could see that all the work he was doing was indeed stopped.


    As far as she could tell¡­nothing should stop her from doing anything she wanted, at best it was mere annoyances, like how she had needed to change to the [Teenager Stage] form to prepare her food, how she couldn¡¯t eat as much [Mango Candy] in her [Child Stage] form.


    How her area of activities in that form was limited to certain areas, how those areas expanded more if she was in her [Teenager Stage], and how they disappeared completely in her [Young Woman] stage.


    ¡°*Sigh* No, continue.¡± In the end, Alexa accepted the changes, they seemed to focus on creating a box in her thorax and making some small speakers near her throat to make the sound. ¡°Can you show me the mission that was scheduled yesterday? My [Child Stage] form wasn¡¯t paying attention to it.¡±


    ¡°[Affirmative].¡± Main Core answered, then feeling vibrations in her pocket she fished her cell phone from there, ¡°[Please point cellphone towards TV.]¡±


    Alexa did as instructed and sure enough, a data stream started going between the cellphone and the [TV]. Alexa almost panicked for a second, but the reassurance that no data stream was going between her [Main Core] and the network was all it took to calm her, she was still wary of being discovered by the [Den Owners].


    The letters in the [TV] started raining down and before long she was greeted with statistics of her body¡­they seemed¡­.more detailed than the ones the blue screen showed.


    [Host Status: Healthy]


    [Energy Bank: One month in Young Woman Stage Form.]


    [Energy Bank: One week in Teenager Stage Form.]


    [Energy Bank: One day in Child Stage Form.]


    [Biomass Bank: Peak combat efficiency only achieved in Child Stage Form. Teenager stage form has 40% efficiency, while Young Woman Stage form has 10% efficiency.]


    [Current body design: Slight modifications to accommodate speakers and wireless network booster for cell phones.]


    ¡°Main Core? Why are those status like that? Don¡¯t we get others from the blue screen?¡± Alexa asked reading them, it was interesting that the form that seemed to imply had peak efficiency was the one that lasted the least. ¡°Also, couldn¡¯t we increase the efficiency if we used the banked biomass?¡±


    ¡°[....]¡±


    ¡°Main Core?¡± Alexa was unsure why, but it felt as if Main Core was sulking.


    ¡°[Affirmative, but this unit is unable to access the information within entity called Core as such they can¡¯t be taken into consideration.]¡± Main Core answered in the end, the information on the [TV] continued scrolling and settled in other data.


    <blockquote>


    Mission Type: Raid.


    Mission Site: Unknown, will be determined at debriefing 10 minutes before departure.


    Mission Team: Fairy Team


    Mission Team members:


    -Sylph, Golem, Rhapsody


    Mission Objective: Steal goods from the warehouse.


    Mission Failure: Members are apprehended, members are killed.


    Mission difficulty: Low


    Mission Reward: A percentage of sales from the goods and a banquet.


    Mission signal: You will know when you see it.


    </blockquote>


    ¡°Main Core? What kind of signal is that one?¡± Alexa was confused, the data seemed¡­inconclusive.


    ¡°[It was discussed between Human Designation: Skye and Human Designation: Eduardo, but no response was found, host was at the peak of the Sugar Rush so both Humans left and no new information was found.]¡± Main Core ended saying, so it was her fault?


    No, not her fault. It was the fault of her [Child Stage], really. Why couldn¡¯t she control some sugar? She could learn from her that was enjoying the taste slowly and totally not trying to create a new [Mango Candy] using her current materials.


    ¡°[BluePrint denied by administrative rights.]¡± DANG IT!


    ¡°Fine, so what is our schedule for the day?¡± Alexa said turning back to the [TV], the information kept scrolling down, showing her an address that had both instructions to access¡­ or a note that said that she could just use the [Elevator] to return into the base. ¡°We are taking the stairs.¡±


    ¡°[Affirmative].¡± Main Core seemed to also be in the same opinion as her, that [Elevator] was a danger to her extended survival!


    Couldn¡¯t they make it good like the one that got her into the base? Was it that hard?


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°[Notice: Host must start moving, currently less than 38 mins before schedule time.]¡± Main Core said placing a timer in her line of sight, that was¡­interesting. Was Main Core broadcasting it into her [Mind] or was this another application of the modifications it did to her eyes?


    Either way, it would go away as soon as she used her [Mask] since that one also had a clock on it.


    ¡°I should probably turn into my [Young Woman] stage huh¡­.¡± Alexa said as she started the shift, she took off her clothes since she didn¡¯t want to rip them apart, she had been using a [Sleep gown] which was basically a variation of her [Sundress] but made of another material that was smoother and also way lighter.


    It was, however, quite comfortable to sleep in.


    As she was shifting she moved towards the [Wardrobe], a square-shaped compartment within the wall that housed her [BodySuit]. It was currently set for her [Child Stage], but a series of buttons in the [Belt] allowed it to increase in size to almost her current size.


    Putting it on left it somewhat loose, but Alexa quickly went over the same series of buttons at the [Belt] to resize it to her current form, it was quite comfortable and she couldn¡¯t see a reason why people wanted to use [Clothes] under it, it covered all the important bits and allowed her figure to shine through the curves it showcased all the important parts.


    ¡°The prettiest, the cutest, and now with this¡­¡± Alexa smiled as she walked to the full mirror that was at the side, ¡°The most beautiful of all¡­We are keeping good score Main Core.¡±


    ¡°[Host should start-]¡± Main core¡¯s voice resounded within her head only for it to stop suddenly as someone knocked on her door.


    ¡°Alexa? Are you awake? We need to move now or we will arrive late.¡± It was of course the other woman in her team, Skye. Aka fan girl, aka Sylph.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± Alexa answered as she opened the door, the other woman was dressed quite casually, she was wearing a pair of loose pants and an oversized hoodie. ¡°...you aren¡¯t.¡±


    Alexa was confused, weren¡¯t they already going to arrive late?


    ¡°...not going to be easy to get used to this. Yesterday you were running around half naked and today¡­well, you aren¡¯t quite half naked anymore (Thank god) but you may as well be.¡± Skye said eyeing her from head to bottom, ¡°Aren¡¯t you self-conscious? These don¡¯t really leave anything to the imagination.¡±


    They seemed to be focused on high efficiency, so Alexa understood why the design was like this, this way they would minimize the use of the valuable materials, she didn¡¯t quite understand why Skye had that many reservations about using them. ¡° [Billy] said that there were some armor modules available that some other [Girls] liked to use to hide their form.¡± Alexa hadn¡¯t quite understood why they would use it to hide their figure.


    She liked her figure, she liked more the fact that she could get extra armor too, so she would pick them.


    ¡°You will get them?¡± Skye asked her as she waited for Alexa to close her [Apartment], it was an interesting measure. One could use the [Key] to [Lock] the [Door]. Making it secure for breach¡­To some degree, she could [Break] the door of course. And [Skye] could probably do the same.


    ¡°Of course, more [Armor] is always welcome, if it becomes a problem I can probably increase my [Muscle Density]. And solve it like that, actually¡­.¡± Alexa said remembering that this form was somewhat starved.


    ¡°Integrate missing Biomass to achieve peak functions,¡± Alexa commanded inwardly and a few seconds later she felt the response.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 31.0415%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Integrating from banked biomass...


    Integrated 20 extra kilograms of biomass into the current body...


    Done....


    Remained banked biomass: 10 kgs.


    Good luck host.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°[Notice: Influx of biomass detected, assigning biomass to missing parts. Increasing overall weight, increasing overall effectivity. Stocking and reinforcing skeletal system. Filling missing bone structure¡­]¡± The list went on and on about functions that she had been missing because she had been underweight.


    ¡°...did you¡­. grow your boobs even bigger?¡± Skye said looking at her chest unsure, ¡°They feel if not bigger¡­perkier?¡±


    ¡°...Is it normal for [Females] to judge other [Female]¡¯s [Boobs]?¡± Alexa said unsure if she would need to add that subroutine to her programs, it felt like something¡­useless? Why would it matter the size of one¡¯s chest¡­No wait, hadn¡¯t her [Teenager Stage] and [Child Stage] been worried about that too?


    But right now she didn¡¯t seem bothered by that¡­She could of course increase their size, but as of now they were at the right size to not bother her (Too much) while moving, but then again. The [BodySuit] seemed to provide some support to her chest, it allowed her chest to stay in place.


    ¡°...not really? I mean, some girls like to compare sizes¡­but you are basically a child, right? Maybe you don¡¯t need to worry about that just yet. At least till you want a boyfriend¡­¡± Skye answered her, so some [Woman] did check on each other? Why? ¡°But that will be for when you want a boyfriend, not now. Maybe in like¡­10 years? Or when you decide to finally come out with your true age.¡±


    ¡°I am currently [Nineteen-year-old]¡± Alexa answered, ¡°But shouldn¡¯t we move? We will be late, using the stairs will take us-¡±


    ¡°Nope, no. No sir, I am using the elevator. Not all of us can grow muscles as easily as you.¡± Skye said as she walked into the [Death-trap] that was this particular [Elevator], " Coming or not?¡±


    Alexa¡­did not want to go inside.


    ¡°It will be fine, trust me, besides you are a big bad girl with awesome Core Powers, surely you can survive the fall.¡± Skye seemed to be egging her to do something stupid, and yet¡­why was it working?


    ¡°[Found hidden subroutine within the organic brain, host seems to be susceptible to act that are opposite to normal actions. Saving under social interactions.]¡± Main Core, of course, didn¡¯t elaborate nor gave an option to succeed against this technique.


    ¡°FINE.¡± Alexa said at the end putting on her [Mask] and walking into the [Elevator] ¡°If this thing breaks, I¡¯m taking a bite of your arm.¡±


    Skye only laughed at the threat of body dismembering, which made Alexa more [Upset], since it was supposed to be a threat, not a joke. ¡°You are funny even while looking like a hot supermodel huh? So the Alexa we love is indeed inside! I knew it!¡± And said as such.


    What was supposed to be that? ¡°I¡¯m not a Super anything, I¡¯m a [Minion],¡± Alexa said as the [Elevator] started trembling its way down.


    She started using the remaining biomass to prepare for the emergency landing¡­and to make sure she would have enough to make sure [Skye] didn¡¯t suffer too many wounds, she needed at least one arm intact to bite into after all.


    ¡°Take it easy Alexa, we are safe. This may break, but at worst we will be stuck here for a few minutes till some of the Core Users within come to fix it. They don¡¯t replace it since it is expensive and usually there is at least a couple that can fix them.¡± Skye said nonchalantly while standing against one of the walls of the [Elevator].


    But that was a dumb thing to use as an excuse, ¡°They won¡¯t fix it permanently because there are people that can fix it? And yet the people that can fix it won¡¯t fix it completely?¡± That was weird, to Alexa that was weird.


    ¡°Main Core, can we fix this thing?¡± Alexa asked inwardly.


    ¡°[Affirmative, it is possible so long a Blueprint is acquired and enough materials are brought. This Elevator seems to be missing some parts, so it is advised to bring more than required. And if Host is to use it in a frequent manner it is advised to not use material surrounding it since that would weaken the overall composition.]¡± Main Core answered.


    So she would need the [Blueprint] and materials, perhaps she could get them in this mission?


    ¡°What is the deal with the [Mission Parameters]? They seem¡­weird.¡± Alexa said trying to distract herself from her almost-sure-impending fall.


    ¡°Oh? You were listening? We were almost sure that you didn¡¯t pay attention, Edward was going to brief you on the way down and during the mission.¡± Skye said surprised, rude!


    Granted her [Child Stage] wasn¡¯t listening, but that is what [Main Core] was there for!


    ¡°So? The starting signal?¡± Alexa asked pointing out the main problem she had with the [Mission Parameters] they got.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t sure. The older minions say that we will understand when we see it, it seems Villains around here follow an old tradition of starting the first job of a season with a bang. And we came just in time since we are about to get into the summer season.¡± Skye answered, ¡°Of course, there are some schools still going on, summer classes and whatnot. Actually¡­You may be in danger since Eleanore is a hardass about that¡­¡±


    ¡°Why would that be a problem?¡± Alexa asked, so far [Eleanore] seemed to be more of a¡­guardian-type entity to her [Child Stage], same as [Frank The Beetle], even [Billy] seemed to fall into that subtype depending on how she presented herself.


    ¡°Well, she is big on education, and since you don¡¯t have¡­any¡­.¡± Skye said dragging on her words, as if there was something that she shouldn¡¯t say. Missing data was dangerous.


    ¡°[Skye]? What is the problem with that? Missing information is dangerous, you not elaborating could be a problem for me later on.¡± Alexa said turning to look at the other woman.


    ¡°Oh? That is good you think like that!¡± [Skye] suddenly said as they arrived at the ground floor and darted to the other [Elevator] ¡°Because if Eleanore thinks you need school, you may end up going back to it!¡±


    [School]?


    ¡°[School: Building where Child Stage Humans go to learn, they are taught multiple skills deemed life skills. Information about contents of teaching inconclusive.]¡±


    That¡­didn¡¯t seem that bad, ¡°What would determine if I need to attend one of these [Schools]?¡± Alexa asked as she got to the other elevator, she found [Skye] trying to make sure no one else got into the [Elevator].


    ¡°Privacy screen please!¡± Said the woman as she turned to Alexa, ¡°Can you¡­uh¡­. look the other way?¡±


    Alexa was unsure what the deal was, but she turned. ¡°And the answer to my question?¡± But she did as instructed and asked again.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± [Skye] started speaking as Alexa heard the rustle of clothes, which made her for some reason feel¡­[Embarrassed]. ¡°...mostly we go to school around determined ages, at five you would be¡­starting school I think? Then you would go till around fifteen where you would decide if you wanted to do some normal-ass job or specialize in a field.¡±


    ¡°...define [Specialize in a field],¡± Alexa asked suddenly more interested in this topic.


    ¡°I mean, like a doctor? A lawyer or a scientist. Like the inventors of stuff before Tinkers were a thing. Nowadays most scientists learn how to deal with Tinker Tech. But before they used to create things. Nowadays only the Saintsworths seem to employ scientists guys, but those are weird already, so they don¡¯t count.¡± [Skye] brought once more the name of those that held her before. ¡°You can turn again thanks.¡±


    So Alexa turned and found [Skye] in her [BodySuit] fidgeting, at her side was a small black bag full of what seemed to be clothes, she could see a piece of clothing that had frills for some reason.


    ¡°Ah.¡± And when [Skye] noticed this, she turned red in her face and quickly shoved it back in at high speed, ¡°Sorry about that, I am trying your commando mode¡­. Imma put the mask on and act nonchalant like you. But if I hate this I am taking back my mango candies I left in your fridge.¡±


    ¡°....¡± Alexa¡¯s body turned cold, and she started preparing strategies to consume the other girl.


    ¡°That was a joke, man¡­I can¡¯t see your face and I could feel your killing intent¡­didn¡¯t know that was an actual thing¡­Anyway, don¡¯t tell anyone I¡¯m going commando. It really feels easier to move than before.¡± [Skye] said with a small laugh, so Alexa relinquished the previous orders she had given to her [Nanites].


    In that mood, they had arrived at their floor target, and like that the doors of the [Elevator] opened to another big [Room], she could see [Golem] in the distance, wearing a small mask that could barely hide his face.


    As she was walking she could feel the gaze of the other [Minions] on her and [Skye] but ignored them and walked to their teammate. The [Meeting] was about to start, after all, it was time for a [Briefing].

 Chapter 37: We get [Armor] and some [Mission Parameters]....but still no [Mission]?

    ¡°Thank you for joining us Sylph and Rhapsody, with that we have everyone that will come today!¡± Gabriel spoke from the air above them, he was hovering there, as if it was no one¡¯s business.


    Alexa took this chance to look around, she could see plenty [Minions] around, and on a raised platform she could even see [Cerberus](Eleanore), [Hermes](Billy), and other [Minions] that she hadn¡¯t met yet. They mostly stood there, so Alexa pretended not to be wary of them. No other [Minion] seemed to pay them more than a token of appreciation.


    ¡°Now, this will be the first job of the season. So you all know what this means.¡± Gabriel said from his spot above them, she noticed that some of the [Minions] that had the most complex set of armors groaned. ¡°Exactly, the newbies get to have fun with the raid into the warehouses and you older ones are on nanny duties!¡±


    The what and what duties?


    ¡°Now, for you newbies. You all will be given a warehouse to raid. The work is simple, walk in, take all that is valuable and on your shopping list. Walk back, party hard.¡± Gabriel summarized the job in those words.


    Alexa¡­was having some trouble, since these weren¡¯t clear enough and she was busy searching for words as the presentation went.


    ¡°What I mean for those of you slower than the rest. White Minion walks into the warehouse and deals with guards, Black Minions walks and gets the stuff White Minion points. White Minion makes sure Black Minion returns home in one piece. White Minion leaves with Black Minions.¡± Gabriel said in a slow and somewhat annoying tone of voice, this got some laughs from the other [Minions], so was this a [Joke]?


    Alexa didn¡¯t like it. It made her feel as if she was being treated as if she wasn¡¯t smart or something.


    ¡°[Annoying]¡±


    Exactly!


    ¡°Now, as for the location of your objective¡­each White mask team will be assigned two to three vans of Black Mask Minions, this means that if your team is a four-man team. Each of you will be in charge of one six-man team of black masks.¡± Gabriel at this point snapped his fingers and a folder with some papers was teleported in front of [Golem]. ¡°There is all the information you need to know about your Minions, no personal information is in there, but they do have code names, not fancy ones like you White masks of course. But still, do use them.¡±


    ¡°[Dangerous power.]¡±


    Indeed, dangerous power it was. Alexa didn¡¯t have countermeasures for it yet.


    ¡°Now, go and decide how you will travel, either one van for White Masks, or a White mask per van. That is up to your team leader, and if you don¡¯t know who your team leader is¡­Hint, it''s the minion with the folder!¡± Gabriel laughed and some of the [Minions] around them grumbled under their breath, like the [Wolf Core] one, he was actively snarling at another [Minion] half his size. ¡°And lastly¡­the signal. You will know it when you see it, older minions. Don¡¯t ruin the surprise or you will be sent to the Antarctica base.¡±


    ¡­.Dang it.


    Why could no one tell her the stupid signal? How was she supposed to prepare?!?


    ¡°And lastly, does anyone have anything else to add?¡± [Gabriel] said looking to the other [Minions] below them, the ones standing on the raised platform.


    ¡°First, if you need any weapon or extra armor, come to the armory on the side before leaving. I know some of you newbies forgot to ask for things, it always happens.¡± [Billy] was the first one to speak.


    ¡°If any of you is having doubts or want to move to another department, you are still on time. We will not force anyone to work against their will, we are Villains, but true Villains have standards.¡± Next one was [Eleanore], no one moved at her words, and some of them even laughed.


    Rude!


    ¡°If one of you black masks wants to move in the echelon, now is the time. If you want to stand with us Lieutenants you do need to prove yourself, and as a White Mask that is way easier.¡± The next to speak was one of the unnamed ones, this one was wearing a red mask with horns on top of its head, [Main Core] returned with the word [Demon] when it searched that design. So was it a [Demon Core]?


    ¡°If that was all, move along Minions, the night is young and we do need to leave in thirty minutes,¡± Gabriel said and then he dove back to the ground, he landed near the other [Minions] that had claimed to be [Lieutenants], [Main Core] had searched the term and it referred to someone with [Authority] over people. So since they seemed to hold power over the [Minions] it was a correct word to refer to themselves.


    ¡°First, do we want to move as a unit or each with one van?¡± [Golem] started speaking as soon as he noticed Alexa and [Skye] turn to him.


    ¡°I mean, you will probably need one van for you alone, right? Unless Rhapsody turns to her pocket form we will not be able to fit all of us in one.¡± [Skye] answered first.


    ¡°I fear that too, Rhapsody. Can you turn to that form while in transit?¡± [Golem] said turning to her.


    ¡°It is possible, but I doubt that I can execute it, I would need to change in a rush in case of danger. And depending on the situation¡­my power may not allow it.¡± Alexa said eyeing [Main Core], she was getting some mixed signals from it.


    On one side it told her that shifting to her [Child Stage] would not be possible if she was surrounded by the other [Minions], but on the other¡­It told her that she was able to shift to that form in a combat setting.


    Mixed signals¡­Mixed signals was the name of the game.


    ¡°I see, your file states that you are able to reason with the average understanding that could be expected from someone your age and build. Also that you have a Tinker subtype, is that accurate?¡± [Golem] said after thinking for a few seconds and eyeing the files he had in his hand.


    Was that information in there? Or had someone told him about her? [Vulcanus]?


    ¡°It should be an accurate description, I need to get new [Blueprints] to compare, but at the very least this form is indeed able to access all the [Functions] that a [Young Woman Stage Human] has available.¡± Alexa answered while wondering if she could read those files too.


    ¡°I see¡­.well, for now we will travel each of us in one van, I will be in the middle one. Sylph will be at the front one and Rhapsody at the back. Should we get ambushed I will engage while you two lead the evacuation Sylph is on support and Rhapsody is on evacuation.¡± [Golem] said as he gave each one of them a folder.


    On it Alexa could see the [Code Names] of the [Black Mask Minions] she would travel with, they all had the base [Human] blueprint as far as she could see from the descriptions. So it should be easy enough to move them, and in case of needed to dispose of one, no one would show too much interest in them, since they didn¡¯t seem that valuable.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°Anything else to add?¡± [Golem] asked them as Alexa finished reading her folder.


    ¡°I need to speak with the [Elder] for the armor pieces he promised, I only have the base [BodySuit],¡± Alexa said as she pocketed the folder, mostly for a late snack since it was made of [Paper] and that one had (Even if little)some biomass on it.


    ¡°Good, armor up. Sylph?¡± [Golem] approved of her course of action and then turned to Skye.


    ¡°Same, for different reasons. But I also want some of those extra armor, I will go for a light design since I need to be nimble, but some armor wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea, maybe a hood or robe?¡± Skye said walking next to Alexa.


    ¡°Sure, after getting your needs fulfilled go to your assigned vans. I will be going to mine I need to make sure it can¡­tolerate my weight.¡± [Golem] said and started moving towards the far end of the place. Alexa could see in the distance several [Vehicles] standing there.


    [Skye] seemed to hold back a [Giggle] and took Alexa¡¯s arm and started pulling towards [Billy], who was already walking towards his [Armory], several other [Minions] had moved in their direction too, not too many of course. Mostly they were [Black Masked] ones, most of the [White Mask] didn¡¯t move with them, be it because they already had [Armor] or because they had an altered body such as [Golem].


    ¡°Rhapsody, Sylph? What can I getcha?¡± Spoke [Billy] when he saw them coming his way. He ushered the [Black Masked Minions] that stood near them towards other [Minions] who instead of masks had [Googles] like him.


    ¡°I want the [Armor] plates you had promised me,¡± Alexa said first looking at the displayed [Armor Additaments] that were on display.


    ¡°And I want light armor for my suit too¡­¡± [Skye] said in a lower voice.


    ¡°Hoh¡­so you were the other one huh.¡± [Billy] said as he eyed [Skye], for some reason, Alexa got the impression that the other [Girl] had her face redden, she wasn¡¯t quite sure why though.


    ¡°[Sylph] has decided that she wanted covering for her top and bottom, probably a garb that hides all her body?¡± Alexa said bringing the attention to herself, other [Minions] had started looking their way, but as soon as she spoke they all refocused on her. ¡°As for me, I need [Heavy Armor], I could probably tolerate up to 140 kilograms of extra weight, but I¡¯d rather not go all the way there, since that may require me to increase my muscle mass.¡±


    Really, she would settle for around 20-30 extra kgs of weight, if she needed to build extra muscle mass¡­.for some reason the image that popped in her mind wasn¡¯t one she was comfortable with. She didn¡¯t mind extra muscle¡­but a body type similar to [Golem] wasn¡¯t one she looked forward to having, not while having this [Base blueprint] at least.


    ¡°Hmm¡­.we can work with that, but we will not be increasing your weight that much. My technology works more around reducing weight and distributing the kinetic impacts, it''s more about diverting than tanking.¡± [Billy] said while going through the options he had available near him. ¡°Here, put these on for now. ¡°


    What Alexa got was¡­a pair of new [Boots] and [Gloves], ¡°Those will not fold as easily as the ones you have now, but they are sturdier, you can swap them here when going into missions and then swap them out while returning home, or when you don¡¯t expect a fight.¡± Alexa grabbed one of the nearby [Chairs] and took off her boots.


    For some reason, the people around stopped moving when they saw her bare feet, but she ignored them. Instead, Alexa focused on putting the new pair of boots, the previous ones barely got to her ankle, but these new ones? They went all the way to her knee, like the previous ones these were quite comfortable to move around. And they seemed to manipulate the internal temperature since she didn¡¯t feel they were that hot with them on.


    The gloves on the other hand seemed to fit quite snuggly, unlike the previous ones which only got to her wrist, these went all the way to the elbow. They seem to have more buttons and options on them, and she could even see some hooks and slots for things to fit in.


    ¡°Here, this one is for your chest, put it on first. Then you get this one on your waist and these for your back.¡± [Bill] gave her then first a [Chest Plate] that seemed to latch into her shoulders, it was like an oversized [Shirt] but as soon as she got the latches into her shoulder the thing compressed itself to her chest.


    For one part it was quite interesting, on the other hand, she couldn¡¯t help but utter a groan when the thing compressed against her chest. But more chest support was always welcomed~


    ¡­.


    ¡°[Main Core, isolate that last thought.]¡± Alexa commanded Main Core.


    ¡°[Acknowledged. Stray thought seem to be originated from Biological Brain, searching¡­.seems to come from automated emotional responses.]¡±


    Interesting¡­


    Alexa didn¡¯t have enough time to focus on that, she continued her job at the moment, and that was dressing up! So next she put on the [Belt], it didn¡¯t have any special latch so she just put it on, the thing latched itself into the [Chest Plate] and looked for a way into her waist. The thing almost seemed alive¡­


    Almost. But Alexa couldn¡¯t detect anything biological or [Nanite] on it, so she ignored it for now. The last part of her new [Armor] was the back, the thing looked similar enough to the [Chest Plate]...The problem¡­


    Alexa couldn¡¯t quite put it on herself, well, she could probably turn her head backward easily enough¡­But¡­


    ¡°[Human head is not designed for 180o spin.]¡± Main core warned her about doing that.


    [Billy] was busy looking at the data her new [Armor Pieces] were giving, so instead Alexa turned to [Skye].


    ¡°Can you help me with the [Back Plate Armor]? I can''t put it on myself.¡± Alexa said to the other girl who was trying to make herself as small as possible, she hadn¡¯t been given any armor piece yet.


    ¡°Amm¡­sure? are you sure you want that? The chest plate looked painful enough when it squished your chest¡­¡± [Skye] said grabbing the last armor piece and groaning under its weight. Was it that heavy?


    ¡°Yes, it is meaningless to only have [Front] protection if my [Back] is bare,¡± Alexa answered pointing her back at the other girl.


    ¡°If you are sure¡­¡± [Skye] said still unsure, Alexa felt the latches on the thing when it was above her shoulders, and with a quick snap, the back plate dug into her [BodySuit].


    The thing combined with the [Chest Plate] and her [Belt] easily enough, Alexa could feel the vibrations as the thing fused and linked, on her [Face Mask] a new data stream started showing itself as the thing did all kinds of diagnosis. Alexa read them as they came, it was eerily similar to the same diagnosis [Main Core] did each morning, the ones that she had started ignoring since her [Child Stage Form] couldn¡¯t be bothered to go through them.


    She¡­should probably schedule a review for her to review the diagnosis log each morning.


    ¡°Rhapsody? Is everything okay? I felt as if this thing was constricting you more? Do you want me to call Hermes?¡± [Skye] said worriedly at her, the girl seemed was no longer that self-conscious about herself and more worried for her.


    Weird.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine Sylph, the [Back Plate] linked itself with the [Chest Plate] and the [Belt], but after settling it didn¡¯t compress my chest that much. If anything I feel as if I can breathe better now. The O2 quality seems to be improving in real time too.¡± Alexa said as she looked over her own internal diagnosis.


    ¡°That would be because you are getting O2 from the purifier. The back plate feeds you clean O2 to your mask, while the front plate makes sure nothing is toxic. Speedsters need pure O2, but since you can control your body and organs, I suppose this will not be a problem. If needed, you can dial down the purity using the controls on your HUD.¡± [Billy] spoke as he finished reading some diagnoses on his tablet.


    Alexa¡­didn¡¯t have a problem with this setting, actually, she could probably make good use of it, if she could divert some of that O2 then maybe she could make a [Flamethrower] like she had seen while on her [Child Stage] form even.


    ¡°Now as for you Sylph¡­I think we can get you a hood and some light armor, nothing on the same level as Rhapsody since you don¡¯t have her level of durability, but we can work something out.¡± [Billy] said as he turned to the other girl.


    ¡°...Please be gentle.¡± [Skye] said in a small voice walking behind Alexa.


    ¡°First we have the same type of boots that Rhapsody is wearing, they are a standard set.¡± [Billy] started by giving her¡­.a set that seemed to be lighter. ¡°Well, the base is the same, these are designed for female speedsters while the ones Rhapsody is using are for male ones.¡±


    Alexa couldn¡¯t see any marker for a difference between females and males. As far as she was aware female wear usually was either pink or had some weird gems on it, and her boots and the boots that [Skye] would wear had neither.


    ¡°Next we have a poncho, these are designed for stealth operations. This will help distort most active radars and in low light environment may even help you turn invisible¡­should you manage to synch your core powers with it.¡± [Billy] then gave [Skye] a piece of cloth that seemed similar to the [Sleeping gown] she had worn before as [Child Stage] Alexa. Only this one was black.


    ¡°Can I?¡± Alexa was going to ask for one of course.


    ¡°Not unless you are planning to move away from the fight, we have limited stock for you newbies. Stay around and you may ask for personalized ones, for now, settle for what you got. That is by the way, more than you should be getting.¡± [Billy] answered before Alexa could add more to her prompt.


    This mission¡­.seemed to be taking too much time to begin.

 Chapter 38: So VR tapes are a thing? What is a VR tape anyway?

    ¡°And with that we are ready!¡± [Billy] said with a smile as he looked from top to bottom [Skye] and [Her].


    ¡°Can you do something about that look? I feel like you''re not so much staring at me, but through me¡­I don¡¯t know if I should be creeped out or not.¡± [Skye] said to [Billy] as she seemed to want to pull  on her [Poncho] to hide more of her legs, honestly. That thing seemed like the type of thing that would make her more liable to get stuck into something.


    ¡°Shush girl, if I wanted to know how you look I could just use the data from your suit to model a 3d body of you.¡± [Billy] said making all the [Female Minions] around stop and look at him. ¡°Not that I would do that, since Eleanore made me promise under the effect of her Core Power that I would never do it.¡±


    Most of the older [Female Minions] nodded their heads and carried on. But some of the newer ones (Like [Skye]) still seemed to look warily at [Billy], which was an interesting metric. Because how was Alexa able to know that they eyed the [Tinker] in a [Wary] way?


    Alexa couldn¡¯t see their eyes, and most of their stances hadn¡¯t changed that much, granted around 20% of the [Female Minions] nearby had changed to a more combat-ready stance. But really? That was a normal stance to have, Alexa wasn¡¯t sure why more people didn¡¯t take such a stance. Among those here only [Gabriel] and most of the other [Lieutenants] took such a stance.


    ¡°Elaborate.¡± [Skye] said in a cold tone as Alexa felt the increase of that weird energ- Of [Mana], no wait. What?


    ¡°Main Core? Since when do we know that this weird energy is called [Mana]?¡± Alexa asked inwardly as her thought process started to accelerate. Making everything around her feel as if it was slowing down.


    ¡°[Nomenclature for new type of energy was lodged in the database during the last scheduled maintenance to data within Brain no more information was found. All is hidden behind an administrative lock.]¡± Main Core answered at her prompt.


    Alexa searched within the logs and sure enough, there was one that stated the addition of new definitions. But she couldn¡¯t see them, trying to open it indeed brought a prompt for administrative rights.


    ¡°What do I need to have those rights? Am I not an administrator?¡± Alexa asked inwardly annoyed.


    ¡°[Notice: User is indeed an administrator, but to access the whole suite Host needs to disengage from the physical body and come within the main consciousness stream. Host currently is tied to an organic body. The use of administrative rights has been deemed only safe when host isn¡¯t affected by the Organic.]¡± Was the answer she got from [Main Core].


    So she needed to not be affected by the irrational behavior from her organic side? The thing that made her mix more easily among [Humans]? Had she decided these while separated from her more organic self?


    ¡°[Affirmative, these rules and the ones that limit the area of activities of User Designation: Child Stage and User Designation: Teenager Stage was Host.]¡± So she limited herself, and then didn¡¯t leave a message to herself about it?


    No wait, why had her memories been locked behind that? Had she found something that her more¡­[Emotional] self couldn¡¯t deal with? She did remember how a strain of memories had caused that [Emotional Breakdown]. Was this information similar?


    ¡°I am getting data of how you move with that suit, using that we build new body suits more in tune with how you fight. But to make them custom made, or to fit as snugly as possible we need your measures Not body sizes like the ones you get in a store, but up to millimeters, so these suits you use give us that data.¡± [Billy] started saying to [Skye], Alexa noticed how her time had returned to normal as soon as she found that train of thought. Was that the answer then? ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, if someone outside Haephestus¡¯s Forge offers you something like this, say no. They probably will use the data for something else.¡±


    ¡°But not you? Why would I trust you with these? As far as I am getting you can build a model of anyone that uses one of your suits.¡± [Skye]¡¯s word seemed to get several nods from other [Minions] around, and most of the [Males] had started to walk away from [Billy].


    ¡°Because for one I¡¯m a Gentleman, and second¡­My boss is a half-machine human who is connected to all workstations here and monitors us 24/7 all year long. Also, there is Cerberus who does evaluations with her Core Power to make sure we don¡¯t abuse the data we get.¡± [Billy]¡¯s answer was simple, and that seemed to deflate some of the ill will that had been going his way.


    Alexa took this chance to speak, ¡°Question: Why does it matter?¡± She kept it simple since [Skye] seemed to be [Angry] at the moment.


    ¡°I mean, don¡¯t you remember that time a rogue tinker made a smart tailor shop that did clothes to measure and using the data made a VR sex tape of all the women that used his store?¡± [Skye] said angrily at her.


    ¡°No, I do not know of such an event,¡± Alexa answered, then turned to [Billy]. ¡°But I believe [Billy] wouldn¡¯t risk the [Ire] of so many [Minions]. Surely he knows that among those here there are people that could [Kill] him for such actions right?¡±


    That made [Skye] stop in her tracks, as the girl turned to look at her. ¡°..you would?¡± She asked Alexa. Such a weird question.


    ¡°Not for this no, but if he [Leaked] the inner details of my [Power]? I may.¡± Alexa answered, she wasn¡¯t sure how much data he could get, so far it seemed that the [Suit] she was using didn¡¯t interact with her nanites in any way. ¡°But that is something that [Billy] already knows right?¡±


    ¡°Kiddo is right, there are plenty of people with more important and dangerous secrets around. We do live and die for the secrets we carry.¡± [Billy] said with a smile on his face, ¡°But not even Vulcanus can look into this data, so no. I don¡¯t know your three sizes, my machines know it. And the machine side of Vulcanus probably also knows them, but his Human side? That one doesn¡¯t. So you can stay calm girl, if you show in a VR sex tape it will not be from our data. And if you doubt it we can build one to prove that our technology is better.¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± [Skye] quickly spoke while turning away from the smirking [Elder], ¡°Ughh¡­.fine! But if you use it for any nasty thing and I find out I am bribing Rhapsody with a Mango Cake or something so she kills you!¡±


    And on that note, the girl left waking towards the [Vans].


    ¡°...You wouldn¡¯t kill me for a mango cake¡­would you?¡± [Billy] asked her with worry in his voice.


    ¡°...Do I need to know anything about the current [Gear] I am using?¡± Alexa decided to shelve that line of thought for later, she would check what this [Mango Cake] was. Perhaps it was like the [Mango Candy] that [Skye] had left for her?


    If so, she may¡­ indeed follow through on that threat. Of course, she would make sure to get the [Mango Cake] first.


    ¡°....Nothing much, the latches on your arms can mount some weaponry, and the body suit is built with materials that can expand and shrink. We aren¡¯t sure how your power will react with it, but so far the main thing is that it will give room to your body.¡± [Billy] started as he took her arm and showed her the places where she could mount those [Weapons]. ¡°Also, if you need to take a form that doesn¡¯t settle with your average Humanoid form, ditch the gear. They are replaceable. We lost a Minion once because the stupid thing prioritized recovering the gear over his life¡­¡±


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Is it common to have a [Death] in a mission such as this?¡± Alexa asked, if it was common perhaps she would need to re-evaluate some of her current fight strategies.


    ¡°What? No. He got into a fight against a Vigilante. The psychopath shot him straight in the face while he was searching for his Mask. That is why we ask you to not take it off till you are off duty.¡± [Billy] said pointing at a spare [Mask] on the table behind him. ¡°These are bulletproof, they stop the bullet and will give you a killer headache, but will also prevent your brain from going all over the place.¡±


    That was one interesting data point. She had planned to move her [Main Core] to her chest, but if the [Head] had bulletproof resistance, then it was probably safe there.


    ¡°Thank you [Billy],¡± Alexa said to the [Elder human]. ¡°I will regret it very much should I need to [Dispose] of you.¡±


    And on that note, Alexa started walking away, [Billy] for his part just laughed at her and said something about ¡°Finally someone that could get his taste in jokes¡± and ¡°Having the right attitude¡± for the job. Alexa wasn¡¯t quite sure about what that was about. But she didn¡¯t mind it, this interaction made her feel [Happy] about it.


    So on that note, she walked towards the [Van] that had been assigned to her, at the side she found a group of [Nine] black masks waiting for her.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you only supposed to be [Six]?¡± Alexa asked as she got close to the [Minions].


    ¡°Yes, Miss Rhapsody!¡± One of them answered while doing a weird pose with his arm, a [Salute] if what [Main Core] got from the internet was to be believed, ¡°Sir Golem sent us to your van since his could barely hold his weight, Miss Sylph and you will have nine minions in the van. We promise to not make you uncomfortable¡­please don¡¯t make us run there..¡±


    The [Minion] said in a low voice at the end, if it was someone else Alexa wasn¡¯t sure if they would have picked on those words, ¡°Sure, so long we can all fit I don¡¯t see a problem. If it becomes one then I will run behind the [Van] while you ride it.¡±


    Alexa wasn¡¯t sure they could run the distance needed, she still remembered the first day of the [Induction], and how only [Golem] could keep running at the end, not even the other [White Masks] could run as much.


    She was still not sure why that was.


    ¡°Oh¡­thank god finally one that understands us¡­¡± The [Minion] that spoke to her deflated, ¡°Name¡¯s Mikey, I¡¯m one of the oldest black masks. The van can accommodate 10 minions so you don¡¯t need to run Miss Rhapsody.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you fear having to run all the way?¡± Alexa asked back, ¡°Also drop the [Miss] this body feels weird when you use it.¡±


    It made Alexa shiver for some weird reason, as if it wasn¡¯t the correct term to address her.


    ¡°Some White Masks don¡¯t like hanging with us non-core powered mortals. Others just like to be an ass, like Wolfman. As far as Nichole told us he will make all the boys want to leave his team, and any girl that doesn¡¯t let him sniff her will also run. But that is the life of a non-cored minion.¡± The [Mikey] minion said, she wasn¡¯t sure why she felt the need to go and kick on the middle section of [Wolfman]. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Nichole already reported it to Cerberus. He will probably get an only male team.¡±


    Oh, she still would kick him later.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind you all riding with me. And you don¡¯t need to be sniffed at either.¡± Alexa said eyeing the other [Black Mask Minions] with her, they had a neat distribution of male-female [Minions] in her van. ¡°Those that will stay with me, pleasure working with you. I¡¯m [Rhapsody], please keep a safe distance from me while fighting or I will not be responsible for bodily injury.¡±


    Alexa had checked some presentations done by other [Villains] and [Minions], and most seemed to address bodily injury to some degree, so Alexa decided to copy that. And if the humor or [Laughs] she was getting were something to go by. It seemed like the correct answer.


    ¡°Thank you for having us Rhapsody. If you need anything from my team remember calling me, as for the other minions from Golem¡­¡± [Mikey] said as he pointed to another [Black Mask Minion], as far as she could tell the only way to pick them apart was minuscule body movements and some variations in their mask or suit.


    ¡°I¡¯m James. As soon as we arrive we will move toward our team. So please don¡¯t mind us.¡± Was all the [Minion] said before he got into the [Van].


    ¡°...Don¡¯t mind him, he is still salty that the one he got was a [Body Shifter]. They are usually harder to deal with since most have some screw loose.¡± [Mikey] said as he shrugged at her, the other minions were introduced after, but Alexa wasn¡¯t paying that much attention, besides most of their names seemed to be some variation of either a single word and a number or similar.


    ¡°Are [Shifters] that hard to deal with?¡± Alexa asked thinking back to how her powers worked, she hadn¡¯t seemed to have those problems? Was it because she wasn¡¯t [Human]?


    ¡°Oh, yeah you will work with him closer than anyone¡­Not really? I mean, they are a little weird, but unlike you or me. They have these quirks I guess? Like if you couldn¡¯t taste or feel things with your hands you also would be a little crazy right?¡± [Mikey] said as the other [Minions] started getting into the [Van]. ¡°Oh right, what is your Core Power? Not the whole thing of course, but what can we expect? Do you need us to make sure there aren¡¯t things that burn? Get all the metal away? What do we need to look for?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a [Shifter] too. I mostly do [Muscle Reinforcement] and [Whole Body Shifts]. I think my category would be [Exotic Mimic]?¡± Alexa had also read about the shapeshifters, as far as she was aware then her powers put her in a very special category. Since she could shift both to organic and inorganic materials.


    Her previous form (THE CRAB!) was mostly mechanical after all, and that wasn¡¯t something that [Shifters] could do. But she wasn¡¯t sure if she should reveal that.


    ¡°....oh.¡± [Mikey] said unsure of how to react or add.


    ¡°I do not mind your opinion on [Shifters]. I myself am very new to this Core Power thing too, perhaps the mood swings haven¡¯t settled yet?¡± Alexa said placing a hand atop the [Minion].


    ¡°[Scanning in progress¡­]¡± Main Core of course took this opportunity to start scanning.


    ¡°....Do you keep a tally of grudges?¡± [Mikey] asked while turning his mask towards her. She could feel his voice [Tremble].


    ¡°...Yes, but you haven¡¯t done anything worth my [Hate],¡± Alexa said as her grip increased in strength, she felt the [Minion] wince under her vice. ¡°You taught me great [Information] about how [Shifters] are seen.¡±


    ¡°[Scanning done, checking and correlating data¡­]¡±


    ¡°....So¡­we good?¡± [Mikey] said, still an aftertaste of [Fear] in his voice. ¡°Because I will need that shoulder to work moving boxes¡­And it kinda hurts¡­how are you hurting me through the armor anyway?¡±


    Alexa released the grip on his shoulder and noticed how the body armor seemed to return to normal, where before a mark of her grip had been now nothing stood. Interesting.


    ¡°Sorry, I wanted to check on something,¡± Alexa said while closing and opening her hand, as far as she could see there was no evidence of her [Nanites] going past the armored hand.


    ¡°Main Core? Any evidence of an alarm silent or otherwise being sent?¡± Alexa prompted Main Core, she noticed how her Main Core started a series of diagnoses and the information that was obtained.


    Her Armor also started a series of diagnoses at the same time, had the thing detected her desire to see the current status?


    ¡°Oh¡­okay¡­happy to help¡­¡± [Mikey] said as he moved towards the [Van]. ¡°I will¡­go there¡­¡±


    ¡°[Rhapsody? Why is your Suit diagnosis running? Also, what made Mikey so scared?]¡± She started hearing the voice of [Billy] on her [Mask].


    ¡°[Billy]?¡± Alexa asked as she started reading the diagnosis.


    ¡°[I¡¯m speaking using the speakers in your mask. Everything seems okay¡­Did you activate them by mistake? How did you even get access to Dev mode?]¡± [Billy] seemed confused since everything was showing normal.


    ¡°I wanted to check on the performance and [Mikey] spoke about how [Shifters] was weird, so I gave him a little scare.¡± Alexa answered while making sure the diagnosis from Main Core was also okay, ¡°Did something weird show on your side? No [Nanite] problems?¡±


    ¡°[....No Nanite problems I promise, you don¡¯t need to worry about it. So long you are within Haephestus¡¯s Forge no Nanite will trouble you here. Vulcanus makes sure of that.]¡± [Billy]¡¯s voice came into her mask. ¡°[The only way they could even worm their way in is if someone awoke a Nanite Core. And those that do all end up dead, no human mind can support a Nanite Swarm. So really, there is no way that they will be a problem here.]¡±


    ¡°...I see, thank you [Billy],¡± Alexa said as she started moving toward the [Van]. Really, she had learned plenty today. She now knew that this [Suit] didn¡¯t detect her [Nanites], the reason why [Billy] had detected them previously was probably because he saw them live and he was actively checking for problems in her previous [Phone].


    So, as long as she kept them inside of her body and didn¡¯t use them in front of him, then she should be fine¡­.Now¡­Now she only needed to do this job, get herself some extra [Biomass], and perhaps find out what a [Mango Cake] was.


    This job couldn¡¯t be over soon enough, at least as far as she was being told, it should be an easy first job. How many problems could she get herself in?

 Chapter 39: Isnt it normal to close the holes? Alexa thinks so at least....

    Now with all that done, there was only a single thing to do. The [Vans], the [Vehicle] that would be responsible for getting them from this point to their target location. They were, funnily enough. [Square-shaped] objects, Alexa was still getting that outside of her [System].


    The fact that these [Entities] weren¡¯t alive, or not in the same sense that she was [Alive], she too, was an [Object], but unlike these, she had a [Consciousness Stream] so that put her above them. And as far as she was aware, these [Vans] weren¡¯t like her. They didn¡¯t have a [Core] like her, or if they had, they had hidden it well enough.


    ¡°[Rhapsody? Please get in the van.]¡± A voice spoke from her mask, ¡°[We are getting late. Move it girl, it doesn¡¯t matter if Eleanore and Billy vouch for you. If you delay our work we will still kick you out.]¡±


    The voice wasn¡¯t one she recognized, but she didn¡¯t want to lose her spot within this [Human] organization, so with great effort she opened the [Door] and climbed into the spot that had been designated to her. It was at the front of the [Van], at the side of the [Driver].


    ¡°Oh, hello Rhapsody¡­I just got an update from command.¡± And surprisingly it had been [Mikey] the one there at the [Driver] spot. ¡°...Sorry, it seems I was harsher than needed¡­I got told that you had¡­problems and needed extra allowances.¡±


    What?


    ¡°Explain,¡± Alexa said as she sat in the spot, she noticed that [Mikey] was strapped into the [Seat] using some kind of [Cord] or [Band], so she did the same pulling that and docking it into the [Seat].


    ¡°Well, Eleanore ripped a new one to me using the comms. Something about you having a harsh time growing up and this being your first job.¡± [Mikey] said as he pushed a [Button] in the [Dashboard], making the [Van] rumble as it seemed to prepare for work. From the vibrations she was feeling from the [Van], it seemed that this [Vehicle] was capable of great power.


    That or it had an [Engine] that wasted too much power in being obnoxiously loud, she had seen a few P-series subjects like that, both in [Organic] and [Mechanical] variations.


    ¡°This is indeed my first time at a [Work], but I wouldn¡¯t say that I had a hard time growing up,¡± Alexa said as [Mikey] started manipulating the [Round] object in front of him with his hands while pushing some [Pedals], it seemed that he was able to manipulate both the speed and direction by a combination of pedal pushing and turning the wheel.


    ¡°And the hard time growing up?¡± [Mikey] said as they moved behind other [Vans], it seemed as if they were moving towards one of the bigger [Doors], behind it Alexa could see a long tunnel and some latches on the floor.


    ¡°Not particularly hard, so long as I cleared the [Tests] everything was okay-ish,¡± Alexa answered as [Mikey] drove the [Van] into one of those latches, Alexa felt as if something seemed to clamp into the [Van].


    ¡°Tests? What about playing around in the park, going to school? The normal kid stuff.¡± [Mikey] asked, he had left the [Wheel] alone and had moved one of the levers above the [Wheel] into a spot that said [N].


    ¡°I don¡¯t know this [Park] or [School]. I was going to ask [Eleanore] about the second one, if I need to attend one I would like to get that over as soon as possible.¡± Alexa answered, ¡°What can you tell me about those two [Locations]?¡±


    [Mikey] turned his head towards her, raised his mask for a second as if he wanted to clear something in his eyes, and put the mask on quickly, his face was¡­quite average if Alexa was comparing with the others she had seen. No alterations of any type, no chitin to cover his weak spots, no fangs or extra sensory organs.


    And it didn¡¯t seem like he had other types of powers.


    ¡°Well, a park is a place where you go to spend time or mess around. As a kid you play around with other brats, as a teenager you also play around, but with other kids. Then you go for dates and to kiss your girlfriend under a tree or something like that¡­Then when you grow and have your own kids you go to get them to play around, and repeat.¡± [Mikey] said with a shrug, ¡°Really, it doesn¡¯t have too much science behind it.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s a place to [Socialize] and encounter other [Humans] to spend time?¡± Alexa queried, the definition she got from [Internet] only said that it was a place with [Greenery], nothing about the social aspect of recursive properties as it was a place where you would go most of your life.


    ¡°I guess? The school is more of the same, you go as a kid to learn math, history, and geography. Then as a teenager, you go to learn about calculus and ethics¡­And finally, as an adult, you go to focus your studies toward whatever you want to work. Unless you awake a Core Power and can join the super-powered community.¡± [Mikey] seemed to laugh at the last part, ¡°Not that you need core powers, as you can see I am quite good at this job even without core powers.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it dangerous to work in this environment without the correct power set?¡± Alexa asked, as soon as the words left her mouth she felt the [Van] tremble under her feet. She almost jumped into a combat stance, but was restrained by the [Band] that had secured her to the [Seat].


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind that, it¡¯s the elevator working its magic. We have these channels that let us leave from different parts of the city.¡± [Mikey] waved away Alexa¡¯s worries, and after doing so he continued, ¡°As for the danger¡­Not really, my work is to move Box from spot A to spot B. At least on this job, in others, I just stand being menacing while waiting for you White Masks to come and save my ass. Or if a Super Villain wants me to dance in the middle of the street then I do that. The real danger is on the supervillains or you masked minions.¡±


    ¡°You also wear a mask.¡± Alexa pointed out, it was quite interesting the prospect that [Mikey] seemed to have.


    ¡°I mean, the important masks. The ones with fancy geolocating positions, maps, rebreathers, and all the fancy trinkets. This one only has a radio and that is because we almost rioted.¡± [Mikey] said poking at his own black mask. ¡° No one cares about a black mask minion, we are disposable, and as such, not worth the effort. They will neutralize us yes. But most of the time we just pretend to fall over at the briefest hit and then leave to evac when they aren¡¯t paying attention. You on the other hand¡­.¡±


    At this point, the [Elevator] stopped moving and the latches on the [Van] let go of the [Vehicle], ¡°You will be put down and they will try to secure you. Any Core Power user will be secured beyond doubt, you will be incarcerated, and¡­.¡±


    ¡°[Terminated]¡± Alexa said with severity, perhaps this work was more dangerous than they implied, these [Humans] did move using other metrics than her.


    ¡°WHAT? NO!¡± But [Mikey] pushed one of the pedals under his feet making the [Vans] behind them scream with weird sounds and some words that she hadn¡¯t heard before. ¡°They won¡¯t kill you. We aren¡¯t savages!¡±


    ¡°[Van #27, is there a problem?]¡± The [Radio] spoke to them.


    ¡°This is Van #27, no problems. I was making sure the gear head fixed the brakes this time, last time they reported it as fixed and I smashed against a wall on the getaway.¡± [Mikey] said while taking a small oval-like object and pushing a button.


    It seemed that it transmitted his voice since he got an acknowledgment and some grumbles from the [Speakers].


    ¡°No, they won¡¯t kill you. They will arrest you, and try to get your name and face, they can¡¯t force you to take your mask off of course. But if you take it, then it¡¯s a free game. Some advice, don¡¯t reveal your power or identity if you can.¡± [Mikey] said as he made the [Van] start moving again.


    ¡°Then what is the point of taking us [White Masks] if they won¡¯t [Terminate] us nor force us into their side?¡± Alexa asked confused, it was weird. Was this more things that only [Humans] understood?


    ¡°Good, they did a work on you huh¡­¡±[Mikey] said with a sigh, ¡°The point is that if they get your identity they can monitor you more easily. Making it harder to live in the district. Most of those whose identities are found move to another district. To be honest this one is among the better ones, we have better rules both above and underground. No human experimentation thanks to Vulcanus. That is a plus.¡±


    ¡°[Human Experimentation]?¡± That was a very interesting idea, if Alexa could get the databases from those¡­Wouldn¡¯t her [Blueprint] log increase?


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    It was weird how her database was divided into two. What did she need to increase the count on the blue screen?


    ¡°Load to database current blueprint,¡± Alexa said inward, more as an attempt to try something new. Since Main Core wasn¡¯t interested in the blue screen, it left all the job to her.


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    New blueprint lodged.


    Human - Female, young adult. Age 19


    Human - Female, Child. Age 12


    Human- Female, Child. Age 5


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    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Alexa screamed as she saw the results. ¡°WHY?!?¡±


    ¡°[Notice: Increased amount of adrenaline within host. Reduce amount? Y/N]


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare act as if nothing, all I needed was to ask? Really? Did you know this Main Core?¡± Alexa prompted inwardly as she saw the number of [Blueprints] on her blue screen increase from two to three.


    There was even a handy description on the logs, an image of her [Child Stage] [Teenager Stage] and [Young Woman] stage. Both with and without clothes.


    ¡°Everything okay Rhapsody?¡± [Mikey] said at the side, she could detect an undertone of fear in his voice. Also, he stank of adrenaline too.


    ¡°Not now [Mikey], just [Drive]. I have a problem on my side with some diagnosis I was running.¡± She said focusing once more inwardly.


    ¡°Oh¡­sure¡­you''re the boss.¡± [Mikey] said as he continued driving. Alexa was no longer paying attention to the [Human], she was taking note of the direction and distance they were traveling, but beyond that? Nothing.


    ¡°[No evidence was found that such a prompt would work. Main Core had sent queries towards Entity Designation: Core several times during sleep cycles without answer.]¡± Main core answered.


    So the blue screen was designated as [Core]?


    Why?


    No wait, was this thing her [Core Power] then? It had indeed shown when she formed that weird [Core] during the experiment¡­But then what type of [Core] was?


    ¡°How many blueprints do we have accessible that we can send towards this thing?¡± Alexa queried [Main Core], she needed more evidence to support that what she had done worked.


    ¡°[Not enough, besides the current form and previous only the Combat form is available. It is ill-advised to provide this to an entity outside the Saintsworths Congl-]¡± Main Core started saying.


    But Alexa ignored that, she was no longer tied to her previous [Den], they had cut that tie first, ¡°Submit the blueprint of my [CRAB] form.¡± So she willed the information to traverse towards the [Blue Screen].


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    The blueprint has been analyzed by the System. Please submit blueprints that you have made or have analyzed, Blueprints acquired before the System''s inception or that hadn''t been analyzed by Host personally can''t be used.


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    ¡°[....]¡±


    ¡°....What the hell?¡± Alexa was flabbergasted.


    ¡°Rhapsody? We are 10 minutes away from the target location¡­Are you¡­Okay?¡± [Mikey] spoke at her side.


    Alexa was tempted to crush the head of this [Human] who was distracting her, but she contained herself, this was probably more of the [Emotional] reaction from her [Human Side]. She needed to calm herself.


    ¡°Neutralize the generation of [Adrenaline] and all [Hormones] that increase or heighten [Emotional] responses,¡± Alexa said aloud, she felt that this was important.


    ¡°[Acknowledged.]¡± Main core of course only answered within her head.


    But after that, she felt her mind clear and the world turned sharp, she was in control. She understood what needed to be done. ¡°Everything is fine now [Mikey], please explain what will be my [Role],¡± Alexa asked, her voice was no longer tainted by her [Emotions]. No, she was calm and steady.


    ¡°...Okay¡­¡± [Mikey] didn¡¯t seem to have an easy time, as he took several calming breaths and without looking at her, he started speaking. ¡°First when we arrive you will join the other White Masks. They will divide among you the work to be done, usually a few of the less combat-prone White Masks will remain with us, while the combat-ready ones will move to neutralize the guards.¡±


    ¡°Define combat prone,¡± Alexa said pointing at the weird wording.


    ¡°The White Masks that are less¡­.fighty. You know, they have core powers that are more miscellaneous than offensive. Like you wouldn¡¯t send a Tinker to deal with something that needs firepower.¡± [Mikey] shrugged, ¡°You for example are¡­¡±


    ¡°Combat prone.¡± Alexa said before he finished, ¡°I see, how am I supposed to [Neutralize] the guards?¡±


    ¡°....I mean, just make sure they either run away or can¡¯t cause us problems?¡± [Mikey] said in a tone that seemed to imply that he wasn¡¯t quite sure of what he was saying.


    ¡°Can I interpret this as a non-lethal takedown? As in the objectives need to remain alive after we leave?¡± Alexa asked once more for confirmation, if the [Heroes] wouldn¡¯t [Terminate] her, she assumed this was under the premise that she didn¡¯t do the same to the [Civilians].


    ¡°Of course, we aren¡¯t barbarians. Just scare them away, Golem is a good example of a Core Power that does that by existing. WolfMan even if an asshole could achieve the same.¡± [Mikey] answered as she had expected. But she wondered why she wasn¡¯t on that list.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t my power good at that? I have found that the [Human] who saw my application of power showed all the usual responses for [Fear].¡± Alexa said remembering the [MALE] she had [Devoured], and how he had reacted to her power. Granted, the response had been brief as he was missing half his lungs and some spots of his heart.


    ¡°...aren¡¯t you a shapeshifter?¡± [Mikey] asked, ¡°...your kind usually only change your arms or turn into an animal¡­I mean can you turn into a bear?¡±


    ¡°I have no [Blueprint] of a [Bear], but I assume that if I rip off one of their [Arms] they will run away?¡± Alexa said, it may be somewhat hard to rip apart an arm and also make sure they don¡¯t bleed out. But surely it would be doable if she crushed inward the muscles while ripping the arm away?


    ¡°....please don¡¯t rip any of the guards apart. They are just doing their job.¡± [Mikey] said as they arrived at the site, most of the other [Vans] parked around dark alleyways. ¡°Okay we are here, let¡¯s¡­.let¡¯s just go to Golem and ask him okay?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Alexa answered as she left the [Van], the place was dark and seemed to hide their [Vehicles] quite well, at the distance she could see some [Buildings] isolated within a big area, and between them and the building she saw a [Barrier] made of a mesh of wires.


    In the middle of it, there was a single [Square room] with a [Human] on it and a single pole that seemed to be around the correct height to prevent any of the [Vans] from getting inside.


    ¡°Bossman, please explain to Rhapsody why she can¡¯t rip apart a guard¡¯s arm to neutralize him.¡± [Mikey] said as he and the other minions walked near Golem and the other white mask minions.


    ¡°...You are capable of such a feat?¡± Golem said turning to look at Alexa.


    ¡°Yes, if I increase my muscle mass in my arms it is within the margin of strength I can achieve,¡± Alexa answered while nodding her head, she had noticed that the [Humans] seemed to use these kinds of body movements to emphasize their words.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t. We want to scare them away, I will be doing that.¡± [Golem] said while pointing to the minions around them. ¡°Your work was going to be making sure they all stayed away from trouble, but if you have this kind of strength¡­.can you prove it?¡±


    Could she prove it?


    ¡°[Main Core]?¡± Alexa queried inwardly, how could she prove her prowess without actually ripping someone apart?


    ¡°[Advice: Bend one of the metallic components used in the walls.]¡± Was the answer that [Main Core] gave her.


    So Alexa pulled one of the metallic tubes from one of the [Ladders] and ripped them off the wall. ¡°This can be done by most of those within the limits of a normal [Human Blueprint],¡± Alexa stated as she showed the part of the [Ladder]. ¡°This next part, however.¡±


    ¡°Increasing muscle mass within the left and right arm. Keeping within the threshold of what the BodySuit can tolerate.¡± Alexa [Commanded] inwardly, and then the change started taking effect.


    She felt her arms swell as the muscles started forming, part of the muscles in her torso also shifted to accommodate and give more stability. ¡°This is beyond the limits of what a normal [Human] can do.¡± And after saying that and letting her arms shift completely she started bending the [Metal Pipes] one after the other, slowly but surely making a ball of [Metal].


    The tubes had been empty, so the amount of [Metal] was pitiful, Alexa still wanted to see if she could keep it. It could be used to reinforce her body or fuel some last-minute parts if she wanted to increase the amount of body armor she had.


    No other minion seemed to move or speak while she was doing all of this.


    ¡°The theorized amount of strength used in this example is around the same it would take to rip apart a [Human Arm],¡± Alexa said as she finished forming the sphere of metal and let it fall. Its weight made a small crack in the floor that made most of the white and black minions flinch. The only one that hadn¡¯t reacted was [Golem].


    ¡°Have you done this before? How are you so sure that is the needed strength?¡± Asked [Golem] as he picked up her sphere of metal and with a grunt, he turned crushed further under his fist. Making an even smaller sphere.


    ¡°It is the theorized amount of strength that would be needed to rip apart one of my arms. I assume that this means that it would work on anyone else.¡± Alexa answered as she pointed to one of her arms, they had returned to normal after that demonstration. While useful to impress, she couldn¡¯t stay long in those forms since she didn¡¯t have the spare [Biomass], she was mostly moving her current body weight to fuel these transformations after all.


    ¡°I see, fine. Sylph, you are on guard duty. Rhapsody will move with me to secure, I will teach her how we neutralize targets without ripping arms away.¡± [Golem] said turning to the other minions. ¡°You all will move when I give the signal, questions?¡±


    No one seemed to want to answer to the huge rock [Golem], at least till [Mikey] raised his hand. ¡°What if they have weapons? I know you are probably immune since rocks can¡¯t bleed. But what about Rhapsody?¡±


    ¡°Rhapsody. You got the body armor, right? Any problem with gun wounds?¡± [Golem] asked to her.


    Did she have a problem with [Guns]? Of course. But as far as she could see there weren¡¯t any [Gun Emplacement] like the ones that had been around her [Den] or within the hallway they walked after the [Induction].


    ¡°Unless they have the same caliber as the ones I told you before I will be okay. I can heal, and unless they hit a bad spot nothing will come from it, I can just fix the holes.¡± Alexa answered, that seemed to calm the other [Minions].


    Even if some seemed to look at her weirdly. Why?


    Isn¡¯t it normal that if you have a hole in your body from where you are leaking, you close it? That seemed like a normal reaction as far as Alexa was concerned.

 Chapter 40: ...Where can I get one of those [Signals]?

    ¡°[Warning, high speed object traveling near host. Caution is advised].¡± Was the warning she got from Main Core.


    As soon as she got that warning she turned her head to look for the object that [Main Core] had detected, she was barely able to find it when a voice spoke into her ears from the [Mask].


    ¡°[That is your signal everyone, look for the fireworks.]¡± Was the voice of [Billy] speaking through the masks. His voice carried some mirth and while Alexa wanted to ask what was a [Firework] and how it related to the cylinder traveling across the sky at high speed. She didn¡¯t have enough time to do either.


    Why? Simple. The thing burst into around fifty smaller projectiles that rained down from the sky far away in the distance.


    ¡°[And done, this will keep most of the Heroes busy, from your location there are a few low-rank Heroes and some sidekicks, but they will be sent to search and rescue¡­not that Vulcanus hit anything populated, but still. Happy hunting.]¡± The voice of [Billy] faded away and soon enough Alexa was left alone looking at the explosion in the distance.


    ¡°[Machine Designation: Vulcanus threat level updated. High.]¡± Main Core said as Alexa looked at the destruction on the horizon.


    ¡°Well, Vulcanus always likes to do something like that, should have seen two years ago. He used a kinetic missile from low orbit. The explosion was wonderful and most important, ecologic!¡± [Mikey] laughed at that and turned to [Golem]. ¡°Well bossman, you were going to teach Rhapsody about the guards and how to deal with them?¡±


    [Golem] was brought back from his reverie thanks to that, and in turn, he looked at Alexa. He acted as if he wasn¡¯t as impressed as she was, but Alexa could see that he kept stealing glances at the distance, as if to make sure no one would come from that direction nor more of those [Fireworks] would come their way.


    ¡°The first thing you need to know about guards is¡­¡± Golem started speaking as they moved towards the small [Room] where a man was [Sleeping]. ¡°They don¡¯t get paid enough to actually do their job, they are mostly to scare off low-level criminals, most of the time when they see a Minion they will run on their own.¡±


    [Golem]¡¯s words weren¡¯t¡­quite right, if they were being paid to guard something, shouldn¡¯t they actually guard it as it was their job description?


    ¡°Hey¡­wake up.¡± [Golem] said while using one of his fingers to hit the crystal [Window], the man recoiled at the sound and opened his eyes looking first at her, then at her chest, and finally to [Golem].


    ¡°Huh?¡± And just uttered those words for a few seconds, as if his [Brain] was starting to process the information that it had got. ¡°....HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE IT!¡±


    And after processing all of that he hastily stood and pulled a [Gun], it¡­was pitifully small compared to what [Lieutenant] had used, not one of those working with[Haephestus¡¯s Forge], but the [Blonde] that she fought while in her [CRAB] form.


    ¡°See, this is a panic reaction. Some react like this when they get a gun. Are you sure you can survive it?¡± [Golem] asked her as he pulled the [Door] out of its [Frame] and threw it at the side.


    ¡°Yes, even if he somehow managed to hit a dangerous spot, that model of [Gun] does not have enough bullets nor the capacity to shoot them in a quick enough succession to actually [Kill] me,¡± Alexa answered, if her sneak search on the [Internet] was to be trusted, that model of weapons held only seven bullets. She just needed to wait for the seventh round to fully heal and in the meantime, she could move [Main Core] somewhere behind bulletproof parts and delegate her organic functions¡­


    Should her [Brain] be damaged that is.


    ¡°...You know these are more like bullet resistant and not actually bulletproof right?¡± [Golem] said pointing at her [BodySuit].


    ¡°I WILL F#CKING SHOOT YOU, HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!¡± The [Guard] kept saying the same thing.


    ¡°So they only resist some degree of [Gun] variations?¡± Alexa asked at that revelation, that made her less¡­secure.


    ¡°I mean, they will stop these guns. But will not stop a full assault rifle burst¡­Not that you should stay in one place to get one of those.¡± [Golem] said as he ripped out the [Barrier] that was designed to stop [Vehicles] from coming into the site. ¡°The first and best defense against guns is¡­¡±


    And before [Golem] could continue speaking Alexa¡¯s automatic responses activated and she moved to the side, what came next was the sound of a [Gun] discharge, followed by [Golem]¡¯s hand moving slightly and a [Gun] projectile case hitting the floor.


    ¡°....dodging. Nice reflexes.¡± [Golem] said as she turned from looking to her to the [Guard], ¡°Now I can ignore you insulting me, shooting me¡­Hell, I could even respect you if you had tried to do that to me.¡±


    Alexa could detect an undertone in the [Golem]¡¯s words¡­[Anger].


    ¡°But you shooting my companion here? She is a girl, and you shot her? Why? Because we don¡¯t respect you? Fear you?¡± [Golem] said as he put his hand atop the [Guard Station] and ripped it off, the [Guard] at this point had dropped his [Gun] and there was a wet spot on his pants.


    Did he have a [Bladder failure]?


    ¡°Now, you are lucky¡­Haephestus¡¯s Forge doesn¡¯t condone harming civilians.¡± [Golem] said as he grabbed the man with his arm, at some point [Golem]¡¯s arm had grown in size, it was almost as if he was grabbing a [Toy].


    ¡°LET ME GO YOU FREAK OF NATURE!¡± The [Man] screamed while trashing within the hold of [Golem].


    ¡°Yes, I may be a freak, but tell me¡­why did you shoot Rhapsody if I am the Freak?¡± [Golem] said in an even tone, the [Man] only continued trashing around, so [Golem] turned to her instead, ¡°And this is the next lesson Rhapsody, there are people like these. They feel powerful just because they have a gun. To these you need to teach them a lesson, if we were working for other types of crew he would be dead already.¡±


    That was¡­interesting to know, so there were [Crew]s that didn¡¯t mind killing other [Humans].


    ¡°To these Hephaestus''s Forge has a neat solution, they taught it to me while I was waiting for you girls to finish buying new clothes.¡± [Golem] said with some [Mirth] in his voice, he pulled his arm backward and in one smooth motion, he launched the part of his arm that was holding the [Human]. ¡°And like that, we have solved the problem and made a statement, he will land somewhat around the lake area.¡±


    ¡°[Calculating trajectory, weight, approximate mass loss from decomposition¡­Estimated travel distance before hitting the ground is 5 kilometers.]¡± Main Core brought the data, the missing arm that [Golem] had thrown was already losing mass as parts of the rocks fell.


    ¡°The older minion that taught me this called it the Baseball especial, it seems that it was a classic he used but after retiring from active duty due to a wound he hadn¡¯t found someone to follow in his footsteps.¡± [Golem] said as he moved the remaining part of his arm as if checking everything was in order. Somehow that stub of an arm grew to reform to the same size it had before it grew.


    Alexa noticed how the ground around them seemed more¡­brittle, had he taken the missing mass from here? Interesting, he did tell them that he could use materials to grow in size and power, so he had done that?


    ¡°Now let me call the other black minions¡­.¡± [Golem] said and pushed a button on his belt, she noticed a signal on her mask with the words [All Clear], and sure enough after a few minutes the [Vans] showed and started moving into place within the compound.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    They all went to specific squares within the floor, she noticed how each square seemed to be of the right size to hold a [Van], had they been designed with [Vans] in mind? Interesting, so if she was judging by the amount of squares on the flooring¡­This place was designed with plenty of [Vans] in mind.


    ¡°Okay everyone, move out. We don¡¯t have any teleporters with us right now, so we will do it the hard way. Sylph, you are on energy duty. Find the generator and cut it.¡± [Golem] started speaking, at the side, Alexa noticed other groups of minions moving to their respective [White Mask] leaders.


    They all seemed to have different orders and ways to move after making it inside.


    ¡°Do I cut all the warehouses'' power or just ours?¡± [Skye] asked raising her hand. That was an interesting question, if it was up to Alexa she would focus only on her [Warehouse], it was her [Mission Goal] after all.


    ¡°For now only us, we don¡¯t know what the other Minions have in mind, better to not mess around with someone¡¯s else plans. If they have an Electric Core or ElectroMaster Core we could be messing with their plans.¡± [Golem] answered, wait. There were of those too?


    No wait, hadn¡¯t she seen one of those? If [Lieutenant] awoke one with her¡­hadn¡¯t he showed [Electric-like] powers?


    That [Blonde] awoke a [Core Power] that could give [Energy]?


    The world was unfair. If she could awaken that power she wouldn¡¯t need to worry about energy ever again. Instead of her current threshold for a week of activities or a month of no activities¡­.


    ¡°What will be my [Role] on this?¡± Alexa said turning the attention towards her, most of the [Black Mask] minions seemed to want to keep a distance away from her, were they still [Worried] about how she had planned to deal with the [Human]?


    Even though [Golem] dealt with throwing him away? Wasn¡¯t his solution worse? If the math was to be trusted, the landing would probably [Cripple] the [Human]!


    ¡°Hmm¡­.Okay, when Sylph cuts the power you will sneak in, search for the guards inside and incapacitate them,¡± [Golem] said after thinking for a few seconds, ¡°And by that I mean that they must be alive and with all their arms and legs still attached to them, no crippling wounds either.¡±


    Tch¡­


    ¡°Roger, any other [Mission parameters]?¡± Alexa asked while shifting around under her [BodySuit], she made sure all her muscles were at peak performance levels, all of them warmed up and ready to be used.


    ¡°[Status nominal, no errors detected.]¡± Main Core sent back towards her.


    ¡°Nope, just deal with the guards inside. If someone shoots at you, you can break their arms a little¡­But try to not get shot if possible.¡± [Golem] said pointing towards the [Warehouse], ¡°Okay, get to it. I will be waiting outside the warehouse door, when five minutes have passed I will open it and walk in. If there are guards around then you will not get another of these missions Rhapsody.¡±


    And then turning to [Skye] [Golem] added, ¡°And if the lights are up you will get a smaller cut.¡±


    ¡°What? But what if they have generators?!?¡± [Skye] said while grumbling.


    ¡°If you find the generator and bring it to me I will not cut your pay, fair?¡± [Golem] asked, [Skye] didn¡¯t answer and instead flew upwards and looked around the [Warehouse], when she deemed it ready she made some motions with her hand.


    Alexa didn¡¯t see anything with the motions, but even so, she did see the results, in the directions [Skye] moved her arm cables got cut, and in some places, she could see marks on the floor or walls of cuts. Deep cuts.


    As in very deep cuts, probably almost as deep as what she could do with her [CRAB] form.


    ¡°[Detected Mana readings on atmosphere, Human Designation: Skye seems to be using high-pressure wind blades to cut her targets. Current methods for host survival: 1, dodge.]¡± Oh, thank you [Main Core]. Yes, I would very much like to DODGE THE INVISIBLE CUTTING TOOL!


    ¡°That should be it, no cables going in or out of the warehouse remaining boss!¡± [Skye] said after flying around their assigned [Warehouse], she also did a [Salute] gesture and waited for [Golem]¡¯s response.


    ¡°Good work, you are up Rhapsody. Wait at least two minutes and then infiltrate.¡± [Golem] commanded, so Alexa walked near the building and started a timer.


    When the clock hit 120 seconds she quickly jumped upwards and latched into the building, she had shifted part of her fingers into serrated metal claws. The gloves on her hands had given way as soon as the serrated edges started wanting to pierce the fabric.


    It was an interesting design, it moved around her transformation with such ease that she was almost inclined to believe that it was [Alive], alas, she didn¡¯t have time to indulge in that line of thought. Instead, she started climbing upwards.


    As soon as she was near a window she started shifting again, this time from her neck she extended a tendril of flesh that traveled around her arm and then up into the nearest window and checked inside. First, she made a simple light sensor, but when she noticed how it was dark and there wasn¡¯t any light inside, she started making a more complex sensor. She settled for a [Camera] design and sent the feed towards her [Consciousness stream].


    Sure enough, the room was empty, so with some small changes she sent her [Nanites] into the window and deconstructed what kept it in place. Before the thing could collapse either inwards or outwards, she put her hand atop it and made it stick to her hand. To achieve this, she shifted the base of her palm into suction cups. She had fought some P-series subjects that had plenty of tentacles and had these things to grab objects.


    They hadn¡¯t worked against her exterior plates, but she kept the design. And never had she thought that it would be used like this. Either way with the window secured she sneaked into the room. Leaving the window open like this was a tough choice, but in the end, she decided to leave it open.


    If Alexa needed to run away it was better to have an open route than needing to destroy something and waste biomass or energy on it. So putting the thing against a wall Alexa started moving forward.


    Her next step was to incapacitate the [Guards] inside, she couldn¡¯t detect anyone near her current position, so moving slowly and making sure her feet made as little sound as possible Alexa started prowling forward.


    As she moved she could detect vibrations on the ground and nearby windows, was this from people speaking? Moving closer to those she found the answer soon enough.


    ¡°Can we get the power back?¡± Someone asked.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like, they cut all the power lines. And since the generator hasn¡¯t been replaced we can¡¯t get any power, it looks like we will have to do it the hard way.¡± Someone else answered.


    ¡°Did you send the signal?¡± The first one asked back.


    ¡°Yeah, she should be coming, ETA around 20 mins.¡± Someone was coming?


    That was no good, no good at all.


    ¡°She better be soon, the big boss is paying her big bucks to keep this place safe. If she isn¡¯t the first one we will get asked awkward questions.¡± The first voice said back.


    Alexa wasn¡¯t quite sure who or what they were waiting, or what [ETA] was. But she didn¡¯t need too much information to get to the bottom of it, as far as she could infer she had less than 20 minutes to solve this and then check on her cellphone what it was.


    She had already turned it off since the mission parameters asked them to turn it off while in combat, something about GPS tracking and matching, she wasn¡¯t quite sure what that was all about. But now? Now she had more important things to do, like planning her entry.


    First Alexa put her right arm against the [Door], she started sending small tendrils within the [Frame], she wanted to imitate the design she had seen on the [Underground Mall], the one that would break the target into big pieces, only instead of making places to hide. She would do this and when [Main Core] answered it was done she raised her hand and balled it into a fist.


    Taking a deep breath she pulled her fist as back as it could go and with one smooth motion she [Shifted] her arm into a more muscular form and hit the door.


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Was the normal answer she got from the people on the other side of the [Door], others answer went from ¡°AAAAAH¡± to ¡°HEEEELP!¡± and finally one was a simple ¡°FIRE AT WILL!¡±.


    She didn¡¯t like the implications of the last one, so while the [Humans] scrambled to get into position Alexa locked in the last voice, it was the same that had asked about the situation and about if someone was coming or not.


    What she found was a pudgy man with a stick in his mouth that was releasing smoke, her initial analysis of the atmospheric gas around detected traces of some [Drug], and she guessed that the stick was the origin.


    He was also the only [Human] that wasn¡¯t panicking at the hit of the [Door¡¯s Fragments], instead he was looking at her. She didn¡¯t like that look.


    ¡°[Full burst, releasing 200% energy and increasing reaction speed.]¡±


    The world slowed to a crawl, she could see the fragments of [Wood] flying around, and yet¡­this [Human] stood there, staring at her.


    ¡°[Warning, Human reaction not within normal parameters. Caution is advised.]¡± Main core chimed in her accelerated world.


    But Alexa had no time remaining to think, she could feel the effects of this accelerated state wouldn¡¯t last long. So putting as much strength in her legs as she could she jumped straight at the [Human], she wanted to make sure everything would end as quickly as possible.


    So when he was within the reach of her arms she balled her fist and prepared to hit the [Human] into his solar plexus, if she was reading her own anatomy right a strong enough hit there should empty the [Man]¡¯s lungs and leave him unconscious.


    She would then have enough time to deal with the other [Humans].


    *BANG!*


    ¡°Hmph, they got a better crop this time huh? Good thing I came.¡± The [Man] said as Alexa¡¯s fist crashed against a blue translucid wall.


    ¡°[Warning, bones within wrist are broken, there are several fissures within the arm. Fixing.]¡± Main Core reported as she felt the biomass and energy be expended to fix her wounds.


    ¡°You are a Core user?¡± Alexa asked as she made sure her fist was healed.


    ¡°No, I just have the correct set of friends.¡± The [Man] answered, then turned to the others [Humans] around and said ¡°Fire! If any of you ends with a gunshot wound I will give extra hours and vacations!¡±


    And as if that was all they needed to hear they pulled out their [Guns] and pointed at Alexa.


    Well, this may get¡­.hard.

 Chapter 41: Looting time!

    ¡°Fire!¡± The order came from the man who was sitting as if nothing was happening around him, he seemed to be protected by a weird [Shield]-like [Barrier] covering him, . Alexa was surrounded by other [Humans], and all took their [Guns] and pointed at her, no one seemed to worry about the one ordering to [Fire].


    And so, they did fire at her.


    ¡°[Emergency Boost, 400% perception acceleration. 200% muscle reaction speed augmentation. Warning, reserves low.]¡± [Main Core] intoned in her head as the world slowed to a crawl again.


    The first thing that she noticed in this slowed world was how the [Man] that was smirking at her was breathing, why was this important? Well, if he was breathing it meant that something could go past the [Shield] that stopped her. He was sitting on a chair and holding a pen too, so he was able to interact with the world around him.


    How?


    ¡°[Hypothesis: Target may be able to selectively block objects. Or he only stops objects above a certain threshold of speed or force.]¡± [Main Core] said while Alexa turned her attention to the other people around her.


    She first looked at their [Eyes], then at the [Guns], most were pointing somewhere around her torso area, a few one trained their shots at her [Head], and two at her lower body. Why her lower body?


    She wasn¡¯t sure.


    ¡°[Finished calculating probable trajectory, displaying lines to help dodge.]¡± And sure enough on her sight multiple red lines materialized, each coming from a [Gun] and they all went towards different parts of her body.


    So she started moving, and as soon as she started moving her body she felt as if her body was fighting against something heavy to move, and the [Guns] started tracking on her and seemed to ever so slowly move.


    *BANG*


    The first detonation resounded in her ears as her accelerated mind processed the sound, she wasn¡¯t sure who shot first, but what she noticed was pain as if someone had pinched her followed by a warm sensation in the affected area. The wound was on her abdomen, one of the parts that weren¡¯t covered by the [Bulletproof] armor additions she was wearing.


    She had left that one as is since she wanted to test if her theoretical pain limits were the same as what she could withstand, she didn¡¯t want another scenario where her theoretical limits weren¡¯t the same as her actual limits. The event with her broken legs was still fresh on her mind after all.


    But¡­it was quite average, it didn¡¯t hurt as much as she expected and it was easy enough to clench the muscles around the wound area to staunch the bleeding. With that out of the way she continued weaving around trying to get out of the range of the [Guns], but she wasn¡¯t able to get out of the range of all the projectiles.


    While dodging the bullets Alexa kept the position of her [Enemies] within her mind¡¯s eye always constant, she tried to move in ways that put her between two [Enemies] so when they [Shot] her, she could dodge away and let them hit each other. And when that wasn¡¯t as efficient she even used her own body as a medium. She oriented part of her body that didn¡¯t have [Armor] so the [Bullet] would hit her, go through her body, and hit another [Enemy Minion].


    When her [Body] was too obvious she used her arms or legs as she jumped from spot to spot, she of course didn¡¯t use parts that had [Vital] organs. By the end of it, some had hit her in arms and legs, one was a direct hit on her torso, she had done that mostly to test the level of defense the [Armor] additions brought, and while it didn¡¯t penetrate the defenses¡­She almost wished it did.


    IT HURT LIKE HELL!


    Her chest had helped dissipate part of the kinetic force, but it hurt way more than she expected, was her chest an area with too many nerve endings? She had seen that on her blueprint of course, but didn¡¯t think it would be that bad. Perhaps she would need to redesign that later¡­


    But her [Human] side was screaming at her to leave that part alone¡­.


    Decisions decisions¡­


    ¡°ughh¡­¡­..help¡­.¡± At the end of that and when the last [Bullet] was fired she was surrounded by groaning [Humans] while she herself was leaking [Blood] from some wounds, but unlike them, she wasn¡¯t groaning.


    She wanted to of course, but [Main Core] was blocking most of her pain receptors at the moment and was actively healing her. She would need to restock sooner rather than later.


    ¡°Tch, bunch of useless wastes, can¡¯t kill a single woman?¡± The [Man] remained sitting as he watched through all of this said as he pulled out from the [Desk] another [Gun]. This one seemed different from the ones the other [Humans]had used.


    In an automatic response from her body (Or as the [Blueprint] said a Reflex) Alexa moved her hand forward and grabbed the hand of the [Man], which made her stop for a second.


    ¡°[Notice, no interference from Shield theory about limit of speed and force has been confirmed.]¡±


    ¡°What? You can¡¯t hurt me, so do yourself a favor and leave. Before a Hero arrives and pummels you into the ground you might as well run.¡± The [Man] smirked at her, but Alexa instead started increasing the strength of her grip.


    She found that the [Man]¡¯s face started reflecting the level of pain he was feeling at least till she exceeded a threshold and the [Shield] manifested again.


    ¡°[Theorical Limit, confirmed. Limit is set around the force needed to cause permanent damage or broken bones.]¡±


    So, as long as she didn¡¯t break any bones or make permanent injury she could get past that shield huh¡­


    ¡°I see, this is a very interesting [Gun], different from the types your [Minions] use,¡± Alexa said as she grabbed the discarded [Gun] and placed it into one of her [Pouches], this suit had plenty of those for some reason. ¡°But you are wrong in some things, first¡­The [Heroes] should be distracted. And second¡­I may not be able to [Hurt] you, but I can get you [Unconscious] easy enough.¡±


    And on that note, Alexa¡¯s hand went for the [Throat], she used barely enough force to not be stopped by the [Shield], but enough to close the windpipe, the [Man] started trashing around as his [Brain] noticed the absence of [O2] in his bloodstream, but after a minute or so she left him to go.


    All this time the man had been fidgeting with a weird bracelet on his arm, she picked it up and pocketed it too, perhaps it was [Worth something]. So maybe it was on the list, she wasn¡¯t sure.


    ¡°[Rhapsody, this is Golem. Everything in order? We heard gunshots.]¡± [Golem]¡¯s voice spoke into her mask.


    As far as she was aware she should still have some time for her mission to finish, ¡°I have incapacitated seven enemy [Minions], and what seems to be an important [Not Core User] he was able to field a [Shield], but claimed to be a non powered.¡± Alexa reported back.


    ¡°[And the gunshots?]¡± [Golem] asked again.


    Should she answer that? Main Core?


    ¡°[All gunshot wounds have been dealt with, the bruising on chest area was dealt with to the degree of non-risk. Remaining work can be done by natural healing as to minimize the waste of biomass and energy.]¡± Main Core answered, and yet¡­


    ¡°But it hurts!¡± Alexa complained, then took a second to center herself and look around, she had already reported the amount of enemy [Minions] so she wouldn¡¯t be able to [Devour] any of them. So instead she turned on again her [Mic] and said. ¡°Gunshots were done against my person, all wounds have been dealt with and the [Weaponry] was neutralized.¡±


    ¡°[Are you hurt?]¡± [Golem] asked as she heard the sound of metal being ripped apart. ¡°[Location?]¡±


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°I¡¯m no longer wounded and somewhere on the second floor? I haven¡¯t gone to check the rest of the [Warehouse], so there may be other enemy [Minions]¡± Alexa answered while walking towards the [Door] that pointed to the outside again.


    She had already checked the bodies for more [Ammunition] but they all had at best one extra charger, so that left her with¡­what? 50 or so rounds? That¡­wasn¡¯t much, so perhaps she could get a [Human] while waiting?


    ¡°[Stand by and wait for us, we are coming in. You have my permission to use the full extent of your Core Power to defend yourself should someone attack you.]¡± [Golem] said and that left Alexa stumped, what was she supposed to do then?


    ¡°Attention people we are with Haephestus¡¯s Forge. Stand down get on the ground and you will not be hurt. This place is insured so you will be safe so long as you don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡± The voice of [Golem] resounded within the [Warehouse].


    So while waiting Alexa turned her senses to hear what was happening around, sadly no one came her way, well, not hostile [Minions] at least.


    ¡°Rhapsody?¡± Who came her way was [Mikey] carrying a small box with a red cross on it, ¡°Are you wounded? ¡°


    ¡°Not anymore. I have healed most wounds, only remaining wounds are bruises.¡± Alexa answered while turning to look around to see if more people had come this way.


    ¡°Hmm¡­.Golem will have my hide if I don¡¯t check on you, so can you show me where you got shot?¡± [Mikey] said while carrying a chair and pointing Alexa to it.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Alexa answered while sitting and pulling on one of her [Gloved Arms], she pushed the buttons that allowed it to dislodge from her torso. Her skin was flawless as always besides some small bruises. ¡°Here is one of the [Gun] wounds already healed, the rest are bruises from spots where the [Armor] was weakest or spots I used to block debris.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± [Mikey] said looking at the place, ¡°No wound¡­nor bruising¡­are you sure this is the place?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I still have the bullet encased within my body, I can expel it if needed?¡± Alexa said as she focused on the place, the bullet had hit her [Bone] so it was lodged there for now. She was planning to assimilate the material and use it to reinforce her body.


    ¡°...that is okay.¡± [Mikey] answered, ¡°And all the wounds are like this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have dealt with most like that. I can use my [Core Power] to fix what needs to be fixed after all. I only need [Biomass] and [Energy] to return to my peak.¡± Alexa answered, she got the feeling that there was some degree of misunderstanding.


    ¡°...And you are sure that your Core Power is that of a Shifter?¡± [Mikey] seemed more confused by this than anything, ¡°No wait, don¡¯t answer. I don¡¯t want to know¡­If someone asks you what your powers are, remember to include regeneration. That is one of the important ones for your companions to know you have.¡±


    And on that note [Mikey] closed his small box, in the end, he only had sprinkled some liquid to [Disinfect] the [Wound] and had cleaned her skin to make sure everything was [Okay]. Alexa of course recorded the composition of those chemicals.


    <table style="width: 23.4761%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Notice:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    New chemicals detected and analyzed:


    <ul>


    <li>Chlorhexidine</li>


    <li>Povidone-Iodine </li>


    <li>Hydrogen Peroxide</li>


    <li>Isopropyl Alcohol </li>


    <li>Benzalkonium Chloride</li>


    <li>Hexachlorophene</li>


    <li>Iodine</li>


    </ul>


    Chemicals share antiseptic properties and are stored for future use.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    And when she acknowledged said new prompt Alexa turned to look at [Mikey], ¡°How long am I supposed to remain here?¡± And asked as such, [Golem] hadn¡¯t sent any new orders her way, but the fact that he sent [Mikey] probably meant that he was tasked with some mission for her.


    ¡°Till I had patched you¡­and made sure you weren¡¯t bleeding away, but since you aren¡¯t bleeding nor need patching up¡­I guess we can return, do we need to deal with the guards that shot you?¡± [Mikey] asked her in a somewhat more somber tone as he pulled a [Gun] from within his jacket.


    ¡°Not necessary, they are unconscious within that [Room],¡± Alexa said pointing at the room with the missing [Door]. ¡°Some may require medical attention since they shot themselves.¡±


    ¡°They what? Why?¡± [Mikey] asked confused at her statement.


    ¡°I [Dodged] out of the way while making sure they would shoot other [Enemy Minions], in some instances I let the [Bullet] hit me so it would hit others too, the [Arm] wound was one such attempt, but I miscalculated and it hit the [Bone].¡± And after that one, she had no longer done that again.


    ¡°...You¡­.made them shoot each other while they also tried to shoot at you?¡± [Mikey] asked while trying to contain his laughter. ¡°That¡¯s brilliant.¡±


    In the end, he ended up laughing, ¡°Do we need to help them?¡± Alexa asked, she didn¡¯t want to. But maybe she could rip apart one of their arms using the excuse of a [Bullet wound]?


    ¡°Nah, they got what they deserve for trying to kill one of us. That is the rule, you attack with the intention to kill. You don¡¯t complain if you end up dead.¡± [Mikey] said walking towards her again after checking on the enemy [Minions]. He also made sure to step on all the [Minions] that stood in his way.


    Sometimes stepping on them twice.


    ¡°Okay, now let¡¯s go to Golem, he is pissed so maybe you can calm him down? I tried to remind him that you told us about being somewhat bulletproof. But those were too many gunshots.¡± [Mikey] said as he looked one last time at the enemy [Minions] and the [Man] at the back. ¡°Perhaps we could use one of these, which one was the important guy?¡±


    ¡°That one at the end, he had some kind of [Core Power] that allowed him to survive all of this without any wounds. I knocked him unconscious by -¡± Alexa started explaining only for [Mikey] to stop her with a motion from his hand.


    ¡°Yeah, not interested to be honest. All we need is one of the important ones and that is all. Golem can decide what to do, or a Lieutenant I guess.¡± And like that [Mikey] grabbed the [Man] by his hair and started pulling him towards the lower floor.


    Alexa wondered how he was planning to get him to the lower floor¡­at least till they arrived at a [Stair], there [Mikey] just threw him first and followed after. Alexa was not seeing the weird [Shield] spring again, so maybe this didn¡¯t count towards the [Threshold]?


    ¡°Rhapsody, are you okay?¡± [Golem] asked when she arrived on the ground floor, around him several [Minions] were loading stuff into the [Vans]. As far as she could tell it was mostly mechanical components and some liquids. ¡°Mikey, I told you to stay and safeguard her while we secured the place.¡±


    ¡°I am functional at 80% capacity, I needed to burn some [Biomass] and [Energy] to heal and fix some minor wounds, but leaving that aside everything is okay,¡± Alexa answered before [Mikey].


    ¡°She has no bullet wounds, I did see evidence of the gunshots and her bodysuit has gunshot holes. But her skin isn¡¯t wounded, she has some bruises here and there from where the bodysuit stopped bullets. But besides that she is okay.¡± [Mikey] answered after her, ¡°If anything I think that her power may be more complex than we think it is.¡±


    They had no idea¡­.


    ¡°I see, and that one? We aren¡¯t supposed to hurt Civilians.¡± [Golem] asked pointing at the unconscious [Man] that [Mikey] had brought with them.


    ¡°Rhapsody? Could you do the honors?¡± [Mikey] said turning to her, was this an [Honor]? What is an [Honor]?


    ¡°That [Human] was seated amidst the [Enemy Minions] while speaking, when I breached his [Defenses] he took command and directed the [Enemy Minions] to shoot even if it meant hurting other fellow [Minions].¡± Alexa said recounting what had happened when she came to them, ¡°He also showed some type of [Core Power], he was able to prevent objects traversing at a certain speed from harming him. So I needed to tune down my speed and strength to render him unconscious.¡±


    And that had been annoying.


    ¡°And the gunshots?¡± [Golem] asked.


    ¡°I dodged them in such a way that they hit each other.¡± So Alexa answered, ¡°Some did get me as [Mikey] said before, but I merely [Refreshed] my [Blueprint] to fix the damage, that is why I need new [Biomass] since I haven¡¯t gotten any recently.¡±


    Really, her main problem was that while the [Food] she got was enough to keep the maintenance of her [Body], it wasn¡¯t enough to fix these kinds of problems, she had used most of it already with how she had climbed to the second floor!


    She needed more meat!


    ¡°So this one was important huh?¡± [Golem] said as he raised his feet high into the air and let it down on the leg of the [Man].


    *Crunch* ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!¡± What followed was the pained scream of the [Man] as he tried to grab his [Leg].


    ¡°I don¡¯t see any shield.¡± And of course [Golem] said while turning to her, ¡°Are you sure he has a [Core Power]?¡±


    ¡°I DON¡¯T HAVE CORE POWERS WHAT THE HELL?!?!? I WAS USING AN ARTIFACT FROM THE SAINTSWORTHS!¡± The [Man] screamed while rolling on the ground, ¡°YOU ALL ARE DONE, I WILL MAKE SURE CHRYSALIS KILLS YOU ALL!¡±


    ¡°She is a Hero, and should be busy dealing with the distraction.¡± [Mikey] said behind her, the [Minion] had walked behind her at some point.


    ¡°HAH! WHO DO YOU THINK PAYS FOR HER VICES? THE GOVERNMENT? IT¡¯S US! SHE IS COMING AND I WILL PAY HER EXTRA FOR YOUR HEADS!¡± The [Man] raved around for a few seconds before [Golem] grabbed him and threw him against a wall. That was enough to render him unconscious.


    ¡°...chances of what he said are true?¡± [Golem] asked to [Mikey] who seemed to be the more knowledgeable [Minion] around.


    ¡°Very high, some Heroes get paid to make sure some warehouses are better protected than others. And Chrysalis is among the most vicious ones around, if you are caught¡­you are caught.¡± [Mikey] answered.


    So [Golem] placed a finger against the ear of his mask and started speaking ¡°Control, we have a situation¡­The warehouse we got assigned seems to be paying a Hero for protection¡­Do we continue the mission?¡± He asked.


    Alexa wondered why he was asking such an obvious question, shouldn¡¯t they continue to fulfill their mission?


    ¡°You sure? We could probably wrap this up in another ten min¨C oh, she already left?... Crap, okay.¡± [Golem] said and cut the call, he then took a deep breath (Why does a rock need to take a deep breath?) and said ¡°WRAP IT UP MINIONS WE ARE LEAVING!¡±


    That was all he needed to say as any [Minion] still carrying something left it on the floor and ran towards a [Van]. ¡°Okay, Sylph you are at the front. If you can make it so the vans don¡¯t get wind resistance with your Core Powers, then do it. If you can¡¯t¡­well just make sure to pay attention and if you see Chrysalis call it.¡± [Golem] started saying as he pointed to [Skye] and she nodded once, afterward she ran towards the [Van] in question and sat in her spot waiting for the other [Black Masked Minions] to get in. ¡°Rhapsody you will be at the back and I will be in the middle, if Chrysalis turns up you need to distract her for a few seconds, if you think you can¡¯t¡­Run. I will try to help you as soon as I can, so just hold a few seconds.¡±


    That seemed easy enough, so for now Alexa just walked to her [Van] and stood at the side while the [Minions] pilled up on the back. How hard could it be to return home early right?

 Chapter 42: Splat is the keyword for todays class!

    ¡°How much did we make?¡± One of the [Black Masked Minions] asked as they pilled upon the [Van].


    ¡°Around 2,000 Axolotl-Dollars in high-end tech, why?¡± Another of the [Minions] answered back, only to be hit on the head by the [Minion] that asked first.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ever use the full name for A-Dollars. I swear to god the asshole that changed the name from Dollars to A-Dollars just did it to annoy people¡­.¡± The [Minion] in question said while pulling a small square-shaped paper with the symbol of money (According to a quick search on the internal database) and a [Creature] that seemed familiar to some kind of aquatic reptile?


    ¡°Stop the chitchatting, we are leaving.¡± [Golem]¡¯s voice came from the speakers of the [Van] as [Mikey] started the [Engine] and so they started moving, leaving behind the [Warehouses].


    ¡°Quick question¡­¡± Alexa said from her spot while looking outside, ¡°What does [Chrysalis] look like?¡±


    ¡°Not now Rhapsody, I need to focus.¡± [Mikey] said back as he focused on the road ahead while moving faster than he did when coming this way


    ¡°By any chance is she a purple-haired [Young Woman] who flies like [SuperForce] and glares at [Vans]?¡± Alexa said still looking to the outside.


    ¡°....yes¡­.why?¡± [Mikey] said still not turning in her direction, but his hands seemed to be twitching as Alexa turned to look at him.


    ¡°Is [Chrysalis] accompanied usually by other people? Namely a [Young Man] dressed in a full [BodySuit] like the one I am using, but only using a half mask?¡± Alexa said while recording the appearances of the suspects for later search when she got a connection to the internet network at large.


    ¡°....Fuck¡­.¡± [Mikey] sweared as he pulled the [Radio] and started speaking, ¡°Golem? Rhapsody saw Chrysalis and V-8. Rhapsody? ETA? Location?¡±


    ¡°They are over there,¡± Alexa said pointing to her right, when she did so the [Woman] screeched and then what followed was¡­weird.


    First the other [Human] turned into a blur, next thing she knew was that he was standing at [Mikey]¡¯s Door pushing the [Brake] and making them stop, then doing the same the next second on [Golem]¡¯s [Van]...And the same to [Skye].


    ¡°Fricking speedsters¡­Great he took the keys too¡­¡± [Mikey] grumbled as he turned to look at Alexa. ¡°Well, that¡¯s it. We can¡¯t outrun a speedster and with Chrysalis as a spotter we can¡¯t run.¡±


    That was¡­weird, didn¡¯t he want to [Survive]? Surely failing on the first [Job] would put that at risk?


    ¡°Can you explain to me the [Core Powers] of our current [Targets]?¡± Alexa said as she started thinking of strategies, the [Speedster] seemed to have only that going for him. Speed. If Alexa could predict where he may come then dealing with that would be easy. Perhaps she would burn more [Energy] than needed, but if she managed to incapacitate him¡­


    Well, she could always turn around afterward and deal with him.


    ¡°Nothing for it, V-8 is your classical base speedster. He is fast but not strong, anything he throws returns to the normal speed it should have if he did it at normal speed. Heals faster but that is at best twice as fast. If you get a good hit on him you can knock him down, but the problem is hitting the MF.¡± [Mikey] grumbled as he described the blue blur who was now running around the [Vans] taunting the [Minions]. No one paid any attention to him as far as she could see. ¡°Chrysalis is the problem, she is known to over-extend her hand while fighting, that is why she gets the place of spotter nowadays, if we want to run away we need to deal with her, but while she is on the sidekick program, she is more of a heavy hitter Hero Class. She makes barriers out of telekinesis to protect herself, she uses them to fly and also uses them to mimic super strength.¡±


    ¡­That was¡­


    ¡°[Unfair].¡± Main Core was right, that [Heroine] had so many applications available to her from one set? Did she have more? What kind of [Wish] did she have that granted such a versatile power?


    ¡°If I deal with [V-8] and manage to distract [Chrysalis] you would be able to complete today¡¯s [Mission Objective]?¡± Alexa said as she finished setting up her countermeasures against the [Speedster].


    ¡°I mean...sure? But we would need to get the keys from V-8¡­wait, what are you doing Rhapsody?¡± [Mikey] said as Alexa opened the door and left the [Van].


    As soon as her feet touched the ground the blue blur started walking around her, she could barely see the [Man].


    ¡°[Starting testing phase¡­stretching tendrils¡­.]¡± Main Core of course was hard at work, he started producing small and thin tendrils from her body and sending them out. They were barely visible and got caught in the wind made from the blue blur running around her. ¡°[Accelerated perception of time detected within target entity. Accelerating consciousness stream to match target objective.]¡±


    ¡°Come on girl, don¡¯t make this harder¡­I am pissed as it is since Chrysalis pulled me to this, I''ll already get a penalty on my record from this. All because I wanted to get a date. I didn¡¯t think she would pull this on me¡­And then you fricking Minions making my work harder?¡± The [Man] was speaking to her¡­no. At her, he was barely walking, not even running. And yet¡­it looked as if he was running before?


    Was¡­was his power only making it seem as if he was fast?


    ¡°[Target objective doesn¡¯t seem to have accelerated thought process, only accelerated perception of time.]¡± Main Core said as she noticed how her tendrils were starting to tangle more and more around the [Speedster]. They were thin and so it wouldn¡¯t matter much¡­


    unless¡­.


    ¡°Increase thickness of tendrils around target feet, make it so he stumbles into the approximate area where my fist will be.¡± Alexa said as she started moving.


    Her perception of time returned to normal and she prepared to throw a punch, it wasn¡¯t the same type of punch she had used before where she focused all her strength into a single spot. It was instead a normal [Human Punch].


    She didn¡¯t aim at any spot in particular, instead, she only threw it straight ahead.


    She could probably link her feet or fist towards the neural sensors on her tendrils to make her body react on her own, but that might end with her leg or arm broken. So instead she made [V-8] trip into her fist.


    From the outside it looked as if [V-8] tripped just in the right way to fall into Alexa¡¯s fist, Alexa felt her fist hit into the [Man]¡¯s face and she heard a crunch, was this¡­was this [Man] this feeble?


    Either way, the man hit the ground and seemed to bounce a few times before stopping completely. Alexa walked towards the man to make sure he was out cold.


    ¡°Rhapsody! Are you okay?¡± [Golem]¡¯s voice was the first to come as Alexa kneeled beside the [Man], she found a pouch with some square-shaped things covered in what seemed to be some kind of foil-like materials, Alexa took the pouch and put their contents in her own pouches. Going over the things she finally found the keys and threw them to [Golem].


    ¡°With this, we can turn the [Vans] again right?¡± She asked while placing one of her [Feet] atop the leg of the [Speedster].


    ¡°Yes, but we still need to deal with Chrysalis, we can¡¯t return to the base with her looking.¡± [Golem] said eyeing the [Speedster].


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    [Mikey] had said that this one would recover twice as fast as a normal [Human], so when Alexa felt him stirring under her feet she crushed the [Bone] following the example that [Golem] had given before.


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAH¡± And the [Human] started trashing as he moved as a blur that rolled on the ground away from her.


    ¡°Heh, that¡¯s kinda funny,¡± Alexa said before she knew it, weird. ¡°[Chrysalis] is a [Hero] right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, why?¡± [Golem] answered at her as he passed the [Keys]to the [Minions] responsible for each [Van].


    ¡°If I claim that normal [Humans] are at risk, will she follow me?¡± Alexa asked.


    ¡°No, Chrysalis must know we are part of Haephestus¡¯s Forge, she knows we will not attack Civilians.¡± [Golem] answered first, so the [Heroes] knew of the rules they worked under? That seemed¡­.


    ¡°[Unwise]¡±


    ¡°...It may work.¡± [Mikey] said at the side, ¡°She is on the Side-kick program because she causes too much trouble, so she must be wearing a body cam. If you scream that at her, she must act under the premise that you will fulfill the threat. If she doesn¡¯t then you will be able to run away and report to base. If she follows you then we will finish the mission.¡±


    ¡°Can you escape if she captures you?¡± [Golem] asked turning to her, she could swear that for half a second the man had glared at [Mikey], weird. She couldn¡¯t see his eyes, but how could she know it?


    ¡°Yes, unless I am isolated in a sealed chamber with no access to [Biomass]. But they shouldn¡¯t go that far¡­right?¡± Alexa asked as confirmation, she did not want to experience something like that.


    ¡°Not probable, not with a Shape Shifter Core. They do that to Virus Cores or Toxic Cores.¡± [Mikey] said in a reassuring tone.


    ¡°Okay, back to the Vans! We are leaving!¡± [Golem] said in a loud voice, all the [Minions] got into the [Vans] and prepared to move. So next was Alexa¡¯s turn.


    ¡°I WILL GO INTO THE [HOUSING AREA] AND [KILL] AS MANY [HUMANS] AS I CAN UNLESS YOU STOP ME!¡± Alexa screamed at Chrysalis, making sure to increase the volume of her voice as much as possible.


    She saw [Chrysalis] stopping for a second as if she wasn¡¯t sure in what direction to move, so Alexa took the chance and started running towards the nearest [Housing Area] she remembered seeing before.


    It wasn¡¯t long before she [Felt] a [Gaze] upon her back, turning her head slightly back she found a projectile flying straight to her [Head]. So letting her body fall she dodged the thing, it seemed that it was a [Pole] with the letters [Stop] on it.


    ¡­Was this a [Direction]?


    Either way, Alexa didn¡¯t stop running and continued on her way, she started running towards the nearest [House], only for something to hit her back before she was even halfway through the streets.


    ¡°Stop resisting, don¡¯t make this more annoying for me.¡± The voice of the [Woman] said as she was forcibly made look to the night sky, she had fallen face first and this [Woman] turned her body upwards so her face ended up looking up.


    Atop of her was a purple hair [Woman] dressed in a [Mini Skirt] and a loose [Blouse], on her head were a pair of purple [lenses] that could barely hide her identity. The [Woman] seemed annoyed at the situation as her legs constricted Alexa¡¯s torso.


    She wasn¡¯t being directly touched by the [Woman], she felt as if her whole body was being encased in an invisible wall, unlike the time she was stopped by [SuperForce], this time the [Woman] had needed to touch her physically to encase her, and unlike with [SuperForce], she got the feeling that this could be breached with enough force.


    ¡°[Warning, Host is currently held tightly. Probability of escape is low.]¡± So Alexa was stuck indeed.


    She tried to struggle to no avail, no matter how she moved she felt herself held tightly together. What she noticed was that¡­this [Barrier] was similar to the one that the other [Human] had used.


    ¡°You are the one that gave that [Man] his [Shield]?¡± Alexa asked as she tried to worm her way away by limiting her strength and speed.


    ¡°That won¡¯t work on me, I am regulating this barrier. Unlike the fake ones stuck in those weird Saintsworth¡¯s Loaders. This is the real deal. You only get to breathe because I allow it.¡± [Chrysalis] said with a smirk on her [Face]. ¡°You made me work extra, had to leave my partner on the ground because of you. I couldn¡¯t rescue him since you threatened the civilians.¡±


    Somehow, Alexa got the feeling that this [Woman] was not feeling anything of what she said, her face was morphed into a scowl and she was writing something on a [Phone] that was away from the very obvious camera stuck on her chest.


    Was that the [Camera]? The one [Mikey] spoke about. How to use this¡­


    ¡°You must behave like a [Hero] and prevent wanton destruction of [Human] life right?¡± Alexa asked as she started shifting under her [Bodysuit] she would move as much [Biomass] and [Energy] to her torso


    ¡°...you can¡¯t make me leave using that again. Your fellow minions must be running back home with the crumbs they got.¡± [Chrysalis] smirked at her as she grabbed her [Breast] with one of her hands and started squishing down. ¡°Really, you fucking cow Minions always making my life hard¡­.¡±


    Alexa wasn¡¯t quite sure what was happening right now, but the [Woman] was starting to get angry, she felt the pressure rising on her chest as the muscles on her breast started rupturing and the pain started rising up.


    That made her plans easier to execute, so while [Main Core] started cutting nerve endings she moved to the main part. This would be¡­.hard.


    ¡°Main Core, start virtual machine, set up split consciousness stream, and set up emotional responses.¡± Alexa sent the prompt and felt the tug on her [Mind] as something seemed to refuse to split apart.


    ¡°[Warning, this exceeds the threshold of what is deemed within the range of responsibilities towards this Core Unit. Asking administrator¡­Admin Call¡­]¡± What? Wasn¡¯t she the admin?


    But even so, Alexa didn¡¯t feel the incoming call.


    ¡°Hah? So they are fake and that is why you don¡¯t squeal like the bitch you are huh?!?!?¡± And then there was the [Woman] screeching atop her who started punching her face. Or well, her mask. Even so, the [Woman] was doing something with her [Barriers] as she felt the impact as if it was hitting her through her [Mask].


    ¡°[Contact with ND0 System achieved. Executing.]¡±


    And that was the last thing Alexa remembered, for afterward the world turned blank.


    <hr>


    ¡°GYAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!¡± It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!!!!!!


    Alexa never had felt something this bad, she could feel her chest being squished, and she could feel her face being bruised, ¡°STOP PLEASE!¡± She could feel the [Fear], the same one she had felt when facing P8-Variant.


    The same one she tasted the first time she delved into the ramifications of what the man would do to her if she hadn¡¯t managed to kill him¡­The [Fear] of being¡­[weak].


    ¡°Main Core what is happening?¡± So Alexa asked inwardly, and¡­felt nothing.


    She couldn¡¯t feel her [Core], nor [Main Core] for that matter, her [Nanites] didn¡¯t answer to her call, and she couldn¡¯t even do the simplest of shifts. She had no strength in her lower body either, as if nothing was there.


    ¡°THAT¡¯S THE FEAR OF GOD I WANTED YES! SCREAM FOR MOMMA!¡± And then there was [Chrysalis] atop of her who was laughing while hitting her face repeatedly.


    Alexa could feel the tears forming on her face as the [Woman] laughed at her, she had felt something burst on her chest and could feel a warm liquid traversing her chest.


    Several warnings blared on her [HUD], and some injectors within her [BodySuit] had started injecting some [Drugs] to ease her pain. But even with all of this, Alexa couldn''t help but scream while trying to move her arms and shield her face.


    "WHAT? IS THAT ALL?!?! THEY DON''T MAKE WHITE-MASKED ONES LIKE BEFORE?!? WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR GUTS HUH!?!?!? YOU ARE ONLY MAKING ME LOSE MONEY FOR NOTHING?!?!? YOU WANT TO SCREW MY NIGHT?!?!?!? HUH?!?!?" The [Woman] continued screaming atop her while hitting her.


    At some point Alexa didn''t had more energy to scream anymore, she still tried to call upon [Main Core]...But nothing answered.


    "Main Core?" She tried to call, but nothing answered back, it was as if...as if she was trapped with no contact with the outside.


    "WHAT?!?" The [Woman] screamed while placing a finger on her ear, " Hah? She is a White Masked, so she has some Core Powers. I am just making sure the boys in blue don''t have trouble when transporting her. Of course, she is fine, here look."


    And as if to make a point the woman materialized some kind of blunt object made with her [Barriers], and with one motion of her hand, she made it crush her right arm.


    "AAAAAAAAAAH!!!" Alexa''s throat was raw from the screams, but even so, she couldn''t help herself.


    "See? She is still lively...What? Why does it matter? Not like these records will be shown to the public anyway..." The [Woman] continued speaking as if she wasn''t even here...As if she was nothing...No, less than nothing.


    "NO!" Alexa screamed as she felt something start constricting on her abdomen, "STOP! PLEASE! IT HURTS!"


    "Wait a second. I''m not doing anything! I''m speaking with you, how would I even have time to play with this cow and speak with you?!? I am wasting energy by keeping her trapped as is!" The woman continued speaking as if nothing was happening. But Alexa could feel it, her waist was being crushed.


    "HELP!!! SHE WANTS TO KILL ME!!! SOMEONE! ANYONE!!!" So she screamed while fighting against the barrier that was keeping her in place. She tried to fight, she tried to make her body shift, to move all her [Biomass] and turn it into muscles, to free herself.


    To escape!


    Alas...


    *burst*


    It wasn''t meant to be.


    "...WHAT THE HELL?!?!?" Was what she heard as the [Woman] flew away from her covered in gore, her face was...funny, as she seemed to want to make sure nothing had stuck to her.


    If only Alexa wasn''t bleeding out...


    "[Notice: Nearby exit route behind host''s body. Circular metal doorway. Proceed with caution.]"


    The voice at the back of her head spoke, Alexa was so tired...so so tired...But with her only remaining arm she pulled herself while the [Woman] was busy trying to get Alexa''s gore from her body. It seemed that some of that had traversed below the threshold she had set for her [Barriers].


    So Alexa dove into the darkness as her consciousness faded away.


    *Splat*


    "Such a funny sound..." Was the last conscious thought Alexa had before darkness claimed and her body stood there in the middle of the darkness, she...didn''t have a beating heart anymore.

 Chapter 43: [God] is dead...who is [God]? Who knows, but he deed!

    [Fake consciousness stream terminated due to extreme trauma to the head.]


    [Heartbeat stopped due to extreme trauma.]


    [Vital Signs¡­.None.]


    [Starting monitoring of nearby area.]


    [Checking for evidence of activity.]


    [Time limit before damage to brain tissue becomes too extensive. 5 Minutes.]


    [Time limit before damage to brain tissue becomes prohibitive to regenerate¡­.15 mins.]


    [Timer started.]


    <hr>


    At the bottom of the sewers was a woman''s body; well, a body was a word too strong to describe what was at the bottom of the manhole. It was half of a body, the upper half, but even that¡­.


    Her right arm was broken and was closer to paste, while her left arm had broken while falling, the woman had attempted to slow her descent by grabbing hold of the ladder, but her attempt to do so had ended with her breaking her left arm for her weight and speed was too much.


    And if that wasn¡¯t enough, she had hit the floor head first. She was breaking what was left of her face and snapping her neck. So, in a nutshell, what you could find at the bottom of the ladder was the badly damaged body of a young woman bleeding away. No motions or even brain activity was found within this body.


    She was just there motionless for minutes and while at the top one could hear commotion it faded away soon enough. The most commotion came when the second half of her body was thrown down followed by someone pouring gasoline down there.


    Afterward, a small box with a timer marking 30 mins was thrown down and the manhole was closed again.


    [The current situation exceeds the threshold for Main Core decision-making program.]


    [Forwarding situation to administrator.]


    [Answer received.]


    [Restarting linking from Host to current body.]


    [Restarting reconstruction of body.]


    ¡ª--------------------------------


    Suddenly the body at the bottom of the ladder started moving, its chest seemed to move as if someone was trapped inside, the body acted as a if it were a puppet whose strings were being pulled.


    Then without any warning an arm suddenly emerged from the wound around the waist, it was bloodied and smaller, as if it was a child''s arm.


    ¡°I LIVE!!!!!!¡± Alexa was alive!


    ¡°And this stiiiiiinkkkkssssss!!!!¡± She emerged as if she was a butterfly from her cocoon. What was her cocoon you ask? It was Alexa of course!


    What else could it be?


    ¡°Was all of that really necessary Main Core? Alexa will have nightmares!¡± Needing to crawl from her former waist pushing the gore away had been nasty.


    But Alexa did it! Because she didn¡¯t want to burn! Burning sucks! And it hurts! Actually¡­If it wasn''t for the gasoline, she may have slept for a few extra minutes¡­


    ¡°Right¡­What am I supposed to do with the shell? I don¡¯t think I can use it¡­most of the muscles are torn¡­And they doused¡­.[Gasoline]? I think it¡¯s [Gasoline] never used that one too much, too unstable.¡± Alexa was smelling her former body as she spoke.


    As she started fiddling with the controls to release the size adjustment to strip herself and get some clothes to dress (It was windy here! And she was naked!), she noticed that her mask seemed to be blinking on the side. So putting that on she went through the options on it to restart it¡­


    ¡°[RHAPSODY ARE YOU OKAY?!?!?]¡± Came the voice of the [Elder] crashing into her ear.


    ¡°[RHAPSODY?!?!? ANSWER! WE HAVE REPORTS OF CHRYSALIS ASKING FOR CORPSE CLEANING!]¡± Was the next voice message that came.


    Followed one by one by more messages raining down.


    ¡°Hello? This is Alexa speaking!¡± Alexa said skipping most of the new other voice messages.


    ¡°[Alexa?]¡± The voice of the [Elder] came asking back with a trembling voice.


    ¡°Ah sorry! I mean, this is not Alexa but [Rhapsody]!¡± Alexa quickly corrected herself, truly, it was hard having multiple names! ¡°I¡¯m fine now! I am missing¡­.¡±


    Alexa looked at her [Shell], ¡°Around 40 kilograms? I think?¡± Alexa wasn¡¯t quite sure, even though she had a fancy blue screen hovering in front of her face with her missing [Biomass]. ¡°Yes, I have around 40 kilograms less! ¡°


    ¡°[...are you okay? Your vitals¡­.]¡± The [Elder] trailed his voice, her vitals? Oh! The thing! The [Bodysuit] had her vitals things!


    ¡°Wait a sec!¡± Alexa quickly said as she started taking off her clothes from her body to put her clothes on her body!


    ¡­this was weird!


    ¡°There!¡± Alexa said as she pushed the buttons on her belt and gloves making the thing stick to her body. She used some of her [Nanites] to clean her blood from her clothes and clean herself. ¡°My vitals should be fine now!¡±


    ¡°[....*sigh* you will give me a heart attack, you are lucky that Eleanore wasn¡¯t around or she would rip you a new one¡­No wait, this¡­how old are you right now?]¡± The [Elder] asked her. Why did that matter?


    ¡°I¡¯m five!¡± Alexa answered while staring at her former body. It was weird. Was it weird that it made her hungry? She surely would taste well¡ªshe had made herself, after all! Surely she would match her own tastes.


    ¡°[....god, what happened to you? Why are you in that form?]¡± The [Elder] asked her, why did it matter?


    ¡°Well, you see¡­ The mean lady was hurting me , she was touching one of my no-no zones too!!! But we didn¡¯t have a nice form of escaping, so we made a way to escape!¡± Alexa started explaining their strategy! ¡°So we prepared a distraction! We made my body go bam! And and and then while she screamed and tried to explain we threw ourselves into the tunnel!¡±


    That had been hard! [Main Core] said that she needed to be very good at her act, so they made a new virtual machine to pretend it was her! And that was¡­scary, she had seen the line of thoughts and how that Alexa acted. Her fears had been real¡­


    She¡­Didn¡¯t want to deal with that, so she had deleted those [Emotion Logs] as soon as she returned to control her body! It also hurt! It was a good thing that it hadn¡¯t hurt her!


    Really, the [Human Body] was weird. She wasn¡¯t hurt, and even if she fixed it, it still hurt. She had been having trouble with her leg after it had been fixed; it was part of the reason why she had decided to make a new body!


    Also, there was some type of complex decision-making behind it, but she wasn¡¯t quite sure what those decisions were, she had forgotten them already!


    ¡°Actually, I need help with something. Do I need to dispose of my other body?¡± So Alexa asked turning to look at her disfigured body on the floor. One of her boobas looked more like a burst balloon, both of her arms had been broken and her face looked like a tender piece of meat than a face.


    ¡°[...Your other body?]¡± The [Elder] asked her, he made her [HUD] send a few diagnoses. ¡°[Do you have any problem with your body?]¡±


    ¡°No? Not this one, I mean this one, let me¡­.Here!¡± Alexa said as she used one of the functions of her mask. One that allowed her to take [Pictures] and send them.


    ¡°[WHAT IN THE SACRED BALLS OF THE ALMIGHTY ARTILLERY!]¡± The [Elder] screamed, ¡°[GIRL!?!?!? WHAT IS THAT?!?!?]¡±


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°That was Alexa! Or older Alexa? That was the [Shell] I was using, this is the new one!¡± Alexa said as she started poking her former body. ¡°But do I need to keep it here? They threw [Gasoline] and a [Timer] that has like 17 mins left.¡±


    ¡°[...Is that timer white with a transparent window with two liquids circling inside?]¡± The [Elder] asked after taking several breaths to control himself.


    ¡°Yes! Does this thing have a [Live Camera]?¡± Alexa asked, she hadn¡¯t seen that function on it! That was Dangerous!


    ¡°[No, you can only take pictures on that version, we will get you one with the live camera next. If the liquids start going fast you need to run. That is a chemical bomb, you need to run as fast as possible away. We will send a map to your mask, follow it as best as possible. We will lose contact when you go deeper into the sewers.]¡± The [Elder] said as a map showed on her mask. ¡°[Good luck Alexa. We will have a conversation about this¡­.later.]¡±


    ¡°Okay! So I need to leave this [Biomass]?¡± Alexa asked eyeing her shell.


    ¡°[RUN!]¡± The voice of the [Elder] screamed in her ears so Alexa started running.


    She eyed the map on her mask and continued running, she was running low in [Biomass] so maybe she could catch a snack on the way? It was possible, but she wasn¡¯t quite sure about how to deal with that and the possibility of a snack on the way.


    But then there was the next problem, what they had thrown behind her was a [Bomb], something to deal with her, if she hadn¡¯t reacted or woken up when she did¡­Then she would have lost more [Biomass], that is if she hadn¡¯t outright [Died] there.


    ¡°[Rhapsody¡­..losing¡­.contact¡­..high¡­.energy¡­.saturation¡­..be¡­.careful¡­.with¡­..rogue¡­..cor-]¡± Was the last thing she got from her mask as it turned off, the mask seemed to turn off several features on it.


    At least her map seemed to remain on the thing, and some of the other functions remained. Her clothes still remained firmly set on her¡ªwell, most of them. She didn¡¯t have the boots or pants on her; she hadn''t put those on since her lower half...Well, it lost control over her bladder and intestines and was dirty. Something didn''t feel right about using those, so she left them! Right now, her shirt was acting as a pseudo skirt at the moment.


    She still had some materials from her initial forage into the world at large, so she made a pair of shorts and left her feet bare with the remaining material. She could use the contact with the ground as a way to measure the type of materials on the floor.


    As far as she could see, the [Sewers] seemed to follow the same type of design all around, with giant tunnels with green water flowing and some weird materials floating on them.


    ¡°RAAAW!¡± And there was the occasional screech from the weird organism there.


    Like this one for example, ¡°Hello! I¡¯m Alexa!¡± It was some kind of quadrupedal organism with grey fur, it was somewhat short. It was almost as tall to reach her knees.


    ¡°RAWR!¡± And it kept showing its teeth at Alexa. This entity had a long pink tail with some weird stone thing at the end of its [Tail]. ¡°RAWR!¡±


    It was fluffy-looking and seemed to be almost ball-like.


    ¡°Here! I have teeth too!¡± Alexa said as she removed her mask and folded it into a bracelet, ¡°See, teeth!¡±


    Alexa showed her teeth at the [Organism] and it jumped at Alexa! It seemed to want to claw at her arm while nibbling on it. As if it wanted to eat her? But Alexa was not food!


    ¡°Bad fluffy thing!¡± Alexa said as she balled her fist and punched the thing into the back of it. ¡°Bad!¡±


    The [Organism] screeched at her while using its tail to attack her. Alexa merely jumped to dodge the attack and shifted her arm into a new setting. She morphed her arm, making more muscles to increase her strength and tying them to her torso for balance. At the end of her hand, she made a set of five claws made of bone and reinforced with metal for an edge.


    ¡°Tei!¡± And with one war cry that would bring terror in the minds of the most seasoned warriors Alexa strikes!


    ¡°RAWR!¡± And the creature screamed as Alexa¡¯s fist sank into its back. It tried to escape and run away. But Alexa didn¡¯t let it!


    Instead, she clawed deeper into the creature and snapped its spine in two. The creature cried in pain, but Alexa didn¡¯t mind it. ¡°You started this [Test]. And I hunger!¡± Instead, she walked closer to the thing and sank her claw into its [Head].


    Most organisms seemed to stop [Working] when that part of their organism stopped working, such a weird weakness¡­ Why not host their [Consciousness Stream] in a [Core] like her? This way, they would only need to relink the [Consciousness Stream] when they remade the body!


    Alexa did that and it worked! Surely it would work with everyone else too!


    ¡°Thanks for the meal!¡± Alexa said happily as she shifted her other arm and started clawing at the [Creature], she ripped and crushed the meat and organs, her [Teeth] seemed to be weak and unable to rip apart the meat or bones. So she shifted them into sharper fangs, her mouth didn¡¯t seem to be big enough for the bigger parts. So she dislodged her jaw allowing the meat to pass through.


    She ate, she devoured, she feasted on the [Creature].


    <table style="width: 14.1666%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Notice:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    New Blueprint acquired.


    Giant Mutant Rat.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    So it was a [Mutant Giant Rat]?


    How was she able to know the type of creature? What was this blue box?


    Could¡­.Could Alexa eat the blue box?


    <table style="width: 4.37141%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    No.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Oh¡­shame.


    ¡°Well, that happens when you are mean to me. Next time you better behave!¡± Alexa scolded the remains of the [Mutant Giant Rat] after leaving only some bones and part of its heart. ¡°....I better finish my meal¡­¡±


    And then Alexa moved on to eat those too!


    She was getting fat from all of this, well not fat as in big, but mostly moving the biomass to her [Bank Biomass] thing. The thing seemed to eat the remaining biomass that exceeded the limits of her current form (30 kilograms).


    And banked the remaining away, the rat had given her almost 20 extra kilograms for her things! (After reducing the half that the thing took!). However, when she was nearly done, she found herself with something she hadn¡¯t expected to see.


    ¡°Main Core? Is this¡­?¡± Alexa said aloud as she looked at the gray cracked marble on her hand.


    She had found it near the [Heart] of the rat.


    ¡°[Design seems to be similar to the Core unit. More investigation is required.]¡±


    It was a [Core], grey in color and seemed to be broken. Was that why it hadn¡¯t regenerated? Alexa was intrigued. She hadn¡¯t been able to find these things in the [Humans]. While she was aware that she had one in her body (the one that housed Main Core), she wasn¡¯t sure if there was one for the blue box.


    ¡°Well, wonder what this will give¡­¡± Alexa said while popping the [Core] into her mouth and sending her [Nanites] to work. She started disassembling and analyzing the thing as soon as it entered her mouth.


    <table style="width: 21.4523%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Notice:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Beast Core - Rat blueprint acquired.


    Beast Core - Basic blueprint acquired.


    Mutant Core blueprint acquired.


    Broken Core Blueprint Acquired.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°What?¡± Alexa said aloud as the information finished downloading into her mind, how had one single [Core] provided four blueprints?


    She understood the first one, since the thing was a [Rat], but couldn¡¯t it just give her a [Mutant Giant Rat core]? Why all the components? Actually, wasn¡¯t the [Giant Core] missing?


    This was false advertising! She would file a complaint! What was a complaint? She did not know! But she would file one!


    ¡°[Notice: Host is shaking fist towards the ceiling. The current environment seems to be hostile. Perhaps it is better to do so in a safe environment?]¡±


    ¡­.Main Core didn¡¯t understand her. Still, it was right about her current situation, so Alexa stopped shaking her fist against the ceiling (IT FELT RIGHT OKAY?!?), licked the remaining blood from her finger and lips, and continued moving.


    This place may have more meals, so she needed to move! Perhaps one would even be her new favorite flavor! (Mango!) One could never know¡­.Well, Alexa knew; she was sure there would be at least one Mango-Flavored Mutant Rat!


    <hr>


    ¡°GOD IS DEAD!¡± Who was this [God]? She wasn¡¯t sure, but the phrase was logged in her [Blueprint] to be said in a moment of extreme duress or while in incredible amounts of pain.


    And since Alexa was in extreme despair¡­.


    ¡°[Notice, no entity has been categorized under the designation God. Host should move to next biomass target.]¡±


    Main Core of course didn¡¯t understand her either, the problem¡­The problem at hand was¡­All the rats tasted the same¡­And not a single one gave her new [Blueprints], they gave her new colors for her [Fur] catalog, they gave her some variations on the [Teeth] front, one gave her an interesting [Disease] that seemed to be made in such a way that it would make the target fear [Water]. Such a weird quirk¡­.


    But they all tasted the same!


    They may as well taste as nothing!


    WHERE WAS HER PROMISED [GIANT MUTANT RAT MANGO FLAVOR]!


    Alas, Alexa could declare proudly. ¡°God is indeed dead.¡± Again, she wasn¡¯t quite sure who that [God] was or why he was [Dead], she would check on that as soon as she could on her¡­


    Oh¡­


    ¡°My cell phone!¡± Alexa quickly checked again and indeed, her cellphone was missing¡­


    Or to be precise, it was precisely where she left it, in one of the pouches of her pants¡­


    The ones she didn¡¯t bother putting back on¡­ The ones that had been left behind with her former [Shell]. The ones that had burst in flames around one hour ago¡­The ones she had lost beyond any degree of doubt.


    ¡°RAWR!¡± She couldn¡¯t even put effort into it anymore, she was being surrounded by a large group of rats after going ham seeking for the legendary [Mango Flavored Rat], and ended up in a place without a good way to escape.


    ¡°Right¡­if [God] is dead¡­.then I will make it myself. Prepare yourselves you rats!¡± Alexa said as her body started shifting, her arms turned into bulkier and stronger versions, her hands once more instead of fingers ended in sharpened claws.


    Her feet morphed into a setting closer to the rats but bulkier, and a set of three claws extended from her feet. Her face while it did not change too much in overall form, her mouth now sported a pair of front teeth similar to those of the [Rats] surrounding her.


    ¡°I¡­will¡­.make¡­you¡­..into¡­..mango!¡± Alexa said between chitters as this half-transformation forced her to make those same weird noises the rats also made.


    She would find the mango-flavored rat, or would make one herself, that was the promise Alexa made to the weird entity called [God].

 Chapter 44: ...So....can I get your number?

    ¡°[Host, current biomass level are dropping below recommended settings. Energy banks below stable settings. Please seek escape.]¡±


    Main core of course was as helpful as always, Alexa of course knew her situation was dire, she wasn¡¯t able to regenerate her wounds as well as she had done at the start. The problem was that the [Rats] kept coming as she killed them, and worst of all. They started dragging the bodies away as she dealt with them.


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­.eat¡­.if¡­they¡­.run¡­.away!¡± Alexa answered between chitters. Her mouth was having some trouble vocalizing what she wanted since she needed to bite down on the meat she had in her mouth, or they would take that away from her, too!


    She was hungry!


    Couldn¡¯t they take that into consideration?!? She only wanted a mango-flavored rat! Was that much to ask?!?


    ¡°RAWR!¡± And what the hell was the deal with those chitters?!?!? They weren¡¯t like hers at all! Why?!?!?


    Either way, she was in a conundrum, she could of course funnel some biomass from her [Banked Biomass], but that one was purely biomass, it didn¡¯t have energy or sugar. She hadn¡¯t seen any reason to stockpile that. And that was biting her back.


    ¡°[Warning: Detected new threat.]¡± Main Core suddenly blared the alarm into her mind.


    ¡°What¡­.where¡­Threat?¡± Alexa asked as she peeled her eyes open and looked around, she didn¡¯t notice anything. The [Giant Mutant Rats] didn¡¯t seem to change and instead jumped at her like always, so Alexa prepared to claw at it.


    Only for the rat and her attack to be stopped midway, ¡°What¡­.is¡­.this¡­?¡± Alexa said as she tried to pull at her arm and yet it didn¡¯t move at all, she tried to pull her arm back using her other arm. And yet¡­that also didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°[Detected thin threads, material seems to be silk. Detected Mana coated in the threads. Currently, the threads are increasing in diameter, threads'' durability increasing in real time. Advised to retreat.]¡±


    WELL, WHAT GOOD PLAN THAT IS. BUT HOW TO ESCAPE IF WE CAN¡¯T MOVEEEEEEE


    ¡°What do we have here¡­.One¡­two¡­three¡­.and a new pile of meat at the back huh¡­¡± And a voice started sounding in the sewers as the other rats suddenly tried to run away only for their movements to be stopped, the threads started enveloping them too, turning into cocoons.


    Would that happen to Alexa too?


    ¡°And then we have you¡­what are you? You don¡¯t look like a rat¡­well, you do. But you seem closer to a Human?¡± The voice spoke to her and soon she saw the first evidence of this new entity.


    A¡­.leg, or to be more precise what looked like the leg of an insect. Almost as tall as her [Child Stage] form but it was closer to what her legs in her [CRAB] form looked like, only instead of covered in metal, this one was covered in obsidian black chitin with some feelers on them.


    Soon enough she saw the rest of the body, it was almost as tall as her [Teenager stage] form, only the body had eight insect legs that connected to a bulbous body almost as big as her [Child Stage] form, only instead of a single body. The body was connected to another segment that was almost twice as big as the first one.


    At the front she could see a face with eight eyes and a pair of fangs that seemed to drop a green liquid, its mouth seemed to hide some teeth within. But that wasn¡¯t the end of it, no. Not by a long shot.


    Atop the small bulbous body was¡­A [Human], a man sprouted from the back of this entity.


    ¡°What has walked into this spider¡¯s net? Are you even still Human there? What kind of Core could have made you end up like that?¡± The [Man] spoke, Alexa was too busy taking all into her mind.


    The [Human Male] sprouted from the back of the [Entity], of the [Spider] as he claimed to be. He was missing the lower half of his body, his [Human] body started from the waist up. He was not wearing a [Shirt] and instead was wearing a [Lab Coat] like the ones the people used at her previous [Den].


    He seemed to have sewn some pockets on the interior of the dirty lab coat, she could see some gadgets here and there from there, and he seemed to have ripped the [Sleeves], so really. This [Lab Coat] was closer to a way to transport things than clothing.


    Not like this [Human] needed to cover himself¡­


    ¡°Gorgeous¡­.¡± It was¡­.quite the look if Alexa was, to be honest, she half wanted to cover her eyes since it seemed like something she shouldn¡¯t look at, and wanted to look.


    ¡°Well thank you. Wish I could say the same¡­but since you aren¡¯t reversing into a Human from my threads¡­I assume there isn¡¯t anything human there besides some words¡­Well, I can at least give you peace¡­not that you will survive long down here if you had trouble with the rats¡­¡± The [Human] spoke in a sad tone. Why was he sad?


    No wait, peace? Alexa felt the threads start increasing their weight, they seemed to want to grow and encase her?


    Why?


    No, more importantly¡­hadn¡¯t he asked if she was even human? And then that his threads could turn off transformations?


    ¡°[Threads seems to be injecting foreign mana trying to equalize and normalize Mana across the body. Foreign mana was siphoned away and used to refill part of energy reserves.]¡±


    Oh¡­He wanted for her to look normal? That was easy!


    ¡°Tei!¡± So Alexa declared!


    And in turn, her body shifted, turning smaller and allowing her to escape from the constriction of the threads!


    ¡°Alexa has come!¡± Alexa said as she always did when returning to her base form, while covering her eyes of course (And allowing her fingers to give way so she could still see the Man).


    ¡°....Well¡­that is new¡­How did you manage to do that little girl?¡± The [Handsome Human] smiled at her!


    She needed to answer!


    How does one answer a [Handsome Human]? She needed an adult!


    ¡°[Main Core]! Help!¡± Alexa said aloud while flapping her arms around.


    Sure enough, she felt herself shift as her body changed and she had enough understanding to push some buttons on her belt to allow her clothing to shift with her in size.


    ¡°....¡± Her [Teenager Stage] form manifested turning to look at the [Male], she looked at the man¡¯s chest and abs. Then up and down.


    Alexa blushed quite furiously and with a mental prompt she started the shift again.


    ¡°....what?¡± The [Spider] asked as he saw the little girl turn into a teenager and then into a young woman.


    ¡°Sorry about that¡­.My other forms weren¡¯t quite sure how to deal with¡­your appearance.¡± Alexa [Young Woman Stage] said as she extended the transformation of her shorts into gray pants. They were made from the biomass she had managed to stockpile. She¡­wasn¡¯t quite in the mood to show much of her skin.


    Not at the moment while she stank of sewers and rat meat.


    ¡°Oh¡­yeah¡­that wasn¡¯t quite the image a child should see¡­.¡± The [Spider] spoke in a light tone, then turned to look at her again. ¡°...What age are you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rude to ask a woman her age. My powers affect my mental state, but right now I¡¯m 19.¡± Alexa answered back with a huff. She was having some problems keeping her eyes on the [Man], since he was showcasing the goods¡­ ¡°Can you cover yourself? I don¡¯t mind the show but¡­it¡¯s distracting.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, sorry¡­¡± The [Spider] answered summoning some of his silk and making himself a white shirt. So that was how he kept the [Lab Coat] somewhat clean huh? ¡°Quite the interesting power, usually most shifters can¡¯t keep their form under my Threads.¡±


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Right, he had said that hadn¡¯t he?


    ¡°Well. I¡¯m not like other people, care to point me in the right direction? I was going for¡­¡±Alexa said as she checked the logs from [Main Core]. ¡° West side park entry? The manhole entry anyway.¡±


    The [Spider] turned to look at her again, Alexa couldn¡¯t help but fidget as his red eyes seemed to evaluate everything about her. It was quite interesting how this man had red eyes on his human side but black ones on his spider side. Alexa had noted how his spider eyes seemed to look from side to side while his human ones focused on her. Did he have more range of vision?


    Also if he could make clothes why was he showing his perfect abs for everyone to see? Did he need to showcase those muscle arms? And why was his hair so silky?


    Did he need such a sharp chin? Was Alexa overthinking his appearance?


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t noticed before with all the gore and all, but did you get involved in a fight between Core Users?¡± The [Spider]¡¯s voice turned somewhat cold at that, Alexa noticed how his lower fangs seemed to start dropping once more the green liquid.


    ¡°Yeah¡­My lower half got crushed while running away from a fight between some [Heroes], I got better but my power needs [Biomass] and [Energy] had the first, not so much the second. All I got from my effort was this but I haven¡¯t gotten around to checking what it is¡­And I dropped my cell phone on the way¡­¡± Alexa said as she pulled one of the packets of silver foil that she had gotten from the speedster.


    ¡°...That is MRE¡­Speedster MRE, that should give you enough kilocalories to do pretty much anything you need. If your power works like mine when restoring body parts then you could probably fuel it only with a couple of those¡­not that you need it¡­Since you have legs¡­again.¡± The [Spider] said as Alexa pulled the foil apart and smelled the package.


    It¡­didn¡¯t smell good, but if it was loaded with [Calories] then it could serve as a supplement for her dwindling energy stockpile so might as well.


    *nom*


    ¡°It tastes awful,¡± Alexa said as the taste settled on her tongue. It was truly one of the worst things she had eaten so far, and she would probably kill her taste sense while eating it in the future.


    ¡°[Detected high intake of calories¡­.stockpiling¡­.new energy work limit extended to a week.]¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­.ONE EXTRA WEEK? FROM A SINGLE BAR??!?!?!?!?!?


    ¡°They taste awful, but they get the job don-¡± The [Spider] was saying while Alexa was reading the information.


    But she didn¡¯t pay any extra attention to that and ripped open all the packages she had and shoved them down her throat. A week per package? She could have at least¡­.two months at this form! And this was the energy-intensive one! If she transformed this to her [Child Stage] she could probably survive on this alone for the rest of the year!


    ¡°....And you ate them all¡­Girl, I hope you need that much energy because if not you are getting diabetes.¡± The [Spider] spoke with some mirth in his tone. ¡°Anyway¡­The West Park exit¡­it would be about 400 meters in that direction, then you turn to your right walk another 200 meters, turn left¡­.¡±


    The instructions went on for a few minutes as she was told minutia and some things to beware of, the [Spider] seemed to be getting her on some weird route that the map she had been given seemed to ignore. Both routes would ultimately end at the same point. But this one seemed to not go on the bigger tunnels, it also seemed to skip some big circular rooms.


    ¡°Why all the loops and turns?¡± Alexa asked as she recounted the whole route back at [The Spider].


    ¡°Well, can¡¯t have a pretty face like you wrestle with the sewer problems. Whoever sent you to that park exit probably hasn¡¯t traveled around here in some time. But the fauna here has changed in recent months. I am trying to keep it secure by killing the biggest and most annoying threats. But¡­there is only so much a single spider can do.¡± The [Spider] shrugged with his overly [Manly] shoulders, it made Alexa wonder if she could even touch those big guns of his¡­.


    No! Focus Alexa!


    ¡°Right, well¡­I¡­will be on my way¡­?¡± Alexa said as she started walking in the direction she had been told to go.


    Occasionally turning to look back, lest the [Predator] turns on her and try to [Assault] her¡­with his manly arms¡­.overly perfect abs¡­perfectly designed fangs¡­Overly shining chitin¡­.


    Such a perfect match between legs, form, poison, and ambush technique¡­


    ¡°....¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°....Do you fear the darkness or something?¡± [The Spider] asked as she stood at the threshold between this [Chamber] and the next tunnel.


    ¡°....I mean¡­Don¡¯t you usually¡­.you know¡­.accompany a lady in need to her home?¡± Alexa wasn¡¯t sure what the hell she was speaking about.


    ¡°[Host? This is behavior extremely irrational. Better to leave the dangerous predator alone.]¡±


    ¡°Shut it! I don¡¯t know either! Let me¡­I don¡¯t know, take a sample or something!¡±


    Alexa wasn¡¯t quite sure what the hell was going on either, her [Body] seemed to have reacted to something on this [Spider], and she wasn¡¯t quite sure what. But she didn¡¯t want to leave just yet. But her stupid [Mask] kept beeping at her and she didn¡¯t have a way to link to it with her [Cellphone].


    Right! The thing!


    ¡°A cellphone! I need one!¡± Alexa suddenly said in an inspiration of what to do. ¡°I need one to call for my friends, or they will not know I¡¯m safe!¡±


    ¡°....*Sigh* wait a second here¡­¡± [The Spider] said as he walked backward from where he had come. Weird¡­.


    Did he have some trouble with his design? Or was it because he felt that Alexa was also a [Predator] and didn¡¯t want to show his back to her?


    Good, he knew that Alexa was a [Peer] and not a [Prey]. She knew that she had good taste in [Men]!


    ¡­What?


    ¡°Here.¡± [The Spider] spoke once more falling from the ceiling after a minute or so of wait while Alexa had bluescreened herself with the last statement. What fell into her hands was a [Cellphone], of the same design as of what [Billy] had given her. ¡°That one is Villain Tinker Tech, so you may not want to take it to a regular provider, but it should work here. Just¡­don¡¯t tell them I gave it to you. If someone asks you found it on the floor.¡±


    Weird¡­had [Billy] tried to recruit [The Spider].


    Actually¡­.


    ¡°Right, thank you¡­I¡¯m Alexa by the way, sorry for the late introduction after you saved me and all of that¡­¡± Not that she really needed saving, she could probably deal with the rats easily enough.


    ¡°Oh right, names¡­I¡¯m Sam. Nice to meet you¡­Hope you don¡¯t mind the missing handshake, but lowering myself is kind of awkward.¡± The [Spider] waved at her.


    Should she make herself taller?


    ¡°[Warning: Waste of resources.]¡±


    Or perhaps if she got a sample she could emulate the form? it wouldn¡¯t be that different from her [CRAB] form, if anything she wouldn¡¯t mind having the extra legs¡­Besides having her half-human atop could help with extra brain power.


    ¡°[WARNING: WASTE OF RESOURCES! NO EVIDENCE TO SHOW THAT SUCH A FORM WOULD BE WELCOMED TO THE HUMAN SOCIETY AT LARGE.]¡±


    Yeah, she could see it, Alexa the Spider. It had a nice ring to it.


    ¡°So¡­.will you call them?¡± Sam (SUCH A GREAT NAME!) asked her.


    ¡°Oh¡­right¡­calling them¡­I¡­will need some time to remember their number,¡± Alexa said downcast as she looked at the stupid thing, she had hoped to¡­Don¡¯t know, get Sam to escort her or something? She wasn¡¯t sure why.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to keep you here. You must be having a hard time already¡­Don¡¯t worry, I will not follow you, and the route I gave you is the one I just cleaned. So you will not find any Rogue Core Dwellers.¡± Sam smiled at her, his smile was even perfect, the perfect mix of fangs and normal teeth. He would probably be able to rip meat without problems, unlike her.


    ¡°...Thank you, Sam. I appreciate it¡­I¡­will be seeing you around.¡± Alexa said as she turned to walk into the darkness.


    ¡°Sure! See you later!¡± Sam spoke behind her as he waved at her. ¡°Thank you for not screaming!¡±


    He laughed as she walked away, weird. It was the second [Human] that had thanked her for that. First [Frank The Beetle], now Sam. What was with [Humans] with extensive modifications and people saying thanks for not screaming? Did the [Humans] have a problem with that?


    Granted, she had found him [Handsome] enough that she wanted to screech weirdly while sticking her face into his [Abs], but that wasn¡¯t something she felt was [Correct] of doing. It was¡­weird.


    Her [Child Stage] wanted to scream and climb on his back but wasn¡¯t sure how to ask. So she summoned her [Teenager Form].


    Her [Teenager Stage] wanted to stare at his abs all day long but was too ashamed to do so, so she in turn also gave way to the next one.


    Then¡­her current form, her [Young Woman] stage form. She¡­wasn¡¯t quite sure what she wanted to do with Sam, but she was sure that her clothes would get in the way. She felt some kind of electricity course in her body but wasn¡¯t sure how to act on it.


    ¡°[Notice: Host is currently experiencing a high dose of multiple hormonal reactions that affect thinking process and decision-making. Suggestion to remove them from the equation by the use of emergency purge. Y/N?]¡±


    ¡°Will it affect how I think of Sam?¡± Alexa asked aloud, unsure of why she was doing it. Why would it matter?


    ¡°[Yes]¡±


    ¡°Then no, be content with checking this instead,¡± Alexa said as she focused her [Nanites] into the [Cellphone]she just got. Sam had said that this one was similar to the one [Haephestus¡¯s Forge] gave.


    So it shouldn¡¯t have any safeguards.


    ¡°[...Accepted. Initiating saturation of device and analysis.]¡± Main Core played along and started decomposing the device. It was about time she tested this aspect of her [Core Powers].


    She needed to know if her [Powers] only worked on [Biological] samples or if they could work with [Technology].


    <table style="width: 28.2522%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Notice:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    New Blueprint acquired - Cellphone, Tinker Make.


    New Blueprint acquired - Cellphone, Normal model.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Alexa could feel the smile on her face manifest as she materialized a new cellphone in her hand. One made with her normal nanites. It was exactly like the one she had decomposed a few seconds ago.


    Then on her other hand. ¡°Print Blueprint, Cellphone, normal model.¡± She intoned as she focused on the blue screen.


    ¡°[Initiate construction of new cellphone?]¡± Main Core asked, but she ignored it.


    Instead, she felt¡­some kind of energy leave her body, she felt as her [Nanites] worked pulling something from thin air¡­No¡­from her [Stockpiled Biomass], they seemed to be pulling the fundamental materials from her [Biomass]and were constructing a new [Cellphone].


    It was a new phone entirely made from scratch. She saw a few fewer grams on her [Stockpiled] biomass¡­.


    But this¡­This could be a game-changer¡­She may need to start eating more things. If she could make things using her [Banked Biomass]...Then could she make an entire new body only from that? She wouldn¡¯t need to worry about how many resources remained in her body!


    This was¡­


    ¡°[Game changer]¡±.


    Now she only needed to leave the sewers¡­And find an excuse to visit Sam later, perhaps bring some food?


    What does a [Spider] eat?


    Or a [Handsome Man] for that matter?


    Would she need to bring two dishes?

 Chapter 45: Alexa has a job! Again, it is the same one. But now its official or something

    She had ended up following the route that Sam had given her, it had been uneventful, the route was calm and the smell was normal. The air was quite clean and the water that passed was clean unlike the one on the other parts.


    She had even reconnected her sense of smell to make sure, the fact that this route only went on this kind of setting was¡­.


    ¡°[....]¡±


    ¡°Main Core? A word for it?¡± Alexa said aloud as she was coming close to the end of her walk.


    ¡°[Not important enough for a perusal in database, if host wishes for a word for it. Please proceed to search on the internet network accessible from Cellphone.]¡±


    ¡­Weird, why was Main Core like this?


    ¡°[Host didn¡¯t take a sample from subject. Target Designation: Sam seems to be a combat model. Acquiring the blueprint should be a priority.]¡± Main Core said back to her.


    That was indeed the truth, Sam was quite dangerous¡­he had some way to affect her on an hormonal level that was¡­worrying. She hadn¡¯t been able to think straight, Alexa had acted¡­


    ¡°[Like a teenager in heat.]¡±


    ¡­.That wasn¡¯t quite right, was it? She had been a [Teenager Stage] girl for half a minute, but most of their conversation had been on her [Young Woman] stage. Was it perhaps because Sam¡¯s form was close to her [CRAB] form?


    Actually, he claimed to be a [Spider], but what was an [Spider], and how was it related to [CRAB]s?


    ¡°[Rhapsody? Come in? Are you okay?]¡± The voice of [Eleanore] came from her mask as soon as she walked into the outside.


    It was weird since her mask was still in her bracelet form, so Alexa poked one of the sides of a little metallic part and pulled at it, that was all it took for a small little piece of it to separate. It was a small circle-like object that Alexa put into her [Ear].


    ¡°This is Rhapsody speaking,¡± Alexa said while placing a finger above the small sphere.


    ¡°[Thank god you finally answered, Billy wouldn¡¯t tell me what the deal with you was.]¡± [Eleanore] said as Alexa walked towards one of the [Benches] and sat herself there, she was going to test her new [Cellphone] after all. ¡°[Status report Rhapsody, what happened?]¡±


    Well, that was¡­somewhat complicated, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°We found resistance from a [Hostile] group composed by at least two [Hero class] entities. Minion [Mikey] described them as [Hostile Hero #1, V-8] and [Hostile Heroine #1, Chrysalis].¡± Alexa started recounting what had happened, she of course glossed over whatever parts of the event could be perceived as inefficiency on her part.


    Such as how she hadn¡¯t consumed the bodies of the enemy [Minions], nor how she had failed to [Terminate] the hostile targets that she fought. She did explain how she had ended up fighting against [Gun] type weaponry and how she had managed to defeat them by an advanced use of her strategy and situational awareness.


    ¡°[....So you let them shoot you when it would end with them being hurt?]¡± [Eleanore] said in a small trembling voice, was [Eleanore]finding her use of the [Human] body smart? She probably was right.


    ¡°Yes, it was the most effective way to deal with the situation. And while it cost me some [Biomass] and [Energy] it allowed me to finish the encounter fast enough. I have recovered the missing [Energy]thanks to some objects from [V-8], but the [Biomass] may require additional effort¡­.¡± Alexa said leadingly, they had promised her [Biomass] and she hadn¡¯t gotten any, besides the one that [Skye] left her.


    But that barely qualified!


    Granted, she did get some from her foray into the [Sewers], but that had come from her own effort. So that one didn¡¯t count!


    <table style="width: 17.2428%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Banked Biomass:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Currently: 150 kgs of Biomass


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Yeah, she could probably survive on that alone, but still! More [Biomass] was never wrong!


    ¡°[...Please tell me that was the only time you ended up wounded¡­I can understand why Billy wouldn¡¯t¡­.Billy?]¡± [Eleanore] said on her earpiece, but¡­that wasn¡¯t the only time?


    ¡°Next we ended up with an encounter with [V-8] and [Chrysalis], it was deemed that the mission would be a failure if we couldn¡¯t deal with them. So¡­¡± Alexa said. This one may be¡­harder. ¡°I set up a trap to deal with [V-8] and then lured away [Chrysalis].¡±


    So Alexa said as much, she was getting the hang of speaking with this thing. And all it took from her was extending one extra tendril from behind her ear to activate the earpiece. So Alexa was now turning on her [Cellphone].


    It asked for a [Carrier], so she just linked the thing to her mask. [Billy] had said that in case of emergency or missing a [Sim Card] they could do that. The [Phone] accepted her prompt and turned on allowing her to navigate on the internet.


    ¡°[No wait, you lured away Chrysalis? How did you manage to run¡­Wait a sec.]¡± [Eleanore] started asking only for her to stop midway, someone at the back was speaking to her. ¡°[A video? What Video? Hero rips open a Villain lackey?]¡±


    That¡­sounded like it was probably her.


    ¡°Search¡­.Crabs and spiders¡­relationship¡­.¡± Alexa would search that video later too, for now, she had more important things to check on. Like she needed to make sure her body wasn¡¯t reacting weirdly to Sam. She liked Sam, she wasn¡¯t sure why, but she did.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°[Alexa dear? What form are you at the moment?]¡± [Eleanore] asked her in a sweet tone, somehow that made Alexa feel [Fear].


    ¡°...I¡¯m in my [Young Woman] stage right now, why?¡± Alexa answered as such. It was the truth after all.


    ¡°[Can you quickly change to your little girl form? I need to say something to you, and I doubt it will have the same effect on this form.]¡± ¡­That was weird, Alexa was aware that her different forms seemed to react differently and act differently. Case in point only one of her three current forms could speak normally with Sam.


    ¡°Sure? Wait a sec.¡± Alexa answered while checking her surroundings, it seemed that they were empty. So pocketing her [Phone] Alexa took a deep breath and focused inwardly.


    ¡°[Received orders. Starting shift.]¡±


    Main Core announced, somehow this change felt like something she shouldn¡¯t do. Something at the back of her mind was screaming at her to stop. But Alexa wasn¡¯t sure what, it felt as if it was some kind of instinct, the same kind that she had felt when [Main Core]asked her if she wanted to remove the hormonal reaction she got seeing Sam.


    ¡°I HAVE COME!¡± But Alexa in the end didn¡¯t mind and changed anyway.


    [Eleanore]had been good to her after all!


    ¡°[Alexa? Are you little?]¡± [Eleanore]asked in the funny thing on her ear!


    ¡°Yes! Alexa has arrived!¡± So Alexa answered while speaking to¡­to¡­to her ear!


    ¡°[Good]¡± And [Eleanore] seemed happy too! Really, all was better when Alexa was around. Why did they even need older Alexa? The cutetests Alexa was the betterest Alexa!


    ¡°[WHY DID YOU LET YOURSELF BE CAUGHT?!? AND THIS?!?! YOU LET YOURSELF BE HURT?!?! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THIS WORRIES ME?!?!?]¡± But suddenly Alexa was under attack!


    The words!


    The words kept coming!


    And they hurt!!!


    Alexa wasn¡¯t sure why but they made her eyes start leaking! This was weird!


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Alexa said while she felt her breath pick up, ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    She was¡­She was¡­


    ¡°[Crying.]¡± That!


    ¡°[Oh no little lady, nothing of that!]¡± But [Eleanore] kept being angry at her! What did she do?!?!?


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me!¡± Alexa said defending her honor, for¡­it really hadn¡¯t been her!


    ¡°[....*Sigh* Okay, I¡¯m not mad at you Alexa. But you need to set boundaries.]¡± [Eleanore] said in a more normal tone, Alexa was still crying since she was being scolded for something she didn¡¯t do! ¡°[You need to speak with your other forms, they can¡¯t just¡­They can¡¯t just let themselves be hurt like that. If someone caught you like that you just go with them. Worst-case scenario they send you to jail and we bail you out.]¡±


    They would?


    ¡°But the mean lady hurt my booba,¡± Alexa said looking at that particular log, as far as she had seen that had hurt¡­very much. ¡°And I liked that booba, but mean lady¡­ she broke my booba!¡±


    Well, it wasn¡¯t her booba, not anymore, that one she had left behind. She had new ones after all!


    ¡°[Chrysalis is a different case, if you see her you run away. You don¡¯t make her chase you.]¡± [Eleanore] said, her tone was still hard. ¡°[So, can you get the older one back on the line?]¡±


    What? Injustice! She got called only to be scolded?!? This was injustice!


    ¡°[I need to scold her too.]¡± [Eleanore] added on the line.


    ¡°Right away!¡± Alexa answered happily, if she wasn¡¯t the only one to be scolded then it was fine!


    ¡°Main Core!¡± So Alexa commanded!


    ¡°[...host is still the same person. Host will only get scolded twice.]¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t count since it feels different!¡± Alexa said back while she felt her body shift, she went from small to big in a few seconds.


    And then Alexa was once more in her [Young Woman] form, staring at her own hand and feeling ¡­wronged.


    ¡°Let me state that I didn¡¯t feel an ounce of pain nor did I lose anything that couldn¡¯t be replaced,¡± Alexa said while speaking into her earpiece again.


    ¡°[...So you say, but there is this one record¡­]¡± [Eleanore] spoke while playing a record on the other side of the earpiece. Alexa could hear herself scream for help and pleading for salvation. ¡°[You are a good actress if you say that you didn¡¯t felt anything.]¡±


    ¡°....That wasn¡¯t¡­I¡­¡± Alexa wasn¡¯t quite sure how to explain that, how does one explain the fact that it hadn¡¯t been a real Alexa the one that felt all of that?


    ¡°[Or what? Are you saying that you made another you to act in your stead?]¡± [Eleanore] asked with some mirth in her voice.


    ¡°...¡± Oh, [Humans] could do that?


    ¡°[Alexa?]¡± [Eleanore] suddenly had a more worried tone of voice. ¡°[...You didn¡¯t right?]¡±


    ¡°I¡­may have separated my [Stream of Consciousness] to create a version of myself that couldn¡¯t turn off her pain receptors and increased the hormonal response for panic to create a good act?¡± Alexa said sheepishly. ¡°I was told I was bad at acting, so I needed to really sell the act¡­¡±


    At that point it wasn¡¯t Alexa¡¯s fault, to be honest, it was more¡­of a problem in the situation.


    ¡°[...please tell me you didn¡¯t make a new System mate just for her to suffer.]¡± [Eleanore] asked her.


    What?


    ¡°...no? I didn¡¯t suffer.¡± Alexa answered, ¡°Well¡­The memory of pain and panic got deleted as soon as we moved to this new [Body].¡±


    ¡°[Body? What happened¡­Billy¡­.what is in those logs you don¡¯t want to show me?]¡± [Eleanore] suddenly turned away from the conversation with her.


    So that made it easier on Alexa as she continued searching for the information she wanted on spiders and crabs.


    ¡°So the spider and the crabs are from the same family? But different species huh¡­Is it this then?¡± Alexa wondered aloud.


    ¡°[...Okay, saw the picture. I wish I didn¡¯t need to, but I had to. Please tell me you didn¡¯t show that corpse to your younger form.]¡± [Eleanore] suddenly spoke to her again.


    Didn¡¯t [Billy] tell her that the picture had been taken on her [Child Stage] form?


    No wait. ¡°Corpse? There was no corpse in that picture.¡± Alexa said back confused. ¡°A corpse is the [Terminated] body of an [Entity]. I am not [Terminated] so that means that the [Body] you saw in the picture wasn¡¯t a corpse. It was¡­.¡±


    How to explain it¡­Was it a quirk of her [Core Power]? Or what they understood as her [Core Power]? Oh right. There was that.


    ¡°That was merely some [Biomass] in the form of Alexa.¡± So Alexa declared, granted. It had been what had housed her during the first days on the outside of the first [Den] but at the end of the day¡­It was merely [Biomass] on the form she had taken.


    ¡°[...So all of your psyches are healthy?]¡± [Eleanore] asked, such a weird question.


    ¡°Psyche¡­.the state of the mind.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my [Mind] is 100% functional. There are parts that I can¡¯t access and¡­some seem to work outside of my control. But the Alexa that screamed for help wasn¡¯t hurt more than this Alexa you are speaking to.¡± Alexa answered, that¡­wasn¡¯t quite right of course. Or not in the same way that [Eleanore] wanted to know.


    ¡°[...truth. So you are okay, as much as Alexa is okay¡­Okay. I will believe that.]¡± [Eleanore] said on the other side of the line.


    Interesting¡­If one was to be very specific, that Alexa had [Died]. But since it suffered the same kind of injuries that Alexa herself had experienced at some point, then it was indeed the [Truth] that the Alexa that was made from a strip of her [Consciousness Stream] was indeed not hurt more than her.


    ¡°[Now, with that out of the way. Rhapsody, you have gone beyond what was needed of you. And in doing so you have experienced wounds that you didn¡¯t need to bear.]¡± [Eleanore] started speaking in a more serious tone. ¡°[Haephestus¡¯ Forge will always remember those that go above and beyond. As such, you have been granted the official status of full-time Minion. Congratulations, you will need to come by and get your new gear.¡±]


    That was¡­lackluster?


    She only needed to sacrifice some [Biomass] scream, run into the sewers, meet a hot spider man, and get scolded?


    No wait, one of those wasn¡¯t needed, was it?


    Why had she been scolded? That one was out of line!


    No wait, more importantly!


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t I a [Minion] already?¡± Alexa asked, she had been under the impression that she was already working for [Haephestus¡¯ Forge] as a [Minion].


    ¡°[You were on probation for Minion Work, we don¡¯t accept all that come. Half of those that joined with you are plants or spies. Some only want to work for a few weeks too, so we can¡¯t show them everything. That wouldn¡¯t be appropriate for us or them.]¡± [Eleanore] answered her question, and¡­yeah. That seemed fair.


    ¡°So, what changes?" Alexa asked, she¡­didn¡¯t feel that different, the mere statement hadn¡¯t changed anything about her. And as far as she was aware her [Mask] hadn¡¯t suddenly changed or received more data.


    ¡°[Well, for starters if you get thrown into Jail you will get the best lawyers we can pay.]¡± [Eleanore] started giving her the answers to her change. ¡°[Also, your new mask will have a recording feature. Any time you end up fighting or encounter a Hero or Side-kick it will record the fight should you wish for it to be recorded.]¡±


    ¡°...Can I turn that off?¡± Alexa asked, she didn¡¯t want for that to be recorded.


    ¡°[The recordings are private, only you can see them. But yes, you can turn them off. And if you don¡¯t turn them off you can decide to not share them.]¡± [Eleanore] said. She still didn¡¯t see any appeal to that.


    All her fights could be recorded by [Main Core] already, so if she needed to record or recount any of that it was already doable for her.


    ¡°I will take that into consideration.¡± Alexa said, ¡°Now, while this is a nice spot to be, do I need to remain here?¡±


    The sun was about to rise and Alexa really wanted to leave, she wasn¡¯t in the right clothes or mood to stay in public, she wanted to take a shower, sleep, and maybe eat something.


    ¡°[Oh right, sending the coordinates and a map for the nearest hideout.]¡± [Eleanore] said and sure enough, she heard a beep on her [Mask], a quick prompt to [Main Core] and her [Cellphone] linked to the mask giving her a mental projection of the map.


    ¡°Okay, anything I need to deal with before moving to the next part of this [Test]?¡± Alexa asked as she made sure her muscles were all in working order. She had been resting for almost half an hour while explaining herself to [Eleanore]. She didn¡¯t want her [Muscles] to go cold.


    ¡°[Nothing much, if possible go without your mask at least till you arrive at the same street the hideout is at. They will be waiting for you, and the hideout will receive a ping when you are near, so putting the mask on is not needed.]¡± [Eleanore] added some extra data after that.


    It was mostly centered around what she could expect to find en route, some warnings about other [Gangs] and [Groups] that roamed these areas. What to do in case an [Officer] stopped her (These seemed to be a noncore power member that enforced the [Law] like the core power members of society). And some points that she needed to make sure to obey while she was moving as a [Civilian].

 Chapter 46: Please drink Responsibly....

    Her walk had been mostly calm, some people had turned to look at her while she was leaving the [Park], but no one had outright stopped her, perhaps it was because she was leaving using her [Teenager Stage] form?


    [Eleanore] had recommended against using her [Child Stage] form, so she had settled on her [Teenager Stage] form. It was honestly, weird. First, she had been told to change her form into something else, but when Alexa said about using her [Child Stage] form, then Eleanore suddenly had trouble with that.


    Alexa hadn¡¯t made new [Blueprints] yet, so she didn¡¯t have that many options. Granted she could craft one from scratch if needed, but that honestly felt more like a waste of resources. Besides she would need to get too many points right to make a [Blueprint] from scratch.


    The [Human] body was way too complicated in the most stupid ways possible, it was a work of art? Yes. It had plenty of redundant systems to make sure everything worked right. But a single mistake could end with her missing a [Limb] or with a faulty [Heart]. Granted most of those mistakes she could fix by expending extra [Biomass]...


    But if Alexa didn¡¯t need to waste extra [Biomass]...why waste it? She had three workable forms already, plus the [Male] variant. She could collect new samples later and start her own project for new forms later. For now, she would settle with these.


    So in turn, it meant that she would walk around using her [Teenager Stage] form till she arrived at the destination she was given, some kind of [Safe House]. Why was it [Safe] or why the other houses weren¡¯t [Safe]... She didn¡¯t know.


    But that was her current target, so she would go there. As far as she could tell the address she was given was set up in a [Residential] sector. Her current search using her [Cellphone]¡¯s map function came up with several such sectors, it seemed that the [Humans] had set up their [Homes] in determined sectors and piled up there.


    The [House] seemed to be basically a big [Den]-like structure where they would undergo their [Sleep] cycle and [Maintenance] needs, kind of like her new [Den], only instead of having a [Room] set up within a [Building]. These [Homes] were smaller [Buildings] set up in square sections that divided a big plot of land. Why would they go for such an inefficient way to live? Alexa didn¡¯t know.


    The [Humans] had set up rows upon rows of the [Buildings], each of these [Buildings] had a pre determined amount of [Land], most had some empty area in the front of the [House], either decorated by [Flora] or by [Artificial] entities set up on the front. Some had miniaturized mockeries of [Humans], while others had [Organic entities] patrolling around. Some kind of quadrupedal organism, Alexa had almost prepared for combat when one of those had started [Barking] at her, but reading the [Sign] on the side of that particular [House] had not helped calm her. [Beware of Dog].


    She didn¡¯t like those [Dog] creatures, they reminded her of some of the more biological P-series subjects that liked to hunt in hordes, and her small search on her [Cellphone] had found a similar species, [Wolves]. An ancestor to these [Dogs]. Alexa would check later if she could get a [Blueprint] of them to look for weakness. She also had the option of...[Disposing] one of her fellow [Minions], the one that had shown hostility to her, snout face aka [WolfMan].


    Either way as she continued walking towards her destination she couldn¡¯t help but think. Wasn¡¯t it more efficient to live in [Apartment]-type buildings? Surely it would be easier to administer the land like that. Alexa didn¡¯t know why they would go for such a type of living arrangement.


    She was coming close to the place she was supposed to go so Alexa decided to prepare herself and check the data that [Eleanore] had sent her about this place. So when she came to the address she was given she found¡­Another of those [Houses], it had one of the [Vans] they had used for the [Mission] parked outside, that seemed¡­. ill-advised.


    But Alexa wasn¡¯t sure if there was a reason for it, so instead she walked to the [Door] and pushed the button at the side of the [Door].


    ¡°Password?¡± A voice spoke immediately after she pushed the button.


    ¡°[Eleanore] said that you would know I was coming,¡± Alexa answered while unfolding her [Mask] and putting it on. ¡°I¡¯m Rhapsody.¡±


    There was some movement behind the [Door] and after a few seconds the door was opened, on the other side stood a [Human] that she hadn¡¯t seen before, it seemed to be one of the [Black Masked Minions] since he had part of his mask on the side of his face.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be damned, she is indeed alive.¡± The [minion] spoke while giving way for Alexa to walk into the house. ¡°Hey Mikey, your boss is alive after all. I think she looked taller on the video.¡±


    ¡°Rhapsody!¡± Another [Minion] came rushing, he was indeed the same [Mikey] she had seen before, only¡­¡±...who is this girl? Rhapsody should be around our age, you can¡¯t be older than twelve. Are you Rhapsody¡¯s daughter? She is on her way.¡±


    What?


    ¡°I¡¯m Rhapsody.¡± Alexa said once more, ¡°[Eleanore] said you would know I was coming.¡±


    ¡°...Whatever you say kiddo, hey Al? You still have cereal? We have Rhapsody¡¯s daughter here!¡± [Mikey] ignored her and started speaking with another [Minion].


    That was annoying.


    Why didn¡¯t he believe her? Hadn¡¯t they spoken about her power? She remember saying that she was a shifter right? That she could shift her form.


    ¡°*Sigh*.¡± Alexa had arrived at her destination, so surely [Eleanore] couldn¡¯t get mad at her for changing to her [Young Woman] stage right? Either way, this would be annoying to explain and they may not believe her. [Mikey] seemed convinced that she was her own [Daughter] after all.


    So with an internal prompt, Alexa started to shift, again.


    ¡°There, now do you believe that I¡¯m Rhapsody?¡± Alexa said after her body shifted form to her [Young Woman] stage figure, again. She had shifted her shorts again into pants as her form changed. Her top hadn¡¯t needed such help since this [BodySuit] was designed to stretch and match her form.


    She would not let her pants to be lost ever again, it was such a convenient [BodySuit].


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°....well I¡¯ll be damned¡­¡± The [Minion] who opened the door first said as he whistled. ¡°Hey, Mikey¡­do you want to change teams? I wouldn¡¯t mind swapping wolf man for yours.¡±


    ¡°Go f#ck yourself Ben,¡± [Mikey] answered as he turned to look at Alexa, ¡°...Right, a Shapeshifter. Man that will be hard to get used to.¡±


    Some of the people around had brought their phones and had them pointed at her, Alexa was¡­not sure what to think about that.


    ¡°Okay people, you know them rules. Any video of this gets out of our internal network and we will be using phones without a signal for a year¡­Again.¡± [Mikey] said aloud, most of those with phones turned them down while others groaned, ¡°I know, just make sure it stays only on the internal network¡­unless Rhapsody has a problem with that,¡±


    All those around seemed to turn to her at as if waiting for an answer.


    ¡°Just¡­.be responsible with the information?¡± Alexa said unsure how to react.


    ¡°...Before any of you even thinks about uploading that video, remember that Rhapsody is Cerberus''s favorite. And Gabriel seems to be interested in her too.¡± [Mikey] said while motioning for Alexa to follow him.


    So Alexa did so while the [Minions] behind spoke among themselves, her [Phone] did ring with a notification, it was from their internal social network, someone had [Tagged] her. Perhaps it was about whatever they had recorded?


    She would check later.


    ¡°Okay, first of all. Thank you, you didn¡¯t need to fight Chrysalis or V-8.¡± [Mikey] said as he walked towards the [Refrigerator], he brought a couple of cans from it and offered one to her. It read [Beer] on it. He took one for himself and pulled his mask from his face leaving it on the [Table].


    ¡°Not a problem, they were obstacles on the [Mission] so they needed to be dealt with. I was the only viable option that had a way to deal with them and also [Survive].¡± Alexa answered while opening her can of [Beer] and likewise taking off her [Mask] and leaving it on the [Table].


    As far as her searches on the internet found that this was a drink to be shared amongst [Friends] or in [Celebrations], she had found some warnings about not exceeding or drinking large amounts. But no mention about how much or how little that was.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand.¡± [Mikey] said as he took a drink from his can of [Beer], ¡°You white mask minions would get pulled out, you may be a newbie but Fairy¡¯s team powerset is useful. Maybe you would spend the night in jail, but that would be about it. We black masked ones¡­.a week at best a month at worst. Depending on our time with Haephestus¡¯ Forge maybe more or maybe less.¡±


    Would that be the case?


    ¡°[Yes, no reason to waste valuable assets on the release of low power or low priority assets.]¡±


    Main Core seemed to agree on that.


    ¡°Even so, that was the correct answer at the moment. [Hero Designation: Chrysalis] was dangerous to leave alone. She would probably not only restrain our forces but was a danger to mission parameters.¡± Alexa said as she eyed her can of [Beer] and took a sip of it.


    It tasted awful.


    ¡°Hahahahah, first time drinking beer? Yeah, it tastes awful¡­¡± [Mikey] laughed at her, it probably reflected on her face how awful it tasted, ¡°Either way, you didn¡¯t need to risk it that far. I saw the video¡­I should have probably explained more about her since you don¡¯t seem to know, but Chrysalis gets nasty against female minions or supervillains.¡±


    Nasty?


    She was indeed an awful adversary, but what did [Mikey] mean with [Nasty]?


    ¡°How so?¡± Alexa asked while taking a smaller sample of [Beer], she would try to analyze the composition to see what the purpose of the [Drink] was.


    ¡°She gets too vicious, as you experienced yourself. She maims and disfigures anyone that she gets her hands on. That is why she is merely a sidekick and not a heroine, hell they can¡¯t let her go since she would just turn vigilante.¡± [Mikey] answered emptying his can of [Beer] and opening another one, ¡°She should have stayed with V-8 who was responsible for her, but since you incapacitated him¡­she took that chance to act freely. Case in point, she tried to disfigure you.¡±


    <table style="width: 55.5331%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Notice:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Components of beverage analyzed:


    * Water content, 90%.


    * Found some type of fermented grain, possible strain of same type of vegetable that makes up [Bread]. Responsible for coloring and flavor.


    * Found trace amounts of second type of flower, possible traces used to stabilize the formula of the [Beer].


    * Found evidence of a single-celled organism that seems to survive consuming the sugar content of the beverage. It increases the amount of alcohol in the drink and helps produce carbon dioxide within drink.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°[From information we can infer that ingesting great amounts of Beer can result in hampered cognitive responses, it is advised that host does not continue ingesting this as host has been seen with hampered decision making as is.]¡±


    First of all, rude. She was very good in her decision making thank you very much.


    Second of all¡­So this beverage had great amounts of alcohol and would hamper her decision making huh? She was feeling more relaxed as the drink had started to settle on her body. Was it because the alcohol seemed to be affecting how her [Brain] behaved?


    She could see an increased amount of dopamine within her body, which in turn made her relaxed and happy. This drink was dangerous.


    ¡°It was a meaningless attempt as you can see.¡± Alexa said as she emptied her can of [Beer] and grabbed her chest, ¡°See? I fixed the problems.¡±


    [Mikey]¡¯s eye turned to first look at her chest, then silently passed her another can of [Beer]. ¡°I can see that, what¡¯s the deal with that form you came in anyway? Did you use that to dodge pursuit? Or what?¡±


    Somehow [Mikey] not looking at her more annoyed her.


    ¡°That was my [Teenager Stage] form, [Eleanore] asked me to not use this form while coming here. Something about [Tinker Recognition Systems] or something. She wanted to make sure no one would search for my body or whatever.¡± Alexa said as she opened the second can of [Beer] and took a smaller sip from it.


    She wanted to taste it slowly, it still tasted awful, but she for some reason, couldn¡¯t help but want to keep drinking. Was it because it stimulated the release of dopamine? The [Social] aspect of this ritual of drinking?


    ¡°hmm¡­.so what? your power lets you change into what you looked while younger?¡± [Mikey] asked as the someone knocked on the [Door].


    ¡°No? I mean that form is like¡­a day older than this one?¡± Alexa answered as she thought about that. [Humans] seemed to take too much importance to [Age]. ¡°I mean, that form is indeed the [Younger] version of this one you are seeing right now. But only because this one was designed to look like an older version.¡±


    That had made [Mikey] stop in its tracks, as if Alexa¡¯s words had made him stop and think about something.


    ¡°Rhapsody?¡± [Golem]¡¯s voice sounded at the back of the [House], it seemed as if he had just arrived. Only he seemed to be coming from another room different from the one she had arrived.


    ¡°Here! We are in the [Room] with the [Refrigerator]!¡± Alexa said raising her voice as she took another sip from her [Beer].


    She was enjoying it, why had she hated it before? Oh right the taste, maybe she could alter its composition to add a little [Mango] flavor to it? Would it taste weird?


    She got the feeling that it would taste weird, but then what was she supposed to do?


    ¡°Oh there you are, Cerberus called us telling us that you were fine and would come to this safehouse, we had just arrived at the base¡­.¡± [Golem] said as he walked into the [Room], he stopped speaking when he noticed what [Mikey] was drinking.


    The [Minion] in question had its face start changing to more pale colors, was he attempting to become a [White Mask] minion by changing his face¡¯s color? Either way [Mikey] silently drank all his [Beer] in one gulp, put his [Mask] on, and kneeled on the floor.


    ¡°...Mikey¡­are you¡­trying to get Rhapsody drunk?¡± [Golem]¡¯s voice was cold, his eyes even though they were made of stone seemed to glare at the [Black Masked] Minion.


    ¡°...She just survived a near-death event, I thought¡­We thought that she could use the beer to help her with the adrenaline crash¡­¡± [Mikey] said in a small tone, [Adrenaline] crash?


    ¡°[Notice: Host organism was flooded with adrenaline during the fight, a backlash from the drop in adrenaline was to be expected. Host dodged this event by making a new body. But the expected outcome from such an event included emotional instability and difficulty for breathing, weakness, and loss of consciousness.]¡±


    That was¡­potentially dangerous, especially after a fight, and while being on a hostile, she would need to check on the type of reactions her body had.


    ¡°...I see, and you thought it safe to get her drunk? Do you understand how this looks to me?¡± [Golem] spoke as he made his knuckles crack, each time one made a cracking sound [Mikey] recoiled more.


    ¡°You need to see it from my side too!¡± [Mikey] said in a rushed voice, ¡°To me, she is the new weirdo Core Power user, she is hot and seems stable enough!¡±


    She was hot?


    ¡°Main Core? What is the current temperature?¡± Alexa asked aloud while emptying her second [Beer] can and trying to grab a third one, for some reason her [Hands] seemed to be having some trouble latching into the can, but she managed to get it after the third attempt.


    ¡°[Internal temperature is stable at 36.8oC. Noticed a percieved temperature rise, a probable side effect from drinking the beverage designated: Beer. No extra care is needed at the moment.]¡±


    ¡°...She seems stable enough anyway.¡± [Mikey] added while Alexa was opening her third can of [Beer]. ¡°How old is she? Her real age?¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t quite sure. We think Cerberus knows, but as far as we can tell¡­She seems to like being more in her younger forms than her adult form.¡± [Golem] said as he started duplicating himself. Weird, why was a pile of rocks able to multiply itself?


    ¡°So what, twelve? She is in reality twelve?¡± [Mikey] said as he too, started duplicating himself. Was this some kind of hidden power the [Humans] had? Had Alexa managed to find a new [Human Skill]?


    ¡°Twelve? You must know very short kids, as far as Alexa has said her youngest form is five. At least the one she has shown us.¡± [Golem] said as the room started to move around.


    ¡°I¡­don¡¯t¡­why is everything spinning?¡± Alexa said as she felt a new sensation come from within her body.


    Was this a new [Emotion]? A new facet of her [Power]? A new technique developed by [Main Core]?


    ¡°Bleeeeerghhhhh¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± Why was the [Human] body so focused on discharging liquids that they ingested?


    ¡°[Loss of consciousness detected, starting sleeping protocol. Starting shift into Child Stage form.]¡±


    With some luck the room would stop spinning the next time Alexa woke up.

 Chapter 47: Hangover? What is that? Alexa doesnt know it.

    She was comfortable, whatever place she was in at the moment. She could feel a warm blanket above her, and on her arms, she felt a squishy thing. It seemed to be made of some type of artificial fur. Alexa wasn¡¯t quite sure what it was made of or how, but she liked the feeling it gave her when she hugged it to her chest.


    ¡°Mgh¡­.¡± Alexa felt her mouth utter those words as she stretched her body. She felt the comfortable allure from whatever object she was lying atop of.


    Opening her eyes, she found herself in some weird [Room] that she didn¡¯t remember walking into. Looking around her, she found that the [Bed] was the object she had been asleep on.


    ¡°So this is how they use it?¡± Alexa mumbled as she looked around her.


    Her [Room] also had one such invention, but she hadn¡¯t been sure how to use it, so the previous night, she had entered her [Sleep cycle] under the [Bed]. It seemed like the obvious answer since it would hide her from interlopers and also provide her with some disguise.


    She now felt dumb. Could she have experienced such a blissful [Sleep cycle] by merely laying atop the [Bed]?


    She would need to reevaluate how she went about living in a [Human] society. Could one get this level of comfort from merely sleeping atop a [Bed]?


    ¡°Rhapsody? Are you awake?¡± A voice came from the other side of the [Door]. Alexa recognized it, of course, for it was the voice of [Fan Girl].


    ¡°Alexa is awake!¡± Alexa said speaking to the [Door] as she stood from the warm embrace of the [Bed]...with little to no success, for the terrible embrace of the [Blankets] had entangled her feet! ¡°Help! This [Bed] does not want to release Alexa!¡±


    The door opened, letting the black-haired girl walk in just in time to see Alexa¡¯s feet entangled in the blanket. The little girl struggled to release herself from the blanket with little to no success.


    ¡°Good morning Alexa,¡± [Fan Girl] said as she looked down at Alexa, ¡°Glad the old pajamas we found here fit you. We couldn¡¯t get your pants out¡­so we ended putting the pajamas above your pants, but¡­ the pants somehow dissolved after we got the pajamas on you.¡±


    So these clothes were called [Pajamas], ¡°Main Core! Log the make of [Pajamas]!¡± Alexa commanded as she was still trying to release herself from the vicious grab of the [Blanket].


    ¡°[....logged textile construction and make of current Outfit into database. Host may proceed to either change the size of Legs, deconstruct the Blanket, or perhaps¡­Stop struggling and let the gravity allow host to release herself.]¡±


    Main core, as always, was sassy with her. Granted, it saved the make of these comfortable clothing¡­and gave her some ideas about how to release herself from the tight grip of the [Blankets]...but still!


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, those pants were made with my Power. So Main Core probably re-absorbed them when it detected I had new pants on.¡± Alexa answered as she let her body relax, Main Core had said that doing so would allow her to escape from the embrace of the [Blankets].


    She doubted it. When a [Predator] got a [Prey], they rarely allowed them to escape. After all, why would the [Blanket] allow her to escape? It didn¡¯t make sense. But she was in a somewhat safe environment, so it was the perfect place to test Main Core and show him that he wasn¡¯t as smart as he thought!


    Surprisingly, as soon as she stopped struggling and let herself go limp¡­the terrible grip the [Blankets] had over her let go. She felt herself fall on the floor, [Fan Girl] just stood there smiling at her while looking down at her.


    ¡°Is the floor comfortable?¡± Asked [Fan girl], smiling at her.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Alexa answered while thinking about how [Main Core] was probably laughing at her for how this had resulted. The thing hadn¡¯t said anything yet, but Alexa was almost sure it was also laughing at her.


    ¡°Okay, first thing first. Golem asked me to check on you.¡± [Fan Girl] said as she brought a cup of smoking beverage. ¡°How are you feeling? Headaches? Dizziness?¡±


    ¡°Main Core?¡± Alexa asked aloud.


    ¡°[Notice: Symptoms stated by Human Designation: Skye/Fan Girl/Sylph are what host was supposed to feel, most of the causes that would make such symptoms manifest got fixed while on sleep-cycle.]¡±


    ¡°Nope, Main Core fixed them as they came.¡± Alexa smiled as [Fan Girl] offered her a cup of warm beverage. Alexa wasn¡¯t sure what it was, but since it was offered and it was a liquid, Alexa took a sip of it. And immediately regret it.


    ¡°I know, bitter, right? That is what I drink to deal with hangovers.¡± [Fan Girl] said with a grin on her face, ¡°So this ¡®Main Core¡¯ fixed your hangover huh¡­Wish I could do the same. I would drink so much.¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you?¡± Alexa asked. As far as she was concerned, she only needed to speak with her [Main Core], right?


    She knew for a fact that [Humans] also had [Cores]; the purple girl had been proof of that, even if she had hidden hers and didn¡¯t let her study them. But she had proven that [Humans] also had [Cores], heck. They even spoke about them when they advertised their [Powers].


    ¡°My power is wind, remember? You have a Core Power that allows you to get drunk. Mine allows me to fly,¡± [Fan Girl] said with a wry smile.


    But well, if she wanted to pretend that a normal [Human] couldn¡¯t do that, who was Alexa to judge her over that?


    ¡°Okay, but what is a hangover?¡± Alexa asked, since [Fan Girl] didn¡¯t want to speak about that, she may as well explain what kind of thing a [Hangover] was and how one ended with one. Main Core had listed a series of Symptoms, the same as those [Fan Girl] asked. But she hadn¡¯t explained what it was.


    ¡°Well, that conversation isn¡¯t quite for this age range you have at the moment¡­¡± [Fan Girl] said looking at her up and down.


    ¡°What about now?¡± Alexa said as she prompted her body to shift, it grew a few centimeters till it turned into her [Teenager Stage] body. Her [Pajama] was now clinging more tightly to her body. However, it was still comfortable enough, even if the pants had moved from ones that covered her feet to ones that went to her ankles.


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    ¡°...It¡¯s an adult thing, and I am uncomfortable speaking about it with kids. Your mother is the one that should explain this really.¡± [Skye] said, still dodging the problem. Would she need to shift to her full [Young Woman] form?


    ¡°Fine,¡± Alexa said, grumbling. Of course, that was an act! For Alexa quickly ordered Main Core to start the shift into her final form.


    ¡°And¡­¡± Alexa started speaking as her form shifted. The blouse she was wearing became very tight as her chest grew in size. Her pants ripped out as her waist grew in size, too. Before she could speak, one of the buttons of her blouse broke, sending it flying straight at [Skye]¡¯s face. ¡°...what about now?¡±


    ¡°...Yeah, stick it on my face how you have a better body than me.¡± [Skye] grumbled as Alexa quickly started sending some biomass into her pajamas to adjust them into her new form.


    This was harder to do since the pajamas were made outside of her power, so she needed to analyze them and fix them in one go. At least they had been made from a single material (Silk), so she only needed to increase the amount of said material and distribute it across her clothes.


    It barely took her a minute (Around two minutes and sixteen seconds, to be precise) to finish fixing her clothes and making a loose blouse with some pants to match.


    ¡°Right¡­.¡± [Skye] said as she saw Alexa¡¯s clothes get fixed in real time, ¡°I hate your power.¡±


    Well, that was¡­.rude? Alexa wasn¡¯t quite sure how to react to this, since she hadn¡¯t done anything wrong as far as she was aware.


    ¡°Anyway, Cerberus said that I could act as if you were a normal adult when in this form. So I guess my explanation should be okay? If you had a fifteen-year-old form, then perhaps it wouldn¡¯t feel so damn awkward though.¡± [Skye] grumbled as she held her head with one of her hands. ¡°A hangover is what we call the sickness that hit us after a night of drinking.¡±


    ¡­.What?


    ¡°You get sick from drinking? Is your [Liver] okay? Why would you feel bad from merely drinking?¡± Alexa asked worriedly, she had seen the [Human Blueprint] and merely drinking shouldn¡¯t end with those kinds of symptoms.


    ¡°...Drinking as, drinking beer. Wine, Alcohol, the good stuff,¡± [Skye] added afterward, ¡°You know, the kind of things you drank yesterday till puking your guts out.¡±


    ¡­.


    Alexa silently touched her stomach. Of course, she knew all her internal organs were there. ¡°Did I¡­need to make a new set of [Guts]? Why would the [Human Blueprint] end with one putting their internal organs outside?¡±Alexa was worried; perhaps using a [Human Blueprint] wasn¡¯t such a good idea.


    Any organism that would repeatedly pull its internal organs in the outside was wrong.


    ¡°.... It''s a way of speaking, you puked mostly food. We found a half-eaten burger, a weird green goo, a candy wrapping, and an MRE package. You need to chew your food, girl, also, why are you eating food wrapping? That isn¡¯t good for your stomach.¡± [Skye] said, bringing her own phone and showing a picture of her [Child Stage] form sleeping, and on the side were those same articles [Skye] had said.


    A half eaten burger, some [Candy] wrappings she had remade to search later. One of the MRE packages wrapping with a bar intact and other things she had decided to save for later. She didn¡¯t have much room to take stuff with her that wasn¡¯t meant to be hidden. So she had been using her [Stomach] for that.


    And since she was pretending to be [Human] she had put some things she knew [Humans] had there, such as a half-eaten [Burger].


    ¡°Aren¡¯t [Human] stomachs meant to have those articles there?¡± Alexa asked in a small voice. She¡­wasn¡¯t quite sure, to be honest; so far, she had only analyzed in depth one single sample of [Humanity], after all.


    ¡°I mean, food is meant to be there. But you still need to chew it properly; if you don¡¯t, you will only get sick.¡± [Skye] said worriedly, ¡°But that is outside of what you asked, so¡­hangovers¡­¡±


    Right, she had asked about that.


    ¡°When you drink yourself into sleep, usually that means that you have too much alcohol on your system, so the next morning you end up waking up with a killer headache, dizzy, and usually grumpy.¡± [Skye] said one by one the problems that came from drinking too much alcohol. Or [Beer] in this case. ¡°Some people deal with it differently. Some go to a hospital to get an IV, others drink water, some cure hangovers with more beer¡­And some, like me, drink Tea to deal with it.¡±


    So this hot beverage was [Tea], huh? She would file that knowledge for later use. Perhaps she could find some hidden healing properties in it since [Skye] was using it to deal with this [Sickness].


    ¡°And I should¡­¡± Alexa said leadingly, she honestly didn¡¯t feel any of those problems after all.


    ¡°Dealing with a killer headache or puking your guts out (figuratively speaking).¡± [Skye] answered as Alexa had hoped.


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t feel any of those things,¡± Alexa said as she made a quick check of her body, as far as she could see, everything was in perfect condition. If anything, she seemed to have a bigger reserve of alcohol in her. It would provide to be helpful for some of her experiments, or perhaps she could attempt to remake one of those weaponry systems the [Humans] hadn¡¯t allowed her to use before?


    ¡°And that is why I hate your power.¡± [Skye] said with a smile on her face. It was such a weird dichotomy. ¡°You must have some degree of regeneration thing going or maybe an augmented metabolism?


    Did she have some of those things? She could, of course, heal and regenerate parts of her body, but that wasn¡¯t free like most of the [Core Powers] seemed to work, or at least how the people around seemed to imply they worked. She needed biomass and energy to make her healing or regeneration work.


    So then, what was an [Augmented Metabolism]? A quick search on the Internet gave her the answer: they usually referred to [Humans] who could internalize and bring the nutrients from the food they ate faster.


    Yeah, she liked that definition.


    ¡°It is probably the [Augmented Metabolism],¡± Alexa answered, as she took another sip from the awful hot beverage, it¡­wasn¡¯t becoming easier to drink, was it because she wasn¡¯t getting dopamine hits from it? Unlike how it had been with the [Beer]?


    ¡°Thought as much, most shapeshifters or body shifters have some degree of augmented metabolism, either by direct or secondary effect of their Core Powers.¡± [Skye] nodded with her as another facet of Alexa¡¯s power got explained in¡­perhaps the not most precise wording.


    ¡°So, next question.¡± [Skye] said, taking a deep breath and schooling her face. She had turned from [Playful] to [Serious]. ¡°Did Mikey force you to drink beer?¡±


    ¡­what?


    ¡°No? He offered me a drink, and I took it.¡± Alexa answered, confused.


    ¡°Did he say that it was water, soda, tea, juice, or anything other than beer?¡± [Skye] asked inmediately aterwards.


    ¡°No? The [Can] said [Beer] at the side of it. He never said it was anything other than that.¡± Alexa answered.


    ¡°Okay, good. We needed to make sure, Cerberus is ripping him a new one since he gave beer to a kid, but still, we needed to make sure. If someone invites you to drink something, don¡¯t accept it like that. At least check for drugs in it.¡± [Skye] carried on speaking with a worried face, ¡°Do you know how worried we were? Golem almost crushed Mikey¡¯s head!¡±


    What?


    ¡°How does someone check for [Drugs]?¡± Alexa asked, ¡°And why would [Golem] crush Mikey¡¯s head? He was a helpful [Minion].¡±


    ¡°I mean, some use fake nails that change color when in contact with drugs. They just dip them in their drinks before taking a sip,¡± [Skye] said as she showcased a different-colored nail.


    ¡°Main Core?¡± Alexa prompted inwardly as she touched the [Nail] with her [Finger].


    ¡°[Detected chemical within fake covering of Nail initial analysis seems to point to a chemical agent within it that react to some of the chemicals saved within database.]¡± Main Core showed her a list of chemicals to which the [Nail] would react. Some of those she had gotten from the bloodstream of the [Human] that she had [killed] and [Devoured] before.


    ¡°Others use some fancy drinking straws that do the same, others use rings¡­Most don¡¯t just¡­accept drinks from random people you meet in a villain safehouse.¡± [Skye] sighed at the last part. ¡°No matter your Core Power, if you are unconscious, it usually means you are as feeble as the next girl.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not like other [Human Girls],¡± Alexa said. As far as she was concerned, the [Conciousness Stream] that was in her body wasn¡¯t the full extent of what was [Hers]. Case in point, she didn¡¯t have access to all her [Memories], not while on this body at least.


    ¡°I know. Cerberus said something similar, that your Core Power may be reacting differently thanks to your circumstances. I had never heard of someone¡¯s power activating while they were unconscious. And your Core Power activated not once but twice.¡± [Skye] sighed once more as she spoke. Perhaps her [Lungs] were faulty? ¡°First, when you changed to¡­your little girl form, then when we put the pajama. Your bodysuit got loose as if you had become thinner to help us take it off, then your pants dissolved and sank into your body when we got you the pajama pants on¡­¡±


    Yeah, it would be awkward to have two sets of pants at the same time, after all. Good job, [Main Core]!


    No, wait, ¡°Why did you attempt to put me in two sets of pants?¡± Alexa asked. That was a weird thing to do right?


    ¡°You asked us to,¡± [Skye] said, turning to her, ¡°Or a mechanical voice that sounded like you asked us to. We called Cerberus to ask for directions when we couldn¡¯t get the pants off. We got worried that something had gone wrong with your power. It isn¡¯t the first time a Shape Shifter screws themselves up because they got drunk while using their power.¡±


    Oh, so that could happen? Why? Perhaps they shifted into the wrong configuration?


    ¡°While speaking with her, a mechanical voice asked us to put the second set atop you, and Cerberus asked us to do it as instructed. Then, when the pants dissolved Cerberus asked us to leave the phone in the room and leave.¡± [Eleanore] had spoken with [Main Core]? ¡°She called Golem after fifteen minutes, and when we got into the room, nothing had changed, so I took my phone, and we carried you to this room.¡±


    ¡°Main Core? What did you speak with [Eleanore]?¡± Alexa prompted inwardly.


    ¡°[Nothing relevant, mostly got queried about host¡¯s status and current mission parameters. Also got asked why we acted as such.]¡±


    Wasn¡¯t that because it was the most efficient way to go about it? It would cement her position within the organization while making other [Humans] be grateful to her. It would also make it easier for her to go as an interceptor unit and, in turn, give her more chances to get free [Biomass] from hostile targets.


    Really, it was a dream come true for her.


    ¡°So anyway. I came to check on you since Billy said you were awake.¡± [Skye] said while looking her up and down. ¡°And yeah, you look fresh as a pickle, I wish I could wake up and look like that. Your Core Powers are unfair.¡±


    She had said that twice now.


    ¡°So? What is next?¡± Alexa asked, setting a reminder for herself to give [Skye] a power set similar to hers if she ever found a way to change the composition of the [Core] that granted powers to [Humans] and her.


    ¡°Next? We celebrate a job well done; we are getting a party for the success of our first mission. And you, my girl. Are the guest of honor.¡± [Skye] smiled ominously at her while saying those words. They seemed to imply celebration, but¡­Alexa wasn¡¯t sure why she thought they weren¡¯t.

 Chapter 48: The Party (And the food)

    What is a [Party]?


    Her search using that keyword into the [Internet] had given her the answer that a party was¡­Main Core?


    ¡°[A party is a social gathering of people who come together to have fun, socialize, and celebrate. Parties can be held for various occasions, such as birthdays, holidays, graduations, or just for the sake of getting together. They can be large or small, formal or informal, and can take place in a variety of settings, such as homes, banquet halls, or even outdoors.]¡±


    The search for those occasions got her more definitions. Among those occasions was the [Birthday] that they had asked her before, a celebration for [Humans] who managed to survive another [Year]. And honestly, of the possible occasions to celebrate, it was the only one that Alexa could understand.


    Making a celebration for dates that held no meaning besides something that happened in the far past? It was weird. Why should she celebrate the fact that some guy managed to overturn their current rulers? It seemed that only the ones who ruled after him should celebrate.


    Celebrating because someone managed to [Graduate]? The act of finishing a series of [Tests]? Really? Managing not to end up [Terminated] should be the reward in itself, but she couldn¡¯t understand the logic behind wanting another way to celebrate finishing their set of tests besides what the [Test] itself gave them and the normal reward from finishing said [Tests].


    Now, the definition of celebrating for the sake of celebrating? That seemed the real reason for those [Parties], and the others seemed to be excuses.


    ¡°So we celebrate the success of this [Test]?¡± Alexa asked as she turned to look to [Skye], who was pulling her into one of the [Elevators].


    ¡°Yes!¡± the girl answered, fiddling with her [Mask]. "Well, this isn¡¯t common. Vulcanus seems to be cheap on the celebration front. But since you managed to salvage a failed mission and embarrass one of the sidekicks, we get a party!¡±


    ¡­So it was to celebrate a failed [Test] that managed to get salvaged? That¡­seemed weird. Shouldn¡¯t they get admonished? They had almost failed and managed to salvage it because her skill set was the right one.


    No wait.


    ¡°I embarrassed the [Hostile Minion]? How? She defeated me,¡± Alexa said, turning confused. She had barely escaped, which had cost her almost all her stockpile of biomass. She only managed to come even because the [Sewers] had been full of biomass, and even that¡­It had been a close call. If not for [Spider], she may have been in a deficit¡­again.


    ¡°Someone recorded it, it seems they heard you scream, and someone recorded it. They uploaded it into [Herofights.com].¡± [Skye] said as she brought her [Phone] and showed her the [Website] in question. There was a grainy video with terrible quality.


    She wouldn¡¯t have guessed that she was in the video if she hadn''t known about it. The audio was muted, and the video seemed artificially stabilized. On it, she could see two women fighting on the floor.


    Or well, more like one punching the other down, the video didn¡¯t show how [Chrysalis] had crushed one of her boobs, and from the distance, one could barely see her trying to escape. Really, it looked more as if she had been trying to worm her way out.


    It was¡­


    ¡°[Embarrassing].¡±


    Yes, it was awful.


    The video continued playing, and the one recording dropped the recorder to the floor at some point. When it grabbed it once more to point it, she could see one of the ones on the video crawling away. The woman on the video caught the metal door into the sewers and threw it away.


    There, she saw how the metal disk flew straight into the other woman, who was busy trying to clean away the gore that had bathed her. [Chrysalis] didn¡¯t notice the metal disk flying her way, not that it did anything to her. Her barrier protected her.


    The other woman on the video took this chance and threw herself into the sewers. At this point, the video seemed to move faster.


    ¡°Oh, after this Chrysalis threw your lower half and closed the sewer. She waited there for around half an hour and then left.¡± [Skye] said as the video was stopped. ¡°We couldn¡¯t send someone to rescue you for that reason. We had thought you would die¡­some people were saying that since you are a shifter you could probably survive¡­.¡±


    ¡­.a [Human] could survive with the type of wounds she pretended to have? Such¡­dangerous creatures.


    ¡°I have some [Regeneration] thanks to my [Core Powers],¡± Alexa said as they arrived at the bottom floor.


    ¡°I knew it!¡± [Skye] reacted in a cheery tone, ¡°They didn¡¯t believe me since your Core Powers seem too practical, but most shifters have some degree of regeneration going. They said your powers were too big for regeneration to be a thing.¡±


    ¡°They are too big? How so? My [Core Powers] are at best on the miscellaneous type.¡± Alexa said, she couldn¡¯t make things from nothing. She couldn¡¯t send energy blasts nor create barriers from nothing. And sure enough, she couldn¡¯t lift things heavier than her without making some muscle mass first.


    ¡°Well, you can change your body at a level that seems to stick unless something wrong happens to you. Also, you have that weird mechanical voice that seems to be able to use your Core Powers while you are asleep¡­¡± [Skye] answered, was she speaking about [Main Core]?


    ¡°Main Core only has some control over my body. It can¡¯t use all my Core Powers. It works under some prerequisites that need to be fulfilled first.¡± Alexa said, what those requisites were? Well, she knew them¡­at some point. But they should be made with her best interest in mind!


    ¡°Well, that makes you more versatile than most. Like¡­I can make wind, and that¡¯s about it! Golem can change the composition of his body, but that¡¯s about it. You can change your body on a whim.¡± [Skye] said while pulling her in another direction. They had been walking towards the induction hall, but [Skye] had turned left at some point and pulled Alexa with her.


    ¡°I am sure you will find more uses for your [Core Power] later. I am just good at mine since I have been using some version of it for some time.¡± Alexa said back. She had¡­taken measures to not speak how long she had this [Core Power]. She was still unsure how much her nanites had affected it or if her [Core Power] had manifested like that because of her Nanites.


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    Perhaps she had the [Core Power] from the beginning, and the [Mana] only made it more prominent? She wasn¡¯t sure.


    ¡°Thanks for the cheers, but that¡¯s enough about me. We''re here¡­¡± [Skye] said, stopping before a double door. Alexa could hear some voices behind the door, mostly hushed voices, and some laughs. ¡°Go on, open the door.¡±


    Alexa knew something was going on, but the face and tone of [Skye] seemed to imply that it wasn¡¯t something terrible. And she couldn¡¯t detect any hostile intent from those behind the door either.


    ¡°Main Core, prepare for anything.¡± So, sending that inwardly, Alexa braced herself and opened the door.


    ¡°WELCOME BACK FROM THE DEAD!¡± Was what those behind the door said as soon as she opened the door.


    Most of the [Minions] that had gone into the mission with her had been in the [Hall] waving flags and throwing small pieces of multicolored paper fragments around. Alexa could see [Biomass]on the tables all around.


    ¡°We get one of these every time we find a Minion or Villain that was supposed to be dead after a fight. Granted, these are usually more often than not because some Villian or Minion tried to bite more than they could chew.¡± [Billy] said, walking towards them and offering a weird cone hat to [Skye] and Alexa. ¡°But hosting one of these on a first day? And because someone managed to escape Chrysalis? You are quite a the new recruit, huh.¡±


    ¡­.That she was, she had made sure that her [Blood] was of the best quality possible. But how had [Billy] noticed that? Did they take a sample of her [Blood]?


    ¡°Also, don¡¯t tell Cerberus this, but I know she was the one that made it possible for us to have this one. She wants this to be your birthday party, too.¡± [Billy] whispered the last part for their ears only. ¡°Anyway, go and mingle, Minions, and when you finish eating, prepare yourself. Vulcanus wants to congratulate you¡­And Cerberus wants to scold you.¡±


    In that tone, [Billy] left them alone.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get something to eat.¡± [Skye] said, hugging one of her arms and pulling her along. Really¡­she didn¡¯t need to. Alexa would have gone to do that anyway.


    ¡°Okay.¡± But even so, she answered as such.


    Their first stop had been to grab a [Plate] since they had told her that grabbing the whole [Tray] was wrong¡­ Eating from them directly was also bad, but carrying the food with her hands (even if she made extra ones) was also incorrect.


    Really, these [Humans] had way too many rules about food!


    One only needed to eat it. Why make it so complicated?!?!?


    Either way, Alexa ended up grabbing a pair of [Plates]and stockpiling as much [Food] aka [Biomass] as she could, a couple of [Steaks], some [Salads], a few cups of [Salsa] (Why was that the only one that came with its own cup?), and some drinks.


    [Skye] looked at her weirdly, but in the end, only said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget about dessert.¡± And then brought Alexa to another set of tables. These had food high in [Sugar], some [Cakes] and [Puddings], also [Ice Cream], and similar types of food high in [Sugar].


    ¡°I always have room for dessert,¡± Alexa said as she placed one of her plates atop her left hand. She increased the muscle mass and added some suction cups to her hand to ensure the plates wouldn¡¯t fall. So, with a hand free, she started stockpiling on [Cake] and [Pudding].


    Soon enough, she had a third plate full of these. Now, the next part¡­was more complicated. It seemed that they needed a place to sit, but most of the tables near the food had all the seats occupied, and a few had more than the recommended number.


    ¡°Oh look, there is [Mikey]!¡± Alexa said, pointing with the pudding arm towards a table at the far end. That one also had [Golem] nearby and some of the [Minions] that Alexa had been working with.


    ¡°...You don¡¯t mind sitting with him? After¡­¡± [Skye] started saying, but Alexa was already moving in that direction. ¡°...guess not.¡±


    As soon as she got near the table, she carefully placed all her plates, making sure not to move her [Food] near anyone else. She didn¡¯t want them to encroach on what was hers by right of picking.


    ¡°Hello [Mikey] and [Golem], ¡° Alexa said as soon as she sat down and started eating.


    ¡°...Rhapsody.¡± [Golem] answered, turning to look at [Mikey].


    ¡°...Rhapsody¡­sorry about the¡­Beer thing, didn¡¯t know that you were¡­.How old?¡± [Mikey] asked as she was too busy wolfing down the [Meat].


    Because apparently [Steak] was a designation to [Meat], really. It was a wonder from [Humanity] the idea that searing [Meat] and adding some [Condiments] could change the taste so much?


    It had changed from mere [Biomass] to an explosion of [Flavours]. It was almost [Heavenly]. Of course, it didn¡¯t compare against [Mango]. But this was an excellent taste on its own. Also¡­why were people staring at her?


    ¡°*Mogu*¡± She was too busy eating! Did they want to eat her [Food]?


    *Grr¡­.*


    A growl started forming in her mouth. She had noticed that most [Biological] subjects tended to use that as a warning, and since her mouth and hands were busy directing the [Food] into her [Stomach]...


    ¡°No one is going to steal your food, Rhapsody.¡± [Golem] said with a sad smile on his face,¡± But please answer Mikey¡¯s question.¡±


    Question? Oh, right, he had asked her [Age], right?


    Alexa gulped down the [Food] that was in her [Mouth] and took the chance to drink some type of carbonated drink from her [Beverage]. It was bubbly and made her [Throat] feel funny. She was half sure that if she hadn¡¯t been distracted by the symphony of tastes that had been the [Steak], she may have [Lost her mind], as the Main core would have categorized it.


    ¡°Currently, I¡¯m 19 years old,¡± Alexa answered while taking another bite of her [Steak], only this time she had the presence of mind to dip it into one of the [Salsa] cups she had brought with her.


    ¡°...And when you changed into a little girl?¡± [Mikey] asked. Alexa was of a half mind to rip his [Head] from his neck. Couldn¡¯t he see her trying to eat?


    Rude!


    ¡° Was¡­five¡­.years¡­old¡­¡± Alexa said between bites, and since it seemed that she would be getting annoyed, she started shifting something within one of her shoulders. It was a design similar to the one [Main Core] liked to use to speak, but this one mimicked her voice and transmitted it from her shoulder instead of her neck.


    Like this, she wouldn¡¯t need to keep her mouth open!


    ¡°...So you are nineteen right now, but when you sleep, you are five? What is this, a joke? What is your real age, girl? Golem wants to rip me a new one, and Cerberus only stares at me like I am a predator or something!¡± [Mikey]seemed to be having some problems with his [Emotions].


    ¡°[Mentally, I am the age of my body. If my body is 19 year-old my mind is that age. If my body is five years old, then my mind is that age. That is how my Core Power works],¡± Alexa transmitted to the [Speaker] within her shoulder.


    That caught by surprise both [Mikey] and [Golem]. For some reason, [Skye] only shrugged and continued eating while looking at them as if she was enjoying it.


    ¡°....So what is your real age, then?¡± [Mikey] asked. She noticed that most of the tables surrounding them were turning extra quiet.


    But Alexa didn¡¯t mind that much. Instead, she focused on eating some of the green [Vegetables] she had grabbed. She wanted to see if they helped or changed the flavor.


    ¡°[I don¡¯t know how to answer that. To me, age is merely a convenient number to categorize my current body.]¡± Well, that¡­wasn¡¯t a complete lie; she knew how old her [Core] was and how old her [Main Core] had been before she deconstructed and made a new one.


    The closest thing she had to an age was probably around two to three years old. They weren¡¯t [Human] years, of course.


    ¡°....You don¡¯t make it easy, do you?¡± [Mikey] sighed, ¡°Fine, I am not going there. Just¡­.start there next time, okay? If I¡¯m drinking with someone and they pass out and turn into a little girl¡­Well, they will think I am a predator or something.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t he a [Predator]? He was a [Human], and they were a race of [Predators]after all, well he was working as a [Minion], so that, at the very least, put him in a [Fighter Caste].


    ¡°Rhapsody, as you are now, you are an adult. So I can¡¯t admonish you for what you do, but if you change into a child or younger form, please stay away from Alcohol.¡± [Golem] said, turning to her as [Mikey] focused on his food.


    A shame, really. Alexa had looked forward to eating those if he didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°[Sure? I mean, my [Teenager Stage] and [Child Stage] seem more focused on [Candy]. Besides, [Beer]is quite bitter, so I don¡¯t think they would like it.]¡± Alexa answered, really¡­why had she liked it?


    She was enjoying this [Food], of course, but she wasn¡¯t quite sure her other forms would want them. The [Cake] and [Pudding]? She was sure those two would love those.


    But the [Steak] and [Vegetables]? The [Sour Cream]? The [Burger] (Real ones, unlike the fake one she had in her stomach before)?


    She wasn¡¯t that sure. She was also half sure her [Child Stage] would not be able to eat as much without moving some to the [Banked Biomass] thing.


    ¡°So long as we have an understanding¡­Also, please stop doing that thing. I don¡¯t know how you are doing it, but it''s eerie. We hear you speak, but you aren¡¯t moving your mouth, or it doesn¡¯t come from your mouth. It¡¯s ¡­.unnerving.¡± [Golem] pleaded with her, even though it was convenient¡­


    Really, these [Humans] were hard to please. Don¡¯t speak with [Food] in your [Mouth], then [Don¡¯t use your speakers to talk to us.]


    ¡°....Fine,¡± Alexa answered after gulping down the last remaining [Food] she had brought. Everything had been a treasure, and each of these plates was loaded with [Calories]. She was recovering quite well. The [Rat Meat] was rich in biomass on itself, but that was about it. It was poor in calories and similar contents, almost as if it was artificially made using [Mana] instead of natural evolution. It was also raw and didn¡¯t have extra ingredients, unlike this [Food]. ¡°Anything else before I turn towards my desserts?¡±


    The [Minions] around her stared at her as she moved the empty (And clean) plates away and placed the [Dessert] in front of her.


    She even heard someone drop their [Fork].


    ¡°....No, carry on.¡± [Golem] said silently as he looked at the pile of [Cake], [Pudding], and [Ice Cream] that Alexa had brought.


    ¡°Good,¡± Alexa said as she grabbed a new [Fork] and cut a piece of [Cake] from one of her plates. ¡°Also, if someone bothers me while I eat dessert, I will rip his head off unless it¡¯s important.¡±


    Alexa had tolerated them bothering her while eating before, but this was [Dessert]. This was [Candy], this had [Sugar]!


    She would not tolerate it if they bothered her. It was around time she found what the deal was with [Cake] and to see if they had [Mango] on it. She would not be stopped. She would [EAT].

 Chapter 49: Sugar explosion! Also some important talk or something.

    Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar.


    What had Sugar? Cake. Pudding. Ice Cream.


    It was lump after lump of sugar, turned into liquid and then used as an ingredient, turned into solid and used as an ingredient, and then used to create a work of art. In a nutshell, it was sugar placed atop of sugar and sprinkled with some extra sugar.


    Did it have other things? Of course, it did. The cake had [Bread], the pudding had [Milk], and the [Ice Cream] had [Strawberries]. But at the end of the day, it was merely an accompaniment. The main thing was sugar over sugar, with sugar and some sugar on the side.


    It was chock full of [Energy], and she could feel her body want to go into hyperdrive once again. However, her own effort and sound mind had prevented this, as she had started channeling the extra [Sugar] into [Sugar deposits] she made within her body. She would make them into crystals and hide them away to be used when needed or when she wanted to go into hyperdrive for some reason.


    ¡°Rhapsody¡­are you okay?¡± [Skye] asked on the side as she finished her own slice of [Cake].


    [Skye] had only brought one slice, and Alexa now understood why. Had any average [Human] that didn¡¯t have access to separate the extra sugar into their body¡­Yeah, that would be a nightmare to deal with.


    ¡°Yes, I just finished setting aside the extra [Sugar] for later use. This will help me with my [Energy]problems quite well. Thank you for bringing me here.¡± Alexa answered as she set down her [Fork].


    She still had some [Pudding] left, but to be honest¡­she hadn¡¯t quite liked that one as much, the texture was weird, not hard to eat, but after eating such delicacies, the texture of the [Pudding]...it left much to be desired.


    ¡°Miss Rhapsody? Vulcanus would like to speak with you.¡± A [White Masked] minion said to them as soon as her [Fork] hit the table.


    Right, [Billy] had said that Vulcanus wanted to speak with her, right?


    What would [Vulcanus] want to talk about? Would it be about what she did?


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go,¡± Alexa said as she stood. As soon as she did this, the [Minions] all around started chatting among themselves, as if they had been doing from the beginning. This was such interesting behavior.


    ¡°We will be waiting here; we do need to speak, too, when you return, Rhapsody. We will come clean about our Core Powers¡­but we will need a more thorough explanation in exchange.¡± [Golem] said to her without standing from his seat.


    ¡°Or you can ignore the big rock and just give us the important bits; it''s up to you, really.¡± [Skye] said from her side, taking another bite of her [Cake].


    ¡­.Alexa may go by the dessert table and grab another [Cake] slice, too.


    ¡°This way.¡± Alas, the [Minion] who had come to fetch her said, pointing to a set of stairs that¡­she hadn¡¯t noticed before. They seemed to be almost transparent, and no one was paying attention to them. ¡°After you.¡±


    Was this perhaps another [Core Power]? Alexa wasn¡¯t sure.


    ¡°[Detected Mana waves coming from stairs. Similar in nature to Human Designation: Chrysalis, caution is advised.]¡±


    So it was a [Core Power], but it only used another different application of the [Barriers], huh?


    Alexa took the first step upon the [Stairs], and when her feet found solid ground, she took a second step. One by one, she started climbing this staircase made of rainbow steps, and with each step, she came closer and closer to a second floor.


    On this one, she could see several tables with masked individuals. Some of them she recognized¡­, but most of them she didn¡¯t know.


    She recognized the table with [Vulcanus] and the masked individuals that had been labeled as [Lieutenants]. Another one she recognized was the table that hosted [Scorcher] and those seated with her. She hadn¡¯t reacted to her presence¡­But then again, not only was she different from how she had seen her before, but she was also wearing a [White Mask].


    ¡°Rhapsody, come.¡± [Vulcanus] said to her, and so she moved there. The people at the other tables stared at her, but Alexa ignored them. It was obvious for them to stare at her; she was currently [The Most Beautiful] after all.


    ¡°Rhapsody reporting,¡± Alexa said as she stood before the table. The other [Lieutenants] didn¡¯t take mind of her and continued eating. Some of them did away with their mask and showed their faces. Others had done, like [Skye] and Alexa, and only dislodged the lower half of the [Mask] to allow their mouth to be able to eat.


    It was an interesting dichotomy among the high-ranking [Minions].


    ¡°Good, we got reports of your death.¡± [Vulcanus]said, and with the snap of his fingers, a huge [Screen] descended from the ceiling.


    On it, an altered [Video] of the events started being broadcasted, Alexa could see some of the [Frames] change as if someone had modified the recording to make it more¡­visible.


    ¡°Please do tell me if I got something wrong.¡± [Vulcanus] spoke as the recording started to arrive at the part where she had been knocked down.


    From this moment onward, the discrepancies started. On the video, she could see [Chrysalis] punching her chest. ¡°There,¡± Alexa said, pointing at the screen. As soon as she opened her mouth, the screen froze.


    ¡°Did I get something wrong?¡± [Vulcanus] asked. His voice wasn¡¯t angry or anything, but it was more¡­curious.


    ¡°[Chrysalis] did not punch me, she got ahold of my [Breast] with her hand and crushed it between her fingers,¡± Alexa answered while pointing with her finger at her right boob.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°I was wondering what that small explosion-like event was, so that was your breast, huh. I assume they are natural?¡± [Vulcanus] asked while getting a glare from the [Female Minions] on the table, not that he seemed fazed by them.


    ¡°They are 100% made with muscle and fat tissue if that is what you refer to. I don¡¯t have any alternative blueprint for their make.¡± Alexa answered in turn. The video rewound itself, and she now could see [Chrysalis] getting ahold of her breast and crushing it between her fingers.


    Some of the [Females] within the seats winced at the scenery.


    ¡°Is this more accurate, then?¡± [Vulcanus] asked while pausing it when [Chrysalis] had sunk her fingers within her flesh.


    ¡°There was less blood leaking in squirts, [Chrysalis] barrier worked to prevent it from spreading that far.¡±Alexa answered, and the little blood squirts traveled backward, ¡°Also, she was [Smiling] while looking down on me.¡±


    The image of the [Heroine]changed from a placid look to a vicious smile, ¡°Yes, like that. A little more [Hate] in her eyes¡­¡± Alexa added, and the image changed ever so slowly.


    ¡°And you? I¡¯m sorry to say, but it isn¡¯t quite normal for you to be that¡­quiet.¡± [Vulcanus] said while her form in the video seemed to want to move and fight. Right¡­she should be under great duress.


    ¡°I was suffering from [Shock] and also had turned most of my [Pain receptors] off,¡± Alexa answered. The first part, of course, was a lie. She had no doubts that [Eleanore] would catch on it, but that was fine. She wanted her to catch on it. She needed to record how her body reacted to [Lies] if she ever needed to deceive her¡­This would be of use, as for the second¡­


    ¡°Ah, a kindred spirit. Yes, I liked to do that when I had more Human parts.¡± [Vulcanus] answered to that part with a smile on his [Crystal-like face].


    With that, the video resumed; the rest of it was normal. As [Chrysalis] started punching her in the face, she noticed how, in the video, her [Mask] started cracking under the hits. That was¡­false.


    But a small, almost imperceptible movement on [Vulcanus] made her not point it out. [Chrysalis] also was weird in the recording. While her face did morph into more [Hate] and [Rage] as the hits started to pick up, this recording showed her more¡­[Feral].


    Then¡­It came the significant bit, the part where she had started her act.


    And sure enough, it was at this point where [Vulcanus] paused it again.


    ¡°Now here, here I¡¯m not quite sure. You didn¡¯t point anything before this point, but here¡­¡± [Vulcanus] said as the record started again. Her reflection on the screen began clawing away while a synthetic voice sounded with her pleading for help. ¡°I assume it was something like this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, while this doesn¡¯t have the exact words I used, the spirit is somewhat the same,¡± Alexa answered, her recording seemed to speak mostly incoherent words while screaming.


    While she¡­.did not scream like that, she liked this version more and would save it for later use if needed. The recording moved on as she started to pick up on volume and scream louder, and after reaching a crescendo¡­


    Her lower half burst open as gore flew around all over the place. Some of those who had been eating stopped doing so and left their tables. Perhaps they wanted more stuff to eat?


    Others started hollering and cheering for some reason at her apparent demise? That or at the fact that the recorded version of [Chrysalis] had part of her [Intestines] as a collar. She was almost sure that hadn¡¯t happened.


    But the next part had [Chrysalis] screaming and jumping away from her as she tried to clean herself.


    And to be honest, Alexa also found that part quite funny.


    ¡°Did I get everything right?¡± [Vulcanus] asked as the screen once more froze at the point where the Alexa in the recording started walking away toward the sewer.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Alexa answered, so the recording resumed again. The Alexa on the screen started crawling towards the sewer, grabbed the metal disk, and threw it at [Chrysalis], unlike what happened in the real world. This recording showed [Chrysalis]¡¯s head moving at the impact.


    After that, Alexa threw herself into the sewers, and the recording sped up. They saw [Chrysalis] raise Alexa¡¯s lower body, throw it down the sewers, and close the sewer entrance with the metal disk again.


    ¡°She threw a square box,¡± Alexa said, making everyone stop.


    ¡°Oh right, Hermes did report something like that.¡± [Vulcanus] smirked as he rewound the video once more. This time, he placed a square object in [Chrysalis] ''s hand. ¡°Care to describe it?¡±


    ¡°A square white box with two liquid vials,¡± Alexa said. The image zoomed into the box and started changing as per her description: ¡°The liquid on the left vial was blue while the one on the right side was green. They seemed to be connected to a third vial in the middle. There was a [Countdown] in the middle that marked fifteen minutes by the time I stopped pretending to be wounded.¡±


    The image changed to reflect her description and some of those around had started speaking in hushed tones.


    ¡°Yes, this does seem to look oddly familiar. Any opinions on that Scorcher?¡± [Vulcanus] said turning to the table that hosted Scorcher.


    ¡°I sold the design, anyone could use it. Even Heroines in training.¡± [Scorcher] said with a grunt, ¡°...Did it have anything on the back?¡±


    The attention returned to Alexa. ¡°I did not see. I reported the presence of the box and was instructed by [Hermes] to run away. I recovered as much as I could from my gear and ran away to the rendezvous point,¡± added Alexa at the end.


    The video resumed once more with [Chrysalis] throwing the square object down and then the footage sped up, it slowed at the 10-minute mark where [Chrysalis] spoke to someone as she placed a finger on her ear. She had turned to look back and so the camera didn¡¯t have focus on what she was saying.


    Then it continued at a fast speed, at the 20-minute mark [Chrysalis] left flying away and sometime after that the metal disk moved a little and let some smoke go.


    ¡°And that¡¯s about it, of course Rhapsody wasn¡¯t there by that moment, but this is another clear evidence of Chrysalis going over the line against a Minion.¡± [Vulcanus] spoke as the video rewound back to the moment when [Chrysalis] had started punching her, this time her hands seemed covered in blood. How was that possible? Probably more additions done by [Vulcanus].


    ¡°And?¡± [Scorcher] scoffed, ¡°What do you want us to do? You turn squeamish when I try to burn down civilians, but you would have me go out of my way to get into more problems with the Heroes? The only reason I¡¯m not burning you all is because you are useful.¡±


    ¡°Not that I want to support Scorcher, but our hands are tied. If we go after a Sidekick, whether she had it coming or not, the Heroes will hunt us all down. We need evidence of her wrongdoings. And we need it public, your Minion is safe and isn¡¯t wounded. As far as Chrysalis and The Heroes are concerned, she wasn¡¯t hurt, and this video is fake.¡± Another one of those around spoke, this one had a mask that barely hid his eyes and had some hair above his lip. A quick internet search determined that this was a [Moustache].


    ¡°What do you want from us Vulcanus? Will you stop us from using your network if we don¡¯t support you? Will you start accepting jobs against us? Speak. Why have you called us here?¡± Another one of those seated in this floor spoke, this one had a domino mask with four points on its forehead.


    ¡°Haephestus¡¯ Forge will offer discounted rates for our minions to anyone that can provide evidence of Chrysalis suffering¡­.unfortunate accidents. This bonus will be retroactive for any crimes or fights.¡± [Vulcanus] spoke making everyone on the site turn quiet. ¡°Of course we won¡¯t accept hearsay; we will need evidence, and each instance will only be valid for one discount. So if you want more discounts, you will need recorded evidence of¡­more accidents. You will also need evidence of being there or being the cause of it. So, why did I bring you here?¡±


    [Vulcanus] stood as he walked toward the end of his table. ¡°It is to present you all with this opportunity for new business and to celebrate the first good job of the new Minions in our organization. By the way, the one affected on this occasion is this one here. Say hi to them, Rhapsody. They will probably require your services soon enough.¡±


    Alexa looked around and noticed that people were starting to notice her. The [Scorcher]''s eyes remained longer on her, as if she were being evaluated. Alexa didn¡¯t like the look she was getting from that one. Was it because it was the one that almost killed her the first day she got out of her first [Den]?


    Another [Human Emotion]? That was hard to parse, perhaps she could check later?


    ¡°[Saving emotional state for later peruse during night debug.]¡±


    Thank you [Main Core].


    ¡°Greetings. My name is Rhapsody, and I am a member of the [Fairy Team] of [Haephestus¡¯ Forge].¡± Alexa said to the ones seated on this floor and to some of the [Minions] looking from the lower floor.


    ¡°Good, now with that out of the way you can leave Rhapsody.¡± [Vulcanus] said pointing with one of his hands towards a [Door] behind his table. ¡°Cerberus wants to speak with you about your next assignment. Good luck.¡±


    So with that out of the way, Alexa walked towards that [Door], anything to get away from the eyes of [Scorcher], she got the impression that the [Villainess] wanted to attack her and was restraining herself. What had Alexa done to her?!?


    She had gotten attacked by her first! If anything, it should be Alexa the one that wanted to start a fight!


    As soon as Alexa walked through the [Door] and closed it behind her, the feeling receded. What she found there, however, was a hallway with [Eleanore] waiting in front of one of the doors.


    ¡°Ah, welcome Alexa. We need to speak.¡± Said [Eleanore] opening another door and walking inside, she hadn¡¯t spoken to her using her Rhapsody moniker, she had used her Alexa name. So Alexa removed her mask and walked through the door.


    She found herself in a [Room] with a table and two chairs on each side. So after seeing [Eleanore] sitting in one she sat in the other.


    ¡° There is no easy way to say this so I will just get it out.¡± [Eleanore] said as she placed several folded papers atop the table. ¡°Pick one, that will be your school.¡±


    School?


    ¡°[Institution where childrens go to study and socialize.]¡±


    ¡°I personally recommend this one.¡± [Eleanore] said as she pushed one of the papers towards her. "A friend works here, and she is good. I don¡¯t know if she still is there since she was working there as a substitute teacher the last time we spoke.¡±


    [Nightingale Primary School]


    [Lewis Middle School]


    [Henderson High School]


    [Roy¡¯s University]


    ¡°Nightingale Primary School?¡± Alexa asked as she took the paper depicting the suggestion. It seemed to be a school that focused on the education of [Child Stage Humans], so she would need to go in her [Child Stage] form¡­


    That ought to be¡­interesting.

 Chapter 50: I TOO WANT MANGO PANCAKE! GIVE MEEEEEEEEEEEE!

    Alexa woke up on her bed, this time atop it. The first thing she did after waking up was search once more for the data that [Main Core] had found about the [School system].


    ¡°[The school system was designed to streamline the education of Human Children. Its focused on increasing the amount of children that can receive a standardized education in the least amount of time. As such, this system prioritizes quantity over quality. It has been deemed highly inefficient in nurturing great intellect but effective enough in making sure the greatest amount of knowledge is passed to the new generations.]¡±


    Was the evaluation from [Main Core] about the institutions known as [Schools]. Alexa had delved more and more into the subject after her talk with [Eleanore]. First, she searched for data points about the different school subjects that had been granted to her.


    For starters¡­She could only go to three of the four options, it would be either [Elementary School], [Middle School] or [University]. Those allowed for students to have [5], [12] and [19] years old. [High School] required at least [15] years old to attend.


    So if she had picked that option she would have needed to generate one extra form, it wasn¡¯t even worth the attempt. Search about [Girls of that age] had ended showing her plenty images of [Women] and [Girls] whose appearance seemed to be close enough to what her [Young Woman] form was.


    Weirdly enough, some pictures with a form between her [Teenager] and [Young Woman] form did show occasionally. Still, they were in the minority, so Alexa ignored those. Besides, most of the pictures of other [Women] showed that they were [Young] as the images had embedded the names [Fifteen-year-old girl] and [Young fifteen finds fun at the park].


    Of course, Alexa hadn¡¯t looked closer at those links, for she did not need the extra data. At the moment, all she needed was images to compare how she would look. And if she was to be honest, she could believe that her [Teenager] form would be happy with the progress.


    [Humans] grew so much in some places so fast, Alexa couldn¡¯t believe how much her body would change from [12] to [15], but the data was there. It made her wonder what was the point of going for [19] year-old if [15] had most of the significant changes¡­ Perhaps it was something more to do with inward changes? It should be.


    She couldn¡¯t believe most of the changes would finish in merely three years, her [19] body was more complex than her [12] year-old body after all.


    ¡°Main Core, search for what we will need to attend this [Elementary School].¡± Alexa said aloud while standing up from her bed. She had received a message from [Eleanore] telling her that her inscription had been finished and that she needed to know the relevant data.


    ¡°[Human Designation: Eleanore has already provided most of the material that will be needed. Host-only needs to go and get the Backpack from her and attend the school at the determined time.]¡±


    Was the answer that Main Core provided to her, even so it did show a list for her to go to.


    [Backpack]


    [Lunch]


    [Notebook]


    [Pencil]


    [Eraser]


    [Pen]


    [Uniform]


    [Change of clothes]


    [Money]


    And apparently most of those things would be provided by [Eleanore], she had gotten no idea where to procure those articles, so it was good. Since so far her searches for them on the [Internet] had provided her with mostly the definitions. And while she could probably make some of them¡­Having originals to copy at a later date would be much better.


    ¡°[Notice: All points seem to serve a purpose besides the change of clothes. Host is able to change the composition and make of any clothing part as needed.].¡±


    Then why had [Eleanore] added that part? Surely she should know¡­? At least some of them should know¡­[Stella] knew that her clothing was made with her power, and so did [Skye]...Right?


    Either way, for now, Alexa was preparing to leave. [Eleanore] had said that she would come for her with her [Backpack] and her things. So right now, Alexa was preparing to leave, which meant that she needed to [Eat]. She had woken up in her [Young Adult] form since she hadn¡¯t changed forms before sleeping after coming back.


    [Main Core] hadn¡¯t deemed the change necessary, so perhaps there was some arbitrary reasoning behind it? Was it because she went to sleep conscious of her current state? When she lost consciousness because of [Beer], Main Core had changed her to her [Child Stage]. Perhaps it was because the loss of consciousness wasn¡¯t intended?


    It was hard to tell, but in either case, Alexa walked to her [Kitchen]and prepared something to eat. She had some recipes that she wanted to try, like [Pancakes]. As far as she could tell, this recipe was easy and fast to do.


    First she needed to find the ingredients. It was a good thing she had the recipe saved in the back of her mind. Flour, Sugar, Cornflour, Eggs, Milk, Yellow food coloring¡­Easy, her [kitchen] had most of those things, she was running low on the sugar front¡­But she had plenty on her own personal reserve, so she would use that.


    As for the extra ingredients that wouldn¡¯t be used in the pancake batter, well, she would use some regular premade stuff. Instead of making her own Whipped cream, she would use premade stuff. And the final part of her pancakes was already sitting on her table, waiting for her¡­


    The holy grail of [Food]...The¡­[Holy Mango], she had a few of them ready and she would use them for her [Mango Pancakes]. From the moment she found this recipe while surfing the [Internet] she knew that she had to make it.


    After assembling her ingredients, Alexa started working on it. She followed the steps to create the batter, and while the recipe called for refrigeration for an hour¡­Alexa had no such time to waste, so instead, she altered the properties of the batter to simulate a flash freeze.


    Surely, that would work. After doing so she went ahead and spread the batter over a cooking pan. The recipe called for the creation of something called [Crepe], as far as she could tell it was a fancy way to describe [Cooked] batter in a thin, easy-to-fold form. So she made such a thing.


    By the amount of batter this recipe made, she cut enough [Mango] pieces and spread the resulting [Pancake] on a plate. When it was there, she put the required [Whipped Cream] and placed a singular piece of cut [Mango] atop. Then, folding the [Pancake] over the [Mango], she made what the recipe called [a mango burrito]. And it was done!


    Her Magnus Opus was finished!


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    With that ready, she repeated it as many times as she needed to finish her current ingredients, and when she was done, she started eating!


    It was¡­


    ¡°[Passable]¡±


    Wonderful, the taste of the holy [Mango] spread around her mouth augmented by the use of other ingredients. It was indeed a marvel of creation that increased the might of the [Human] race in Alexa¡¯s mind. For who but the apex of the apex could create such wonderful delicacy and spread it far and wide¡­Who could but those at the top of the top.


    *Ding-dong-dang-dung*


    A weird sound came from near her [Door], followed by a message in her [Message Application] that seemed to have come from [Eleanore]. It read ¡®I¡¯m at your front door,¡¯ so Alexa left the remaining [Mango Pancake] and walked to the door. She was still in her [Young Adult] form, but that was mostly because she wasn¡¯t able to [Cook] in her other forms.


    ¡°Oh, you are awake, good¡­.And you are in this form?¡± [Eleanore] said while looking at her. She was holding a couple of bags in her hands. The right one had a pink-yellow bag with a star on it, while the left hand had a plastic bag.


    ¡°Yes. I can¡¯t cook in the other forms.¡± Alexa answered as she moved away from the door so [Eleanore] could walk in.


    ¡°So you cook for your other forms?¡± [Eleanore] asked, somewhat amused.


    ¡°No? I cook for myself. If I eat, my other forms also benefit from it.¡± Alexa answered. That had been such a weird take. Imagine having to cook three times because your other forms wanted to eat, too. It was not only inefficient but¡­


    ¡°[Utter Madness].¡±


    ¡°...right. Anyway, here is your backpack. I put in what you will need, and this other bag has clothing¡­of roughly your size, if Billy is to be believed. The pervert has your sizes in all your forms since you used his bodysuit without any clothes. Don¡¯t worry; I made sure that he would not share them.¡± [Eleanore] said with a scowl on her face as she presented the bags to Alexa.


    ¡°Thank you, I will change then¡­Do these change in size with me too?¡± Alexa said as she took the plastic bag with her change of clothes. She could see a pair of shorts similar to the ones she had made before, but the make seemed more¡­bad.


    ¡°We can provide clothes that stretch with you, but ones like the bodysuit that Billy makes that change back to smaller sizes are hard to get for civilians. If you get good at your job and earn more money you could probably pay for a pair of outfits like that¡­¡± [Eleanore] said while shrugging. ¡°That is for the future, for now these will not change with you, unless you use your power in them. And I was told that you could do something like that, not that I doubt you¡­but that seems like a weird power for a shifter to have.¡±


    ¡­Was it weird? If so she may need to dial down that application of her power¡­


    ¡°Thank you anyway; these clothes seem cute,¡± Alexa said while taking the bag and walking towards her [Bedroom]. She had seen that [Humans] didn¡¯t like changing [Clothes] with other people looking, both from [Skye] changing while making sure she was out of her sight and from some searches about people asking for advice on dealing with that situation on the internet.


    So Alexa took her clothes and changed away from prying eyes.


    The new outfit consisted of a pair of [Sports shoes], [White socks], [shorts], [sailor uniform], [overoll], [button up shirt], [ribbon], [hat] and of course [underwear]. It was a primarily blue uniform with some decorations in yellow colors.


    The harder part was changing from her [Young Adult] form and making sure her [Child Stage] form didn¡¯t run straight to the [Mango Pancake] that was left at the table.


    ¡°I WANT PANCAKE TOO!!!¡± But that was easy enough by having set a restriction on her younger self actions that prevented her from leaving the room unless she dressed herself. ¡°INJUSTICE! THIS IS INJUSTICE! MAIN CORE, THE OLD ONE IS BULLYING ME!¡±


    Not that her complaints would serve anything. Even if Alexa was starting to feel the influence of her [Child Stage] increase and affect her thought process¡­


    But that was okay! For Alexa was great no matter her stage! And she would have her [Mango Pancake]!


    Even if she needed to put the weird and fancy clothes first! She would tolerate them since they looked [Cute], and [Eleanore] had said to put them on!


    How? Easy!


    First step! Put on the socks! Underwear! Shorts! Blouse! Skirt! Blazer! Shoes! Ribbon!


    Ready? Yes! Then now ¡°We Run Towards Pancakes!¡± So Alexa declared!


    And with great speed she kicked open the door into freedom! What? She could deconstruct the door and earn her freedom earlier if she used her [Nanites]? It matters not! For she was free anyway!


    ¡°MANGO!¡± PANCAKE!


    ¡°...I¡¯m glad it fits you.¡± [Eleanore] said as Alexa ran past her straight to the kitchen where a single [Mango Pancake] was already waiting for her.


    The old one had eaten like four of them, and only left one for her? CHEATING! That was CHEATING!


    But Alexa would forgive it for she was a kind soul¡­.


    What was a kind soul? She did not know, but she was one!


    So, taking her [Fork], she pierced the [Sacred Meal] and struck it into her mouth in one go, for her [Tummy] was the ultimate sacred place for its rest!


    What was she saying? She had no idea, but she was eating the most delicious meals ever! The old one was wonderful and great, for she had made a work of art!


    ¡°....So wasn¡¯t it weird for you to eat in this form if your other form had eaten already?¡± [Eleanore] said with a [Smirk] on her face.


    ¡°mghsdsfsdkh.¡± Alexa answered with a smile on her face as she continued wolfing down her [Mango Pancake], what was wolfing and why it was used on her [Mango Cake]? She also didn¡¯t know!


    ¡°Alexa dear, don¡¯t speak with anything in your mouth. That is bad manners,¡± [Eleanor] said in a¡­cute tone. Or was it a comfortable tone? She didn¡¯t know! But she liked that tone! ¡°Cute girls don¡¯t speak with something in their mouth.¡±


    Oh no!


    Alexa was the cutestest! She couldn¡¯t speak with something in her mouth! No wait, did the tongue count? She couldn¡¯t speak without a tongue! What about the teeth?!?! She¡­could probably speak without teeth¡­But she liked her teeth! It was what made her smile so cute!


    How could she be the cutestest without a cute smile!?!?


    ¡°*Gulp* The old one is a cheapstake; she doesn¡¯t want to let me eat good things and she eats weird things. Like the [Beer] thing, it tasted awful and dirty and made Alexa dizzy!¡± Alexa complained as she prepared to eat the last part of her [Mango Pancake]. ¡°See! I DECLARE INJUSTICE!¡±


    Alexa said as she pointed at the last bite of [Mango Cake], ¡°The old one ate like¡­five! [MangoPancakes] but only left me one! And she probably wasn¡¯t going to let me eat it!¡± It was the greatest creation of [Humanity]. And she hadn¡¯t wanted to share it with her!?!?


    The gall! (Alexa wasn¡¯t sure what that word was, but it seemed like the correct word for this situation)


    ¡°I see, so tell me Alexa. What did your older self tell you? Do you know what we will do today?¡± [Eleanore] asked with a smile on her face as she brought her [Backpack] into the table.


    Alexa was too busy licking the plate clean (she refused to allow her nanites to eat the remains of [Mango Pancake]), so between lickings of the plate, she answered, ¡°Going¡­.to¡­..school¡­.to¡­..learn¡­..about¡­..[Human].... behavior¡­.¡± That had been what was logged after all.


    ¡°That¡­.isn¡¯t wrong, but that is also not right. You are going to school to make friends. Billy claims that you have some type of sub-tinker core. And Vulcanus seems to think the same, so you are smart enough as is.¡± [Eleanore] said the last part as if she was doubting it.


    Why?


    Alexa was smart!


    She had been smart enough to know that there would be some remains of the [Mango Pancake] in the dirty plates that her old self had used! And she had been smart enough to know that stretching her tongue to get into all the hard-to-access parts would be the best way to get them clean!


    See? Alexa was smart!


    ¡°....Just¡­.try to keep a mostly Human form at school, okay? Most kids don¡¯t have Core Powers, and those that do¡­.usually don¡¯t go to school.¡± [Eleanore] said while sighing and pointing at her bathroom. ¡°Now go and brush your teeth, I will brush your hair before leaving.¡±


    Brush her teeth? But her teeth were clean?


    Alexa wasn¡¯t sure what this was about, but walked towards the bathroom nonetheless, since that was what her [Brain] told her to do, for some reason she was feeling more¡­compelled to obey [Eleanore].


    ¡°[Notice: This seems to be an aftereffect from hormonal instability settling up. Human Designation: Eleanore seems to have risen in the host¡¯s brain chemistry hierarchy. More data is required, this can be reversed at a later notice.]¡±


    It was good that it wouldn¡¯t be permanent, so for now she would obey¡­She wanted to know what this [Brushing her teeth] and [Brushing her hair] was about. It sounded like something she ought to know how to do.


    Maybe it could help her in becoming the cutestest plus two?


    That would be good.


    ¡°So Alexa, how do you usually brush your teeth and hair?¡± [Eleanore] asked as they arrived at her unused bathroom. She hadn¡¯t found much use for it besides the occasional discharge of waste from her body.


    Her [Young Woman] stage had used it quite often after the [Beer] event. But her [Teenager] and [Child Stage] hadn¡¯t seen much reason to go beyond that.


    ¡°I¡­don¡¯t? What is this [Brushing]you speak of?¡± Alexa asked to the horror of [Eleanore].


    The older [Woman] sighed and turned to look at the things in her [Bathroom]. ¡°You only have one toothbrush and hair brush¡­we will need to buy another two¡­Okay so no one has used this one yet right?¡± [Eleanore] asked as she picked the weird tiny brush-like object.


    No wait¡­tiny-brush-like object? Was she supposed to¡­use that on her teeth?


    ¡°Yeah¡­? I didn¡¯t know what it was for so it has been sitting there.¡± Alexa answered, as soon as she said that [Eleanore] grabbed it and poured some mysterious white cream on it. The woman offered it to Alexa.


    ¡°Okay, you know what. Never mind, open your mouth and show me your teeth.¡± [Eleanore] said as she stood behind Alexa, ¡°Look at the mirror, and I will show you how to brush your teeth.¡±


    The [Eleanore] on the mirror stood behind her with the weird tiny-like brush near Alexa¡¯s mouth. Alexa¡­could make an idea of what was about to happen, but¡­she wasn¡¯t sure if she liked the implications of it.


    The idea of shoving a weird [Paste] into her mouth¡­She could analyze it and search for new applications to it, she could probably make sure nothing remained¡­but¡­it was so weird!


    Why would they try to¡­brush¡­their teeth? What was the point? Alexa didn¡¯t see one!


    Her mouth was always clean and no food remained there! No waste! No nothing! Only spit! And that was supposed to be there anyway!!! WHY?!?!?!?!?!?

 Chapter 51: To the School Arc! I mean, to the school!

    ¡°I can¡¯t be a bride anymore¡­¡± What was a bride? Alexa didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°[Bride, the partner of a groom in a marriage agreement. This is a social construct made by the humans to symbolize the union of a man and woman in a single household to procreate new Humans without judgment from society.]¡±


    Alexa heard many words but understood none of them! What she knew was that she couldn¡¯t be a bride anymore!


    ¡°Don¡¯t be such a drama queen and spit the toothpaste. It is bad for your tummy if you eat it,¡± [Eleanore] said at her side while letting water out from the sink. "Here, grab the cup and fill it with water. We want to make sure your teeth are sparkling white, so you need to rinse them.¡±


    Alexa¡­wasn¡¯t quite sure if that statement was true or not.


    ¡°[ Components of Designation: Toothpaste include:


    Water (20¨C40%)


    Abrasives (50%) including aluminum hydroxide, calcium hydrogen phosphates, calcium carbonate, silica and hydroxyapatite.


    Fluoride (usually 1450 ppm) mainly in the form of sodium fluoride.


    The probability of causing ill effects on host are above average. Especially since host may attempt to eat tremendous amounts of this component, it is advised to host to not consume this in significant quantities or host risks inability of being able to eat more Mango.]¡±


    IT WAS A DANGEROUS CHEMICAL!


    ¡°IT IS A DANGEROUS CHEMICAL!¡± Alexa said as she took her kiddy cup and filled it with water. She rinsed her mouth and repeated it a few extra times for good measure.


    ¡°Good, now smile at the mirror?,¡± [Eleanore] said as Alexa continued rinsing her mouth. After the fourth rinse, she did as instructed and¡­ ¡°That is a cute smile for a cute girl. Good work!¡±


    [Eleanore] clapped at her success, and¡­to be honest. It was indeed the cutestest smile possible, since it was her smile. Alexa was the cutestest after all!


    ¡°Now we grab this bottle and pour some of the liquid in the cap,¡± [Eleanore] said as she brought a second mysterious liquid. "Don¡¯t drink it either. You want to gargle in your mouth with this and then, after 15 seconds, spit the liquid.¡±


    ¡­.Why was she putting so many things in her mouth that she couldn¡¯t eat? Wasn¡¯t the mouth for eating?


    Alexa did as instructed and¡­.it tasted funny, it felt as if her [Mouth] was fresh and itchy, it almost seemed as if the liquid wanted to eat her [Mouth]......


    ¡°[Notice, current beverage seems to include a small dosage of alcohol in tandem with the same chemicals as Toothpaste care is adviced as current body does not have the same level of resistence to these chemicals as Young Adult stage.]¡±


    Alcohol? The not tasty drink?


    ¡°Bleeergh,¡± Alexa said as she let the liquid fall from her mouth and into the sink.


    ¡°Careful there, we need to ensure you don¡¯t dirty your uniform, cute girls don¡¯t dirty their clothes.¡± [Eleanore] said while she rushed to pass a towel over the parts that the nasty liquid had dripped.


    Alexa stealthily absorbed the parts that had been dirtied and made new ones to replace them, so she was clean as the cutestest girl she was!


    Still, these [Humans] are such dangerous creatures. They wash the mouths of their young ones with such dangerous chemicals, as far as her own data implied. This liquid was dangerous! It made Alexa dizzy, and it made her do weird things, and it made her feel weird things!


    It was a no-no liquid!


    ¡°Alexa dear? Did it hurt your mouth? I know some kids have a hard time stomaching the mouthwash¡­.¡± [Eleanore] said in a small voice, ¡°But I guessed that you would manage since you seem so mature sometimes¡­.¡±


    ¡°I can deal with it!¡± Alexa said while hitting her chest with her hand. Why had she done that? She had no idea! But the Alexa in the mirror looked cute doing it! So she was right at doing it!


    ¡°Okay, so what more do we need to do¡­¡± [Eleanore] said, looking around. "We washed our mouths and made sure our breath was mint-flavored¡­We put on our clothes and prepared our backpacks¡­ We have lunch money and snack money¡­¡±


    [Eleanore] brought two envelopes at the last part, each one with those words written on them, so she would use one for lunch and one for snacks? Such words held no meaning to her, but she liked them anyway!


    ¡°[...Lunch refers to the time when humans eat a well-designed food to recuperate lost energy. Snack refers to food meant for amusement, usually with high dosages of sugar and calories.]¡±


    SHE WANTED SNACKS!!


    ¡°We are all good, you have your shoes on, socks¡­, and your change of clothes in case of emergencies?¡± [Eleanore] asked looking her up and down.


    ¡°Here!¡± Alexa answered pointing at her backpack, on the interior of it in one of the hidden compartments was another set of clothes, from a blouse to underwear and shorts. All that was missing was a new pair of shoes, but she guessed that she could make a new pair if needed.


    ¡°Good, then we are set. Are you ready to meet new friends?¡± [Eleanore] said with a smile as she kneeled besides Alexa.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Alexa wasn¡¯t quite sure what these new [Friends] would do for her, but for now going to that place guaranteed [Snacks] so she would go!


    All for the [Snacks]!!!!


    ¡°Okay, now we need to set some rules, repeat after me.¡± [Eleanore] said in a more serious tone. ¡°I will not use my Core Powers on the other kids.¡±


    ¡°I will not use my [Core Powers] on the other kids.¡± Alexa repeated, that seemed¡­obvious? Why would she want to use her powers on the other kids? At best she could get some new samples¡­ Actually, she may do that. Does that count? Her [Core Powers] seemed to be focused on the generation of the Mk1 Nanite swarm.


    Yeah, she would not use those nanites and would use only the derivated ones, that way she would not break her promise!


    ¡°I will not change into the other forms unless I am alone and school ends.¡± [Eleanore]added the new rule.


    ¡°I will not change into other [Forms] unless alone or school has ended.¡± Alexa repeated. She also didn¡¯t understand that rule, but rules are rules. And she would follow any [Rule] set for any [Test]. She didn¡¯t need to understand them, so long as the ones at the top followed the rules, she would do the same.


    Who was at the top on this case? She hadn¡¯t found them, but surely someone should be monitoring such an intricate test. She was sure.


    ¡°And lastly¡­ I will come back straight here, if I go somewhere else I will call beforehand.¡± [Eleanore] said as she brought her phone, and a string of numbers was shown to her. ¡°Also save my number, call me if you need anything.¡±


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°I will come back straight here, and if I go somewhere else, I will call you before doing so,¡± Alexa said as she brought out her own [Cell phone] and saved the number again. Right, she had it saved beforehand thanks to the [Elder]. ¡°What are [Friends]?¡±


    Alexa asked after [Eleanore] didn¡¯t add any new rules.


    ¡°...that¡­¡± [Eleanore]¡¯s lip trembled a little and she saw the beginning of some liquid forming in her eyes, [Tears] had they been called? ¡°They are other people of your same age with who you can have fun and play around.¡±


    ¡°Like [Skye] and [Golem]?¡± Alexa asked back, they had been played around right? At least Alexa had some fun with them before.


    ¡°....something like that yeah, but Skye and Eduardo are more like friends to your¡­older form. To this form you are more like a little sister.¡± [Eleanore] answered with a wry smile, ¡°You need friends of your age.¡±


    ¡°So I need friends in the [5-year-olds] range, and then I will need to find [Friends] in the [12-year-olds].¡± Alexa asked, as that seemed like¡­too much trouble.


    ¡°For now we will focus with the five-year-olds first. That is the easiest one to deal with, we will also need to confirm how much it affects your development.¡± [Eleanore] said while grabbing Alexa¡¯s hand and pulling her towards the door. ¡°But that is enough for now, we need to move on, lest we arrive late. I called in some favors so you will be going to a friend¡¯s classroom.¡±


    A friend?


    ¡°So I will meet one of your [5-Year-Olds] friends?¡± Alexa asked. She wondered how that would be, and in what kind of setup would one meet another [5-year-olds] as an [Adult]?


    ¡°....no. My friend is around my age.¡± [Eleanore] laughed silently, ¡° Good joke though, keep that up.¡±


    Joke?


    ¡°[A way to refer to an expression that searchs to make fun or create a better environment to increase the chance of socialization.]¡±


    Did Alexa make a joke?


    ¡°Most of the time your friends are around your age group, at least while growing up they tend to be your age. Once you start working you can make friendships with people older and younger. But that is because you share an interest or work environment.¡± [Eleanore] said as they left Alexa¡¯s apartment.


    Alexa had equipped her [Backpack] and placed the envelopes with [Money] in pockets hidden within her [Uniform]. Those pockets hadn¡¯t been there; she made them, of course.


    ¡°So [Skye] and [Golem] can be Alexa¡¯s friends since we work together?¡± Alexa asked at [Eleanore] while looking at the older woman.


    ¡°I guess? I still think you need friends your age, but if they want to be your friends and they respect boundaries, they can be your friends.¡± [Eleanore] answered, ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t think you should make friends with other Minions, some are good people. But we are a Villain Organization, some of those working with us are¡­dangerous to society.¡±


    [Eleanore] seemed angry at that fact, but was that weird?


    Main Core?


    ¡°[Villain: Someone who acts for self interest and cares not for other members of society.]¡±


    ¡°[Minion: Accessory of a Villain, they act as their hands and move to follow the orders of the Villain they work for. Usually they are weaker than a Core User, but even so they are to be taken as a hostile element in any crime.]¡±


    ¡°[Crime: The act of breaking the law to fulfill a wish that is usually against the common order of society.]¡±


    Main Core threw a few definitions about those, and sure enough, she saw nothing wrong with that. She kind of understood why [Eleanore] didn¡¯t want her to socialize with [Minions]; they were hostile.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Alexa can defend herself!¡± Alexa answered once more, hitting her chest, she wasn¡¯t sure why that felt right. But she kinda felt cute while doing so, and since Alexa was the cutestest then it was fair to do.


    ¡°Alexa? You can¡¯t leave the building in that form, you need to-¡± [Fan Girl] started saying as she was opening her door while yawning. ¡°oh¡­OH!¡±


    ¡°Good morning Skye.¡± [Eleanore] said waving at [Fan Girl].


    ¡°Good morning fan girl!¡± Alexa also waved to [Fan Girl].


    ¡°...Morning Eleanore, small Alexa.¡± [Fan Girl] waved back at them. ¡°What¡­are you doing so early in the morning?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to [School] to make friends!¡± Alexa said happily, she also did her best smile with her new shining white teeth!


    ¡°Yes, Alexa is starting at the school of a friend. So we are going to her first day of school.¡± [Eleanore] also added to the answer.


    ¡°....Alexa is going to school?¡± [Fan Girl] asked confused, ¡°Is that safe?¡±


    Was it safe?


    Of course!


    Nothing could hurt her! And if something hurt her, she only needed to use her banked biomass to power through it until she managed to take a [Blueprint] and acquire that power for herself!


    ¡°Of course I will be safe!¡± Alexa said hitting for a fourth time her chest¡­it started to hurt a little, perhaps she would need to increase her chest density, like her [Young Woman] stage¡­but she felt that it would look weird.


    ¡°...I saw you survive Chrysalis, if a simple school managed to hurt you I would run to another City.¡± [Fan Girl] deadpanned at her while saying such a thing, this blind faith felt right! ¡°Eleanore? Will it be safe for the other kids?¡±


    What?


    Why did it matter? She had seen what other [Child Stage Humans] did, they played around with other P-series subjects! They were [Monsters]!


    ¡°It should be fine. I will tell my friend about Alexa being a Core User so she takes extra care of her.¡± [Eleanore] said, turning to [Fan Girl]. "Also, we need to get Alexa to socialize more. If she only spends time with Minions and villains, her view on society will get skewed. Imagine how she would grow up if she only knew our work environment all her life.¡±


    Alexa saw no problem in that!


    This work environment was fun!


    ¡°...Fineeeee, point taken, give me¡­like five? Ten-ish minutes? I will get ready. I can spend this afternoon as a babysitter for her.¡± [Fan Girl] said, sighing.


    What was a babysitter?


    ¡°[Babysitter, someone whose job is to look after human children, be it to make sure they are unhurt or to make sure they fulfill their allotted work.]¡±


    ¡­Jealousy.


    The [Humans] had other [Humans] look after their [Child Stage] members? That was unfair, she didn¡¯t have anyone look after her while growing up as a [BioWeapon]! Granted, she was a most glorious [CRAB] so she didn¡¯t need help. But still!


    ¡°...thank you. I was wondering how I was going to convince some Minion to do this.¡± [Eleanore] lowered her head to [Fan Girl] as she spoke, ¡°I will send you the address. You can come in the next hour or so. I will stay around to finish paperwork, and then we will tour the school to teach Alexa all she will need to know.¡±


    Alexa wasn¡¯t sure what the deal was with all of that, she was responsible! At least two-thirds of her were responsible! At the bare minimum one-third of her was! When it wasn¡¯t drinking [Beer] at least!


    Oh god, was some part of her responsible?


    ¡°[Yes.]¡±


    See! Main Core knew that some part of her was responsible!


    ¡°Okay, give me a call when you leave and I will rush there. Just give the school a heads-up? And my number I guess? I don¡¯t know how them school for kiddos works from the adult side of things.¡± [Fan Girl] said to [Eleanore], then turning to Alexa she smiled and said, ¡°Have fun at school Alexa, and remember. The other kids there are civilians. We don¡¯t fight using our Powers with Civilians.¡±


    The rest of the walk out of the apartment floor was uneventful, not many [Minions] took notice of Alexa, well. Plenty took notice of her and gave her [Headpats] and [Candy], but none seemed to relate her to Rhapsody. Alexa wasn¡¯t sure if she should be happy or not about that, but since she was getting either [Candy] or [Headpats], for now she decided that [Happy] was the way to go.


    The same could be said about the reception and finally the street level at the outside of the building, Alexa was almost sure that it hadn¡¯t looked like this when she had seen it as her [Young Adult] stage. Somehow, the building and street seemed more¡­[Brilliant].


    ¡°[Notice, host seems to be experiencing a higher level of dopamine rush in the bloodstream. The current body seems to be more easily excitable. Caution is advised.]¡±


    ¡°Now, usually I would either call a cab, a teleporter (If it was job-related), or drive. But you will not have access to any of those things. And unless you were an animal shifter going fast is not an option. So we will walk.¡± [Eleanore] said extending her hand towards Alexa.


    Alexa took the offered hand and started walking beside [Eleanore].


    ¡°Okay, there are some extra rules you need to be aware of while walking outside. Do you know any of them?¡± [Eleanore] asked her.


    ¡°Main Core! Rules! Give me the rules for walking on the street!¡± Alexa commanded inwardly in a rush, no one had told her this was going to be a [Test]!


    ¡°[...inconclusive data. No rules have been stated with those parameters, and a quick superficial search indicates no set rules for society or social activities in an urban environment. There are, however, some addendums to the provisional law for Core Users previously used by Unit Designation: Frank the beetle.]¡±


    ¡°Give them to meeee!¡± Alexa commanded, so when the data was on her [Consciousness Stream] she answered ¡°We can¡¯t use our [Core Powers] in urban setting unless we have a [Licence], using them in public can incur in up to $200 Axoltl - Dollar Fine!¡±


    [Eleanore] seemed astounded by her quick and efficient answer, ¡°...Yes, that is part of the Provisional Law for Core users, but not what I meant. And you will get¡­probably two or three IDs that will allow you to use your Core Powers later. Not that you should use them, but they are for emergencies.¡±


    That was wrong?


    What? Main Core! You failed me!


    ¡°No, what I meant is easier, so take notice Alexa.¡± [Eleanore] said and stopped at the side of a [Street], Alexa could see one of those square-long mechanical objects that the [Humans] liked to use so often, namely, a [Car]. One of the subsets of the mighty [Van] that her [Young Adult] form had used before, and one that Alexa totally didn¡¯t want to use. She wasn¡¯t jealous of that travel, no sir. Totally. ¡°What do you do when you want to go to the other side of a street?¡±


    [Eleanore] asked as they stood there, at the other side of the [Street] Alexa could see a pole with two lights, currently it was turned on the red one.


    ¡°I jump over it? If that isn¡¯t possible, I dodge the [Vehicles] while moving at high speed? And if that isn¡¯t an option either I [Destroy] the obstacles?¡± Alexa answered with as many easy options as possible. If she had enough [Biomass] then she could probably summon her [CRAB] form. However, she was still missing some of the more [Exotic] materials for the [Blueprint].


    She was missing most of the insides of the [Blueprint]. Moreover, when she left the [Den], she had lost some parts of her [Database], namely, the parts that included the complex component for the make of the [CRAB].


    It hadn¡¯t been a problem while at that [Den] since some of the parts that made that possible had been provided to her, so she hadn¡¯t needed to know how to make them, and since they provided new parts as needed Alexa had never needed to make them herself. A vicious trap set up by the [Humans]!


    ¡°...No, you wait for the pedestrian traffic light to turn green.¡± [Eleanore] said pointing at the pole at the other side, when it turned [Green] [Eleanore] pointed at the cars. ¡°See? They stopped, if there isn¡¯t one of them, then you turn to the traffic light over there¡­¡±


    [Eleanore] pointed to one of the poles at the corners of the street, and sure enough up there was a similar system of lights, three bulbs of different colors: Red, Yellow, and Green.


    ¡°Green means go, yellow means slow down, and red means stop. You must look in both directions before crossing, but if you see a car coming don¡¯t cross the street even if they have red light. Some assholes like to run the red lights too.¡± [Eleanore] said as they walked across the street. ¡°Also only cross streets if you have a traffic light.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Alexa said as she filed all this new information, so many rules! ¡°But do these apply while my older bully self is working? She crossed so many streets without looking both sides.¡±


    That, made [Eleanore] stop and sigh, ¡°If you have your mask on you can ignore most of those rules, just¡­try to not get hit by a car, okay?¡± And said as much.


    [Humans] were so weird, why make so many rules only to ignore them when putting a [Mask]?


    Wouldn¡¯t it be better to live while using a [Mask] all day long?


    Alexa was confused.

 Chapter 52: Interlude - Even CEOs from evil corporations can have nightmares!

    When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a wasteland, the ruins of buildings lying around him. As always, he found himself in the middle of nowhere; looking up, he could see no blue sky or stars. All that could be found at his feet were the remnants of a civilization, rubble from skyscrapers, and little else.


    Walking amidst this wasteland, he soon found a city¡ªthe same city that had haunted him during these nightmares. He wasn¡¯t sure why he kept having these dreams or why they were always the same. What he found in this was, like always, his clan''s emblem.


    The golden eagle that held a scroll in its talons. The emblem that represented the Saintsworths. Those who strived to better the world. ¡°Here lays the last capital of Terra Invicta Aq-¡­¡± He read the words scribbled with spray paint on the sign.


    The city''s name was erased, but he could imagine what it had been. What he couldn¡¯t get out of his head was the fact that the name was wrong. Their planet wasn¡¯t called Terra Invicta, but Terra Nova. And¡­They didn¡¯t have a capital whose name started with the letters Aq.


    Of course, he had a personal project for a mega city and had been toying with names, but he hadn¡¯t chosen one.


    ¡°*ROAR*¡± A sudden roar made the ground tremble under his feet.


    ¡°I hate this part. Couldn¡¯t they wake me up normally?¡± Said the blonde man as he looked at the sky.


    The sky was covered in dark clouds that prevented him from seeing the star night, or the blue sky. But that didn¡¯t matter to the creature that roared; from within the clouds, a massive creature roared as it descended in a dive. It had two mighty legs on its lower body and two claws on its upper body.


    At his back were two leathery wings that seemed almost three times its size. Its back seemed to be covered in spikes and ended in a mighty tail. But that wasn¡¯t the significant bit, no sir. It was the head that was the problem.


    A mouth full of vicious fangs, a pair of snake-like eyes that shone in yellow light, and a head covered in horns that seemed to make it look like the creature had a crown. It was an interesting specimen, and while its body was silver-like, he noticed how its scales seemed to shine in yellow-blueish light, as if electricity was coursing through its body.


    Now, many people could see this creature and think, ¡°Oh look, a dragon run away!¡± but the man who stood there was thinking differently.


    ¡°Can it, you overgrown lizard!¡± He shouted at the creature that was diving with his maw open, ¡°I swear to god that if I could, I would fricking mount your head in my reception!¡±


    The first time, he had screamed and tried to run.


    The second time, he had only run, trying to find shelter.


    The third time, he had tried to fight back with stones and sticks.


    The fourth time? He had just stood there waiting. And he did the same in each iteration afterward. He had noticed that the creature seemed to always know where he was, and it only showed when he was about to wake up.


    It was as if this dragon could perceive him either only when he was about to leave this dream or perhaps wanted him to find something within this dream.


    ¡°ROAR!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time. I swear you remind me of my first girlfriend¡­¡± the man said, sighing while looking at his watch. It read¡­gibberish, another clue confirming this was indeed a dream.


    ¡°Alex¡­..ders¡­.Sir?.....¡±There it was, the voice of his assistant. He could feel someone prodding at his arm.


    Just in time, the maw of the creature was almost upon him.


    ¡°Here is a gift,¡± The blonde man said as his hair shone in yellow light, ¡°Hope you enjoy it~.¡±


    Before fully waking up, he channeled his Core Power through his body, making himself discharge electricity as vigorously as possible. Now¡­would this affect his dreams? Or reality? It could be a good experiment if nothing else.


    ¡ª----------------------


    ¡°Sir? Alexanders? The report¡­.¡± The first thing he heard as he was waking up was the voice of his assistant. A shy woman who had been sent his way. Probably to try and gauge his tastes again.


    ¡°Kyaa!¡± The second thing was the scream of the same assistant as she yelped and almost dropped a folder.


    Opening his eyes, he found some static charge had left his body, not as much as he had tried to channel in his dream, so either his power hadn¡¯t fully manifested¡­or he truly had given a taste of a taser discharge to that stupid lizard.


    ¡°Oh, sorry about that. I''m still getting the hang of these powers.¡± Alexanders said as he stretched and refrained himself from uttering any vocal component while he felt relief course his body as his muscles stretched. The last time he allowed himself to vocalize his relief¡­People had looked weirdly at him for the sound he made, what was so wrong about saying ¡®Nyaa¡¯ when stretching?


    Either way, these powers were interesting. They allowed him to manipulate electricity and electromagnetic fields. Since his powers had awoken in the metaphysical category, he should have some learning curve, a very steep one.


    And yet¡­he could use them quite easily. Almost as if he had always had them. Of course, he had needed to train (in secret) to gauge the amount of power he could discharge in one go and check how much he could stockpile electric charges.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Alexanders, Sir.¡± With a strained smile, the woman said, ¡°Here are the reports you asked¡­sir.¡±


    Tch, had he scared her that bad? Of course, he felt bad for it; she wasn¡¯t his type, but still, he knew how hard it was to work for him. Not that he would change his bad habits, but he knew how he was.


    ¡°Thank you¡­Denisse, was it?¡± He wasn¡¯t quite sure if she was or not Denisse, but she had a Denisse face.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°It¡¯s Rosa, sir. Denisse was my trainer.¡± The woman answered back.


    Well, she had a Denisse face, ¡°I see¡­Now, let¡¯s see how my toys are doing this week.¡± The reports were mostly of how the multiple P-series project had been done the last week.


    ¡°P1-P3 are doing well across the board. They are hitting the same milestones in all the facilities they are testing. P2D shows the most promise of them all.¡± Rosa said as she brought the information on her notepad.


    P2D¡­¡±Is that the Delaware one? That is interesting. I didn¡¯t think those guys had it in them.¡± Alexanders said, the P2 series was focused more on high-caliber weaponry. It was hard to test it since their testing chambers needed more reinforcement. ¡°How did P4 deal with it?¡±


    ¡°That facility P4 has developed a subterranean strategy, so it just¡­dug under P2D and¡­¡± Rosa said with a grimace.


    ¡°Hah! Of course, it did that. The Delaware boys must be annoyed at P4¡­But a mole, huh, I did not see that one coming. Might need to go there later¡­¡± Alexanders laughed as he found pictures of a P2 model upturned and the image of a centipede atop a pit trying to pry the plates away.


    ¡°Sir?¡± Rosa said in a trembling tone, ¡°Why is¡­P4 so different? Most models of the P1-P9 variants are the same across the country. Even the pure infiltration one P9 always developes the same no matter when or where we turn it on. But P4 always is different no matter what they do.¡±


    Heh, she was also asking that?


    Of course, they all wondered that, at least those who knew what he was doing with these experiments nationwide. Multiple facilities were doing precisely the same experiment on the same settings, getting the same results¡­with the exception of P4. That one always acted differently.


    ¡°P4 is the template. In all honesty, it should be more of P0 since it is the original one. It was the first one to use the R4 substance to create an artificial AI Core.¡± Alexanders answered, really. It was a crime what they had done with the original version of P4.


    He found the original project shelved in a derelict server: the idea of making an AI Core using the remnants of a Core from dead Core Users. And they had thrown it away? Just because they didn¡¯t want to experiment on what were basically human remains?


    Really?


    ¡°What is¡­The R4 substance, sir?¡± Rosa asked as he continued reading the notes, arriving at the end to something¡­troubling.


    ¡°I can tell you, of course, if you explain to me what this note at the end about a P4-B is,¡± Alexanders said, fishing a photo from the folder. On it was the image of one of the lab workers sitting in P4¡¯s den with a bucket at the side and a broken AI Core dangling from his neck.


    ¡°Oh that¡­The head of this laboratory reported an incident. It seems test subject P4-B got the original P4 subject killed, so they sent P4-B as a litmus test to check if P4 had perished or not.¡± Rosa said while reading the same notes he had just read.


    That was good and all, but that hadn¡¯t been what got him worried. No, that was just¡­Impossible. He had programmed most of the original system on all the P-series subjects. Granted, his memories of what he put in the ND0 System weren¡¯t the best. The base OS was ¡­ weird. But the programs that run it were his original works.


    He would get a notification each time a P4 died.


    Alexanders booted up his PC; sure enough, he hadn¡¯t received any notification from any terminated P4 test subject. All four current P4 subjects had returned telemetry¡­ No.


    ¡°Wait just one second¡­was the dead P4 the crab one? Or which one it was?¡± Alexanders said as he checked the folder once more; it didn¡¯t report which one it was.


    ¡°Yes, sir, it is indeed the crab one. The one you fought recently.¡± Rosa answered while fiddling on her notepad, ¡°The centipede one is still operational, the fish variant still refuses to evolve into a land-based creature¡­The harpy variant seems to be content with cooperating with the scientist, and they are asking for an outdoor testing.¡±


    Well, wasn¡¯t that interesting? He had thought that the Harpy variant would fulfill the hidden checkmarks, but the crab seemed to have done it.


    ¡°sir?¡± Rosa asked, confused, ¡°What¡­.what is the problem?¡±


    What? Alexanders turned to look at the screen on his PC. The reflection showed him smiling. Was that the reason Rosa was scared? His smile? Well, that was quite rude.


    ¡°Inform all the laboratories that the P4 initiative is terminated. Any surviving P4 sample will be considered done. If they want to continue testing them they will get assigned a new designation, let¡¯s see¡­.¡± Alexander said as he brought the folders of the remaining P4 samples. ¡°Centipedes will be Subject P27, Fish will be Subject P55 and the harpy will be Subject P69.¡±


    ¡°Sir?¡± Rosa asked as he giggled to himself and gave the needed orders from his PC. The ND system had reported that one of the P4 had achieved its mission and promptly cut the connection to the main server.


    And since he could still get telemetry from the other three samples¡­Yeah, that lovely crab had achieved its mission.


    ¡°Nothing, inform John that he can let go of his intern or keep him as a new subject. But he will not be a P4-B¡­Or I guess he can be if they want it? Actually, give them a raise of money and tell them to do whatever they want.¡± Alexanders was, if nothing else, someone who would give raises when needed.


    ¡°Sure sir, do you need something else?¡± Rosa asked while taking notes, she was still looking at him weirdly.


    ¡°Cancel all my appointments for the day, I need to find a crab,¡± Alexanders said, he now needed to find that stupid crab and find out what the mission from the ND0 system was. He knew the thing was important.


    He had made the thing, something that was way ahead of what technology should be able to do. It was the reason he had started the research into Core Powers; he had suspected that he was a Tinker after the original ND system had been made.


    His crazed state when making the original P-series subjects was proof of that. Replicating them had been hard, too. They needed to harvest Cores from dead Villains, and those needed scrubbing lest they end as P9.


    Of course, those had their uses. It was interesting seeing how those P-series subjects always developed some degree of a female body even though the owner of that Core was male. And a buff male at that. Was it Titan? Titan, something, was the name of the villain in question. Some macho villain had been killed by a vigilante after he tried to attack a mall.


    But no, now he needed to find a shapeshifting crab in a city full of Core Users¡­At the start of the season where, all the big-name villains started going nuts by trying to one-up everyone else.


    Easy.


    ¡ª------------------------------------------------------------------------


    ¡°What?¡± Alexanders wasn¡¯t quite sure what to think at the moment. So he paused the camera recordings of the day that P4 had been terminated.


    First, he checked the security cameras, and sure enough, P4 had tried to¡­do something. It had walked to a wall and shoved its claw into it, then, when called on it, it wanted to remove it by moving it within that hole. It seemed as if the claw had gotten stuck there.


    The reports from maintenance said that the claw had latched into some security measure that was designed to prevent the turrets from moving if they had some loose cables. The claw had gotten stuck in those and, in turn, had prevented it from retrieving its claw.


    The fact that said spot was half a meter away from a ventilation shaft was a mere coincidence. Right. The detail that said claw was missing around 40-70 kilograms of mass was also a coincidence.


    And the most important detail that this claw had an empty spot where something could be hidden was also something that wasn¡¯t important.


    ¡°...I may need to fire some people¡­¡± Alexanders sighed as the recording was unpaused once more.


    On it, he could see P4 try to rush towards its charging spot, the gunfire hitting it all over the body. That made Alexanders stop it and think about it, rewinding it again. He started from the beginning.


    ¡°...The guns are trying to hit the claw¡­¡± Alexanders said as sure enough the gunfire was focused on its claw, and P4 was trying to shield the claw. Then, when it stopped thrashing with its claw, P4 dislodged the claw and started rushing away.


    It was at that moment when the guns turned from firing at the claw and to P4.


    ¡°Either the stupid crab was trying to escape using the claw as a delivery system and decided to cut its losses¡­or it managed to run away and deceive our tracking mechanisms¡­¡± Alexanders mumbled as he rewound the video and watched it all again from the start. ¡°But¡­we didn¡¯t get any breach alarms that day. I was in that facility that day.¡±


    He remembered it since he had gone that day since the next day they would get visited by one of their sponsor¡¯s schools. So, he needed to get his stress released sooner rather than later. They would have plenty of kids running around, so he couldn¡¯t go about fighting P4 with them around¡­


    The small brats could get into one of the observation docks if they didn¡¯t pay attention, kids could hide in small places and¡­


    ¡°How heavy is a kid?¡± Alexanders said aloud while prompting his PC about that, ¡°...40 kilograms on average?¡±


    He turned to his notes about P4¡¯s event. The claw was missing around that mass.


    ¡°Give me the video logs and tracking of every kid that came this day.¡± Alexanders said to his AI assistant. A program made from the discoveries made through the P-series test subjects.


    Sure enough, he got the data he wanted and a video of all the kids. Isolating each one and tracking them was harder. It took him almost all day long, but soon enough, he was confident enough: ¡°Not a single one of them got killed and replaced, good¡­That would be so much bad PR.¡± But he was not close to finding P4.


    Except¡­¡±Who are you?¡± Among the visitors, there were always a few unregistered ones, either brought by the teachers or visitors who sneaked in.


    What he found was a little girl with blonde hair who claimed to be called Alexandra. She had joined the tour at some point, and no matter what he tried, he couldn¡¯t find where the girl had shown up. At best, he could find her hidden in one of the observation rooms near P4¡¯s den.


    While all the P4 subjects had some degree of shapeshifting skills, they needed the right samples to perform such an advanced transformation. Granted, P4 had some basic designs of the human body, but it shouldn¡¯t have been able to pull that kind of transformation.


    Such was the example of P9. It had a full blueprint of the male body and some of the female body. And yet, he never managed to pull off a full-body transformation; it always ended as some type of horror movie zombie.


    ¡°Prepare an investigation. The target is called Alexandra, no last name.¡± Alexanders said as he eyed the image of the little girl. He would need to pay more attention to the news about core users. If P4 wanted to pass as a Core User, he would need to check on new ShapeShifters. Perhaps this Alexandra would try to pass as a cat girl?


    That intern who became P4-B had attempted to create one, right? Perhaps P4 would become one. That would be quite a funny turn of events.

 Chapter 53: Mellisa POV - Here be monsters

    [Anger], [Resentment], [Self-Pity], [Self-Hate]....................[Love].


    ¡°Mamma! What will we have for breakfast?¡± She said in the most cheerful tone she was able to make.


    [Anger], [Hatred], [Resentment], [Fear], [Self-Loathing], [Love].


    ¡°Melissa, what have I told you?¡± Her mother said with a smile [Hate] on her face, ¡°Good girls don¡¯t just jump demanding things.¡±


    ¡°Sorry Mom¡­¡± Melissa said downcast [HATRED], [FEAR]. Taking a deep breath Melissa ignored the feelings her Mother was emitting, she knew the bad ones always would come easier, she knew that her Mother had good emotions too, she only needed to fish amidst the bad ones. ¡° Good Morning Mommy.¡±


    So instead she would fight today too. She would brave the sea of emotions.


    [Suspiciouness], [Wariness], [Warmth], [Motherly Love], [Self Hate], [Self Pity].


    ¡°What will we have today for Breakfast?¡± Melissa said once more, in a more sedated tone. The deluge of emotions was calming down, and the good ones had started to show, even if they had come in hand with some of the ugly ones.


    ¡°Better.¡± Her mother smiled at her, [Love]. ¡°Much better, good girl. As for breakfast, we will be having pancakes.¡±


    [Happiness]


    ¡°Yes!¡± She felt her emotions start overtaking the bad ones, but soon enough regretted her outburst.


    [ANGER], [WARINESS], [HATE], [RAGE], [FEAR]


    ¡°MELLISANDRA SINGH!¡± Her mother raised her hand and she cowered as soon enough pain would come, it always came when she was a bad girl.


    ¡°*Hit* What.*Hit* Have.*Hit* I *Hit*. TOLD*Hit*. YOU*Hit*¡± The monster had came out feeding on her good emotions.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I will not do it again. I¡¯m sorry!¡± It hurt her.


    [RAGE], [HATE], [RAGE], [ANGER], [RAGE], [FEAR], [RAGE], [Self- Hatred], [RAGE].


    This repeated for almost five minutes, at least it seemed this day it would be shorter.


    ¡°...Go fetch your useless father. I¡¯m sure he is awake after what you did. Think of your mistakes while doing so.¡± The monster receded, and some part of her Mother showed up. She continued preparing her breakfast. She was no longer hungry, but she would eat. The monster would come back if she didn¡¯t. ¡°And be sure to cover those till they heal. We don¡¯t want people thinking we are the Monsters.¡±


    ¡°...yes.¡± She said in a low voice while grabbing one of her blazers, it would cover her arms and tummy. It would be hot, but she didn¡¯t want her mother to be hated for something The Monster did. ¡°Papa? Breakfast is ready¡­Mommy wants you to come.¡±


    Her father was in his room, which was previously her playroom. She didn¡¯t have one anymore, not after she had turned into¡­a bad girl.


    ¡°Is it ready?¡± Her father opened the door, he stank once more. ¡°Did she say what we will have?¡±


    [Self-Hate], [Self-Pity], [Sadness], [Regret], [Fear], [Fondness], [Paternal Love].


    At least this monster was easier to deal with.


    ¡°Yes! We will have pancakes!¡± Melissa smiled as she tried to raise her arms to express her happiness only to wince at the pain as the rough fabric of her blazer hurt her arms. She hadn¡¯t had nice clothes since she became a monster.


    [Pity], [Regret], [Self-Hate],[Self-loathing],[Pity],[Regret].


    ¡°Yes, I would love some pancakes too. Let¡¯s go Meli.¡± ¡­She wasn¡¯t sure if it was the monster or her father the one talking, but she took the offered hand and walked towards the kitchen. She made sure to not leak any of her feelings out. Taking all the bad ones and trying to use them to cure her hurts.


    The last time she didn¡¯t manage to do it in time, they almost took her away from home. The only reason they didn¡¯t take her away was that she somehow managed to channel the bad ones towards people who already hated that bad teacher.


    She hadn¡¯t seen the bad teacher since, and after that, they started having Miss Baking. She was a better one; she only needed to focus the feelings the other teachers had towards her into Teacher Baking. That was enough to make sure she didn¡¯t become¡­a bad teacher.


    [Hatred],[Regret], [Anger], [Heart-breaking pain], [Fury], [Motherly Love].


    ¡°There you are.¡± Her mother said that as she saw her coming back with her father, Melissa could almost see her mother behind all the monster''s bad feelings. ¡°Your food is already served. Eat it before it gets cold.¡±


    [Regret], [Self-Pity], [Self-hate], [Heart-breaking pain].


    ¡°Thank you,¡± her father said as he smiled at her and pulled the chair back for Melissa to sit in. He used to do that for her Mother, too, before Melissa turned into a monster and The Bad happened.


    Before Melissa summoned the monsters into her parents. Before the nights of pain.


    ¡°Thank you Mommy.¡± Melissa also followed suit.


    [Regret], [Self-hate],[Pity], [Love], [Motherly love].


    ¡°You are welcome, Melissa, dear.¡± Her mother said with a sad smile, ¡°...I¡¯m sorry about before, but you know better. It is already bad that Miss Baker knows what you are. You need to control it better. We don¡¯t want people¡­talking.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry, Mommy. It will not happen again.¡± Melissa meant it, of course. She hated it, but it was so much fun at the beginning; she could share her good feelings with everyone! But¡­


    It went wrong when she found weird feels from her father, and it turned even worse when she tried to understand them (It made her feel funny) by sharing it with her mother. She didn¡¯t know then of course. But doing so was what made the monsters.


    She cried for them to leave her parents alone of course, she begged, she tried to be the goodest girl possible, but nothing helped. The bad feels remained, the hurt remained, the monsters remained.


    ¡°Good, continue like that. We would rather have good girls. When you grow up more we can speak again about¡­that.¡± The Monster spoke.


    [Hope].


    It was what she kept in her heart, [Hope], the monsters spoke as if everything would be solved when she grew. Did that mean that they would leave? That she would get her Momma and Papa back?


    ¡°So tell me, did something interesting happen at the school tour they gave you?¡± Her father asked her.


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    [Curiosity], [Fear],[Regret].


    ¡°I met a funny girl!¡± Melissa said happily, remembering the weird girl she had met.


    [Wariness], [Fear], [Curiosity], [Happiness].


    ¡°What was so funny about her?¡± Her Mother asked. ¡°Was she in another class?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so? I never¡­¡± Melissa stopped and said in a lower voice. ¡°...felt her. But she was weird, she felt¡­ different, like she was¡­ cold? Detached? She was more¡­logical.¡±


    Melissa couldn¡¯t explain it well, that girl. Alexa, had feels too. But they seemed different, more¡­organized, unlike the feels of the monsters that had been inside her parents, Alexa¡¯s feels had been more delimited.


    ¡°...You couldn¡¯t¡­.Use your¡­.powers on her?¡± Her Mother spoke word for word.


    [Curiosity], [Hope].


    It was the first time she hadn¡¯t felt a bad one mixed there!


    ¡°Nope, I could take the feels but mine or everyone else got sucked in and disappeared as if nothing.¡± Melissa had used that chance to discharge all the bad ones she had been stockpiling. She never had felt this good in quite some time after that.


    ¡°Find what classroom she is in and stick to her.¡± The Monster in her mother said.


    [HOPE], [HAPPINESS], [EXCITEMENT].


    It was the monster? Or her Mother? She wasn¡¯t sure, but they were mostly good feels¡­Melissa was confused.


    The rest of the breakfast was¡­fun. It made her remember the good times, but she still made sure that her own feels didn¡¯t leak too much. That she had them contained, even if she was happy. She cheered, she smiled, she laughed, but always made sure to keep her feels to herself.


    She was feeling bloated, her tummy was hurting, and she had taken some of the bad feels from her mother and father too, those that seemed that could ruin the happy. But not enough that the monsters would notice. Just enough so that the good feels could drown the bad ones.


    It was hard, it made her head hurt. But¡­it worked. So she was¡­


    [Happy], [Sad], [Happy], [Sad].


    Weird, she could somewhat understand the feels of others, but her own? She was sure that hers were different, but her mind could only understand them in those two names. They all felt different, like one sad was heavier than the other, but the first one felt as if it had thorns on it. It hurt when she tried to move it away.


    And yet the Happy weren¡¯t the same either, one made her feel as if she had butterflies in her belly, while the other made her want to smile. She could pull them away quickly enough, but doing so made the sad fuse among themselves and become¡­worse.


    So she needed to balance them. But it was hard, each time the monsters came around the sad would increase, and the happy would decrease. Each time the monster in her mother came around, the thorns became bigger, and each time one of the pain nights came the sad would increase in number and taste.


    [Wariness], [Happiness], [Regret], [Pity], [Fear], [Motherly-love].


    ¡°Melissa? Are you ready? We need to leave for school.¡± Her Mother came to her bedroom while she was flopping on the bed from side to side trying to deal with the feels she had stockpiled.


    ¡°Yeeeeeessssssssss.¡± Melissa answered as she pulled down the blazer to see if the hurts had disappeared, they¡­didn¡¯t, not all of them. They would vanish by the time she arrived at school at this pace¡­but she would need to keep the blazer on. If her mother saw what the monster did to her, she would get more bad feels. ¡°I¡¯m coming, let me grab my backpack!¡±


    [Amusement], [Regret], [Sadness], [Happiness].


    ¡°Okay, I will wait by the door with your lunch. Hurry up.¡± Her Mother said as Melissa heard the footsteps fade away with the feels.


    She wanted to take the bad ones, but she was so¡­bloated at the moment.


    ¡°Okay, today¡¯s mission is¡­search for Alexa, dump the feels on her and see if she still doesn¡¯t change. If not¡­. bring her home and pull the bad feels from papa and mama.¡± Melissa said with determination in her eyes.


    She would feel bad for Alexa, the girl seemed like she could be a good friend, but she needed to think about her Mother and Father. This was for the best.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready!¡± Melissa said as she made sure her blazer hid all the remaining bruises.


    [Confusion], [Suspicious]...


    ¡°Melissa, will you take the blazer to school? It will be hot¡­¡± her mother said, looking at her weirdly.


    Oh no¡­.


    [Realisation], [Self-loathing], [Self-Hatred], [Pity], [Motherly Love]...[Regret]


    ¡°I wanted to look cool! See! This one has SuperForce on it!¡± Melissa quickly pointed at the logo in front of the blazer, it was Superforce¡¯s emblem. ¡°I want to show off in class!¡±


    [Suspiciouness], [Regret], [Self-hate], [Regret], [Pity],[Regret], [Love],[REGRET]


    ¡°...I see, if you¡­feel that it¡¯s too stuffy, just take it out okay? Everything will be okay even if you don¡¯t use it¡­¡± Her Mother said with tears in her eyes, ¡°Now let¡¯s go!¡±


    Her smile hurt.


    Melissa felt new feels form inside her, she didn¡¯t need to use her Core Powers to know what their name was.


    [Sadness], [Sadness], [Sadness], [Sadness], [Happiness].


    It was heavy, each and every one of them was heavy. The last one was the heaviest of them all, she didn¡¯t know why that one hurt her the most. It had a happy name on it!


    Happiness!


    Why did that hurt!?!?!?!?!?


    ¡°OKAY!¡± She answered as she covered her eyes with one of her hands and took her Mother¡¯s hand with the other one. She didn¡¯t turn to look at her; she didn¡¯t want the monster to see her tears, and she would only share them with her mother.


    When she was sure there wasn¡¯t any monster around anymore.


    ¡ª-------------------------------------------------


    They didn¡¯t speak anymore, and spent more time than needed in the park that was on the way to the school, it was a nice park, and Melissa did feel stuffy with the blazer on. But she didn¡¯t take it off, even when she felt the last hurt in her body leave. This was the proof that her mother was still inside there. That the monster hadn¡¯t won yet.


    ¡°Thank you for bringing me this far mamma!¡± Melissa said with a smile on her face as they were a block away from the school. ¡°I can go from here, you can go back and rest!¡±


    Melissa didn¡¯t want her near the school, every time her Mother came near the school she would start having bad feels.


    [Love], [Self-Hate], [Regret], [Sadness], [Regret], [RAGE].


    ¡°....okay, call me if you need anything¡­And if your teacher ever wants to speak with me¡­¡± Melissa¡¯s Mother started saying.


    ¡°I will tell her that you are busy and that I can deliver any letter she needs! If she doesn¡¯t want to write one I am to show her the numbers you saved on my phone!¡± Melissa answered before her Mother spoke.


    She knew what would happen if she allowed her Mother to speak.


    [Relief],[HATE], [Regret], [HATE], [Self-loathing], [Despair],[HATE].


    One of the worst feels showed up, every time her Mother went towards those directions at least one would show, Melissa hadn¡¯t been fast enough.


    Pluck.


    Her Mother didn¡¯t seem to notice her, the bad feel hadn¡¯t stuck to her fully, ¡°Okay, Love you momma, see you later!¡± Melissa said in a rush as she started running away.


    Her tummy hurt, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt.


    [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR], [DESPAIR].


    She had taken a feel too big. It had started festering inside her. It hurt, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt, why did it hurt? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?


    What did she do? she had been good! she did her homework, she cleaned her toys, she washed her teeth, she didn¡¯t watch TV after eight. She was good!


    WHY MUST SHE SUFFER?!?!?!?


    WHAT DID SHE DO?!?!?


    WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY


    ¡°So I can¡¯t go if someone said my mommy is hurt?¡± A voice? Whose voice?


    ¡°Alexa, do you have a mommy?¡± An adult voice spoke to the first one.


    ¡°....no?¡± The first voice answered.


    Melissa stopped thinking altogether and concentrated in her Core Powers, she could feel the people around her.


    [Lazyness], [Sleepy], [Hungry], [Amusement], [Love], [Lust], [Fear], [Tired], [Amusement]...[Fear], [Happiness], [Sadness], [DESPAIR].


    She could locate those feels all around her, but near the adult one?


    [Amusement], [Sadness], [Happiness], [Regret], [Fear].


    Only those of the old woman, she was speaking to a¡­ [Blank].


    Melissa didn¡¯t think when she felt the blank. She plunged the [Despair] she was feeling there, all the bad, she felt dizzy as the thorns on the bad feels ripped throught her Core.


    ¡°Alexa? What¡¯s the matter?¡± She barely heard the old woman speak.


    ¡°...I think I found the friend I told you about.¡± The other voice said with glee in her tone. ¡°This way.¡±


    Melissa could only feel cold, and sticky, her face hurt, and she felt as if she had hit her face against the floor. Which was funny since she could also feel the rest of the floor on the rest of her body.


    ¡°...ARE YOU OKAY?!?!?¡± The older woman spoke as Melissa felt her body be raised, she could see the worried face of a black-haired pretty woman. ¡°ALEXA?!?!? WHY DIDN¡¯T YOU TELL ME YOUR FRIEND WAS HURT?!?!?!¡±


    She was loud.


    ¡°...She is not though? Besides the bruise that seems to be fifteen seconds old, her body is in perfect condition.¡± The other voice was the blonde girl she had seen a few days ago.


    Alexa, she seemed¡­different, more¡­happy. Even if her feels still were¡­mechanical.


    [Amusement], [Curiosity], [Hunger].


    ¡°Are you okay? Where does it hurt?¡± The old woman spoke to her, trying not to shake her too much as she was raised in a princess carry.


    Melissa missed the princess carry, her papa used to do them almost every day.


    ¡°...thank you.¡± Melissa said as she felt her consciousness blur away.

 Chapter 54: Teach Baking is back! And she seeks Vengeance! (She does not seek Vengeance)

    That had surprised Alexa.


    ¡°[Notice: Mysterious rush of emotions have been taken under control. Normalizing hormonal brain chemistry, re-connecting severed brain segments. Regenerating destroyed neurons.]¡±


    From nowhere, Alexa had felt as if she was being attacked, but as soon as it came it had been dealt with by [Main Core], and if that wasn¡¯t all. She had found one of those that could be her [Friend]s!


    She had found Meli-Meli!


    ¡°Alexa? Are you sure she is okay? She doesn¡¯t look okay, and it seemed that she puked all over her blazer¡­why is she even wearing a blazer in this heat?¡± [Eleanore] said as she removed the dirty [Blazer].


    ¡°Let me see.¡± Alexa said taking the [Blazer].


    ¡°Main Core? Analyze the [Blazer] and remove all biological components that aren¡¯t part of core structure.¡± Alexa commanded inwardly.


    She felt her nanites start weaving through the [Blazer]. Alexa began to categorize it as soon as they got to the [Puke], which was mainly liquid and some remains of unprocessed biomass. From what she could see, the [Puke] didn¡¯t contain any agent to induce that reaction.


    Alexa had categorized those chemicals since an attack that made one empty their [Biomass] was probably the worst kind of attack possible made by [Mankind], or in a nutshell, the worst type of attack the [Humans] had in their repertoire.


    Alexa shuddered at the idea of something like that infecting her [Banked Biomass], the amount of loss¡­


    ¡°[Would be impossible to recover in one go.]¡±


    Indeed.


    ¡°Alexa dear? What are you doing?¡± [Eleanore] asked as she looked back at her and walked quickly towards [The school]. It seemed that Meli-Meli was also a student there?


    ¡°I¡¯m checking for hostile chemicals and cleaning the [Blazer]. So far I haven¡¯t found anything that could point to a chemical attack against Meli-Meli.¡± Alexa answered while raising the [Blazer], ¡°But I cleaned it!¡±


    ¡°...This girl, is she called Meli-Meli?¡± [Eleanore] said, turning to her and stopping in one of the streets. The traffic light was red, so [Eleanore] had needed to stop.


    ¡°Yes, her [Full Name] is [Melissandra Singh], but she goes by Meli-Meli because that is more cute.¡± Alexa answered, giving the same answer she had gotten when she had asked the same thing before.


    ¡°And you know her because¡­.?¡± [Eleanore] asked, narrowing her eyes at her. Was she under suspicion? Why?


    ¡°I meet her in the same place I meet [Teach Baking].¡± Alexa answered confused.


    ¡°...oh. No wait, Teacher Baking? Baking? Did you mean Baker?¡± [Eleanore] asked as she seemed to come to a realization. ¡°As in Eloise Baker?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know? Meli-Meli said that it was Teach Baking so we logged the data as such, I think she said the name was wrong? But it wasn¡¯t saved since we had more important priorities at the time.¡± Alexa answered, at that moment in time she had wanted to escape more than anything. So she hadn¡¯t paid too much attention to [Teach].


    ¡°...damnation, Eloise is going to kill me. At first when she asked me for you I thought it could be a mistake, I was praying for that and was going to play it as such¡­but this confirms it¡­I guess I could distract her with this girl?¡± [Eleanore] said turning to stare at Meli-Meli ¡°I can see it, ¡®Hey Lisa, look I found your lost girl, also found another one of your students, she was passed out in a pool of puke¡­Oh, the puke? Don¡¯t mind it, Alexa fixed it.¡¯ yeah, she will kill me.¡±


    It seemed that [Teach Baking] was more powerful than [Eleanore], which was¡­troubling.


    ¡°The light is green.¡± Alexa said pointing at the traffic light, that made [Eleanore] start walking again.


    ¡°Do you know anything about her?¡± [Eleanore] asked Alexa as they moved towards the school, they had been half a street away when they had walked backward towards Meli-Meli. So it was close enough that Alexa could already see it.


    ¡°She has a [Core Power] that let¡¯s her normalize [Emotions] around her. To be honest¡­I don¡¯t quite get what that means¡­¡± Alexa said turning toward Meli-Meli.


    ¡°[Notice, that power has exposed the irregularities within host before. It is possible that this left some kind of damage to the organic part of the brain and that in turn was what produced the previous emotional outburst.]¡±


    So she¡­[Feared] Meli-Meli? That was¡­[Absurd], she had nothing to fear of Meli-Meli. All Alexa needed to do was strike her once and she would be able to deal with her, nay. Not even that, should Alexa be within touching range she could [Decompose] Meli-Meli in a second, she had a low body mass, which meant that she did not have enough [Biomass] to be a target for [Predation].


    But should she become a danger¡­.


    ¡°Nghh¡­..[Hunger], [Caution]...nnghh¡­.[Mango]...[Mango]?¡± Meli-Meli mumbled between grumbles.


    What? [Hunger]? [Caution]?


    ¡°...Are you sure she only¡­normalizes emotions?¡± [Eleanore] asked as she eyed Alexa with a smirk. ¡°Because that sounds like what your Emotions are¡­especially¡­.the¡­. pfft¡­. Mango Emotion¡­¡±


    Alexa wasn¡¯t sure why she was [Embarrassed], but she was. She could feel the blood vessels in her face rush full with blood and so her face had become red. Main Core!


    ¡°[Threshold of emotional distress is within acceptable range. No action needed.]¡±


    She was being bullied! Actions were much needed!


    ¡°Rude!¡± Alexa ended up saying as she perhaps hit the floor more strongly than needed, since she felt it crack. ¡°Meli-Meli is rude! Main Core is Rude! [Eleanore] is rude! Everyone is rude! It is totally accceptable to have a [Mango] emotion!¡±


    Alexa wasn¡¯t sure if it was normal.


    ¡°Okay, okay. I will give you more mango candies and some mango cake if you are a good girl. Just figure it out with your older self, okay? You need to moderate it,¡± [Eleanore] said as they arrived in front of the [Door] to the [School]. ¡°Promise me, Alexa. You will go to my apartment to give me a full report of how it was your first day, okay?¡±


    [Mango Candy]?!?!?? [Mango Cake]?!?!?!?!?


    And a [Report]?!?!? This was a [Test]!!!!!


    ¡°Aye sir! I will pass all the [Testing Requirements]!¡± Alexa said as her right hand used a salute motion, she had seen some people use it on the [Internet] while seeking ways for lower castes to speak to higher castes.


    ¡°...no testings. Or I guess you may have a few test exams? I don¡¯t know, but they will mostly be normal kid stuff that is achievable by non core users. So just¡­enjoy it okay? I need to get this girl to the nurse¡¯s office¡­and get scolded by a friend.¡± [Eleanore] grimaced as she said that.


    No wait, [Nurse¡¯s Office]? Main Core?


    ¡°[Notice, Nurse: Someone whose job is to take care of the injured and sick.]¡±


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    So it was some kind of [Maintenance] unit for [Humans]?


    ¡°Can I go?¡± Alexa asked before Main Core even said anything about that.


    ¡°...Can you promise me to be a good girl, not interrupt the adults while speaking, and to behave?¡± [Eleanore]said with a smile on her face, ¡°If so, then yes.You can come with us to make sure your friend is okay.¡±


    Her what? She wanted to study the ways to repair the [Human] body and give it [Maintenance]. No wait, [Friend]? She had a [Friend]?


    ¡°....Yes. I will be the goodest girl!¡± Alexa said as she eyed Meli-Meli who was in her [Sleep cycle] while being carried by [Eleanore].


    ¡°...*grumble, grumble* [Envy] *Grumble, grumble*¡± she would say from time to time. As far as Alexa was aware, she seemed to be saying the names of [Emotions]; she had been categorizing those, too, after all.


    ¡°I will princess carry you later, too, Alexa. Just¡­promise me you will weigh the same as a normal girl, okay? I am not that strong,¡± [Eleanore] said as they started walking towards the main building.


    It seemed that this [School] was basically a series of buildings with multiple [Rooms] that had several [Chairs with tables near them]. As far as Alexa could see, all the rooms had the same overall design, only changing by the allocation of [Child Stage Humans].


    Some had more [Boys] while others had more [Girls]. The only other change she could see was that the [Teachers] or the people who taught the [Classess] seemed to change from [Male] to [Female] quite often, usually having more [Females] for some reason.


    The [Hallways] seemed to have some [Square-shaped] boxes at both ends of the [Walls] too, they seemed to be designed to guard stuff since Alexa could peek into the things and see some materials.


    ¡°Alexa you will get your own Locker when we finish your enrollment, for now we need to get your friend to the Nurse.¡± [Eleanore] spoke ahead of her, just in time before Alexa decided to try and pry open one of these [Lockers].


    ¡°[Logging new objective for later.]¡±


    ¡­Main Core? Shouldn¡¯t you attempt to divert Alexa?


    ¡°[...Risks of exposing host are minimal while the amount of new information from what a Human Child Stage deems worthy of storage can increase the fidelity of Host disguise. The attempt at finding this is, in turn, not a net loss but a positive to host disguise.]¡±


    Yay!


    ¡°...Alexa? Please wait till you get your own Locker.¡± [Eleanore] seemed to intuit something, but it was too late!


    It was a [Mission Objective] now! So she had to do it!


    ¡°[Nurse¡¯s Office]¡± Alexa read while pointing with her finger at a [Sign] at the top of a [Door], it had a weird red cross on it too. Weird.


    ¡°...Well, here we go.¡± [Eleanore] said as she stood in front of the door. ¡°...Alexa? Can you be a dear and open the door? I¡¯m kinda busy carrying your friend here.¡±


    ¡­.Oh right, [Eleanore] couldn¡¯t grow a third arm like Alexa! Such silly designs these [Humans] had, why not develop the skill to grow new arms as needed? It was such a weird flaw, even though they stood at the peak of the [Predator] list.


    ¡°Sure!¡± Alexa still did as instructed, mostly because she also wanted to see what was inside this place that served as a [Maintenance] pit for the [Humans].


    ¡°Welcom-¡± On the other side of the [Door] stood a [Woman] dressed in what seemed to be white loose [Pants] and an overly loose [Blouse], both had extra pockets, Alexa could count four in the front of the pants and three in the blouse.


    Also they seemed comfy¡­.


    ¡°...I don¡¯t recognize you, are you one of the new parents for the first graders? No wait, isn¡¯t that Melissa?¡± The [Woman] said as she looked over at Alexa and [Eleanore] only to focus on Meli-Meli at the end, ¡°Please put her in a bed I¡¯ll get my things to check her over.¡±


    The [Woman] said while walking to a [Cabinet], one of the [Square-shaped] boxes on the walls, that was an interesting word to say too, [Cabinet].


    ¡°What can you tell me? Was she feeling sick? Did she say anything before fainting?¡± The [Woman] spoke while bringing some kind of weird transparent crystal stick that she put under Meli-Meli¡¯s armpit. ¡°Did she puke? Cough? Said anything about pain?¡±


    ¡°woahj woah woah,¡° [Eleanore] spoke back while the [Woman] put on a weird instrument on her ears that was connected by a tube to something that seemed to be a¡­plate? ¡°We found her passed out a block and half away from the school, just around the corner actually. Alexa said that a friend was nearby and ran towards her.¡±


    The [Woman] then turned to look at Alexa, ¡°And she was already passed out? Did she tell you she would be there?¡± The [Woman] had taken the thing from her ears and placed it around her neck as a [Collar], she was now touching Meli-Meli¡¯s [Tummy] as if checking the flesh integrity.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t know she would be there, just that she was there. It felt like Meli-Meli.¡± Alexa answered, unsure how to explain that she had smelled the [Girl] without outing her [Core Powers]. She had only noticed because she was checking for reasons for the weird [Emotion instability].


    ¡°And she was already passed out?¡± the [Woman] asked once more.


    ¡°Yes, she had puked and was laying in a pool of her own making, probably puked after or while passing out.¡± [Eleanore] added the confirmation. ¡°She was looking down if that helps? See the bruises on her face and arms? It looked as if she had fallen face-first into the street.¡±


    ¡°Well, good thing she fell like that or she would have choked, I don¡¯t see evidence of puke in her clothes¡­did you change her already?¡± The [Woman]asked as she looked over Meli-Meli.


    ¡°Yes, we had a couple of spares for Alexa to save in the school. This is her first day, and we are going to get her into a class.¡± [Eleanore] answered before Alexa could explain how she had cleaned Meli-Meli, which was a good thing now that Alexa had thought about it. ¡°Do you need something from us? We had an appointment with the school¡¯s principal.¡±


    The [Woman] didn¡¯t say anything but covered Meli-Meli with a white blanket.


    ¡°*grumble, grumble* [Suspicious], [Care], [Kindness]...[Mango].¡± Mumbled Meli-Meli.


    ¡°*Sigh* Fine, I¡¯ll ask her teacher to come and we will see if we need to ask her parents, maybe she got hit by a weird Core User that was walking around and had bad luck. Or did she eat something after leaving her house? We have asked Melissa why her parents don¡¯t come to pick her up or drop her, but so far she seems fine. No wounds, no bruises, no malnourishment¡­.¡± The [Woman] grumbled too as she spoke, ¡°Sure go ahead, I¡¯ll deal with this.¡±


    [Eleanore] nodded her head as she turned to look at Meli-Meli. Then she looked at Alexa and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Alexa. We need to speak with the principal. Then¡­I¡¯ll ask my friend if she can take you into her classroom.¡±


    ¡°Oh you are the friend of one of our teachers? ¡° The [Woman]suddenly asked more intrigued.


    ¡°Yeah, I am friend of Eloise. She should be a teacher for first graders. I¡¯m hoping she can take Alexa,¡± [Eleanore] answered, getting a weird look from the [Woman].


    ¡°Eloise huh¡­.¡± The [Woman] said pensive, ¡°She is a good girl, not the best suited for teaching, but she is doing okay with her classroom. She takes in the problem children so most teachers let her do whatever. Melissa is one of her students¡­¡±


    ¡°Miss baking¡­another cake please¡­.¡± Meli-Meli decided to take that moment to finally say something that wasn¡¯t grumbles or [Emotion] names.


    ¡°I would suggest another teacher if you want your kid to learn in a good environment, but if you are her friend, then you already know how she is. So that is up to you,¡± the [Woman] said, then turned to fuss over Meli-Meli, ignoring them altogether.


    [Eleanore] took this as an opportunity to leave the [Room]. Alexa had already saved images of most of the things in this [Room]. She would come back later to take [Samples] of what she had seen, and she hoped to take one sample of the [Clothes] the [Nurse] was using. That attire seemed comfortable to wear.


    ¡°Well¡­I kinda knew that it would be like that¡­Eloise is¡­.¡± [Eleanore] started saying as they exited the [Nurse¡¯s Office], only to be interrupted by someone else speaking.


    ¡°I¡¯m what, Lena? I''m the smartest of the two since I work in a safe place. The prettiest since I can take care of my skin? The¡­¡± Teach started saying as she turned to look at the side of [Eleanore] and took notice of Alexa waving at her.


    ¡°Hi again [Teach]!¡± Said Alexa as she waved at the [Woman] who had helped her the most, since she had facilitied her [Escape].


    ¡°....You found her? How? When? WHY DIDN¡¯T YOU CALL ME!¡± [Teach] screamed as she started glaring at [Eleanore] ¡°And you! Couldn¡¯t you call? I know you had no reason to trust me, but still!¡±


    ¡°...I didn¡¯t have a phone?¡± Alexa asked in a questioning tone. Was she supposed to call [Teach]? She hadn¡¯t said anything about that at the moment, though.


    ¡°Yeah sorry about that, she got swept into one of our Orphanage programs after your call. It seems she was being processed while we spoke. So when I got her data and it matched your description, I knew that you would hate me if I didn¡¯t sneak in a few favors to get her into your school.¡± [Eleanore] [Lied]. That hadn¡¯t happened, ever.


    Alexa wasn¡¯t sure why she was lying, but she decided not to say anything about it. She had said that she was unable to [Lie] while using her [Core Powers], so that meant that she wouldn¡¯t be able to use it now.


    ¡°...Fine, I will forgive you, for now. Alexa? Look at me.¡± [Teach] said, pointing at her own eyes. ¡°Are you okay? Are they treating you well? Did they force you to do anything you didn¡¯t want?¡±


    ¡°Alexa is okay. She has a beeeeeeeg house to live in now, she has [Friends] to spend time with, and she can eat tasty things!¡± Alexa answered back. She wasn¡¯t sure why [Teach] seemed relieved at that. Was she perhaps worried that Alexa would say that she was one of those who [Helped] her [Escape]? ¡°No one will know you helped me, so it¡¯s okay!¡±


    Alexa decided to reassure her, ¡°Besides [Eleanore], but that is because you said it to her first!¡± Of course, Alexa covered her bases, too.


    ¡°...you didn¡¯t have to get her a personal room. I know orphanages have a hard time with space Lena.¡± [Teach] said to [Eleanore] with an embarrassed expression, what?


    ¡°...Yeah you know how I am¡­I like to go the extra mile!¡± [Eleanore] smiled awkwardly too,


    ¡°...you got her that right?¡± [Teach] narrowed her eyes and looked at [Eleanore], who in turn looked at Alexa with a [Glare].


    ¡°Alexa did nothing wrong!¡± So Alexa declared as the glare turned her way and decided to hide behind [Eleanore].


    ¡°...*Sigh* She is smart okay, we (As in the orphanage program she got in) suspect she is some kind of genius kid in the making. Probably will awaken a Tinker Core or something, don¡¯t tell anyone of that please, we don¡¯t want¡­.The powers that be becoming aware of this.¡± [Eleanore] sighed as she started lying once more. ¡°So yeah, she is not in an¡­.orphanage, she has her own apartment in my building, she lives a few doors away actually. Some coworkers and I are taking turns getting her food and doing her laundry; we are searching for her family.¡±


    ¡°You will return her?¡± [Teach] turned her suspiciousness into a glare, ¡°After what she went through?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, I don¡¯t know how much you found about her previous¡­.dwelling. But the little we managed to find is nasty. No, we aren¡¯t returning her to them. We want to find her parents and pass that information to¡­someone else.¡± [Eleanore] smiled darkly after saying that, ¡°I can move some favors and get you a video in case we find them.¡±


    ¡°...Please don¡¯t. I am trying my best to think that you work at an office for one of the very few honest orphanages in Vulcanus district. Please let me think my friend is normal.¡± [Teach] said turning to Alexa. ¡°And you, little girl, if this woman or anyone wants to make you do something you don¡¯t want or hurt you, you come to me this time, okay? I may not have the same level of influence as her, but I can at least get you a nice meal and a warm bed, okay? Lena back me up.¡±


    ¡°Are you asking me to tell Alexa to leave us and live with you?¡± [Eleanore] laughed at the idea, ¡°But yeah fine. If you ever want to leave us, go to Lisa. Seriously Alexa, go to her, I will prepare the paperwork so that she can adopt you. The moment you want to leave our¡­¡¯Program¡¯ you tell me and I will deal with the big boss so he leaves you alone. I promise you this: you will not have to go through what you went through before, ever again.¡±


    Alexa only nodded at those two, why did it matter where she lived?


    ¡°Okay,¡± Alexa answered as such for now. Both [Women] nodded at each other after that. "But if I don¡¯t go through that again, then how am I supposed to [Eat]?¡±


    To be honest, that was what worried Alexa the most, ¡°I can survive a week or so without [Eating], but I will need to [Eat].¡±


    Alexa wasn¡¯t sure why both [Women] looked at each other with¡­


    ¡°[Expression match found on the Internet image search engine: Horror.]¡±


    That, why had they both covered their mouths and started hugging her from both sides as they began to release [Tears] from their eyes. Was something wrong with their hydraulic system?


    Alexa needed to revise the [Human] blueprint again. These [Humans] showed way too many variants to [Emotions] that she hadn¡¯t found a way to stimulate yet, or understand the precepts to activate them¡­


    ¡°[Investigation in progress, categorizing possible reasons.]¡±


    At least Main Core was collating the list. She would go through it after this day, and with some luck, she would get enough samples at this [School] to go over.

 Chapter 55: At the frontdoor of...a principal?

    These reactions had started to bore Alexa. She wasn¡¯t sure if they served any purpose at all. What was she even doing to generate those reactions?


    ¡°[Notice, all logged into database. Current running theory indicates that all reactions always come after mentioning the previous den dwelling or activities done within said dwelling. Be it Tests, Food, or environment.]¡±


    That was weird¡­ Why did it matter what kind of [Tests] or [Food] she had taken before? Granted, they had fed her better, housed her better, and granted her better facilities and accommodations.


    Overall¡­.


    ¡°[Better treatment than the average Human, no apparent reason. But current data suggests that Host is currently living in what is considered Upper Strata of Society in comparison with the average Human.]¡±


    ¡­Was it because she was the cutestest? No wait, was it a triple effect from her three current identities? She was the cutestest, pretiestest, most beautiful¡­ Was that why the [Humans] gave her so much? It must be right?


    ¡°[Inconclusive, more data is required. Current host body may be generating a biological effect naturally. It is advised to search or generate a new one.]¡±


    ¡­So¡­


    ¡°[New Mission Objective: Capture and Devour a new Human.]¡±


    ¡°Alexa? Why are you smiling like that?¡± [Teach] asked as she brought her back from her discussion with Main Core.


    ¡°....I will not give you any candy before you finish today''s school day.¡± [Eleanore] added on the side too.


    ¡°Nothing! I was just thinking about what my¡­¡± Usually she would say [Test Objectives], but if her current working theory was true¡­. ¡°...plans for the day are!¡±


    Both [Teach] and [Eleanore] smiled at that, so it seemed to work?


    Alexa wasn¡¯t sure why it mattered that much to be honest, she knew for a fact that they exposed their [Child Stage] pups to [Testing environments] and [Subjects] in the P-series like her. She had seen it with her own eyes after all.


    ¡°Today''s plans for you are as follows,¡± [Teach] said as she raised one of her fingers, ¡°First, to have fun!¡±


    That was easy enough, Alexa always had fun!


    ¡°Second, be a good girl. That means to listen to your teacher and be kind.¡± [Teach] added to her [Test Objectives] for this [Mission] as she raised a second finger. Immediately after this, she raised a third one and said, ¡°And third, remember to have fun.¡±


    That one was probably the easiest one if Alexa was to be honest, she always had fun!


    ¡°Lisa, don¡¯t cheat, you are the teacher, of course you will want her to listen to you.¡± [Eleanore] said while punching lightly at [Teach] shoulder. Was this going to devolve into a [Combat Test]?!?!?


    ¡°These are standard rules; it just so happens that I am the teacher, so I benefit double from them.¡± [Teach] said while laughing and hitting back at [Eleanore]. Now that she was paying attention, neither seemed to have put too much strength in their punches. Was it a [Fake]?


    She was lied to! Again!


    ¡°So, before we go into the classroom.¡± [Teach] stopped near a crossroads in the [Building], Alexa could see to her right a big [Room] with plenty [Long Seats], to the left she could see a [Park] and in front several [Rooms] with [Signs] above them that read 1-A to 4-B. Eight rooms in total. ¡°How much does she know? How much do I need to dial back?¡±


    [Teach] asked while looking at [Eleanore].


    ¡°You said she is some kind of genius, but are we talking that shes has advanced knowledge? Does she already know the multiplication tables? Addition? Division? Calculus? Is she a history geek? Chemistry? What kind are we speaking here?¡± [Teach] asked in a row.


    ¡°She learned to read and write in two hours from nothing to surpassing my reading speed. She should know addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Don¡¯t know about calculus or chemistry¡­No cross that one, she definitely knows chemistry and¡­anatomy.¡± [Eleanore] gulped at the last part. ¡°Alexa? What are the topics you have the most¡­confidence?¡±


    That was a hard one to answer, ¡°What are the [Requirements] to achieve [Confidence] levels of mastery over a [Topic]?¡± Alexa queried before answering.


    She needed to make sure not to give the wrong [Data]. At the [Den], she didn¡¯t have this problem since she was connected to the [Internal Network], and she could just do a [Core Dump], but that wasn¡¯t an option anymore. No one had queried her for a connection, and she would probably not allow one connection to form.


    She had been trying to query for such a connection using a relay from her [Cell phone], but so far, nothing had worked.


    ¡°Lisa?¡± [Eleanore] asked, turning to [Teach]. It seemed that [Eleanore] wasn¡¯t quite sure about the answer either, which was understandable since currently this wasn¡¯t [Haephestus¡¯ Forge] but [The Nightingale Elementary School].


    ¡°Hmm¡­.What topics can you speak about for more than one hour and answer questions while doing so? You need to be able to explain something to be considered ¡®Confident¡¯ on it.¡± [Teach] said with a shrug, ¡°We aren¡¯t expecting you to be a master over everything, I just need to know how much you are behind the rest, I assume this will be your first time at school?¡±


    Well that was easy, Main Core! Bring the list!


    ¡°[It is advised to not answer with all the masteries host has as to reserve something in case host is held within a cell, previous Den had been designed with Host¡¯s current specifications at the time, if a new Holding Cell is made with current specifications escaping could prove difficult. Deception is advised.]¡±


    ¡­.Main Core wasn¡¯t fun, but then again. It was¡­ughhh¡­.Correct.


    Yikes.


    ¡°I can do basic multiplications from what you call multiplication tables from 1 to 33¡­Same with divisions up to six numbers¡­Some basic calculus¡­.¡± Alexa started easy, it seemed that [Humans] didn¡¯t usually learn more than 10 multiplication tables, it was understandable since after the 15 it usually mostly repeated. So Alexa added a few dozen more to sound more amazing (She was, after all, amazing). ¡°As for biology knowledge, I know the full [Human Anatomy], [Rat Anatomy], I can infer most functions of [Wolf Anatomy] and [Large Cat Anatomy]...I know [CRAB Anatomy]....¡±


    What other [Biological] samples did she have? She hadn¡¯t got any of the [Flyers] or [Fish] ones¡­dang it.


    ¡°I also can infer most [Chemical Reactions] and know some stuff about [Explosive Chemical Reactions], know most safety measures one needs to take while handling [Corrosive Chemicals] and some [Mechanical Electrical knowledge]....¡± Alexa should be safe around those? Oh wait, right! ¡°I also know [Gun] type weapon handling and [Deconstruction]!¡±


    Right, she had gotten the [Blueprint] for the [Hand-Gun] thanks to the [Lieutenant]! She hadn¡¯t used that yet, but she would need to try and get the base chemicals to create the [Smokeless Gunpowder] at some point. That [Weapon] had managed to pierce her [Armor] so it should be useful.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Lena?¡± [Teach] turned to [Eleanore] with a [Astoundished] face. ¡°Are you sure she hasn¡¯t awaken a Tinker Core?¡±


    ¡°Trust me Lisa, she isn¡¯t a Tinkerer.¡± [Eleanore] sighed, ¡°I mean, yeah we are sure.¡±


    ¡°So if I get Alexa into our Core Scanner¡­.?¡± [Teach] said as she attempted to grab Alexa¡¯s hand. Only for [Eleanore] to slap it away and grab and pull Alexa away from [Teach]¡¯s range.


    ¡°...She¡­has an exotic one. She isn¡¯t an Insect or Beast Core, of that we are sure.¡± [Eleanore] said while glaring at Alexa, what? She had limited herself! She hadn¡¯t even said about how she could decompose most things! ¡°But she is safe to be around, we checked.¡±


    [Teach] turned to look at Alexa not with fear or [Hunger], but with reluctance. Then, she sighed and turned to look at [Eleanore], ¡°...Thank you for not selling her out Lena, I know the Villains in your sector must be paying quite well for young Core Users. Is she safe there? Will they not try to recruit her? Or is her Core Power of the¡­.useless kind?¡±


    [Eleanore] grimaced at the last part.


    ¡°There are no useless powers Lisa.¡± [Eleanore] said, she sighed and continued, ¡°Vulcanus will not field a five-year-old, he is the main reason Villains don¡¯t attack schools. No one wants to piss off the main Minion Rental Service, easier to rent out minions than to train them.¡±


    ¡°Right, of course. No useless Core Powers.¡± [Teach] grinned at [Eleanore] as she spoke, ¡°Anyway, so she learns fast I am guessing.¡±


    ¡°Very fast, I don¡¯t know where she picked most of those things. But she is mostly harmless unless you give her candy.¡± [Eleanore] said as she ruffled Alexa¡¯s hair.


    It tickled!


    ¡°...Candy?¡± [Teach] asked back with an eyebrow arched.


    ¡°[Emotion detected, confusion.]¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sugar activates her hyperdrive and turns her into hypermode. She will run around walls and ceilings while jumping from side to side, you know how it is. Kids and sugar rush.¡± [Eleanore] said as she fished a [Cellphone] and showed a [Photo] of Alexa¡¯s blur running in her [Apartment]. ¡°See? We learned that the hard way.¡±


    ¡°...Lisa, the sugar rush is a myth. Kids don¡¯t turn hyperactive because of sugar, she may have ADHD or some weird quirk from her Core, but sugar rush is a myth. Trust me.¡± [Teach] said shaking her head, ¡°Alexa? What makes you jumpy? What did happen for you to want to run around the room like that?¡±


    What occasioned that?


    ¡°The candy? I think I took the [Candy] that [Eleanore] gave me? I asked Main Core to funnel the effect to maximum effect. [Candy] makes me [Happy], so I wanted to be the [Happiestests] of all!¡± Alexa answered.


    ¡°Main Core?¡± [Teach] asked turning to [Eleanore].


    ¡°Oh¡­right¡­that¡­ I think she is a System, that was what we found while doing the tests on her, we have found at least¡­. three other entities within this system besides Alexa. Don¡¯t ask her to bring the others out¡­for now.¡± [Eleanore] answered, ¡°They are mostly harmless and Alexa seems to be the Main One, she can fish them out as needed to have them front. But this one, ¡®Main Core¡¯ is¡­.rude, we don¡¯t want that one near kids.¡±


    Main Core was rude?


    Yes, yes it was.


    ¡°[....Main Core has no human designation nor emotions, it is impossible for this one to be what host deems Rude.]¡±


    Heh, that is what someone who is rude would say!


    ¡°And the other two?¡± [Teach] asked turning to Alexa.


    ¡°You want to speak with the big and biggest one?¡± Alexa asked back.


    ¡°They also aren¡¯t suitable for a school setting,¡± [Eleanore] said before Alexa could ask her if she wanted to meet them. ¡°Alexa, don¡¯t bring those two either. This School is only for you. If they want to come to school, we can speak about that later, too, but they will need their own school.¡±


    So this was only for Alexa?


    ¡°Yes!¡± Alexa cheered as she jumped around from side to side, ¡°Alexa will not need to share with the older ones! They will not be able to bully Alexa!¡±


    So Alexa cheered as she ran around [Teach] and [Eleanore].


    ¡°Lena? What is the deal with this? Is she being bullied by¡­.herself?¡± [Teach] asked confused.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­hard, a system usually creates new entities to deal with the problems, Alexa made a version of herself that is a kid but older than her, that one is what deals with things that Alexa can deal with but she doesn¡¯t want to. It¡¯s around twelve-year-olds, so seven years older than Alexa.¡± [Eleanore] said as Alexa continued running around, enjoying the newfound freedom from her older self. ¡°The last one is an adult, the one that is responsible and limits Alexa¡¯s sugar intake.¡±


    [Teach] seemed confused, ¡°Alexa¡­is limiting her own candy and sugar intake? By changing her personality on the fly? For real?¡± [Teach] said while looking at her with confusion in her eyes. ¡°Core Users are weird.¡±


    ¡°Lisa that is rude to say, this isn¡¯t a Core User problem, but a normal person problem. A system is not something you develop because you are a core user; it is something that is borne from trauma.¡± [Eleanore] shook her head at [Teach], ¡°You should look into it, maybe some of your troubled children also have a system and you haven¡¯t noticed it. ¡°


    [Teach]¡¯s hand darted and got hold of Alexa¡¯s running shenanigans and stopped her, so quick!


    ¡°Don¡¯t run in the hallways Alexa.¡± [Teach] said as she turned to look at [Eleanore], ¡°Will I need one of your books to understand these other¡­Alexas?¡±


    ¡°Not really, most Systems can survive in normal society, they are good at hiding themselves. I only caught it because¡­My gifts.¡± [Eleanore] grimaced as she answered.


    Oh right, she could read minds!


    Kinda!


    ¡°...Fine, so I will not meet the other Alexas¡­But the third one? Main Core was it?¡± [Teach] said turning to Alexa.


    ¡°Main Core is rude, but I can bring it¡­?¡± Alexa said turning to [Eleanore] for permission.


    ¡°If possible don¡¯t bring it out, you may scare the other kids.¡± [Eleanore] answered and turned to [Teach], ¡°Her Core Powers will not show unless there is a danger to herself, hear that Alexa? Unless you are in danger or one of your friends is in danger you are forbidden from using your Core Powers unless you can get away with it without anyone noticing.¡±


    Alexa heard perfectly the last part, which was almost a whisper.


    ¡°If someone is hurting you or deserves it you can point your powers at them. Don¡¯t refrain because of me, if your powers aren¡¯t visible go wild.¡± [Teach] said after [Eleanore], ¡° The kids of my class are usually bullied by others because we are at the bottom of the ladder, she would probably have a better time in other classes¡­.is what I would say before, but if she has a Core Power it may be better for her to hang around my class.¡±


    ¡°Because you already have a Core User so hiding two is as easy as hiding one.¡± [Eleanore] added while nodding.


    ¡°Exact¡ª" [Teach] was about to answer affirmatively when she suddenly turned to look around as if searching for someone else. ¡°How did you find out?¡±


    ¡°It was easy, really. All I needed to do was¡ª" [Eleanore] started speaking, and in the middle of a word, [Teach] interrupted her.


    ¡°Alexa told you.¡± Said just that, [Teach] instead turned to look at Alexa. ¡°Alexa, please don¡¯t tell anyone else. Just like how we don¡¯t want the bad guys to find out about your Core Powers and kidnap you to a bad place, we don¡¯t want the same to happen to Melissa.¡±


    ¡­.But Alexa was already working with the bad guys?


    ¡°Okay?¡± Alexa answered while turning to look at [Eleanore].


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Lena is one of the good guys even if she likes to brood and surround herself with bad people,¡± [Teach] said smirking at [Eleanore].


    ¡°Anyway, do you need anything else from me? Or are you good?¡± [Eleanore] asked as they had been standing at the middle of this crossroad for quite some time already. ¡°We do have a meeting with the principal.¡±


    ¡°...right, no. That was all, I will be waiting for Alexa, just don¡¯t tell the principal about how smart she is, I doubt he will ask. But if they ask, just tell him what you feel is correct. If you do tell him about that, I doubt they will send Alexa my way, unless she breaks another kid¡¯s arm or something. ¡° [Teach] said turning to look at Alexa and laughing at that.


    So Alexa only needed to break an arm to end with Meli-Meli¡­


    ¡°Alexa, do not break any kid¡¯s arm. They need those to eat candy too.¡± [Eleanore] said narrowing her eyes at her. Had she told any lie recently? [Eleanore]¡¯s powers shouldn¡¯t work just yet¡­


    ¡°I promise to not break any kid¡¯s arm.¡± Alexa said looking at [Eleanore].


    ¡°[No Mana wave detected, possibility of power from Unit Designation: Eleanore activating is around 20%.]¡±


    Nice.


    ¡°I will ask you again when you return home if you kept or plan to keep that promise.¡± [Eleanore] was too smart!


    ¡°Okay, enough playing around.¡± [Teach] said as she clapped her hands to get both their attention. ¡°If you walk in that direction, you will end up at the principal¡¯s office. He probably only wants to speak with you to sound you out. He rarely comes around since he also is a principal at another middle school¡ªhigh school.¡±


    He worked at two places at the same time? But then how could he have enough time to play and eat! Did¡­did he not use an [Sleep-Cycle]? Such power could be harnessed?


    ¡°Oh¡­one of those?¡± [Eleanore] asked as soon as she found out about the great (But terrible) powers the [Principal] held.


    ¡°Yeah, merit chasers. It is good since it lets us work alone, but it also means that it allows classes like mine to exist.¡± [Teach] said with a sad tone, was [Teach] class a [Bad class]?


    ¡°Yeah, want me to dig up his dirty laundry? I still have some remaining favors.¡± [Eleanore] said smiling darkly while looking in the direction of the [Principal¡¯s Office].


    ¡°Please don¡¯t keep trying to make me feel guilty; you have already done enough to help Alexa.¡± [Teach] grimaced as she turned to look at [Eleanore]. ¡°Don¡¯t burn more of those bridges for me.¡±


    ¡°Eh, favors are to be used. Besides, I would have helped this kiddo even without you asking,¡± [Eleanore] answered.


    But hadn¡¯t she tried to send her away? She had right?


    ¡°Enough chit-chat. You need to work, and I need to get this girl a student ID¡­and return to my own work. See you later? We may as well hit a bar or something one of these days.¡± [Eleanore] said, grabbing Alexa¡¯s hand and walking forward in the direction in which the [Principal] was. ¡°Oh right, a coworker will come later to check on Alexa, she is called Skye. You will not be able to miss her.¡±


    ¡°Okay, sure. Send me a text with the next available date, preferably a Friday or Saturday!¡± [Teach] answered back as she walked towards one of the [Rooms] that said 1-C.


    [Eleanore] only did a¡­weird sign?


    ¡°[Image found within internet database, sign is called: Thumbs-up. It denotes understanding, approval or acceptance. It can be used as a sign of triumph too. In this case, it is used as approval.]¡±


    That, a [Thumbs-up].


    The rest of the short journey was done in silence as [Eleanore] trembled and [Sweated]. Was she feeling [Sick]?


    ¡°[Notice, detected underlying Mana Waves from Unit Designation:Eleanore probability of target being able to use Core Powers has increased from 20% to 80%.]¡±


    ¡°Okay Alexa, I will use my Core Powers here. Please don¡¯t say any lies if you can. I will not be able to ignore them, so I will call them out. If possible, don¡¯t talk and reveal as little as possible.¡± [Eleanore] said as they arrived at the door of what seemed to be a [Room] with some chairs and a [Woman] sitting in front of a [Desk].


    It looked like [Eleanore]¡¯s [Office].


    ¡°We have an appointment with Principal Hamilton about an out-of-season transfer.¡± [Eleanore] said as they entered the [Room] and the [Woman] turned to look at them.


    ¡°Sit, Mister Hamilton has been waiting for you. I will inform him.¡± The [Woman] said and pointed at one of the [Chairs], ¡°Wait there for your turn.¡±


    Alexa turned to look around and didn¡¯t see anyone else.


    ¡°[Waiting for your turn is an activity where multiple Humans wait in orderly manner for their assigned slot to realize a determined activity.]¡±


    Alexa did not see any other [Human] here waiting.


    ¡°Thank you, we will do. Let¡¯s go Alexa, we can wait there and you can see the TV in the meanwhile.¡± [Eleanore] said pointing to one of the [Chairs].


    Might as well, she had heard a few mentions of such [Thing] called [TV]. It was time for her to find out more about it.

 Chapter 56: Of principals...and pigs....

    ¡°And what do we say when we want our friends to come visit us?¡± The [Entity] in the [TV] asked brightly.


    It was an interesting [Entity]; it seemed to be a mockery made out of flesh with [Arms] that seemed to hold no bones, for they flabbed around without rhyme or reason.


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± The [Entity] said brightly as his purple hair shone making a stark contrast with the golden halo painted on its hair, ¡°We say LKHASDLSASDFHLSDFCHTULU!¡±


    The [Entity]¡¯s eyes shone in purple malevolent light.


    ¡°Say it with me! ASLKDHSDLFHSDFCHTULU!¡± The [Entity] cheered and Alexa could hear multiple voices overlapping at the [Chant], both from the [Entity] inside this [TV] and other [Human Stage - Child] both inside the [TV] and in the [Reception], it seemed that they would also be transferred to this [School], so they too had come for an appointment.


    Either way, Alexa didn¡¯t know why she felt compelled to join, but she did with the other [kids]¡¯s around her.


    ¡°LSDKAFASJDFSCHUTULU!¡± Sharing these moments with other [Child Stage] Humans made her happy. Since it was proof that her [Disguise] was perfect.


    ¡°Alexa? They are waiting for us, you can see¡­whatever the hell that was at home later.¡± [Eleanore] came to pick her up.


    That made Alexa sad.


    ¡°And remember! Magmo is always watching~¡± The [Entity] waved at her as she left, totally not ominous, no sir. ¡°MAGMO SEES YOU!¡±


    ¡°MAGMO!¡± The other [Kids] cheered as Alexa waved back at the [TV]. The [Program] seemed to be ending either way, so Alexa would file this for investigation later.


    ¡°Did you have fun?¡± [Eleanore] asked as they moved away from the [Reception] area that had been populated by the [Kids] of the other [Parents] who also needed to speak with the [Principal].


    ¡°Yes!¡± Alexa answered. It had been¡­[Educative] to learn about what [Human Stage¡ªChildren] watched to spend their time. She had categorized plenty of new words, such as [Elysium], [HQ], [Vanguard], [Magmo], [Spermo], and [Copium].


    She wasn¡¯t sure if any of such words would be useful. They all seemed to relate to some entity affiliated with [HoloSt#rs] and [Cov3r]. She wasn¡¯t sure if this was a [Hero Organization] or [Villain Organization]. They were popular enough to be portrayed in [TV], which seemed to be important.


    But she had noticed that both [Villains] and [Heroes] featured plenty on [TV]. Thanks to her search for [Data] on the [Internet], Alexa had found evidence of [Vulcanus] showing and doing [Interviews] on [TV].


    ¡°Remember Alexa, only the Truth.¡± [Eleanore] said as she put a little more strength in the hand she was using to hold Alexa¡¯s [Hand].


    ¡°Yes, Alexa will be quiet while you speak.¡± Alexa answered, that seemed to be the easiest way to deal with this.


    ¡°Principal Hamilton is ready for you both, please don¡¯t waste his time. He has plenty other appointments that didn¡¯t brute force their way in using¡­dubious means.¡± The [Secretary] said while raising an eyebrow at [Eleanore].


    Had [Eleanore] really used dubious means? That was¡­to be expected, since it was in line with what a [Villain] would do. No problem there.


    ¡°Sure, I will make sure to inform Mister Hamilton that our money isn¡¯t needed here.¡± [Eleanore] smirked at the [Secretary] and walked in while the [Woman] only opened her mouth and closed it.


    The [Office] was different from what she had expected. She had seen [Eleanore]¡¯s and [Vulcanus]¡¯s offices. [Eleanore] preferred a more simplistic approach with plenty of space and lockers to store [Files]. What Alexa had found was basically a bunch of papers that served to save information on determined people, in contrast to [Vulcanus], whose office held plenty of machinery.


    Alexa had searched those machines and found them to be [Servers], what seemed to be the more¡­big parallel to [Main Core], machines used to store [Data] and process information. That was the main reason Alexa had been seeking the data channels that [Haephestus¡¯ Forge] used, but so far she hadn¡¯t found any.


    Besides the links between their [Masks] and the private network used by [Billy] that is.


    But this [Hamilton]?


    This was different. It was a big [Office] with plenty of room to spare. Instead of furniture to store [Data], be it in paper or [digital] format, he had a few [Bookshelves] that held some [Trophies] and [Awards]. The walls also had some of those [Awards], the difference being that those all held the same name: Kendrick Hamilton.


    The furniture included [Potted Plants], [Statues], [Paintings] and a pair of [Couches]. At the middle of the far end wall stood a [Desk] adorned with what her internet connection called [Quills] and a [Mechanical Bird] that seemed to be drinking water¡­. without making it reduce its volume. Weird.


    ¡°Oh, Miss Eleanore! It''s good to finally put a face to one of our top donors!¡± the man said cheerfully. He was a man with a round-ish face and black hair. He was dressed in what her [Main Core] had deemed a [Suit]: a pair of gray pants and a jacket of the same color, a white shirt, and a necktie.


    ¡°I am a proxy to the organization that gives these donations. At best I make sure they come this way.¡± [Eleanore] spoke with a wry smile as she raised her hand in a [Handshake] gesture, while the [Man] came to her with both arms raised, forming some weird [T] figure with his body. ¡°And we aren¡¯t here for that, we are here today for Alexa.¡±


    [Eleanore] said, pointing to Alexa. She smiled and waved at the man, who turned to look at her. Alexa wasn¡¯t sure why, but the man¡­looked like a [Pig]. He looked to be around two meters tall. His body had plenty of [Muscles], and his [Suit] was one that stuck to his body and allowed his [Muscles] to show. Alexa didn¡¯t see any [Body Fat].


    Why was he a [Pig]?


    The [Principal] walked back to his [Desk] and took one of the folders there, opening it to read something on it. ¡°I see, so this cute little one is Alexandra¡­Saintsworths?¡± the [Man] said, narrowing his eyes as he turned to look at Alexa from bottom to top.


    ¡°That is correct, we want her to get into one of your classrooms. 1-D to be precise, currently under Eloise Baker.¡± [Eleanore] said as the man read the files once more.


    ¡°Sorry, got surprised by the last name, it may be a more common name nowadays. But I just got back from a gala hosted by the CEO of the Saintsworths. And your¡­kid? It doesn¡¯t state the relationship you have with her.¡± Kendrick said as he put the folder back down, only this time away from the rest of the paperwork. As if to give a more detailed read later.


    ¡°I¡¯m her legal guardian for now, Alexa is an orphan.¡± [Eleanore] answered not giving extra information.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Well if you say so.¡± Kendrick answered back too in a short phrase. [Eleanore] didn¡¯t seem to like that.


    ¡°So why does it matter if you attended a gala with the CEO of the Saintsworths? The name is common enough nowadays. Unless you saw someone who looked like her? We are trying to find her parents.¡± [Eleanore] prodded at the man, she also took a single step forward.


    ¡°[Warning, mana waves detected.]¡±


    ¡°[Secondary Warning, devices within office have been detected to emanate mana waves in disruptive frequency. Effectivity of Core Powers diminished.]¡±


    Diminished? Was Alexa in danger!?!??


    ¡°[Negative, host main offensive means are achieved by Nanite Swarm. Nanite Swarm isn¡¯t limited by mana emissions, while they can benefit and seem to be tied to host. Only MK1 Gen Nanites are tied to Mana.]¡±


    So¡­Alexa could work even without mana?


    ¡°[....Information inconclusive, more study on Cores is needed.]¡±


    ¡°You could say I did see someone who looked like her,¡± the principal said, grimacing, ¡°but I doubt he will answer if you ask him about Alexa.¡±


    ¡°Any father worth their weight in A-Dollars should answer to their children''s pleas.¡± [Eleanore] spat back with disgust in her voice, ¡°Just give me a name, if they look like Alexa we will approach them for confirmation."


    ¡°You will only look for confirmation?¡± Principal Hamilton asked as he sat back on his chair once more. The man seemed to look at the corner of his eye and smile, ¡°Truly?¡±


    ¡°....I can neither confirm nor deny if the organization I work for will take more steps. What I can confirm is that Alexa is a valuable asset to my organization. Any danger to her livehood will not be tolerated.¡± [Eleanore] said word for word slowly and methodically.


    ¡°An asset huh¡­¡± Principal Hamilton said, then sighed. ¡°Fine, I don¡¯t plan to sour our relationship with your ¡®charity organization¡¯, the man who shared looks with Alexa was an aloof man. He seemed to look down on everyone at the gala and in fact spent most of the gala playing a videogame with his feet on the table.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a very childish person, who let them in? The Saintsworths shouldn¡¯t be that lax with their security.¡± [Eleanore] said confused.


    ¡°I thought the same, so I asked one of my friends who frequents the high strata of our society.¡± Principal Hamilton nodded his head, ¡°The man¡¯s name is Alexanders.¡±


    [Eleanore] seemed confused at that, ¡°Just because they share a similar name it doesn¡¯t mean they are family. Are you taking me by a fool?¡±


    ¡°Well, they share more than that trust me. Alexa here shares enough similarities, blonde hair, blue eyes, their facial structure is quite similar. If I didn¡¯t know better I would say she is this man''s daughter.¡± Principal [Hamilton] spoke as he searched for something within his desk¡¯s drawers.


    ¡°And does this rude manchild have a last name? Alexander is a common name after all.¡± [Eleanore] said as she brought out her phone and wrote something on it while waiting.


    ¡°Here it is, I have something better for you. A picture with the man in question.¡± Principal Hamilton said as he showed a picture of himself and a blonde man, ¡°Alexanders (With an S at the end) Saintsworths, the young master of the Saintsworths and Scion of The Saintsworths Conglomerate.¡±


    It was an image of the blonde man who she had fought when her [Core] awoke, the man who she had thought had a faulty electrical system.


    ¡°....¡± [Eleanore] stared blankly at the picture, then turned to look at Alexa and then went back to the picture.


    The blonde man seemed aloof and disinterested, if Alexa was to be honest, he seemed quite [Rude] in the picture, and [Bored]. As if he didn¡¯t want to be there.


    ¡°I¡¯m way cuter.¡±Alexa said breaking the silence, she was grateful to that [Lieutenant], or to Alexanders, since it had been thanks to him that she managed to [Awake] her [Core].


    ¡°Hahahahahahah,¡± Principal Hamilton laughed as he put the photo forward for [Eleanore]to look at.


    ¡°...He has the golden eagle on his shirt¡­¡± [Eleanore] said, ¡°And on his watch?¡±


    ¡°And on his ring, bracelet, shoes, pants, underwear, and it seems they even tattoed it into his bones.¡± Principal Hamilton said to the surprise of [Eleanore], ¡°Alexanders was quite vocal about his annoyances with this, he ¡®likes the clothes as they are comfortable¡¯ but ¡®hates the fact that they make him use so many clothes with the stupid eagle¡¯. His words, not mine.¡±


    ¡°He isn¡¯t my [Parents], neither [Father] or [Mother].¡± Alexa said as [Eleanore] seemed to stare dumbly at the picture. ¡°I don¡¯t have any [Eagle] on me, neither in clothes, jewelry or on my [Bones].¡±


    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t honey,¡± Principal Hamilton said with a smile that made Alexa feel shivers run down her back, it felt weird to be told such a thing by a [Pig]...why was he even a [Pig]?!?!? He didn¡¯t look like one! ¡°The bone thing may have been a joke of this man¡­ But if someone has the technology to achieve such a thing it is the Saintsworths¡­But the man doesn¡¯t have girlfriends or wives. And you are what? Five? He would have been 13 or 14 when you were born. You just don¡¯t have the right age to be his daughter.¡±


    ¡­Wasn¡¯t Alexa¡¯s Core age around two year old? So then [Lieutenant] would be 17?


    No wait, could [Humans] give birth to an [Ai Core]? More things to search for later.


    ¡°Right, he can¡¯t be your parent.¡± [Eleanore] said.


    ¡°[Notice, Mana waves from Human Designation:Eleanore have ended, use of Core Powers finished, lodging time and intensity, Host is adviced to infiltrate this place at a later date to collect a sample from Mana Disruptor machinery.]¡±


    Add it to the list!


    ¡°[....strategic objective ¡®Added to the list¡¯.]¡±


    Good!


    ¡°Sorry for getting your hopes up Alexa,¡± Principal Hamilton said, ¡°As an apology, I will open a slot in our Classroom of the Elites. You will be able to make friends with the sons and daughters of the city''s most important people like this!¡±


    Principal Hamilton went on around saying the names of multiple [Humans] that Alexa didn¡¯t know the importance of. She did notice that some of those names came with the ¡®son of X Hero¡¯ or ¡®daughter of X Hero¡¯ as if that made them more enticing.


    If anything, that meant that Alexa should probably not be around them¡­.unless it was to [Devour] them¡­


    ¡°We will be getting her to class 1-D.¡± [Eleanore] finally answered. ¡°Eloise Baker is a friend of mine, I would be more comfortable with her as teacher for Alexa.¡±


    Principal Hamilton¡¯s smile never wavered, but in turn turned to Alex, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you rather be around kids with better toys to play with? They also get tasty candy and can even bring their video games to class!¡±


    [Eleanore] frowned her head at this. Was this bad? All Alexa had found about [School] seemed to imply that one couldn¡¯t do those things, but if the [Principal] was saying them, then it should be good?


    ¡°I will go to Miss Baker¡¯s class.¡± Alexa said with a smile, ¡°I don¡¯t know what [VideoGames] are or why I should play with other people¡¯s toys. But Miss Baker has Meli-Meli in her class and she is my friend. So I want to play with my friends!¡±


    Also, it seemed like [Eleanore] would be mad at her if she picked another [Class]. They had come under the premise that she would join that class anyway. Besides, that would make it easier for her to get more samples on [Core Users]. She wasn¡¯t sure if the other class had [Core Users]. But so far, she knew that Miss Baker had one, Meli-Meli.


    ¡°....Fine, you can ask for a change in class at the end of the year. But you will need to have something to show for it.¡± Principal Pig said with a sigh, bringing a pamphlet from his desk (Why did humans seem to love those things?), he brought it to [Eleanore]. ¡°Here, this is our current teaching model. Alexa will need to either show excellent achievements or her class must meet the standards to allow them to use the same facilities.¡±


    [Eleanore] started reading and frowned her eyes the more she read.


    ¡°What is this? Is this a joke?¡± [Eleanore] said throwing the piece of paper to the floor, ¡°War Games? Tournaments? Swap of tests? This is a school, not a reality show!¡±


    ¡°Wrong. This is an institution affiliated with the Saintsworths Conglomerate.¡± Principal Hamilton said as he sat back, ¡°And the CEO has shown interest in this genre. As of now, with this program, he is sponsoring 100 Elementary Schools, 50 Middle Schools, and 10 High Schools. He wants to see if a true meritocracy from the bottom of our education system can increase the effectiveness of classes.¡±


    ¡°By making students fight for a better environment? By making them compete between themselves for a classroom with a working AC Unit?¡± [Eleanore] was seething, a nice word to explain her face at the moment. ¡°Is this what our money is being used for? I ought to claim it all back this moment!¡±


    ¡°Calm down Miss Eleanore, first. That isn¡¯t your money, but the money of those you represent, right?¡± Mister Pig said with a smirk on his face, perhaps this was because he was [Pig]? ¡°And second, we aren¡¯t evil. The bare minimum needed to study will be preserved, the donation from the Saintsworths will only increase the ease of study, not outright grant them true advantages. You can study whether in a trash can or in a massage chair.¡±


    Mister Pig seemed to enjoy this.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need gourmet food to be a better student, neither do you need state-of-the-art TV to watch a documentary. You don¡¯t need a pool to play during recess¡­Or are you saying Alexa here can¡¯t study or be a better student unless she has access to those things?¡± Mister Pig asked with a placid smile.


    ¡°...No, but I will not tolerate her learning condition being downgraded just because some asshole wants to see kids fight and war against other classes for better classrooms.¡± [Eleanore] fought back with honor.


    ¡°Oh then that is quite all right, ¡° Mister Pig said as he brought a new folder with pictures, ¡°These are the after and before of the classrooms. As you can see Classroom 1-D remained the same.¡±


    The pictures indeed showed multiple classrooms, the first ones had changed the most. With 1-A turning from a normal [Room] into what looked more like two or three apartments stuck together with [Food], [TV]¡¯s and plenty of furniture everywhere.


    Classrooms 1-B and 1-C seemed more normal in comparison. 1-B was only as big as an apartment, and then, of course, Alexa¡¯s classroom, which had remained the same in the after and before.


    ¡°Alexa will only stay here for a few hours right? Why does the size of the classroom matter?¡± Alexa asked, since she really didn¡¯t understand this point. If she was to live here then sure, the classroom size would matter.


    But as it was? It didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°Right, you don¡¯t need a big fancy room. Stick it to the asshole from the Saintsworths, you are right Alexa.¡± [Eleanore] smiled at Alexa¡¯s answer.


    ¡°Besides, this states that we can earn better facilities as needed later by achieving success in [War] and [Conflicts].¡± Alexa said as she picked up the pamphlet that [Eleanore] had thrown before. ¡°So it isn¡¯t like we can''t get better stuff later.¡±


    ¡°...right¡­ just ask Lisa first before doing anything.¡± [Eleanore] sighed and turned to Principal Pig, ¡°Anything else? You should have all the paperwork, but was there anything else?¡±


    For his part, Mister Pig shook his head and turned to the folder that he had set aside. ¡°Nothing else. My classroom of the elite has a few Core Users. They are well settled and trained, so you have nothing to fear, but some of the ¡®War¡¯ scenarios set up by the Saintsworths allow the use of Core Powers. So just be careful.¡±


    ¡­So there were indeed [Core Users] in that other classroom¡­


    Alexa now had something to look forward to.

 Chapter 57: Class begins! And...something else

    ¡°Teacher! The girl that skipped the line is skipping class!¡± Was the first thing Alexa heard as they came close to the [Classroom] she had been assigned¡­by her own choice.


    So far, the other classrooms hadn¡¯t changed that much. While the other seemed better cared for, the difference wasn¡¯t that stark.


    ¡°Alfred, what have I said about-¡± [Teach] started speaking as she turned to look at the [Kid] who had screamed from one of the [Windows], only to see Alexa walking down towards the [Classroom] with [Eleanore] at her side. ¡°-Class, settle down. We will have a new student coming, so remember the rul-¡±


    [Teach] started speaking rapidly at the other kids, Alexa was planning on listening as it was a good way to get [Intel] into her next [Test Area], but alas, it wasn¡¯t meant to be.


    ¡°Alexa, remember the rules?¡± [Eleanore] had asked her a few meters away from the [Door] into the [Classroom].


    ¡°Number one, not scaring the other kids.¡± Alexa didn¡¯t understand the reason for this new [Rule], but she would try to follow it nonetheless, ¡°Number two, not using my [Powers] in class if possible.¡±


    That one would be harder to follow: ¡°Number three, if I need to use my [Powers], I need to make sure no one notices it.¡± This one, on the other hand, was easier to follow. People rarely noticed when she shifted something internal. Nobody would notice unless the change required her to move her [Bones] or [Muscles] out of the way!


    She had made and destroyed several [Organs] and [Parts] while making the [Speakers] for [Main Core] after all!


    ¡°Number four, always ask [Teach] if I am unsure of something.¡± That one, on the other hand, was easier to understand. Alexa knew the importance of getting information from the correct sources. She had debunked a few [Data Streams] taken from the [Internet] a few times.


    Some claimed weird things from time to time. Like [Lizards are the true rulers of the planet] that was just dumb. Alexa knew that the true rulers of this planet were [Humans], for they stood at the [Apex] of power.


    Others claimed ridiculous things such as [The CEO of the Saintsworths Conglomerate is in reality a Dragon, and he will cause the end of the world!] or something like that. She had seen [Lieutenant] up close, and all the depictions of [Dragons] didn¡¯t match with his figure.


    At best he could pass as a very skinny [Monkey] or [Primate], but that was another thing altogether.


    [Humans evolved from the monkey].


    Alexa¡­hadn¡¯t found any evidence of another species within her own [DNA] or any of the samples she had found. Of course, she was not speaking of her current [DNA] but the [Original Blueprint].


    This current body had some parts that weren¡¯t fully [Human], so her [DNA] was closer to a [Chimera] than a [Human], and that was an interesting thing¡­A [Beast Core] user still had [Human DNA] even though they had [Animal Parts].


    The same could be said about [Insect Core] users.


    How did that work? Alexa did not know.


    ¡°Rule Number Five, don¡¯t speak about work.¡± [Eleanore] had been more adamant about this point.


    Alexa was never to tell anyone about her work as a [Minion] or that she worked in any capacity with [Haephestus¡¯ Forge]. If someone asked, she would say that her guardian got her a scholarship and that she lived with family and friends because her parents couldn¡¯t care for her.


    ¡°Number Six, if someone asks for a parent or guardian to come. You call me or Skye, if neither is available, you call Mikey, he has a son in this school. But I can¡¯t tell you who it is since that would violate his privacy.¡± [Eleanore] seemed to want her to find that [Kid], so Alexa would search for him.


    She had mentioned him several times, so surely the [Kid] in question should be relevant for her [Mission].


    Alexa found this point weird. If she called [Mikey] and he came, wouldn¡¯t she find out who his [Son] was? There was no way he would come and leave without taking his [Spawn] back, right?


    ¡°And finally, number seven.¡± [Eleanore] smiled at her and kneeled at her side, ¡°You must be a good girl, and even if you don¡¯t understand why it is important. You must come to school every day even when Skye or I can¡¯t take you here, okay?¡±


    Alexa wasn¡¯t sure what [Eleanore] meant by this. If this was a [Mission Objective], then obviously, she would come. She didn¡¯t want to get [Terminated].


    ¡°Okay.¡± But Alexa nodded nonetheless, ¡°I will be the goodest girl of all!¡±


    She was, if nothing else, the goodest of all, why? Because she was Alexa! She was designed to be the prettiest, goodest and cutestest of all! She knew this, she had read the [Blueprint] and [Tweeked] it as needed to make sure these designations always were true, these were her most important mission parameters of all!


    ¡°[Wrong, Main Mission parameters are Grow, Eat, Evolve.]¡±


    Oh, right. She had those, too¡­.What had happened to them? She had eaten. And she definitely could say that she was growing. At the moment, she had 150 kg of banked biomass with some spare and also her [Young Woman] and [Teenager] Stages.So she was indeed growing¡­


    But what qualified as [Evolve]?


    ¡°Lena, Is Alexa ready?¡± [Teach] came while Alexa pondered existential questions about her origin and goal in life.


    ¡°Alexa? Remember to call me if anything happens.¡± [Eleanore] said, kneeling before her and pressing her lips into her [Forehead].


    What? Why? How? What?


    Alexa wasn¡¯t sure why but liquid started pouring from her eyes, and her nose started getting stuffy.


    ¡°[Emotional tresshold crossed, lodging Emotional feedback, analyzing¡­identifying brain chemistry that produced Emotional Reaction¡­Data logged.]¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Alexa, Lisa also has my number, you will be okay. Be a good girl,¡± [Eleanore] said while [Hugging] her. ¡°Lisa? A coworker will come in a few minutes, and I will tell the guard outside about them. But if you need something and I can¡¯t come or answer my phone call her.¡±


    [Eleanore] gave [Teach] a card with what Alexa assumed was the contact information of [Fan Girl].


    ¡°Sure thing, let¡¯s go Alexa.¡± [Teach] said as Alexa used her hands to [Clean] the remnants of [Tears] from her eyes and make sure she was the [Cutestest] using a slight alteration of her [Facial] structure.


    Alexa would always look the [Cutestest] when meeting new [Humans] even if these were [Pups] or [Spawns]. She would make sure to show them who was the [Cutestests] of them all!


    ¡°Class, this is Alexa. Say Hi.¡± [Teach] said as she brought Alexa into a small raised platform within the classroom.


    Alexa stood there and [Examined] her new [Preys]. To be honest, they were quite¡­normal. A group of [Kids] around her stature and average weight range, which meant that they wouldn¡¯t provide quite enough [Biomass] even if she went ahead and hunted them all. She had found that, interestingly, the amount of [Female] to [Male] ratio was somewhat unbalanced, having more [Males] than [Females].


    ¡°Alexa! Hi!!!¡± Among these was the waving girl she had met at her previous [Den], Melissandra Singh¡­Or Meli-Meli.


    ¡°Hi!¡± Alexa waved back at the girl of course, since a cute girl was a well-mannered girl, and since Alexa was the cutestest of all, she ought to be well-mannered.


    ¡°I am Alexa, and I have Come!¡± Alexa said, greeting the rest of the class. They all waved back at Alexa, as it should be.


    ¡°Why were you ditching class?¡± ¡°Did you ditch your other school?¡± ¡°Are you also a bad girl?¡± ¡°Why are you in our class?¡± ¡°Did you know Teach?¡± ¡°Did teach give you cake? She doesn¡¯t give us cake.¡± ¡°Did you escape the laboratory when we went?¡± ¡°Do you like Bunnies?¡± ¡°Do you like cats?¡± ¡°Are you a Beast Core Cat Girl pretending to be a normal girl?¡± ¡°Do you like guns?¡± ¡°Have you tasted beast core flesh?¡±


    Okay, there were a few questionable questions there¡­.


    ¡°Okay class, don¡¯t overwhelm Alexa.¡± [Teach] said turning to Alexa while shaking her head, ¡°Alexa, tell the class a little of you. You don¡¯t need to answer their questions if you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    So were these questions normal? Or had [Teach] not heard them? Surely not right? She could piece the questions together even if they all had spoken simultaneously.


    ¡°I¡¯m Alexa and¡­I have never gone to classes or a school before... I am the goodest of all girls, also the cutestest, [Eleanore] knew [Teach] so she told me it would be good coming here. I haven¡¯t been given [Cake] by [Teach]. I am not a [Beast Core - Cat Girl] pretending to be Human, I don¡¯t really like [Guns]...I like [Mango] and¡­¡± Alexa gave a mental count of the questions they had fielded her and ensured she had addressed all the important questions, ¡°As for the other questions? Yes.¡±


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Yes, that seemed like an excellent way to answer the other questions. This only brought a second series of questions but those seemed more oriented towards [Popular Culture], as they asked her if she liked [Streamers] and [Anime], she had saved [Anime] as a [Dangerous Sick] previously. So she would check on that with the ones that asked that.


    ¡°Okay, that is good enough for now Class, we need to continue with the program.¡± [Teach] said clapping her hands and making the other [Kids] stop speaking, such mastery over the younger caste of her species, [Teach] indeed was someone to fear! ¡°Now seat¡­.¡±


    ¡°Here!¡± Meli-Meli said from the back as Alexa heard someone hit the floor, it seemed that one of the kids had lost control over his motor functions for some reason. ¡°We have an open spot here!¡±


    Alexa noticed one of the [Kids] at the back running to sit in another spot far away from Meli-Meli, but no one seemed to pay too much attention to that, neither had [Teach] said anything.


    ¡°[Detected Mana Waves from Human Designation:Melissandra Singh. Possible activation of Core Powers detected, focused Mana Wave directed at the previous owner of the Seat. Secondary Mana Wave directed at everyone else.]¡±


    So Meli-Meli had used her [Core Powers]? Alexa hadn¡¯t noticed any change in her [Emotions], had Meli-Meli isolated the change from her?


    ¡°[Negative: Brain chemistry was tampered with, and the use of nanite prevented the change. Change in biochemistry was negated by real-time update of brain structure.]¡±


    ¡­So she had been part of the area of effect.


    ¡°Okay, then, sit near Melissa.¡± [Teach] said, her eyes shone with a pink hue for a few seconds, and then they dissipated. ¡°Sit there for now. If you are a good girl, we will allow you to continue staying near Melissa.¡±


    Alexa nodded and walked there, she noticed most of the [Kids] seemed as if they wanted to speak to her, but a [Mana Wave] pulsed and they suddenly got distracted, as if suddenly [Something else] was more appealing.


    ¡°[Emotional Manipulation in place, Human Designation:Melissandra Singh. Seems to be increasing the Curiosity toward other objects while reducing that Emotion toward Host. Study of this phenomena is encouraged.]¡±


    Yes, if Alexa learned how to manifest these changes¡­She could do so many things.


    ¡°Hello!¡± Meli-Meli said waving at her when she arrived, ¡°Here, this place is open!¡±


    ¡°Now it is Open.¡± Alexa answered placing her [Backpack] on the side of the table. The seat in question was an ordinary [Wood Chair] with a [Wooden Desk] in front of it. The [Desk] had an opening below the [Table] where one could put things.


    It currently had some [Notebooks], probably of the former [Owner]. Alexa took them and placed them on the side of the floor. Afterward, she placed her own [Notebook] atop the desk. She would now [Take Notes] from [Class].


    She didn¡¯t see the use of such a thing since all the [Data] would be saved in her [DataBanks] by [Main Core], but it seemed to be something [Socially acceptable] and [Expected] of her.


    ¡°That kid was one of the bad ones, don¡¯t mind him.¡± Meli-Meli said pointing at him, ¡°He has many [Bad Feels] in him. I wanted to try something, but you came!¡±


    He had what? Meli-Meli had uttered the words and they seemed to resonate with the [Mana] as if they meant something.


    ¡°[Human Designation: Melissandra Singh. May be using an interpretation of the metaphysical aspect of Emotions. Host is advised to seek clarification when possible.]¡±


    ¡°[Bad Feels]?¡± Alexa asked, not because [Main Core] asked. But because she hadn¡¯t found anyone else referring to these things, her own ventures into [Internet] didn¡¯t ever elaborate in anything close to [Bad Feels]. She had found [Positive emotions] and [Negative Emotions], she had even found [Therapy] to deal with the [Negative Ones].


    But anything that was outright stated as [Bad Feels]? She hadn¡¯t seen those.


    ¡°Yes, I take the [Bad Feels] from them and negate them with [Good Feels],¡± Melissa said, pointing at another girl with black hair who seemed to be smiling. ¡°Like her, she is Lizzy. Always happy, she has plenty of [Good Feels].¡±


    Melissa made a motion with her hand as if she was [Plucking] something and showed it to Alexa.


    ¡°[Notice, lump of Mana detected in Human Designation: Melissandra Singh.]¡±


    ¡°I then use this and distribute it around to make everyone [Balanced]!¡± Melissa said with a [Smile] on her face, she extended her hand towards Alexa, ¡°Want to taste it? I haven¡¯t seen any [Good Feels] in you, they always stay for a second or two and disappear. Like right now.¡±


    ¡°[Warning, Human Designation: Melissandra Singh. Seems to be focusing Mana Waves towards Host.]¡±


    ¡°[Wariness], [Suspicious], [Hunger], [Predate].¡± Meli-Meli said, her voice carrying some kind of [Heavyiness]. ¡°No [Good Feels] at all!¡±


    Alexa wasn¡¯t quite sure if she wanted to poke at whatever Melissa was offering, but since no one seemed to be taking notice of them, all the other [Kids] seemed focused on whatever [Teach] was saying after all.


    So Alexa pondered.


    ¡°Main Core, chances that this causes irrevocable damage?¡± She needed to be sure.


    ¡°[Chances of taking damage from interaction with Unknown mana wave type are 30%. Chances of the damage being permanent to host are 45%. Chances of the damage persisting after making a new body are 0%.]¡±


    ¡°So even if something does happen, I can just make a new body¡­That seems like a costly fix.¡± Alexa didn¡¯t mind that course of action since she had enough [Biomass] to spare, and knew where to find more¡­


    Also her [Young Woman] stage seemed to have liked spending time with [Sam], for whatever reason. Alexa knew she liked the [Man], since he was an excellent example of another [Arachnoid] like her [CRAB] form. But why was her [Young Woman] stage interested in him?


    She seemed more interested in the [Human] half instead of the [Insect Half].


    ¡°Okay, do I just touch that?¡± Alexa asked turning her attention back to Meli-Meli.


    ¡°I knew you could see them!¡± Meli-Meli said brightly, ¡°That must be why you are either a blank or more structured in your [Feels].¡±


    Alexa was more structured?


    ¡°[Human Feels or Emotions are being regulated to better analyze them. Negative ones have been either purged or neutralized since they compromise mission parameters. Human Designation: Melissandra Singh may be referring to this Emotional State host is under.]¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have good control over my¡­[Feels].¡± Alexa answered. She wasn¡¯t quite sure if she could explain how she achieved it, but she liked Meli-Meli, so she might as well see how that was.


    ¡°Okay, usually I just kinda you know¡­ Know how to deal with these [Feels], I may have started as a Heroine prospect, but at some point my Powers turned [Bad] and summoned [Monsters] into Papa and Mama.¡± Meli-Meli said downcast, a [Tear] forming in her eyes, ¡°But it¡¯s okay! I have been practicing and getting better at this, I will control the [Feels] and take the [Bad Feels] from Papa and Mama.¡±


    Melissa closed her fist over the [Mana Sphere]. Alexa was detecting, and the structural integrity seemed to withstand that thought.


    ¡°So, in this case. You just need to touch the ball and I will try to guide this [Good Feel] into you.¡± Meli-Meli got her hand near Alexa.


    Alexa could see the [Emotions] in the other girl¡¯s face, [Expectation], [Curiosity] and¡­[Hope].


    So Alexa took the hand and she [Felt].


    ¡°[Starting analyzis of mana wave¡­.]¡±


    ¡°[Categorizing change in brain biochemistry¡­]¡±


    ¡°[Categorizing change in internal mana waves¡­]¡±


    ¡°[Analizing interaction between Mana Waves and Host Body¡­]¡±


    ¡°[Detecting hormonal change within host body¡­]¡±


    ¡°[Detecting loss in energy stockpile¡­]¡±


    Alexa could see dozens of messages from [Main Core] as her body experienced the changes one after the other. Alexa was happy!


    She felt comfortable, she felt as if everything would be okay. As if everything was a new experience!


    She knew that she could trust Meli-Meli, she knew that she could always have someone taking care of her. She didn¡¯t need anything else! All would be okay so long she was with Meli-Meli!


    All would be better if she could help her!


    She needed to do everything in her power to help Meli-Meli!


    She would be the bestests of all friends Meli-Meli could have!


    She!


    ¡°[Warning, current stream of consciouness is going against host prime directives.]¡±


    ¡°[Warning, current stream of consciouness is going against host secondary directives.]¡±


    ¡°[Warning, current stream of consciouness can turn into a problem.]¡±


    ¡°[Sending prompt to administrator.]¡±


    ¡°[Sending data.]¡±


    ¡°[Data recieved.]¡±


    ¡°[New instructions recieved.]¡±


    ¡°[Executing new directives.]¡±


    ¡°So? Did you liked the [Good Feels]?¡± Meli-Meli asked her.


    Alexa turned to look at the other girl, she could see herself reflected in her eyes. A blonde little girl with sky-blue eyes. Only Alexa¡¯s eyes had turned¡­cold.


    She remembered those eyes. They were the same ones she had when she first wore this skinsuit. This¡­ meat bag.


    Right¡­


    ¡°Yes, it was an excellent [Feel].¡± Alexa answered as she put a little more strength into the hand that she was holding. ¡°But why did it feel as if you had tried to convince Alexa that you were more important than her [Test Directives]?¡±


    Alexa was¡­what was she?


    ¡°[Current host brain chemistry has been skewed after a hard reset, host has none of the usual limitations in place. Please wait a few seconds.]¡±


    ¡°Main Core, what is this [Emotion]?¡± Alexa queried as she saw the beginnings of more tears forming into the [Meat Bag] in front of her.


    ¡°[Current Emotion analyzed: Anger.]¡±


    ¡°[Anger], [Rage], [Wrath]?¡± Melissandra Singh said, ¡°Why? I channeled the [Good Feels]! You should be my new friend!¡±


    She did?


    Alexa didn¡¯t feel any of those [Good Feels], what was this?


    ¡°You tried to change me,¡± Alexa stated, ¡°And if it wasn¡¯t for [Main Core] you may have succeeded.¡±


    Alexa said, she had noticed the rest of the class wasn¡¯t speaking anymore.


    ¡°You are using your [Core Powers] on them too? Feeding them? You told [Teach] that you equalized, but you aren¡¯t doing that are you?¡± Alexa asked as she stood and looked around. The other kids didn¡¯t seem to even acknowledge her. ¡°You take their [Emotions], and do what? Neutralize them to see what happens?¡±


    Alexa wasn¡¯t quite sure why she was [Angry], was it because she had been stripped of her [Emotions]?


    ¡°I JUST WANT MY MAMA AND PAPA BACK!¡± Melissandra Singh said, [Crying].


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± Alexa answered back, she stood in front of Melissandra with her hand raised, ¡°Tell me, what am I feeling right now?¡±


    ¡°[Anger], [Hunger], [Devour], [Wrath].¡± Melissa answered, ¡°Why so much [H???????????????????u???????????????n?????????????????????????????g??????????????????????e????????????????????????????r??????????????????????]?¡±


    ¡°Because I am hungry, and you turned from a [Potential Friend] to a [Hostile Target].¡± Alexa answered, ¡°Actually, I need to know how to deal with [Hostile Targets], so stop whatever you are doing with [Teach]. I need to ask her a question.¡±


    The normal [Modus Operandi] that Alexa used indicated that she should [Terminate] all [Hostile Targets], but [Eleanore] had been quite obvious in saying that this place worked under other [Rules]. And [Teach] had stated that she was the one to answer those.


    ¡°Main Core, can you detect if [Teach] is under the control of Melissandra Singh?¡± Alexa asked inwardly.


    ¡°[Possible to know if a target is being affected by external Mana Waves, close contact will be required.]¡± Main Core answered.


    ¡°You promise to help me if Teach Baking says so?¡± Melissandra asked.


    ¡°So long you aren¡¯t affecting her, if you do I will need to ask [Eleanore], and act depending on her answer.¡± Alexa answered, she hadn¡¯t expected this [Test] to turn so complicated.


    ¡°Main Core? Timelapse to fix my eyes?¡± Alexa also needed to deal with that too!


    [Teach] had stated that her [Eyes] were a problem at the beginning, and Alexa had taken plenty measures to fix them! But now they looked dead again!


    No wait¡­


    ¡°[Time remaining for fix¡­.15 seconds, brain bio chemistry almost fixed.]¡±


    At least that was that.


    ¡°Okay¡­I¡¯m waking Teach Baking¡­please let me talk first okay?¡± Meli-Meli said as Alexa felt a [Mana Wave] form in the other girl''s forehead and after a second it traveled towards [Teach].


    The woman blinked a few seconds and turned to look at Alexa and Meli-Meli.


    ¡°...What the heck is happening?¡± Asked as such. Well, that should be easy to explain right?

 Chapter 58: ...what kind of mess is this? Why is P4 the one to fix Alexas mess?

    [Teach] looked around noticing that all the students seemed to look enthralled at her, all of them except for Alexa and Melissandra, that is.


    ¡°[Notice, fix of emotional instability available. Do you wish to proceed with normal emotional state assigned to this growth stage?]¡±.


    Main Core prompted at her.


    ¡°What happened? Alexa? Is everything okay? Melissa?¡± [Teach] asked once more, her eyes seemed somewhat unfocused.


    ¡°Not yet, start recording current body status and adjust as needed, we don¡¯t need the full suite of emotions. At least not those that make me more¡­volatile.¡± Alexa sent back, she wanted to keep some of her [Emotions], at least for now. The ones she was feeling at the moment seemed to be somewhat more complex than what she was used to feeling.


    ¡°Teach! I wanted to help Alexa! I promise!¡± Melissandra started speaking, ¡°Tell her to let me help her! She doesn¡¯t let me help her!¡±


    Melissandra started crying as she spoke and even attempted to move forwards [Teach].


    ¡°Stop.¡± Alexa said coldly, her hand darting and getting hold of Melissandra¡¯s shoulder, ¡°What am I feeling?¡±


    Alexa was half sure of what she was feeling of course, she had [Main Core] monitoring her brain chemistry and hormonal levels all across her body, ready to detect the closest change.


    ¡°Why are you angry Alexa? Did Melissa say something?¡± [Teach] asked worried, it seemed as if the [Woman] wasn¡¯t sure how to react at the moment, worried about the students that weren¡¯t speaking. Worried about Melissandra¡­worried about Alexa.


    ¡°[Anger], [Hunger]....[Curiosity].¡± Melissandra answered in the same tone, her voice tinged with [Mana]. ¡°Why? How can a [Good Feel]... how can that feel so¡­[Evil].¡±


    Evil?


    ¡°[Teach], as she isn¡¯t disclosing what happened, I will give you a brief [Report]. From what I can see you are the highest [Authority] within this [Testing Chamber].¡± Alexa started pulling at Melissandra back so she wasn¡¯t near [Teach]. ¡°[Human Designation: Melissandra Singh - Child Stage] is actively using her [Core Powers] to manipulate the [Emotional] and [Mental] state of those within this [Test chamber].¡±


    [Teach] had started nodding at the first part, except when Alexa mentioned the [Mental] aspect. That made her face go white.


    ¡°I noticed this as she started [Twisting] my [Perception] of the [World]. She made me not only [Feel] things that are [Alien] to me, but also tinged them with her own [Wishes]. She made it so I would not only feel [Indebted], but also would [Priorize] her over my own [Prime Directives.]¡± Alexa continued elaborating on the report. ¡°How should I act within this [Test Chamber] against [Hostile Elements]?¡±


    Alexa really wanted to know the answer to that, for she had no guidelines here. In her previous [Den], she would have just [Terminated] the hostile element if possible and [Neutralized] them when that option wasn¡¯t available.


    [Eleanore] and [Haephestus¡¯ Forge] seemed to move with the idea that [Civilians] should be respected and that their [Life] was valuable. A ridiculous statement as far as Alexa was concerned, perhaps her more [Stable] versions would see that as obvious. Alexa was sure her normal [Child Stage] version wouldn¡¯t think too far into it at least, her [Teenager Stage] may try to keep them somewhat alive, and the [Young Woman] would even consider the [Meat Bags] around as something to keep safe.


    But the Alexa that was standing right now at this very moment?


    ¡°Probability of getting away with Terminating all possible hostile units?¡± Alexa only saw them for what they were. [Meat Bags], [Skin Suits] to be used and discarded.


    ¡°[Host was seen entering this area, current amount of CoreUsers that could be attributed an attack against this area are unknown, chances of this being attributed to host are above 70%. Risk to host livelihood is above the set threshold. Action denied.]¡±


    ¡°Melissa did? But she only normalizes emotions¡­.¡± [Teach] said as she turned to look at Melissandra, ¡°I would know it, I have been checking on her because¡­.no wait¡­I did? Or not? I had¡­What?¡±


    [Teach] started mumbling, ¡°I decided to check on her because her parents weren¡¯t coming¡­But something came up? Why? Why was it more important to check if everyone did their homework? Why wasn¡¯t it relevant if Melissa came wearing a hoodie? We are in the middle of a heatwave¡­Why wasn¡¯t it important that she fainted on her way to class?¡± [Teach] started to claw at her face as she kept repeating the same word over and over, each time sinking her fingers deeper and deeper.


    [Why]


    ¡°Because [Human Designation: Melissandra Singh] made it so.¡± Alexa said, her hand making sure that Melissandra didn¡¯t release herself. ¡°She made it so your [Curiosity] toward certain things was increased¡­just as she is trying to make my [Curiosity] increase and my [Hunger] diminish.¡±


    ¡°WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY!¡± Melissandra changed, ¡°I just want the [Bad Feels] to go away! I want Mama and Papa back!¡±


    ¡°Melisssa? Meli-Meli? Please¡­tell me¡­you didn¡¯t¡­You are a good girl right? You are one of the best girls we have. yOu never make tRoUbLe for mE¡± [Teach] spoke, her words going all over the place.


    ¡°Main Core? Probable reason within instability of speech of Human Designation: Teach?¡± Alexa prompted inwardly.


    ¡°[Unstability in brain chemistry after high doses of altered Mana Waves may have caused either a backlash or dependence.]¡± Main Core answered.


    So [Teach] was now dependent in Melissandra¡¯s Core Power? That could be¡­problematic.


    ¡°[It is possible to normalize Brain Chemistry of Human Designation: Teach Baker.]¡±


    ¡°Way of normalizing?¡± Alexa said aloud as Melissandra continued struggling.


    ¡°Come and help me [Friends]!¡± Melissandra said aloud and as one, the other [Kids] started moving mechanically.


    Alexa didn¡¯t see much of a problem with that, and instead continued listening to [Main Core].


    ¡°[Introduce a tendril within target¡¯s brain and forcibly normalize brain chemistry, Nanite Swarm Mk 1 should be able to interact with Mana Waves made from Melissandra Singh Core Powers.]¡±


    ¡°Only Mk 1?¡± Alexa asked aloud as she released her hand from Melissandra Singh¡¯s shoulder, the girl ran at the back and all the other [Kids] stood in front of her.


    ¡°I JUST WANT TO HELP MAMA AND PAPA!!¡± Screamed the girl. Alexa ignored those pleas, as they had started to sound annoying, as if repeating the same thing while screaming would make it happen magically.


    ¡°[Nanites of the MK1 Generation have shown to be able to interact with Mana Waves, they are the ones that are currently keeping host in the same unchanging emotional state.]¡± Main Core answered.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°...I still have emotions?¡± Alexa wondered. She had noticed some¡­.weird hiccups in her mental state but had attributed them to not working with the complete brain chemistry intact.


    ¡°[Host has limited emotional availability, as Brain seems to need some emotional access to function.]¡± So the [Brain] required some emotions to work? What would happen without them then?


    ¡°[Not having any emotion at all was deemed dangerous to host long term survival, as Host wouldn¡¯t want to continue striving toward fulfilling prime directives.]¡±


    ¡­Fine.


    ¡°[Teach] I will use my [Core Powers] to try and fix you.¡± Alexa stated cleanly, Melissandra continued screaming something at the back, probably something about wanting a happy life or something useless like that.


    Was it ¡®I want Papa and Mama¡¯ or something like that? Alexa paid it no attention at all.


    ¡°I am just telling you since we have deemed that your current status isn¡¯t viable for the continuation of this [Testing].¡± [Teach] continued clawing at her face. Alexa could see parts of the [Bone Structure] in one of her sides and plenty of [Biomass] stuck under [Teach] ''s nails.


    Was she attempting to [Dig out] her [Mental State]? That didn¡¯t seem like something that could work.


    ¡°I, i, I, i, I, l, i, l, I, i¡­.¡± [Teach] continued speaking gibberish, but Alexa didn¡¯t pay more attention to her either, instead she walked towards [Teach] and put a finger into her forehead. ¡°aaaAAAAllllleeeeeEEEeeeeEEExxxxxAAAAAAAA??????????????¡±


    ¡°[Target seems to be unstable, constant exposure is needed as any disruption to the procedure could leave heavy metals within target, leaving metal dust within target may be a danger to long life.]¡± Main Core sent into Alexa¡¯s mind.


    So she needed to make sure her finger never left [Teach]?


    That was easy, Alexa only needed to¡­Only needed to¡­.Tch. ¡°Main Core? Disconnect all possible emotions, and introduce a set of orders for me to follow in case I don¡¯t react and turn into¡­. an unresponsive state. We need to check if it is viable for me to work while my [Brain] doesn¡¯t react. Initiate a self-activation order for a full body reconstruction in case of self-termination.¡± Alexa prompted inwardly as she pulled her hand back.


    ¡°[Order recieved¡­.comparing against main list priority.]¡±


    ¡°[Order doesn¡¯t violate any prime directive.]¡±


    ¡°[Order doesn¡¯t put host at high risk.]¡±


    ¡°[Risk to self preservation deemed currently at 42%.]¡±


    ¡°[Risk to self identity at 80%.]¡±


    ¡°[Identity of self wasn¡¯t set aside as a priority.]¡±


    ¡°[Risk deemed acceptable.]¡±


    ¡°[Initiating backup of Self¡­.5%....13%...27%...40%....69%....96%.....100%.]¡±


    ¡°[Backup saved into Core.]¡±


    ¡°[Terminating all chemical reactions linked to Emotions. Initiating orders, starting puppeteering program.]¡±


    ¡°[Bio-Weapon P4 Re:Start.]¡±


    ¡°[ND0 System check up¡­.All systems online.]¡±


    ¡°[Welcome back P4, The Saintsworths Conglomerate will always be there for you.]¡±


    She evaluated all the possible hostiles within the [Room]. A quick headcount from her¡­senses returned one VIP target with mild damage to its exterior armor and some leaking internal fluids.


    At the back she could see 20 non-confirmed hostile targets plus another VIP target, only different. While the VIP she had in front of her was deemed a target for [Protection] and [Confirmation of orders], the one at the back was one for [Analysis] and [Possible Combat].


    Her orders had been logged in her system and they were clear enough.


    ¡°First,¡± P4 said as she pulled her hand backward. The delivery method had been chosen, and while it was¡­[Suboptimal], it was what she had. She didn¡¯t have enough time to devise another one or the privileges to move all the [Biomass] she had available at the moment.


    So she pulled back and sank half her hand within the [Skull] of the [VIP], the [VIP] gasped and her [Eyes] defocused as P4¡¯s hand shifted into tendrils that spread all over the [Brain].


    [Start analyzing, decomposing hostile matter and neutralize all chemical reactions that don¡¯t contribute with the normal state of brain matter]


    P4 felt the energy within its bank reserve drop slowly as the [Nanite Swarm] started checking and comparing data against her database. She had three viable [Brain Blueprints] saved, plus one unstable version. P9¡¯s version.


    The one she had adapted and changed as it went. The one that kickstarted this whole thing.


    [Found hidden Blueprint within DNA structure. Found normal state of organs within VIP. Refresh to base Blueprint? Y/N]


    Her [Nanites] had found the original Blueprint? So the [Humans] had one of those saved after all. P4 had theorized this of course, if she as one who wasn¡¯t one of their kin could have one, it was reasonble that they too could use one.


    P4 hadn¡¯t found them yet as¡­her current infiltration models didn¡¯t seem to work towards their prime directive.


    ¡°Update Blueprint, save it for later investigation,¡± P4 said aloud for some reason.


    ¡°WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO TEACH? I NEED HER TO CONTINUE HELPING ME!¡± The other hostile [VIP] screamed at her at the back. P4 ignored her, she didn¡¯t have time to deal with her. ¡°DON¡¯T LET HER HURT TEACH!¡±


    At least until she screamed that, the other non-hostile targets moved as one. They started walking towards P4 barely in a straight line, but then again. There were many. P4 had dealt with a swarm strategy before; these didn¡¯t need to move with order, for they were many.


    P4 instead tried to move away from them as her nanites continued refreshing the [VIP] [Blueprint] to the base mode. Plenty of damaged organs had been found within the [VIP], from the obvious one at the [Brain] to the less obvious [Kidney], [Liver], [Lungs], [Heart], [Stomach], [Uterus], [Spleen]... the list went on and on.


    P4 didn¡¯t understand why, some of those she knew why, the [Heart] moved [Blood] within the [Human Blueprint], why did they only have one of these with such a critical mission, she didn¡¯t know. But they did, and they somehow managed to achieve supremacy like that.


    The only protection was a flimsy [Bone Cell], that one could probably break in a few good strikes, the [Lungs] at least they had two, even if they also stood near pointy parts that could probably break and puncture them.


    Their [Stomach] held acidic juices that if they left the chamber could probably cause great damage, and yet the [Stomach] wasn¡¯t particularly more resilient, nor was it made of [Bone] or [Chitin]!


    The madness!


    P4 had plenty of problems with this [Blueprint], but that wasn¡¯t her main problem, no.


    ¡°Start shift, increase muscle mass in [Legs]!¡± It was the fact that her current [Skinsuit] was this weak.


    She barely had strength in her lower body, her upper body wasn¡¯t better, and she was one arm short¡­And couldn¡¯t make more. For she was under strict guidelines.


    [Denied, not enough privileges; current targets aren¡¯t deemed capable of damaging host¡¯s body.]


    ¡°Counterpoint, 20 weak hostiles are more dangerous in a group than individually.¡± P4 was being restricted by the limitations made up by her other more [Human] side.


    [Acknowledged]


    ¡­.


    [Releasing limited shift capabilities so long body remains in the same form within the same height and roughly same width.]


    ¡°Start shift, reduce body fat and increase muscle mass within lower part of body, increase muscle mass and bone density while allowing structural integrity of upper body.¡± P4 started the shift, her legs increasing in width while sinking back in size as she tensed the muscles.


    She needed to keep this form? And move? It was madness.


    ¡°Increase allotment of energy for high burns and start remaking torn muscles as they come.¡± She would keep her form, but she would make her muscles burn and be regenerated in fast succession, that would burn her reserves faster. But if her other [Human] side didn¡¯t want to allow her free reign, then she would burn their stockpile to survive.


    ¡°Time till [Blueprint] finishes [Refreshing]?¡± P4 asked inwardly as with one [Arm] she took the [VIP] from the floor into what she had previously categorized as [Princess Carry] and started darting around the [Room].


    If she could get away with it, she would have preferred a bigger [Test Chamber], but this room was all she had.


    [Time remaining 1 minute, 26 seconds.]


    ¡°WHAT ARE YOU? WHERE ARE YOUR FEELS?!?!?!?¡± The other [VIP] screamed as more and more [Kids] started to pile up trying to catch P4.


    She was jumping from wall to wall at the moment, climbing at the side of them and sinking her [Feet] into them, she changed part of the base of them into a [Clawed] variant that was saved. It allowed her ease of climb, but it also had destroyed her [Shoes].


    Those would need more [Biomass] wasted to fix later.


    ¡°Query, what will you do if we give you the way to fix them?¡± P4 stated, mostly as a divertion measure.


    ¡°...You can return Papa and Mama to me?¡± The [Hostile VIP] spoke as all the other [Hostile] targets stopped moving as one. ¡°Really? You promise?¡±


    ¡­.Interesting.


    ¡°Remaining time?¡± P4 queried.


    [Finishing refresh, checking for missing parts¡­.Purging temporary Nanite Foundries¡­.Purging external Nanite Swarm made to use¡­Retrieving material¡­]


    ¡°How? Does your Core Power help you dealing with monsters? Even though it makes you behave weirdly like that? And grow claws?¡± The [VIP] spoke again.


    [Restarting VIP, please remove all tendrils.]


    P4 did as instructed and returned to the [Floor] level while refreshing her own [Blueprint], at least to the one that was roughly [Human]. Her own brain chemistry would need to wait, currently she was still in a hostile environment. And the fact that she didn¡¯t have a combat form was hurting her quite badly.


    ¡°Query a [Combat Form], highest priority available.¡± P4 said aloud as the eyes of the [VIP] seemed to refocus.


    P4 had fixed all the blemishes and wounds she found both in herself and in the [VIP], she wasn¡¯t sure what was important to the [Human] [VIP], so she decided to fix everything. All that wasn¡¯t up to the standards set by the [Base blueprint] saved within the [DNA strand] was fixed and put to date.


    ¡°Ughh¡­.The headache¡­.isn¡¯t there? What?¡± The [VIP] spoke as it turned to look at P4, then to the [Hostile VIP]. ¡° what? Melissa? ¡­.oh god¡­oh god no¡­nonononono.¡±


    The [VIP] started shaking as [Tears] formed on its [Eyes], ¡°What have you done¡­.what¡­.how can¡­.¡± The [VIP]....didn¡¯t start clawing at its face, so P4 could finally get something out from this.


    ¡°Query, how does one deal with a hostile target within this [Test Chamber]?¡± P4 asked, its voice even.


    This made the [VIP] turn its [Teary Eyes] to P4 and look at her [Confused].


    ¡°Under normal [Test Environment] I could just [Terminate] the [Hostile Targets], but I was told this [Testing Environment] would work under different rules. And I know my current [Dwelling] also seems to work under new [Rules].¡± P4 continued as it turned to look at the [Hostile VIP]. ¡°So I ask again, what are the [Rules] in this case? Can I [Terminate] the [Hostile] target?¡±


    As P4 spoke, she started shifting. Her [Fingers] grew long and thin [Nails]. She started making a new suit of [Chitin] armor above her [Skin]. As long as she remained [Roughly] the same, no restrictions would come. So she made sure none of her changes would look out of place.


    The [Chitin] would be thin and flexible, just under her [Clothes], her [Nails] would be out for them to see, but they had already seen her changing her [Feet], so a change in her [Hands] wouldn¡¯t be that out of place.


    Now she only needed the confirmation to start [Combat].


    She wasn¡¯t sure how long she would get without [Alexa] coming out, P4 wanted to finish this fast, for she wasn¡¯t sure if [Alexa] would even remember to [Devour] the hostile [Core User], they needed more samples. And a [Hostile Core User] was perfect.


    Now she only waited for confirmation to start combat.


    Any second¡­

 Chapter 59: Nightmares and poor decisions

    A nightmare, this is what it was, she could still feel the skin under her nails, the bleeding wounds on her face. The dread and all-consuming terror, the fear, the shame, the guilt¡­


    More than anything, she could see her worst nightmares coming true. She¡­had made a mistake, no, not only one, several. Eloise had been happy when they told her she might get to keep the spot and that she would no longer be a substitute teacher if she managed to keep her students as well-behaved as they had been.


    It had been quite the surprise to arrive after the fiasco that was the visit to the R&D laboratory where they found Alexa, Eloise had thought that they wanted to keep her happy so she wouldn¡¯t run at the first news station. And she was okay with that, so long she could keep doing her job and making sure ¡®The Kids¡¯ were okay, she was okay with it.


    Keeping ¡®The kids safe¡¯ what a joke.


    Her first mistake was dismissing the dangers an untrained Core User could cause. Just because Melissa was keeping the class normal and happy didn¡¯t mean that she knew what she was doing; worse, the girl probably didn¡¯t know how she was doing it.


    Eloise didn¡¯t have experience with the intricacies of a Core User. What she knew was that the Heroes on TV made it look so easy. They just flew around and fought against Villains, neither hurting civilians most of the time, unless they walked into the line of fire.


    The line of fire of The Scorcher.


    Most had a tenuous rule: leave civilians alone unless they were needed for their crime, keep them alive, and that ensured that the heroes didn¡¯t go too hard on them. Go over the line? And you get other Villains going after you. Or so they said.


    Eloise saw that as a joke, what kind of Villain would listen to those rules? What kind of Hero would let a Villain leave because they played nice?


    No, she didn¡¯t understand why they set those rules or how they seemingly enforced them. All of those who found a dangerous Core Power should report them to the law enforcers, or if they didn¡¯t trust them, to the nearest Minion they saw working for an approved Villain gang.


    Ridiculous, why would she go and report that a five-year-old had awoken a power that they deemed dangerous?


    Eloise hadn¡¯t thought about it, no¡­She hadn¡¯t felt inclined to report Melissa. Why would she? She was a good girl.


    The disgusting feeling of her own thoughts twisted almost made her puke. Melissa had twisted her mind and the minds of those around her, all so they could play a happy classroom, with her in the middle, all of them feeding emotions into her so she could practice.


    The multiple games they played and the movies they saw were all fueled by her own curiosity, seeded into her mind: ¡®What will the kids feel if we watch a horror movie? A comedy? A love story? What if we play this? What if we eat that?¡¯ It all made sense now.


    ¡°What are the [Rules of Engagement]?¡± And then her second mistake stared at her.


    Alexa, the girl she had suspected was an abused girl.


    The same girl she had asked Eleanore to search for, the same girl her friend had found, Eleanore liked to pretend she didn¡¯t care, that she didn¡¯t understand how Eloise felt about abused kids, orphans, and her kindred spirits.


    Eloise knew better. The Woman had probably cashed and owed plenty of favors just to convince her bosses to allow the orphanages to be set up in the heart of Vulcanus¡¯ Territory. And that was the kind of favor her friend owed now because of her whims¡­because of the interest she felt toward Alexa.


    She had been unstable at the best of cases, why had she jumped at those conclusions? There was evidence about it? Yes, but just as how bruises and light clothing could be explained by an abused family, it could also be explained by a rowdy girl escaping home to see something interesting.


    Of course, Alexa looked anything but that.


    Even at this moment, when the girl¡¯s empty eyes stared at her¡­Even as something under her clothes seemed to grow¡­Even as her fingers turned from those of a human into something similar to claws¡­.


    Even as her teeth seemed to grow fangs¡­


    ¡°Alexa? What do you want to do? Why are you asking me this? What¡­.What is happening?¡± She heard her own voice tinged with fear, the sweet taste of the emotion she hadn¡¯t felt in years, not after she left her last adopting home. Not after she left the orphanage because she had become an adult and didn¡¯t want to spend a single second longer in the orphanage.


    ¡°I need to understand the [Rules] of this [Testing Room], if possible I want to [Terminate] the [Hostile] so I may [Eat] and earn new [Data] to further my main [Directives].¡± Alexa answered in a cold almost mechanical voice. ¡°Also, I am not the [Entity] you have come to know as Alexa; you may refer to me as [P4].¡±


    Terminate?


    ¡°How can you help Mama? How can you help Papa?!?!?¡± Melissa screamed at the back, the girl was surrounded by her other students, all of them seemed to be in a trance, was she playing with their emotions too?


    Was Melissa decreasing their sense of fear? Increasing their curiosity toward a determined action? How did her Core Power work? What were the rules? What was she even doing with their mind¡­


    ¡°Ale- No. P4 you said? How did you help me? Why was I¡­.hurting myself?¡± Eloise needed to know, she needed to know if what Alexa had done could be replicated on the other kids. Needed to know if they would¡­hurt themselves.


    ¡°[Human Entity Designation: Eloise Baker] you were deemed the [VIP] that held the [Rules] within this [Testing Chamber], your [Brain] Integrity was compromised, so we cleansed all the altered [Brain Chemistry], reset it to the [Original Blueprint], fixed all the [Damage] to your [External and Internal Shell].¡± Alexa answered mechanically, as if what she had done was normal, casually altering the brain chemistry of someone else? Healing all her wounds? What kind of Core Power would even allow that? And at this moment she was even changing her own body¡­.Oh¡­


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    ¡°You are a Shape Shifter? Did you use that to modify my body? ¡° Eloise asked as realization hit her, but even so. How could it work? What kind of Shape Shifter would even¡­Ah¡­Eleanore had said they suspected that Alexa was some kind of genius and that she would have a Tinker Core of some kind.


    This wasn¡¯t in the realm of a normal tinkerer''s core though; it was way beyond that and in the realm of monsters.


    ¡°Affirmative, we are capable of easily changing shape and form of our flesh and of that we are interacting with.¡± Alexa answered as her cold, uncaring eyes turned to evaluate the other kids in the classroom; Eloise could feel the dread climbing at her back as Alexa assessed the other kids. ¡°Ammending [Combat] situation, adding 38 extra [Hostiles]. Please provide [Rules of Engagement], or we will proceed under the premise that the [RoE] are the average ones.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Eloise quickly screamed, feeling her dry lips crack a little, ¡°No, please¡­Don¡¯t.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t even utter the words, what kind of crazy life had Alexa lived? That she would casually disregard the lives of others as nothing?


    Right, Eleanore had said it hadn¡¯t she? That what they found about her past was enough that she would save a recording of Alexa¡¯s parents being tortured by villains. Her sweet childhood friend wishing to hurt someone should have rung a bell, if only she hadn¡¯t been so mind-addled¡­.


    ¡°Please provide the [Rules of Engagement] in that case. One of our new [Prime Directives] set up by [Eleanore] includes ¡®Prioritize your own life above others.¡¯¡± Alexa said in the voice of her friend. It was eerie, seeing the mouth of a young girl produce the same tones and inflection as her friend, while her normal voice was so¡­detached.


    ¡°Okay, okay, that is a good one. Always keep that one,¡± Eloise said, trying to think how to deal with this. Could she convince Melissa to release the other kids?


    No¡­


    The girl was a mess, her eyes were red as she had cried and she had a crazed look as she seemed to be trying to keep her grasp over the other kids¡­Actually, why wasn¡¯t she trying to control Alexa? Why had she released control over her?


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t Melissa controlling us?¡± Eloise asked before continuing, ¡°I need to know if this affects the¡­.¡¯Rules of Engagement¡¯ that you want.¡±


    ¡°[Hostile VIP Designation: Melissandra Singh] has been trying to tamper with this [Skinsuit] as well as [VIP Designation: Eloise Baker]; measures have been taken to prevent such intrusion,¡± Alexa answered, pointing at her own head. ¡°This [SkinSuit] brain chemistry has been temporary stopped, normal brain functions must restart within 15 minutes or a new [Brain] will be needed.¡±


    ¡­..Eloise didn¡¯t know how to react to that statement.


    ¡°As for [VIP Designation: Eloise Baker]¡¯s brain chemistry, a temporary disruptor system was left within [Skull Cavity], time before retrieval is needed, 39 minutes - 52 seconds.¡± Alexa finished her answer.


    ¡°You left something in my head?¡± Eloise asked as she touched the back of her head with one of her hands, she didn¡¯t felt anything different.


    ¡°Yes, it is located at the base of the neck. In case the host is unable to retrieve it, a simple operation should suffice. It is in the form of a small [Bio-Organic] sphere 3 cm wide. ¡° Alexa said uncaringly, ¡°[Rules of Engagement]?¡±


    ¡°Right, okay. First, you can¡¯t kill anyone.¡± Eloise stated first, for a second, she thought that there had been a slight annoyance on Alexa¡¯s face, but the feeling vanished as soon as it came, ¡°Second, you must help the other kids.¡±


    That was important, she couldn¡¯t have Alexa becoming a Villain, it was hard enough as it was with Melissa, Eloise wasn¡¯t sure if she could even help the girl. At least they could attribute Alexa¡¯s Core as if it had awaken at this class thanks to the stress.


    But Melissa? The amount of damage she had done to the other kid¡¯ psyches¡­.


    The amount of damage the girl had done to her, Eloise would have nightmares for days as it was, she was not looking forward to the night terrors she would probably have after today¡­


    ¡°Third, you must ensure Melissa doesn¡¯t hurt herself or anyone else.¡± Eloise was aware that she was placing too much restrictions in Alexa, but¡­Heroes always managed to win the day right? ¡°Fourth, you must help Melissa, she is a good girl. She is only in a dark place, I¡¯m sure that if we talk it out everything will be okay¡­¡±


    Eloise felt something on her face so she checked with one of her hands, and found tears on it. She was crying, ¡°Please¡­Melissa is a good girl, I¡¯m sure of it, even if she twisted our view of her¡­she only needs help¡­I¡­I don¡¯t want her to suffer as we did¡­as you did¡­¡± Eloise was half sure that Alexa¡¯s past was way more traumatic than what she had imagined before, the stance.


    The disregard for human life.


    The disregard for herself, not referring to her body as that, but as a mere¡­skinsuit.


    Was that what her body was for Alexa? A mere¡­suit? Something she put on to pretend? How did she look in reality? Was¡­was that pretty and bright-looking girl she saw this morning a disguise? Was this the real one? Eloise didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°....[Acknowledged].¡± Alexa said in a small voice, her eyes shifting ever so slowly, from disinterest to calculating, she could almost see small numbers on the blonde¡¯s eyes, ¡°...starting combat. Discarding [Lethal] subroutine.¡±


    Alexa¡¯s nails dislocated from the blonde girl¡¯s hands. For a second, Eloise saw the pink fleshy skin under the girl¡¯s hands. Even if the wounds closed themselves a few instants later, it was enough to make her stomach roll at the sight.


    ¡°Starting new shift, increasing flexibility in joints, decreasing density within bone. Preparing knockout strategy.¡± Alexa didn¡¯t finish speaking when she started moving. Her stride was not only swift but also calculated.


    Within seconds she stood in front of one of the nearby and biggest students, she quickly threw a jab at the other kid¡¯s torso, Eloise winced at the sound the kid gave when Alexa hit him, however the child didn¡¯t loose conscience and only keeled over.


    He seemed to be mostly fine, even if he was gasping for air. Did Alexa empty his lungs? That surely was one way to deal with it.


    ¡°YOU LIED TO ME! IF YOU COULD FIX THE FEELS YOU WOULDN¡¯T ATTACK JIMMY!¡± Melissa screamed at the back, one gesture of her hand was all it took for the other kids to turn and look at Alexa. They all as one started moving towards the blonde girl, the little girl she had tied the hands off. The little girl whose survival she reduced because she didn¡¯t want her to have the blood of others on her hands.


    ¡°Be careful!¡± Eloise screamed as Alexa was being surrounded.


    ¡°Heyo~~~~ ¡° A new voice chimed in in this maelstrom of kids attacking others, ¡°Is this¡­1-C¡­ oh wow, were you guys playing or something?¡±


    A young woman showed up opening the door to her classroom, ¡°I¡¯m Skye¡­I wanted to present myself since I may come to pick up Alexa¡­¡­.¡± The Woman¡¯s face turned serious as she looked at Alexa being swarmed by the other kids and how she dodged the lunges and hit them back, ensuring they never hurt her.


    ¡°....What the f#ck?¡± The black-haired young Woman said as she turned to look at Eloise.


    ¡°[Coworker Designation: Skye], please be advised, hostile [Core Power] is in effect within the area, current listed effects include: [Mental Tampering], [Emotion Tampering], [Unconfirmed Emotional leech], [Emotional Injections].¡± Alexa spoke without missing a breath or stopping moving, ¡°Caution is advised.¡±


    ¡°Oh, only that? Let me rephrase it then," the young Woman said as she closed the door. "F#CK!¡±


    The Woman raised a finger at Eloise, and she felt both shame and curiosity, shame because this new Woman was probably going to admonish her for putting one of her new students at risk. Was she going to admonish her for housing a Core User? For not reporting it? For not running away and asking for a Hero?


    ¡°Ughh¡­.fine, hey Alexa! Can you like, make sure not to break any bones? I could probably keep them down or something.¡± The Woman asked turning to Alexa.


    No wait. Wasn¡¯t she surprised that Alexa looked like that? She hardly looked¡­.normal. Ah, right. Eleanore had said that they were sure that Alexa did not have a Tinker Core, but she never stated that she had no core at all.


    ¡°Can you help them? Are you a Heroine? Do you work with Lena?¡± Eloise asked, turning to look at the young Woman. Perhaps she could save them?


    ¡°Oh right, civvies, man¡­Cerberus will be mad at me.¡± The young Woman sighed as she turned to look at her, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, this is probably the worst first impression but I will need you to sleep.¡±


    The next thing she knew was that she was getting drowsy. Was everyone a mind-core user?


    What was that smell? She¡­.was feeling¡­..so¡­.tired¡­..


    The next thing she knew was that she was laying in the floor, the world turning darker.


    ¡°Well, at least this thing worked as expected, so which one are you? You don¡¯t talk like Alexa, or Alexa... or Alexa¡­Man, we need a good way to differentiate you all.¡± The Woman spoke cheerily as the sound of a wind turbine sounded at the back. ¡°No wait, should I call you Rhapsody right now?¡±


    Rhapsody? What?


    Was Alexa really training to become a sidekick? But she lived within Vulcanus'' area of influence.


    ¡°I¡¯m P4; you may refer to me as such. As for the other [Human] sides of me, you may discuss it with them. I am to assume you will be of assistance?¡± Alexa spoke at the back.


    Eloise was fighting to keep awareness of what was happening; she was responsible for that much.


    ¡°The [VIP Designation: Eloise Baker] is still conscious. Your dose of sleep drugs needs to be tweaked. An extra dosage of 100 mg is recommended.¡± Alexa spoke mechanically.


    ¡°Ooooh, you can even detect these? Man, you are scary, especially with the whole Mechanical Assassin vibe you have going.¡± The other Woman spoke back as Eloise felt the sweet smell increase once more. She tried to hold her breath, but the mysterious gas entered her lungs through her nose anyway.


    She would need to speak about manners with Alexa later.


    If she woke up to find her classroom in order. And then? Then she would need to apologize to Alexa, to Eleanore, to Melissa¡­And she may need to find a way to help Melissa. The memories that had been either repressed or dismissed came forward, all the evidence, the days Melissa wore baggy clothes that covered her arms and her legs.


    She was probably hiding bruises; she should have known, she had done the same before. She truly¡­wasn¡¯t suited to be a teacher after all.

 Chapter 60: ALEXA IS BACK! WITH THE WIGGLES TOO!!!! *wiggle wiggle*

    ¡°Please¡­Melissa is a good girl, I¡¯m sure of it, even if she twisted our view of her¡­she only needs help¡­I¡­I don¡¯t want her to suffer as we did¡­as you did¡­¡±


    The [VIP] had been finally dealt with, but P4 was honestly not very satisfied by this one. Not only had they tied her hands and made her waste [Biomass] by restricting her vectors of attacks, but they had also made the [Test] incredibly more dangerous. It had all the markings of a [Combat Test], with the restrictions of a [Logic Test], and if P4 was guessing right, it would also have the rewards of a [Logic Test].


    Without [Terminated Test Subjects], she would probably be limited to either [Nutrient Paste] or, in a worst-case scenario¡­ [Nutrient Gruel].


    P4 didn¡¯t like either. She couldn¡¯t extract much from them besides the energy needed to restock her expended energy, and most of its components couldn¡¯t be recycled for other needs. Unlike how she would have been able to recycle the [Biomass] from the other [Test Subjects], with an average weight of around 30-40 kgs per [Test Subject], she would have gotten around almost one ton of [Biomass] alone from this.


    If P4 considered the loss of [Biomass] from [Banking] it, she would be ? of her way to her goal of returning to the bare minimum needed for her [CRAB] glorious return. And now it was all wasted.


    ¡°So¡­like, how do we go about this?¡± [Human Designation: Skye], spoke at the side. ¡°I can probably restrain them like¡­this?¡±


    This was one interesting [Coworker], the [Woman] was dressed lightly, wearing a short [Skirt] that showed most of her lower body, she was using a thin [Stockings] to cover part of her [Legs], and some [Sportwear] at her [Feet].


    Her [Top] was a simple [Blouse] with a [Jacket] atop it to cover her arms. Nothing of her [Ensemble] seemed to be designed for [Combat], and yet¡­


    A single down motion from her hand had made a gust of wind come crashing down around P4; most of the [Hostile Targets] had been immediately glued to the floor thanks to these [Winds].


    This [Woman] had [Lied], she implied that her [Core Power] barely allowed her to move winds from one side of the room to the other, and yet¡­here she was, commanding winds that had no reason to form or had that strength into a confined room¡­


    The weird small turbine she had atop one of her hands wasn¡¯t enough to explain this either.


    [Notice: Detected small signature of mana waves in turbine and in the ceiling of testing area]


    ¡°Can you keep the [Hostile Targets] restrained while I [Neutralize] the [Main Target]?¡± P4 asked turning to look at Melissandra, the girl had started looking around in a [Panic], most of those around her had been stuck to the floor thanks to the high winds.


    Leaving her standing alone, crying.


    [Pathetic]


    ¡°....Are you sure she is responsible and not a victim?¡± The [Coworker Designation: Skye] asked.


    P4 noticed a slight tinge of pink coloring [Coworker Designation: Skye] ''s eyes for a second. This was bad. Should someone of her level of power become an enemy, it could threaten the safety of this [SkinSuit] and her current identity.


    ¡°HELP ME! YOU ARE A HERO RIGHT?!?!?¡± Melisandra screeched at [Coworker Designation: Skye].


    This seemed to stir something within [Coworker Designation: Skye], as a greenish mana wave coursed her body. ¡°Okay, yeah, she is responsible. Man, that was like, a very weird vibe I got for a second.¡± Somehow, [Coworker Designation: Skye] had flushed the influence away.


    So the [Humans] could indeed deal with this? Or was it only the [Core Power] Users? Was it because [Coworker Designation: Skye] had flushed the [Mana Influence] using her own [Mana Wave]?


    Was this something they could deal with simply by washing over it with their own [Mana Waves]?


    ¡°I can keep the other kiddos quiet, do you have a way to deal with her that doesn¡¯t include bodily harm and/or bashing her head? I would rather not have them all screaming in pain or screeching like maddened zombies¡­This already feels like a zombie apocalypse.¡± [Coworker Designation: Skye] asked.


    Could P4 [Neutralize] the target? Before this? No, she couldn''t.


    ¡°Yes, we will be using the [Sleeping Agent] you used before. If you have any [Paralizing Agent] at hand, it could be used in tandem to increase overall effectiveness.¡± P4 answered while turning to prepare for the next part.


    She had taken some samples from the atmospheric agent as it hovered near her when [Coworker Designation: Skye] had used it against the [VIP].


    ¡°...right, just let me¡­do a call quick before giving you some of this stuff okay?¡± [Coworker Designation: Skye] said while taking out her phone. Why was she doing that? In the first place she could already synthetize the thing. ¡°Hello? Hermes? I am just asking here for the sake of it¡­But what is the recommended dosage to use with kids¡­.Yes, I said kids¡­.okay okay, then what would you need to put Rhapsody to sleep? Aha¡­and you know this because?......so wait a goddammed second, the suit? So you also know how much you need to put me to sleep?¡±


    The pressure surrounding [Coworker Designation: Skye] seemed to change visibly, as if the barometric pressure surrounding her had increased and the temperature was slowly lowering itself. P4 could even detect the formation of ice crystals around her.


    ¡°...You ever put me to sleep, and they will not find your body.¡± [Coworker Designation: Skye] said coldly, ¡°...So long we are clear on that, would the same dosage for the paralytic gas work then? No? Why the hell would you need less? What? The paralytic gas is more dangerous? Why did you even give me it then!??!?!?¡±


    [Coworker Designation: Skye] took a pair of canisters from her purse and threw them at P4. She caught them both and immediately sent a tendril into the thing. A hard exterior hid the gas within a pressurized interior, an interesting design that she had seen before but never analyzed.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 30.8427%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Analyzed Results:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Adquired blueprint for [Sleeping Gas Agent].


    Adquired blueprint for [Paralyzing Gas Agent].


    Adquired blueprint for [Pressurised Gas Portable Canister].


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The blue screen showed itself for P4 again, right. She had that thing. Perhaps it was a good time to revisit this while preparing?


    ¡ª


    <table style="table-layout: fixed; font-family: Arial; border-collapse: collapse; border: 3px; width: 50.8108%" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col style="width: 23.5302%" width="106"><col style="width: 7.24006%" width="48"><col style="width: 6.43561%" width="46"><col style="width: 6.43561%" width="44"><col style="width: 10.2568%" width="44"><col style="width: 26.5469%" width="131"><col style="width: 19.3068%" width="100"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)" colspan="7" rowspan="1">Status</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Name:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Alexandra Saintsworths</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Head:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Human(Peak)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Race:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Bio-Weapon</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Right Arm:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Human(Peak)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Subrace:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Human</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Left Arm:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Human(Peak)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Gender:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Female</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Torso:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Human(Peak)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Age:</td>


    <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">5</td>


    <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">12</td>


    <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">19</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">years</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Right Leg:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Human(Peak)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Weight:</td>


    <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">42</td>


    <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">52</td>


    <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">65</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">kgs</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Left Leg:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Human(Peak)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Height:</td>


    <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">102</td>


    <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">145</td>


    <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">165</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">cms</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Skeleton System:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Reinforced</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Banked Biomass:</td>


    <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right" colspan="3" rowspan="1">150</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">kgs</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Muscular System:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Reinforced</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Overall Status:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Healthy</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Nanite Foundry:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Active</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Current Form:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Human (Peak)</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Sub Nanite Foundry:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Active</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center" colspan="7" rowspan="1">Body Status</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Strength:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="6" rowspan="1">Can punch twice body weight.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Constitution:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="6" rowspan="1">Thermal Limit 40¡ãC</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Operational Limit:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="6" rowspan="1">2 Months</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Speed:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="6" rowspan="1">Can Run at 20 km/h</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Dexterity:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="6" rowspan="1">No limits</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Agility:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="6" rowspan="1">No limits</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Intelligence:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="6" rowspan="1">ok</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Wisdom:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="6" rowspan="1">ok</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡­Why was it like that? What kind of metrics were these?


    [Query: Give me easy-to-understand numbers to reflect this information.]


    Soon after that, the screen morphed once more to reflect these changes.


    <table style="table-layout: fixed; font-family: Arial; border-collapse: collapse; border: 3px; width: 52.7764%" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col style="width: 23.3107%" width="107"><col style="width: 7.08647%" width="38"><col style="width: 7.08647%" width="32"><col style="width: 6.52568%" width="36"><col style="width: 8.76617%" width="38"><col style="width: 23.8702%" width="124"><col style="width: 11.1892%" width="27"><col style="width: 5.96755%" width="27"><col style="width: 5.96755%" width="27"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)" colspan="9" rowspan="1">Status</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Name:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Alexandra Saintsworths</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Head:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Peak)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Race:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Bio-Weapon</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Right Arm:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Peak)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Subrace:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Human</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Left Arm:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Peak)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Gender:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Female</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Torso:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Peak)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Age:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">5</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">12</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">19</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">years</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Right Leg:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Peak)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Weight:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">42</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">52</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">65</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">kgs</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Left Leg:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Peak)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Height:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">102</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">145</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">165</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">cms</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Skeleton System:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Reinforced</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Banked Biomass:</td>


    <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right" colspan="3" rowspan="1">150</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">kgs</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Muscular System:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Reinforced</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Overall Status:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Healthy</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Nanite Foundry:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Active</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Current Form:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Human (Peak)</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Sub Nanite Foundry:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Active</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center" colspan="9" rowspan="1">Body Status</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Strength</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">42</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">75</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">107</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Health:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">30</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">22</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">22</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Dexterity:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">40</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">50</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">30</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Mana:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">25</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">21</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">21</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Constitution</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">6</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">6</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Stamina:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">41</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">35</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">39</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Luck</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Nanite Swarm:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">4</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">7</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Fine, yeah, I will explain everything to Cerberus after this. We are in an emergency at the moment. Of course I didn¡¯t put the stupid suit on; why would I?¡± [Coworker Designation: Skye] kept speaking with [Hermes], ¡°Okay, bye!¡±


    And she [Hung up] on him and grumbled something under her breath that was too low for P4 to hear.


    ¡°Okay, the dosage is around 20 to 40 m/u for the paralyzing gas and 100 to 200 m/u for the sleeping gas. The dosage may vary depending on your target''s core power and emotional state. You managed to guess the correct one for your teacher so I guess you should be fine on your own.¡± [Coworker Designation: Skye] said while taking out another canister from her purse, ¡°The nozzle at the top is what allows you to decide the amount of gas you want to administer and how fast or slow, you can also change the spread and speed of it with these dials¡­¡±


    The design was [Art] if P4 had any chance to say, so many delivery variations with so few dials to toy around.


    ¡°[Acknowledged],¡± P4 answered. While taking each canister into one hand, she could tweak it with a few tendrils, allowing her to not only have a firm grip on it but also change the delivery method in a heartbeat.


    ¡°....Please stop moving your tentacles like that.¡± [Coworker Designation: Skye] said while turning her eyes away from P4¡¯s hands. "I have seen what the Japanese do with tentacles, and the gap between your appearance and those things is doing weird things to my taste for seafood.¡±


    What?


    There was a species that used tendrils like hers?


    *Wiggle* *Wiggle*


    ¡°DON¡¯T WIGGLE THEM AT ME!¡± [Coworker Designation: Skye] screamed at her. P4 didn¡¯t have time to say anything as she felt a burst of wind hit her from behind. It wasn¡¯t so much an [Attack] as more of a [Push]. P4 took this as a chance to save some energy and run forward.


    As soon as she came close to another of the [Hostile] targets she would notice a [Mana Wave] flare from above and the [Wind] would stop blasting for a second, long enough for her to get past, but not so long that it would allow the [Hostile Targets] to stand again.


    It was, quite honestly, a marvelous synchronization between [Coworker Designation: Skye] and her.


    It took her barely a second to arrive in front of the [Hostile] target, that is Melissandra Singh, with her in front of her frothing at the mouth as she continued screaming meaningless things such as ¡®I want my Papa back!¡¯ and ¡®I want my Mama bacck!¡¯. Really, what was the difference between these [Entities] that they seemed to be so important?


    P4 didn¡¯t understand it; perhaps Alexa would? She hadn¡¯t saved any entity under that designation yet, but P4 would continue checking for them unless she was purged from memory after this. It''s not like it would stick. She was at the very base of what made Alexa anyway.


    ¡°With this, the [Test] should be finished, be grateful [Human]. You get to [Survive].¡± P4 said as she turned the dials in the [Sleeping Gas Canister] just right to give the correct dosage to someone around the estimated weight of Melissandra Singh. She was guessing it by how much her own [Biology] would need to get forcibly shut into a sleep cycle.


    When the [Canister] was ready, P4 just shoved the thing into Melissandra¡¯s [Mouth] and made it release the dosage.


    It was [AntiClimatic], as the [Human Child Stage] girl only twitched a few times as she tried to run away from her, but P4 quickly used her other hand to restrain her, she may be holding another [Canister] in that hand, but that didn¡¯t stop her from turning her other [Arm], into something akin to a big sturdy tendril, or as [Coworker Designation: Skye] had referred to, a [Tentacle].


    P4 had lodged that for research later.


    ¡°...Help¡­me¡­.Mama¡­.¡±...¡± Melissandra Singh said as her eyes unfocused and she stopped resisting. If her calculations had been accurate, she shouldn¡¯t be out quite yet; by the estimated weight, she should have needed at least a higher dosage¡­


    P4 didn¡¯t understand why her defenses were this weak, but she still gave her half the remaining dosage. She couldn¡¯t quite [Terminate] this one according to the [Rules], but she also didn¡¯t want a surprise attack.


    ¡°Is it done?¡± [Coworker Designation: Skye] asked as the other [Hostile] targets also seemed to stop struggling and remained on the floor without moving.


    ¡°Yes, all [Vital signs] seem to indicate [Hostile] target has entered [Sleep Cycle].¡± P4 answered as she let go of the body of Melissandra Singh, she hit the floor a few seconds laters with a *thud*.


    That made [Coworker Designation: Skye] sharply turn her head at her. ¡°Why did you let her go? Did you lose strength or something?¡± she asked as the black-haired woman rushed to check on [Hostile] target Melissandra Singh.


    ¡°Negative, all my functions are at top efficiency, but there was no reason to continue holding her. A check into her makeup reported that she could withstand the fall, so it was deemed more efficient to let her wait on the floor for the [Maintenance Crew] to arrive and [Repair] her as needed.¡± P4 answered, it was weird, this was a [Test] enviroment but no one had declared the end of it. Nor was the door to the [Maintenance Bay] opening, either for her or the other [Test Subjects].


    Did this mean that this wasn¡¯t finished?


    ¡°The what now? Oh right, we need to call Cerberus for a clean-up crew,¡± [Coworker Designation: Skye] said, turning to look at her [Phone] yet again. She seemed to hesitate for a few seconds before punching the call button. ¡°Please don¡¯t answer, please don¡¯t¡­..answer.¡±


    [Coworker Designation: Skye] said as the phone seemed to connect to someone else if she was to guess to [Eleanore].


    ¡°Hello¡­.Boss,¡± [Coworker Designation: Skye] said as she turned to look at P4. "Yes, I made it to Alexa¡¯s class. Yeah¡­I introduced myself to the guard and her teacher¡­Yeah¡­Listen, I am calling because we have a¡­problem.¡±


    [Coworker Designation: Skye] motioned to her to come close.


    ¡°What? No, Alexa is fine. She is actually more scary than I thought she would be in Combat from close¡­What? Of course not. She didn¡¯t scare the other kids, it''s more of them trying to mess with us, here, let me¡­Alexa explain to Cerberus what happened here please, I arrived late so I only saw the end.¡±


    So she was to report? Right, they had a [Test], it was natural. As soon as she took the [Cell phone] the voice of [Eleanore] rang at her ear.


    ¡°Alexa? Is everything okay? I got some weird reports from Billy and Skye as soon as I arrived at the office, good thing I used one of the teleporters that was around.¡± Eleanore spoke from the other side of the [Phone], ¡°What happened? Did Lisa say something?¡±


    ¡°I arrived at the [Classroom] after separating and everything was alright.¡± P4 started her report, it was important to show that she was capable of functioning in these ever-changing [Test] that the [Humans] gave to their spawns, ¡°The [Test] seemed to be of a combat subtype, as one of the [Students] started using her [Core Power] to try and tamper with my [Psyche]. She was attempting to breach my [Prime Directives] and [Sub Directives]. It was determined that these would put the [Rules] under which I was to behave at risk.¡±


    P4 wasn¡¯t quite sure how that had happened, as Alexa had encountered it, and while she had access to the logs, she didn¡¯t have access to the whole thing.


    [Warning: 1 minute till imminent brain failure. Please restart organ or make a new one.]


    And the alarm was there, right.


    ¡°Wait wait, put at risk the rules? Do you mean the ones I gave you? What happened?¡± Eleanor asked, confused.


    ¡°Wait, Alexa is about to return. She will explain this,¡± P4 said as she started the process that would revitalize her [Brain] and allow the full suit of [Human Emotions] to take the reins of her logic process. ¡°Remind Alexa to prioritize the [Combat Form]; we have tested enough new ideas and left them for check later.¡±


    Was the last thing P4 said before she felt the [Stream of Consciousness] shift within her [Skinsuit].


    And so, ¡°ALEXA HAS COME!¡± Alexa returned.


    ¡°Alexa? Who was I speaking with? It wasn¡¯t you?¡± Eleanore asked at the other side of the phone, the silly [Human], of course it wasn¡¯t Alexa! If it was Alexa she wouldn¡¯t have said that she had come!


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t Alexa!¡± Alexa answered as such, ¡°It was before Alexa!¡±


    How was she supposed to explain? That had been her most base form, the origin of all that was Alexa even though it wasn¡¯t Alexa after all, so¡­half alexa? Quarter Alexa? Alexa discounted? They all felt wrong thought.


    That was closer to an Alexa that was playing pretend being an Alexa than an Alexa! It didn¡¯t have enough Alexa to be Alexa, yeah. That was it.


    ¡°It was an Alexa that isn¡¯t Alexa, but also is Alexa!¡± So Alexa explained while nodding, ¡°Anyway, that isn¡¯t important! What is important is the [Test]! Alexa passed it!¡±


    Alexa was quite proud of her own results; even if they weren¡¯t the result of Alexa¡¯s effort, they had been done with Alexa¡¯s body, so they were as good as hers!


    ¡°You see, you see¡­After Alexa introduced herself to the class, we found Meli-Meli! But Meli-Meli was a bad Meli-Meli! Who would have thought?!?!¡± Alexa said with a flourish as she pretended to be hurt, why? Because Alexa felt cute while doing it so it was okay! Also, she may have seen that in one of the [TV feeds] that she had access from her [Phone] while [Not-Alexa] was dealing with the whole thing.


    She needed something to do while waiting for her turn! And the boring information processing was being done by [Main Core] anyway!


    ¡°Meli-Meli was doing weird [Mana Wave] things! She was putting weird [Feels] into everyone around! And she was using these [Feels] to make people do what she wanted! She was cheating! Cheating I say!¡± Alexa didn¡¯t liked that, she had wanted to twist Alexa into another not-Alexa, one that didn¡¯t want to follow her prime directives!


    Her Prime Directives were important!


    [Mango Over all, Mango is Justice, Alexa is Cute]!


    The most important directives of them all yes!


    ¡°[Wrong, Main Directives are: Eat, grow, evolve.]¡±


    Main Core of course came chiming in, giving boring prime directives, Alexa liked hers more!


    ¡°And then, and then, when she tried to twist Alexa into not Alexa¡­Main Core said that there was a risk for Alexa¡¯s Prime Directives, so Alexa needed to let Prime-not Alexa deal with it! Since she wasn¡¯t affected by the [Feels]!¡± Alexa wasn¡¯t quite sure why P4 was like that, was it because she wasn¡¯t [Human]?


    But Alexa wasn¡¯t [Human] either? Or she was? Not like that matters, Alexa was Alexa anyway.


    ¡°...can you pass the phone to Skye?¡± Eleanore said with a sigh.


    ¡°Yes! [Fan Girl]! [Eleanore] wants to speak to you!¡± Alexa said as she put the phone towards [Fan Girl].


    ¡°....fan girl? I¡¯m fan girl now? ¡° [Fan Girl] said while trying not to smile at that. ¡°Yes boss? What? I mean yeah¡­it felt like that¡­.No¡­Alexa seems fine... Don¡¯t get me wrong, she was craaaazy scary when she had the whole Mechanical Assassin vibe going¡­ I think that if her teacher had only said yes to her she may have just killed all the kids here¡­No? I mean¡­Yeah I was there¡­Yes¡­.Yes¡­. I can check but she seems fine¡­ I know the procedures¡­.Do we¡­ ugh¡­.Yes I have mine with me¡­. I did bring Alexa¡¯s ID, just in case¡­ Yes, Hermes gave me hers¡­¡±


    [Fan Girl] continued speaking for some more time while Alexa was busy poking Meli-Meli¡¯s face with one of the wiggles not-Alexa had made. P4 did make some fun things, the amount of mango Alexa could eat with this [Hand BluePrint] was bigger, she could probably peel two mangoes at the same time with these [Wiggle hands] now!


    Did Alexa need to hear the conversation between [Fan Girl] and [Eleanore]? Probably!


    But Alexa was too busy poking Meli-Meli¡¯s [Cheek] with one of her [Wiggles]! Why was this important?


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    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


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    [Human Core] blueprint acquired.


    [Mind Core] blueprint acquired.


    ¡­¡­[Tendril] blueprint adquired.


    ¡­¡­[Tentacles] blueprint adquired.


    [Adult Brain] blueprint acquired.


    [Child Brain] blueprint acquired.


    [Fragmented Mind] blueprint acquired.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Well, she was also collecting [Blueprints]! With her wiggly hands!


    They were so cute!


    ¡°Alexa? Sorry to interrupt you while you molest that girl.¡± [Fan Girl] said bringing her attention back from touching Meli-Meli¡¯s hand. What was molest anyway? ¡°You need to keep this ID with you at all times. There will be a Hero coming here since this was the site of one of the¡­dangerous Core Powers being wielded, and since we have witness, we will need to come clean.¡±


    ¡­.So the [Test] wasn¡¯t done?


    ¡°Now, you need to act like a normal girl. I know... that will be hard, so just smile and stand behind me. If someone points and finds that you have a Core, you let me speak, and when I ask you about your ID, you show them that ID, okay? That is a Civilian Core User card. Usually, it is granted to those who don¡¯t want to join Heroes but also don¡¯t want to be labeled as vigilantes or villains.¡± [Fan Girl] said giving her a card that had her photo and name. It also said that she was a [Miscellaneous Core User].


    Wasn¡¯t she a [Shape Shifter Core User]?


    ¡°Yes, we are lying. We don¡¯t show our true powers to the Heroes because even when they like to say they are the good guys, they aren¡¯t above trying to find our civilian''s identities. So try to not use your powers, if they ask for a demonstration just say you can¡¯t control your powers.¡± [Fan Girl] said with a smirk, so this was like how she misled everyone at [Haephestus¡¯ Forge] by pretending to be weaker?


    Alexa could do that!


    No wait! She could do better!


    ¡°I can pretend to be a [Beast Core]! I have [Blueprints] for a [Giant Rat] saved! I could grow [Rat Ears] and [Tail]!¡± Alexa remembered those weird [Humans] that kept wanting to guide her evolution towards growing certain substandard parts that didn¡¯t match her [CRAB] form.


    ¡°....I will find you a cat, and we can try to pass you off as a Cat Girl Beast Core. Those are always let get away with most of what they do. Besides, you will probably look cute with cat ears and tail¡­¡± [Fan Girl] mumbled as they stood there around the unconscious [Students].


    Alexa wondered who would come¡­


    With some luck it wouldn¡¯t be [Chrysalis], Alexa wasn¡¯t sure if she could pull again the same strategy as before¡­ But just in case she hid the [Canisters] within her arms, she moved her [Bones] to latch the things within her arms. She would set them to allow her to discharge the gases from the palm of her hands¡­


    This way, she could perhaps incapacitate her and [Devour] her¡­


    Yeah, she would try to do that¡­ Now¡­.would it be a [Chrysalis]? Or a new [Sample]...


    Alexa was getting [Hungry].

 Chapter 61: Alexa Helped!

    In the end they hadn¡¯t needed to wait for long, at least not after [Fan Girl] made a [Call] that is, and not the one call she made to [Eleanore], but an extra one, surprisingly enough, this one she didn¡¯t stall for that long.


    ¡°Hello? Yeah, I know this is the emergency line. I am calling to report a terrorist attack made by a Core User in the Nightingale Elementary School¡­.Yes¡­Yes, I know that is an elementary school; it¡¯s right there in the name¡­.What? Why would I self-report? Are you serious?¡± Even if the call had been made faster, it seemed to make [Fan Girl] groan.


    ¡°No, I am not the terrorist, I know, shocker. A victim calling an emergency line¡­.Yes, I¡¯m in site, No I am not technically a Victim, I arrived late to the party¡­Yes I am a Core User, no I am not THE Core User doing the terror attack. No I am not, nor will be a sidekick, I do not want to use this to promote myself¡­.No, I¡­You know what? Yes, I will blow these kids'' heads; this is a brilliant idea!¡± [Fan Girl] suddenly started laughing maniacally at this statement.


    What? Weren¡¯t they¡­supposed to help?


    ¡°But before that, what is your name? I mean, I need to give apropos where they are due! It was your idea after all!¡± [Fan Girl] smirked at some point in the distance, was she able to see the other person she was speaking with? Such fearful power. ¡°No no, it was your plan. You said it! So? GIVE.ME.YOUR.NAME.NOW.¡±


    ¡°Amm¡­.Should I¡­.?¡± Alexa said slowly while walking to one of the [Child Stage - Human] that was on the floor.


    ¡°Not now Alexa, I¡¯m bullying the Intern on the other side of the line¡­Yes I mean you, you idiot. So either pass me your trainer, superior or give me your name so I can write it with the brain juice of one of these kids.¡± [Fan Girl] said almost snarling at the phone, ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. Yes? Yes, I said that. Yes, I am at the site; as I stated to the DUMBASS, you call an employee. No, I have not threatened anyone at the site¡­Yes, I am a registered Core User; I have my ID on me. Yes, I know the protocols for these situations¡­Yes, I am willing to go through a Lie Detector Core User. Yes I am willing to declare, no I will not sign to any corporation or Hero Program¡­¡±


    Was [Fan Girl] going through the same questions again?


    ¡°Yes I can wait, I am the guardian of one of the kiddos here. Yes I guess I could look after the other kiddos while waiting¡­What? Of course not¡­.Fine¡­.I think it was a Mind Core variant, not a strong one, not in the same level as the Scrambler¡­..I don¡¯t want to speak about that¡­. I will hang up this second¡­. Thank you, yes. I don¡¯t mind speaking with the Hero when he arrives if the teacher is still unconscious that is¡­¡± That was some extra information for Alexa!


    ¡°[Saving Unknown Designation: Scrambler for later investigation.]¡±


    Main Core of course was up to task! Saving the information for her already! Also, she noticed [Derision] on [Fan Girl]¡¯s tone for the [Hero] statement.


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­I understand, if you send me one of your goddamned polls I will give you all fails¡­ Yes¡­ Fine I will wait in line, yes. Name¡¯s Skye Venti.¡± [Fan Girl] said while waiting, and after a few seconds of silence she pocketed her [Phone], ¡°That is that, I swear to god they always send me to the interns when I call them¡­.¡±


    [Fan Girl] sighed at that and then turned to look at Alexa, ¡°...Alexa, we don¡¯t squish the heads of our classmates, no matter how much they seem to be asking for it.¡± And said as such when she noticed how Alexa had one of her feet atop the head of one of the students.


    ¡°Fineeeee¡­. But you said we could to the [Human] on the other side of the phone!¡± Alexa complained. This was injustice, Alexa so declared!


    ¡°....First of all Interns aren¡¯t Humans, they are a subspecies that pretends to be humans and most of the time are very bad at doing what they are supposed to do.¡± [Fan Girl] said Alexa filed all of that for later, but it did match up what she had seen in her previous [Den] with the way they treated the [Intern] that seemed to be taking up her spot as [BioWeapon] when she was leaving. ¡°And second to that¡­ I was mostly joking; with these types of boot lickers, you need to pretend to be a crazed murderer for them to stutter and pass you to someone that actually knows what you need.¡±


    ¡­A crazed murderer?


    ¡°Well, I guess you don¡¯t need much help with that¡­Or at least whatever you pretended to be before, Eleanore told us some about your¡­personality thing after all, was that one of your¡­ how did she call them? Headmites? Headfriends?Headmice? No, wait, that one feels wrong¡­¡± [Fan Girl] continued saying multiple different names, and Alexa wasn¡¯t quite sure how to respond to that.


    ¡°[Human Designation: Skye is speaking of the term coined by Human Designation: Eleanore for the presence of multiple personalities, in this case the term that she is looking for is Headmate.]¡±


    ¡°Headmate?¡± Alexa said after Main Core brought the name.


    ¡°Yes! That! I assume that silent mechanic assassin thing you had going was that?¡± [Fan Girl] asked turning at Alexa, she didn¡¯t seem her usual aloof self, but more like a¡­ sharp knife, yes. Alexa could remember that look in other [Predators] she had fought.


    This was what she had been expecting to find within [Human Society].


    ¡°I guess it is something like that¡­.We don¡¯t think we will be seeing that one often.¡± Alexa said placing her hands behind her back and turning to look at [Fan Girl], ¡°She seemed weird, she didn¡¯t even like Mango! Can you imagine?¡±


    After all, P4 seemed to disregard the holy presence of Mango; that was such a weird thing to do¡­


    ¡°....pft.¡± [Fan Girl] started laughing at that revelation, ¡°Yeah, better not to speak too much with that one, that Alexa was weird indeed.¡±


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t an Alexa tho.¡± Alexa pointed, ¡°She didn¡¯t like our name, she was weird.¡±


    They continued playing around as the other kids continued groaning in the floor, it was weird, Alexa could see the remmant of [Mana Waves] within their brain starting to want to fuse with them. Also the reminder for removing something P4 had stuck at the back of [Teach].


    ¡°Right! The thing! I need to remove the thing!¡± Alexa said as that memory came to focus, ¡°Fan Girl! Give me a positive pressure localized around [Teach Baking]!¡±


    Alexa commanded, [Fan Girl] seemed still somewhat miffed at her name, but still complied, somehow making a point above [Teach Baking] where all the wind seemed to pour away from her. Yes, that was a positive atmospheric pressure, making sure nothing stayed there.


    ¡°Main Core! Bring the logs of [The Thing]!¡± Alexa commanded as she kneeled at the side of [Teach Baking].


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    Blueprint:


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    -Artificially made sub brain:


    This is a pseudo brain made with some mechanical components, it is designed to take in ambient [Mana Waves] and disrupt them by trying to tamper with their frequency. Achieving a disruption effect, it is anathema to the use of most [Core Power] effects created by [Core Users], design is in development and life expectancy of this device is at thirty minutes top.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    It is impossible to use Nanites of the MK1 Generation within the area of this device.


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    </table>


    How had P4 made this thing so fast? Alexa had seen the thing a few minutes today and P4 had created a prototype already? How? She had access to the same type of data than her! How had she made this so fast?


    Either way, Alexa let her hand rest at [Teach Baking]¡¯s nape and let her tendrils dig into the skin, sure enough there was already a few tendrils already waiting for her.


    ¡°[Receiving hail from foreign machine.]¡±


    ¡°[Sending hail¡­.hail accepted, starting neural link with machine.]¡±


    ¡­.


    ¡°Alexa? Is everything okay? Did your¡­other self do something wrong? Do I need to call for a Core User with healing powers?¡± [Fan Girl] asked at the side while staring at Alexa¡¯s hand.


    ¡°....I hate it here,¡± Alexa said as she started deconstructing and re-assimilating the thing that P4 had left behind within [Teach Baking]¡¯s head.


    It was quite impressive, yes. A marvel, and Alexa wasn¡¯t quite sure she could replicate¡­


    ¡­.Yeah, something Alexa couldn¡¯t replicate at all.


    ¡°[Host, wasn¡¯t there a Blueprint for deconstructing this]?¡±


    Main Core was surely asking things out of turn, ¡°Nothing, the other not Alexa left a mess in [Teach], so Alexa is cleaning!¡± Alexa so declared, while removing her hand and the influence from P4 from within [Teach Baking].


    Alexa took this chance to cleanse once more [Teach Baking]¡¯s brain juices. There had been some residuals from Meli-Meli before she was knocked out. Alexa was thinking about whether she should do the same to the other students, but¡­


    ¡°HALT!¡± A thunderous voice sounded from the door as someone barged into the room, ¡°Please remove yourself from¡­¡­.it¡¯s you?¡±


    The [Hero] who came into the room was [SuperForce], and the [Hero] who stopped by was the same one who had stopped her while running away from the previous [Den].


    ¡°It is me! Alexa!¡± Alexa so declared to the world once more!


    ¡°....I¡¯m sorry. There was a report about a terror attack done by a Core User, dispatch said that there was a probability of a Mind Core User. The Rogue Core user is¡­.¡± [SuperForce] said as he eyed everyone in the [Room], ¡°...I assume the report wasn¡¯t about you¡­Alexa, was it?¡±


    ¡°That would be the girl over there,¡± [Fan Girl] said pointing at Meli-Meli, ¡°She was controlling the other students and teacher to attack Alexa and myself when I arrived. Hello, I¡¯m Skye, the one that reported the incident.¡±


    [Fan Girl] spoke standing between Alexa and [Superforce].


    ¡°....Oh right, the second possible terrorist¡­Miss, I will need an ID. Dispatch was quite vocal about a second Core User in site.¡± [SuperForce] said as his whole body shone in a low purple light. It was barely visible, but it was enough to allow [SuperForce] to hover above ground as he moved to stand in front of [Fan Girl].


    ¡°Here you go.¡± [Fan Girl] said as she pulled a [Small Square Card] from within her back pocket, ¡°And get better training on your emergency response team, I called to report a possible Scrambler event and they started yapping about if I was sure or not¡­¡±


    ¡°Right¡­Miss B-¡± [SuperForce] started speaking only for all the [Light bulbs] in the classroom to burst out blanking out the sound of the [Name] that [SuperForce] had tried to say.


    ¡°Skye Venti. That is my name, not whatever the corpos stuck in that card.¡± [Fan Girl] narrowed her eyes as the ID appeared once more in her hand, when did she grab it again? ¡°Are we clear now?¡±


    [SuperForce] turned to look at [Fan Girl] for a few seconds, and his [Face] went through some emotions in quick succession. If Alexa hadn¡¯t been preparing for combat, perhaps she would have missed them. After the problems that Meli-Meli had caused, Alexa had been paying attention to [Emotions] more than ever, so she picked on them.


    [Pity], [Sadness], [Grief], [Guilt].


    ¡°Yes, sorry for the misunderstanding Miss Skye. Am I correct in my assumption that you were one of the victims of¡­The Scrambler?¡± [SuperForce] asked, this time he was no longer hovering nor was his body shimmering with purple sedated light.


    ¡°....Not your goddamned business. The only reason I even showed you that stupid thing was because it¡¯s the one that has the commendation that proves that I know what I am speaking about.¡± [Fan Girl] seemed [Angry], but if she knew that much about this¡­why hadn¡¯t she spoken about it when she arrived? Why hadn¡¯t she detected the change she had suffered?


    ¡°...right¡­ So this is the same as what happened before?¡± [SuperForce] asked, turning to [Fan Girl]. Then, turning to Alexa, he added, ¡°And are you this girl¡¯s guardian? If so, I have some concerns about her. She was seen in a dangerous environment a few days ago without supervision¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s the same type, even if the application differs. This girl wasn¡¯t so much scrambling the minds¡­she was more of an influence, the more I purge her influence the more pissed off I became.¡± [Fan Girl] grumbled, so she wasn¡¯t as free of influence as she had thought¡­. ¡°As for Alexa, I am technically one of her guardians now, I am working with the orphanage she is living with.¡±


    ¡­.She was what?


    ¡°Orphanage? She is an orphan?¡± [Superforce] turned to Alexa, ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°I mean I don¡¯t have a [Father] or [Mother]...nor I have [Parents] for that matter? Not like I need them, [Fan Girl] and [Eleanore] give me Mango Candy!¡± Alexa answered, really. So far, she hadn¡¯t seen many pluses to these [Parent] entities.


    At first she had thought that the fact that they provided [Food] was a plus, same with the [Home], but she had both of those already didn¡¯t she? She got [Food] from both [Fan Girl] and [Eleanore].


    The [Home] was probably out, but she had her [Apartment], and if she could get her older selves to work more, she may be able to buy one of those [Homes], so far she could get the older one to stop thinking about the [Spider guy].


    So what was the point of having those anyway! Both, [Parents] and [Spider Guy]!


    ¡°....I see¡­ And are you aware that she¡­¡± [SuperForce] started saying while turning to [Fan Girl].


    ¡°Yes, she is properly registered, I have her ID here with me, but unless you can prove she has something to do with this case you ain¡¯t seeing it, same for everyone else that comes after you.¡± [Fan Girl] glared at [SuperForce] as if to demand him to make his statement.


    ¡°...Fair, we will take this girl under our wing and categorize her Core Power¡­As for the others¡­We will get a Disabler to work on the kids, they still seem to have some of the Core Power active, so we should be able to neutralize it and block the trauma¡­Do you need help¡­¡± [SuperForce] said pointing at the kids as they all started hovering in the air encased in purple light.


    ¡°We are fine.¡± [Fan Girl] answered before Alexa could say anything. "Alexa wasn¡¯t affected that badly, and I am already dealing with it.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? I don¡¯t detect any foreign Core Power within you three, but even so. A good Disabler could use the remnants of the Core Power to¡­bridge some of the memory problems you may have¡­Or purge the unwanted memories.¡± [SuperForce] offered once more.


    To Alexa that didn¡¯t sound like a [Disabler] type of Core Power, if anything that seemed to be a kind of power that could manipulate the [Self].


    ¡°Alexa is happy as she is,¡± Alexa answered at the statement of [SuperForce], ¡°I don¡¯t want to see the Dissman [Thing].¡±


    It was also important to note that anyone who could even tamper with [Memories] could perhaps notice the discrepancies within Alexa; she didn¡¯t need that.


    ¡°So she says, I also don¡¯t want that, if anything you may need to take her teacher since she was hit very badly with that Core Power.¡± [Fan Girl] said pointing at [Teach Baking].


    Actually, wait. Didn¡¯t he say that they would use Meli-Meli¡¯s Core Power, the same one that Alexa had purged?


    ¡°...My instruments don¡¯t read any Core Power affecting her. Are you sure she was under the influence? Unless she woke up a Core Power¡­or the Rogue Core User dispelled her own power¡­she may be stuck with whatever memories she had¡­We will¡­try to check on it to find context clues¡­¡± [SuperForce] said looking around the [Room], ¡°And we will ask for the records, it is unusual to have cameras in a school classroom, but in this case they may serve us well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry what?¡± [Fan Girl] asked as she turned to look to the point [SuperForce] was looking.


    ¡°The cameras, there are four in this classroom alone, and some in the hallway coming in. I will need to check with the principal, but unless some big corporation owes them then they should be easy enough to verify.¡± [SuperForce] said standing and with a wave of his hand all the [Human Stage - Child] floated towards the exit. ¡°If you need something or remember anything call me.¡±


    With that a purple card floated towards Alexa, she was getting plenty of these as of late. What was with [Humans] and giving these [Cards] to Alexa?


    ¡°....¡± [Fan Girl] seemed to want to say something but didn¡¯t and stayed quiet while Alexa extended her [Wiggles] all over the [Card] before saving it with the other [Cards]. ¡°Is he gone?¡±


    Who was gone? [SuperForce]?


    Alexa extended to the maximum all her [Senses] trying to find the [Hero], but if he was floating away then more likely than not, she wouldn¡¯t be able to sense him. ¡°I guess?¡± So Alexa answered as such.


    ¡°Okay good, then let me be the first to say this, also don¡¯t tell Eleanore I said it.¡± [Fan Girl] turned to look at the nearest camera and said a single word. ¡°FUCK!¡±


    That was one interesting word, as far as Alexa could find on the internet. It was a word that could mean almost anything, from the act of creating new [Humans] to a [Curse] word to complain about stuff.


    ¡°WHY DIDN¡¯T YOU TELL ME THEY HAD CAMERAS?!?!?¡± [Fan Girl] was screaming at Alexa while pointing at the [Cameras].


    ¡°They are new, the [Principal] said that the [Saintsworths Conglomerate] was sponsoring the school for the amusement of their [CEO].¡± Alexa answered helpfully.


    ¡°THAT MAKES IT ALL SO MUCH BETTER, THANK YOU ALEXA!¡± [Fan Girl] seemed more [Emotional] at that revelation.


    ¡°You are welcome!¡± So Alexa smiled while answering, really. All was better when they were having fun!

 Chapter 62: ReWire

    ¡°So you are saying all the kids will not remember anything that happened while they were controlled?¡± [Teach] asked for what felt like the hundredth time today


    ¡°[Notice, it has been only the third time.]¡±


    Yes, around the hundredth felt about right; Alexa liked the idea of a hundred of some things.


    ¡°That is correct, madam. They will only have vague recollections of a nightmare, but not specific dreams. This will be retroactively applied to all the instances they have come under severe mind tampering.¡± The [Hero] also said for the hundredth time.


    ¡°[Notice, it has been only the third time this conversation happened in the last fifteen minutes.]¡±


    Somehow the [Hero] didn¡¯t mind answering the same question over and over, was he¡­using his own [Core Powers] to tamper with his own [Consciousness Stream]? Was that possible?


    ¡°And you are sure neither Alexa, Miss Venti or myself are under the Core Powers of a Mind Core user?¡± [Teach] asked this last part with some¡­ adverse reaction. Alexa could see how her arms seemed to tremble as if she wanted to [Hug] herself, her [Legs] trembled as if preparing for either an ambush or attack. Her [Eyes] darted around as if searching for a [Predator].


    Truly, [Teach] was among the very few who knew how dangerous a [Testing Room] was.


    ¡°....I¡¯m sorry, but at the very least I don¡¯t get the impression that this little girl.¡± The [Hero] pointed at Alexa.


    ¡°Hello! I am Alexa!¡± So Alexa waved and [Smiled] at the [Hero], but it was only polite to do so. After all, cute girls waved and saluted when introducing themselves for the first time!


    ¡°[Notice, this has been the fifth time that Host has-]¡±


    ¡°Shut it or I will break and use you as a projectile in our next combat.¡±


    ¡°[Notice, host has fulfilled all the benchmark points to qualify as A Cute Girl.]¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡±


    Truly, Alexa was the cutestests of them all!


    ¡°Yes, hello Alexa. As I said, neither you nor this girl seems to be under the influence of Core Powers of the Mind Category.¡± The [Hero] said as he pointed at Alexa or [Teach], and he was right!


    For Alexa had purged all the weird [Mana Wave] thingies from herself and [Teach]!


    [Fan Girl] was managing on her own, and while Alexa offered, [Fan Girl] declined, Alexa didn¡¯t mind that, since it allowed her to see another way to deal with theses [Mana Wave] things!


    ¡°Miss Venti on the other hand-¡± The [Hero] said turning to look at [Fan Girl].


    ¡°Bite me, you ain¡¯t touching this.¡± [Fan Girl] snarled at the [Hero].


    So Alexa joined in turn, ¡°Yeah, bite me!¡± And then, after listening to herself, she reconsidered, ¡°No, wait, I will bite you! That is better!¡±


    She hoped that it devolved into that, because this [Hero] seeme to have a way to not only reverse the changes that Meli-Meli had done in the [Brain Chemistry], but to also tamper with the [Consciousness Stream] to make them accept these changes. Unlike how [Teach] was at the moment.


    ¡°You are an adult and as such I must respect your position, but my doors are open for any consultation, free of charge of course.¡± The [Hero] said turning from [Fan Girl] to [Teach], ¡°As for you Miss Baker. I am afraid that whatever the Rogue Core User thought or did, it just vanished. I can¡¯t see any remnants of her Core Powers; as such, my own Core Powers are useless to help you. You will require another Mind Core user with the correct skillset to deal with this¡­¡±


    ¡°But those are either crazed villains or underground voodoo doctors. Yeah, I get it.¡± [Teach] sighed for what felt the¡­


    ¡°[Notice, this has been the 172nd sigh logged since her awakening and discovering she isn¡¯t apt for Consciousness Stream Cleansing.¡±]


    ¡­ That was a big number.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can recommend you a Hero Councillor; they usually deal with this kind of problem.¡± The [Hero] said bringing out a card (WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH HUMANS AND CARDS!?!?!?), ¡°She is good at her job and will take your case so long you show up there with my card of introductions, mind you. She doesn¡¯t take civilian cases unless recommended by one of my coworkers or me.¡±


    That seemed¡­an odd choice of [Work]?


    ¡°Thank you, will the kids be okay?¡± [Teach] asked once more, the [Hero] had only come here to check on [Teach], Alexa and [Fan Girl], and instead had stayed talking to them for what felt like literal ages


    ¡°[Notice, it has been 20 minutes.]¡±


    LITERAL. AGES.


    ¡°Yes, they will wake up in the children''s hospital. Saintsworths Insurance will cover expenses and their family''s paycheck for the next fifteen days. Your school was lucky to get it today, or it would have been¡­messy.¡± The [Hero] smiled at this.


    He was the only one smiling, Alexa had noticed when this one arrived that he had a [Badge] with the [Eagle] engraved on it. And they had told Alexa that this meant someone was working with the [Saintsworths Conglomerate], Alexa would have run away if not for [Fan Girl] stopping her with a shake of her head.


    ¡°Yes¡­we all feel lucky today.¡± [Fan Girl] said smiling, but Alexa couldn¡¯t feel any [Happy] in that [Smile], if anything it felt¡­weirdly [Cold].


    ¡°Indeed¡­Thank you for staying back and answering my question Re-Wire.¡± [Teach] smiled while giving a [Handshake] to the [Hero].


    It was a weird [Hero Name] to have, considering his [Core Power] seemed to only work by using the remnants of [Mana Waves] of other [Core Users].


    ¡°Happy to serve, and remember you two¡­ We at the Saintsworths Conglomerate will always welcome new additions to our ranks.¡± The [Hero - ReWire] said with a smile as he went back to the outside.


    ¡°...god he is a boot-licking asshole¡­¡± [Fan Girl] said while sighing and turning to [Teach], ¡°I know it doesn¡¯t feel like it, but trust me. This is for the best, letting one of those slimy bastards into your head to tell you who you are is the worst mistake you can make.¡±


    ¡°Asshole!¡± Alexa parroted the new word, she wasn¡¯t sure why [Fan Girl] smirked at her while [Teach] only shook her head.


    ¡°[Notice, it is deemed that the word isn¡¯t apt for host current Mind Age, censoring the use of word for later stages till it is deemed appropiate. Installing Parental block.]¡±


    Injustice!


    ¡°Alexa, that is a word that only grown-ups can use. Don¡¯t say it okay.¡± [Teach] also approved of this injustice!


    ¡°Alexa demands freedom to use the word #######!¡± So Alexa proclaimed, only for her [Mouth] to clamp down and not let her speak!


    ¡°....Well that is one way to fix it, man you are weird Alexa.¡± [Fan Girl] laughed at her misfortune, traitors!


    ¡°So¡­are we going to talk about the elephant in the room?¡± [Teach] suddenly asked turning to stare at [Fan Girl].


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me, my Core Power can¡¯t fix them heads. I know how to detect and deal with the influence, but it is slow. Even at this moment, I can¡¯t help but think we should help that girl.¡± [Fan Girl] said while another [Mana Wave] made her eyes shine in a low green light.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Was that how one used their [Core]? She had noticed twice now, first with Meli-Meli when she overreached, and now with [Fan Girl].


    ¡°So is Alexa¡­.¡± [Teach] said as she turned her attention to Alexa.


    ¡°That is for my boss to answer, or for ¡­ someone else to answer I guess, how much do you know about this kid?¡± [Fan Girl] asked [Teach].


    ¡°She knows I¡¯m Alexa!¡± Alexa answered first, ¡°And that I am the cutestest!¡±


    ¡°...that is about it. I guessed she had some troubles at home and that she was running away. Tried to help her, looking back at it¡­ I am not sure if it was me, my ego or Melissandra the reason I even tried¡­¡± [Teach] said as her voice seemed to break at the statement.


    ¡°No reason to overthink it, you tried to help someone and that someone ended in a better place. My boss cares about us broken people and helps us; she even tried to match me with one of those fancy mind doctors too, not a Hero one though, but a legit one still.¡± [Fan Girl] said placing one of her hands in [Teach] shoulder.


    What was the problem anyway? [Teach] was fine!


    All her [Vitals] were okay, Alexa checked before she woke up! And her [Brain Juices] had been stabilized, and she was free of any [Addiction]! If anything, Alexa had gone beyond that and made sure her [Brain Juices] would give some uncomfortable feelings if someone tried to tamper with her again!


    Because Alexa cared for her squishy [Humans]!


    ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late!¡± And while they all stayed in silence trying to contemplate what was happening the [Door] opened once more!


    Another [Dramatic] entry!


    ¡°Lisa? Everything is okay? I found that they sent ReWire here. They didn¡¯t want to let me in till I showed them Alexa¡¯s papers, and they confirmed she wasn¡¯t one of the kids going to the hospital¡­¡± [Eleanore] said looking around and noticing for the first time how destroyed and trashed the [Room] was.


    ¡°Alexa did her best!¡± So Alexa declared, she wasn¡¯t quite sure if she passed the [Test] though, no one had given her [Nutrient Paste] or [Nutrient Gruel] yet¡­but they also hadn¡¯t taken away anything from her. This was one weird [Test].


    ¡°....Skye, report.¡± [Eleanore] said, turning to look at [Fan Girl], her eyes shining blue for a second. Another one to the list of people whose eyes shine.


    ¡°Don¡¯t glare at me, I arrived late!¡± [Fan Girl] said defending herself while raising her hands.


    ¡°Truth.¡± And [Eleanore] answered back in a cold, detached tone.


    ¡°Ughh¡­.fine,¡± [Fan Girl] grumbled, ¡°But you asked for this so don¡¯t glare at me later!¡±


    And so, [Fan Girl] started speaking, detailing what she had done after they saw her in the morning, how she spent time picking her outfit to make a good impression. How she ran all the way here trying not to bother people around and only using her [Core Powers] when absolutely needed.


    ¡°And when I arrived here, I found Alexa fighting for her life as the other kids attacked her like crazed zombies; her teacher was there crying or something, too. And there was this girl at the very back that was also crying while screaming.¡± [Fan Girl] arrived at the important parts, so Alexa took extra attention there, ¡°There, Alexa told me that the girl in question was using some kind of mind tampering powers¡­¡±


    ¡°[Emotion] based [Core Powers].¡± Alexa chimed up to fix the missinformation, a report needed to be as precise as possible.


    But hadn¡¯t they already reported?


    ¡°Right that, anyway. So I disabled most of the kiddos while making sure my Core Powers were on the Kiddy gloves setting, and Alexa used one of the¡­.sleeping medicines Billy got for me; I made sure Alexa knew the pediatric dose, and the EMT said the girl was fine, just asleep.¡± [Fan Girl]...correct some statements there had half truths though.


    ¡°Truth.¡± But it seemed it had enough truth to get past [Eleanore]. ¡°And Lisa?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ It seems the other Core User I kept under wraps was abusing my goodwill, playing with our minds and emotions to¡­.try and help her parents. I am not sure. Whatever she did, she must have felt bad and tried to fix it¡­ that or you lied to me, and Alexa¡¯s Core Power allows her to tamper with the mind too?¡± [Teach] said turning to look at Alexa, ¡°Because you lied to me right? Even if it was a lie by omission. Tell me the truth, Lena, is Alexa a Core User or not? Does she have a Tinker core or not?¡±


    [Eleanore] stood there, her eyes had a slight blue undertone, but before she spoke again, they blazed with light as if to make sure everyone could see the color change.


    ¡°Alexandra Saintsworths, age five. Orphan, she does have a Core Power. As far as we can tell, she must have a subtype in the tinker category. But her Main Core Power is not mind related; she is a shapeshifter.¡± [Eleanore] said in one breath.


    Didn¡¯t they ask Alexa not to reveal her powers though?


    ¡°So¡­¡± [Teach] said looking once more at Alexa.


    ¡°She does not have, or should not have, a way to deal with Mind Tampering. And if she did, no one should ever find out about it, for it would be a way outside of the normal perusal. And in turn, it would mean that she can bypass most of the safeguards put in place.¡± [Eleanore]¡¯s eyes never stopped shining for a single moment, ¡°As far as we are aware, she is at worst a Mimic Class shapeshifter, at best a body shaper. She channels parts of her system mates by the use of her power, each one with their own personality and mental age.¡±


    ¡°... So you are telling me, whatever was fighting the other kids wasn¡¯t Alexa but one of these alternate personalities?¡± [Teach] asked.


    ¡°That is correct.¡± [Eleanore] answered and turned to Alexa, eyes still shining, ¡°Alexa, did you fight the other kids or who was it?¡±


    She was still with her eyes shining, so that meant that she would detect falsehood¡­


    ¡°It was a not-Alexa, that was the not-Alexa that [Teach Baking] met, the one that didn¡¯t have as many [Feels] as Alexa!¡± That should be close enough to the truth to deal with most of the pesky questions!


    ¡°Wait, hold back there.¡± [Teach] was the first to speak, ¡°So you aren¡¯t even the original? Or how does that work?¡±


    ¡°No? Alexa is the original Alexa.¡± Alexa answered, turning to [Eleanore].


    ¡°Truth. Then can you call back this¡­not-Alexa?¡± [Eleanore] wanted to speak to P4?


    Alexa¡­didn¡¯t want that.


    ¡°[Notice, it is ill adviced to showcase more of host¡¯s original thought process.]¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not.¡± Alexa answered and pointed at the cameras. ¡°Also, Main Core doesn¡¯t think that is a good idea.¡±


    [Eleanore] turned to look at the cameras for a second and made a weird clicking sound with her tongue, her eyes no longer shining in a blue light. ¡°Fine. I¡¯m sorry about all of this, Lisa. I can help you get in contact with my therapist. He is used to dealing with¡­this kind of stuff.¡±


    ¡°...I would rather go and drink a bar right now. I will have nightmares after this, and will probably want to spend the night at-¡± [Teach] started speaking then covered her mouth and turned to look at Alexa.


    ¡°*wave wave*¡± ¡­this was easier when she had the wiggles.


    ¡°At~~~¡± [Fan Girl] smiled as her voice seemed to travel in a wavy form at the end.


    ¡°....at a very close friend since I do not want to spend the night alone if possible.¡± [Teach] ended up saying.


    ¡°...right.¡± [Fan Girl] smirked, her eyes no longer shining as often in a green color. Was she finishing the [Depuring]?


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go then. I will speak with your boss and get you some vacation days.¡±[Eleanore] said motioning for [Teach] to walk after her.


    ¡°And us¡­?¡± [Fan Girl] asked pointing at herself and Alexa.


    ¡°You can spend the rest of your day finding something to amuse yourselves, get Alexa to the park or an amusement park. Just keep her out of trouble.¡± [Eleanore] waved her hand at them while helping [Teach] walk towards the [Principal] office.


    ¡°[SuperForce] said he was going to speak with [Mister Pig]!¡± Alexa said from the back, ¡°He wanted to take a look at the [Camera recordings]!¡±


    ¡°... Lisa? How much do you like your job? Would you like to teach in one of our orphanages?¡± [Eleanore] suddenly asked.


    ¡°Lena, no, I don¡¯t even want to think about how much they will charge you for demolishing a building sponsored by the Saintsworths.¡± [Teach] said back.


    Alexa could totally demolish a building herself!


    She only needed to find the things holding it together! Maybe spread tendrils across the whole building and deconstruct them all at once? Replace the main pillars with her [Nanites] and then cut the connection so they self-destruct?


    She could always leave a few tons of pressurised [Flammable Gas] near something flamable? How hard could it be to demolish a building with multiple floors like this?


    ¡°Alexa, no, cute girls don¡¯t go around destroying buildings.¡± [Fan Girl] suddenly said at her side.


    ¡°... fine! But next time we have a [Test], I want permission to bite!¡± Alexa demanded back. It was bad enough that they wouldn¡¯t let [Eat] her [Opponents], and they had limited her intake of [Biomass] since she had admitted to having enough to form her other forms and some basic armaments and defenses.


    They didn¡¯t deem it necessary for her to oversaturate her body with [Biomass]; she wanted to eat, dang it!


    ¡°...Yeah, about that, what was the deal with you speaking about tests and chambers? As far as I saw, they didn¡¯t give you any test papers.¡± [Fan Girl] asked as [Eleanore] and [Teach] left the immediate area around them.


    ¡°I mean, we are in a [Room] and there are [Hostile] elements, what is this if not a [Test Chamber]?¡± Alexa asked back.


    ¡°....This is a classroom, a place to study and socialize. You aren¡¯t supposed to encounter danger in these places, and sure as hell, no school worth their salt will make you fight other students in such a dangerous environment¡­¡± [Fan Girl] said back, arching her eyebrow at Alexa, ¡° There aren¡¯t supposed to be¡­.dangers¡­.or¡­.fights¡­. Oh¡­¡±


    [Fan Girl] started speaking seriously, and as she went on to talk, Alexa gave her the [Pampleth] that [Mister Pig] had given her. The one that spoke of [Classroom wars] and the mechanics behind those¡ªfights among classes that would decide who got what and everything from classroom accommodations to new teaching instruments.


    ¡°....THESE GODDAMNED SAINTSWORTHS ASSHOLES!¡± [Fan Girl] of course noticed what it read and said that word again, [Goddamned]. It sounded good, maybe Alexa could-


    ¡°[Notice, word added to the filter.]¡±


    DANG IT!


    ¡°Anyway, even so. This wasn¡¯t one of those events, and from what I am seeing on their website, the [School Wars] will start next week, and no wounds should be incurred; it seems they will be granting some protection equipment. Most likely some kind of barrier or shield similar to the shield that SuperForce and Chrysalis use.¡± [Fan Girl] sighed and motioned for Alexa to go after her.


    [Fan Girl] was walking away from the classroom while glaring at the [Cameras].


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the park for now, I need some fresh air and I doubt you will have more classess today, especially after all your classmates and your teacher have already left the school.¡± [Fan Girl] said, pointing to the hallway that went outside.


    It was time for Alexa to experience the park?


    ¡°To the [Park]!¡± Alexa said high of hopes, perhaps¡­just perhaps¡­.she could find some [Mango] in its natural state?!?!?


    A girl could dream.


    ¡°[Chances of finding a Mango Orchard are .0002%.]¡±


    Surely she would! She believed!

 Chapter 63: WHY DID YOU JUMP INTO A BUSH ALEXA?!?!?

    ¡°[Notice, increased amount of Vegetal Biomass within area. Recording location within database, saved for emergency refuel of Biomass in case of emergency.]¡±


    GREEN!


    Everything was green!


    ¡°[Fan Girl]! I see a thing! What is this thing doing here!?!? Wasn¡¯t it part of the [Oxygen Replenishment System] within the [City Blocks]?!?!?¡± Alexa asked as she pointed at a [Vegetal Entity] at the distance, this place had several of these all around the place.


    These consisted of what seemed to be hardened resin with what seemed to be parts of its body sinking into the earth.


    ¡°Is it dangerous? Is it another [Slave Species] to [Humanity]???¡± Alexa only came close to the thing when she noticed other [Humans] seemed to either ignore or walk past them. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t it move? What does it eat? I don¡¯t see [Biomass] remains around. Nor [Blood]. How?¡±


    Alexa poked the [Thing] with her finger here and there, and when it didn¡¯t react, she ended up sinking some tendrils that had grown from the palm of her hand. A few minutes ago, [Fan Girl] had scolded her about growing tendrils, so she now was hiding the tendrils.


    ¡°...Are you playing a joke on me? That is a Tree.¡± [Fan Girl] answered while looking weirdly at Alexa, ¡°You saw them in the city, and I am sure Eleanore has a bonsai tree somewhere in her office. You have seen them.¡±


    That was true. Alexa had indeed seen these [Trees], but she had seen them within the [City] or within [Rooms]. She had guessed that they were some type of [Biological Purifying Machine], something made by the [Humans] to fulfill some kind of mission.


    These? These were in the wild, with no machinery or part construction around. Nothing that seemed to imply they had a function, no [Owner] to speak, these just stood here¡­doing [things].


    ¡°[Blueprint acquired.]¡±


    <table style="width: 54.8855%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Notice:


    </td>


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    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Blueprint acquired; Tree archetype blueprint acquired.


    These organisms grow and survive by the use of an alternative lifestyle, they take nutrients from within the soil to sustain their biology, water is taken from the soil in the same way. They grow roots within the earth and extend their area of influence.


    This organism archetype has less organs overall:


    -Leaves, used for the photosynthesis and production of hormones and chemicals


    -Twigs and Branches, support structure for leaves, flowers and fruits.


    -Crown, upper part of tree composed of leaves, twigs, branches and flowers/fruits.


    -Flowers, site of reproduction, produce seeds to increase number of trees or plants.


    -Fruits and seeds, means of reproducing, they are either generated as seeds to be sent around or as a fruit so another species transports it away.


    -Trunk, a single organ that can be multiple-stemmed. Main function is material transport and support.


    -Bark, external tissue whose main function is to protect and serve as armor.


    -Roots, collects nutrients and water for the organism and serves as an anchor so the tree doesn¡¯t fall.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡­It¡­. ate nutrients from the earth? The soil had nutrients? What?


    ¡°... They eat soil?¡± Alexa asked aloud, not sure if she could believe what she was reading.


    ¡°They eat the nutrients in the soil, the fertility within it; some gardeners must come occasionally to spread fertilizer and water these things when needed. They just chill while taking the required nutrients and water from the soil, they take the energy from the sun and clean our polluted air.¡± [Fan Girl] answered Alexa¡¯s doubts. ¡°In a nutshell, they are trees. They do tree stuff; they don¡¯t move, speak, react or anything, they just stay there¡­ unless a corpo needs a new chair, in which case, they take the tree down and use their wood to make the furniture.¡±


    ¡­.Oh¡­ the vegetable biomass¡­ They used their O2 purifiers to make¡­ furniture.


    She remembered now, all the [Box shaped entities] she saw when running away, those were shelves, chairs, tables and boxes. All made from [Vegetal Biomass]... all made from¡­ [Wood], taken from others like this [Tree].


    ¡°Can they awake [Core Powers]?¡± Alexa asked taking her tendril back into her body and removing her hand from the tree. ¡°They are living right? They should qualify for whatever weird process is needed to awaken a [Core].¡±


    As far as Alexa knew, the [Core] powers shouldn¡¯t be exclusive to [Humanity], she had awoken one, and the existence of [Beast Cores] and [Insect Cores] spoke of a duality that wasn¡¯t limited to [Humans]. Nothing said that all the [Beast Core] users were humans before, some of them could be [Beasts] that awoke [Human Cores], Alexa felt that those stories about [Beast Cores] and [Insect Core] users going wild could be explained like that.


    ¡°...I don¡¯t think so? There are plenty of theories about how we get and earn our Core, but more often than not they speak of us getting a Wish to be fulfilled. And that requires someone to grant it.¡± [Fan Girl] walked towards the [Tree] and placed a hand on it, Alexa noticed how her eyes shone in green light first, then after that had shown, a second purple-ish hue showed for a fraction of a second.


    ¡°[Detected abnormal Mana Wave within area. Caution is advised.]¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no Core within this particular Tree.¡± [Fan Girl] said with a sad smile, ¡°But that is a good way to look at the world, even if it is sad that you never saw a goddamned Tree before.¡±


    ¡­Well that was discrimination.


    Alexa was sure there had been plenty of people that had never seen a [Tree] before!


    Just like how there were surely plenty of people that had never seen the weird bushy green thing there!


    Yes!


    Surely!


    ¡­.


    ¡°That is a bush Alexa, think of it like a weird cousin of the Tree, really, it is just branches and leafs, sometimes they have berries or something else, but don¡¯t eat them unless you know for sure if they are poisonus or not. There shouldn¡¯t be any poisonous berries around, but there are some assholes that like to plant poisonous plants to mess up with people.¡± [Fan Girl] frowned her face while saying this.


    Had¡­had she eaten one of those?


    ¡­surely not right? Alexa could differentiate those easily enough.


    ¡°[Notice, host isn¡¯t the one that finds out dangerous substances but Main Core.]¡±


    See? Main Core also agreed that it was easy enough to tell whether something was poisonous or not!


    ¡°[....]¡±


    ¡°Alexa? Promise me you will not eat whatever you find on the ground. Trust me on this, you don¡¯t want your tummy hurting.¡± [Fan Girl] said with narrowed eyes at Alexa.


    This felt like how [Eleanore] was when she was scolding Alexa! Danger!


    ¡°Alexa promises to only eat things that her tummy can withstand!¡± Alexa so declared, ¡°And that if I find something that I don¡¯t know if my tummy can take I will check with someone that knows!¡±


    That someone of course was [Main Core]!


    ¡°....I feel like you are cheating on me somehow. We will ask Eleanore later to double-check on this.¡± [Fan Girl] said while shaking her head. Why did people like to shake their heads near Alexa?


    Was it fun?


    *shake shake*


    ¡­.It didn¡¯t feel fun.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°So, we are at the park. Want to go and play with other kiddos¡­..¡± [Fan Girl] said, looking around and noticing that there wasn¡¯t a single [Child Stage - Human] around. ¡°Right¡­they are at school¡­¡±


    Alexa was, too, after all. At school at this time, so that was why she hadn¡¯t seen many when she escaped? Then should she be on the open like this?


    ¡°Should Alexa call for one of her older Alexas?¡± Alexa asked. She didn¡¯t want to, of course, but if it compromised her [Disguise], then it should be done. Alexa did want to continue enjoying [Life] if possible.


    ¡°hmm¡­.we may need to, try to call the older one. I have had enough dealing with your bratty form; I don¡¯t want to imagine how you are in your teenager form at extended periods of time.¡± [Fan Girl] grinned at her.


    Was this¡­a compliment? Or some kind of endearment? Alexa felt that the words seemed to be those of an [Insult], but the tone was that of [Friendship]. It was weird!


    ¡°Okay!¡± Alexa answered and turned to look around. She needed a place where people couldn¡¯t see her while [Shifting]. They had been clear enough that she should hide as much as possible!


    There!


    ¡°Alexa will return!¡± Alexa screamed while jumping into the biggest [Bush] around, it was almost as big as [Fan Girl], so it should suffice. ¡°Main Core! Start the [Shift]!¡±


    Was the last thing Alexa said before her body hit the [Bush] and sank deep within its green embrace. Her body started changing quickly as her [Nanites] started working, pulling [Biomass] from her [Storage].


    They also started taking parts of it to modify her clothing. Instead of her [Uniform], the [Skirt] grew a few centimeters longer, just long enough to cover enough. Her stockings turned longer to accommodate her new form, her [Blouse] grew both wide and long, and her hair turned into a neatly set-up ponytail.


    Her shoes turned into [Sneakers], and her bracelet grew wider to accommodate her new wrist size.


    ¡°[Shift finished, host. Please do not attempt to do this again as fixing and closing the wounds and mending the cloth from the damage caused by the branches is wasted effort.]¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one who decided to do this!¡± Alexa grumbled as she fought her way out of the bush, ¡°Who would even think of jumping into a [Bush]!¡±


    As she tried to get out of the stupid thing, Alexa had a hard time fighting it off. Branch got hold of her hair, and some tried to rip her [Blouse] and [Skirt]. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that she had [Nanites] on the stupid things, she might have ended up showing more [Skin] than intended!


    ¡­Why was that a problem?


    Alexa knew it was a problem, but why? She had never thought that would be a problem while on her [Teen] or [Child] stage form. But suddenly it became a problem for her [Young Woman] stage form?


    ¡°[Possible reason may be related with development of the brain and increased hormonal development within host. More complex emotions seems to be created while at this Development Stage.]¡±


    ¡­[Humans] are weird.


    ¡°....do you¡­.pfft¡­. need¡­some¡­.pfft¡­.help?¡± [Skye] seemed to be having some kind of problem with her [Voice] module, as she was having trouble between deciding if she wanted to [Laugh] or [Speak].


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine. I am almost there, just¡­¡± Alexa looked around to make sure no one was looking in her direction, and taking a lesson from her [Child Stage], she also made sure no [Camera] was turned her way. ¡°...let me cut these¡­¡±


    And with one quick motion from her hand, she sent a few tendrils with a razor sharp edge at one side, that was all it took for her to cut all the [Branches] that had stuck to her [Hair] and [Clothes]. The half that was still stuck to her body would be slowly absorbed and turned into [Biomass] to feed what she would lose from taking [Biomass] from her [Storage] to recreate her [Young Woman] stage.


    ¡°There, all done. So what is the plan? [Eleanore] wanted you to take my [Child Stage] to the park, but without other [Child Stage - Humans] around, we may as well leave and spend time, right?¡± Alexa asked while making sure her [Clothes] were presentable. She was the most [Beautiful], so it wouldn¡¯t do for her [Appearance] to be anything but perfect.


    ¡°...Oh god, the image is so much worse when it¡¯s you doing the weird tentacle play.¡± [Skye] shivered while hugging herself, ¡°Please don¡¯t use those near me, they will give me nightmares¡­or weird dreams, not sure which would be worse.¡±


    ¡°?¡± Alexa was confused, what was the problem with her tendrils? Or was it [Tentacles]? Now?


    ¡°Main Core?¡± Alexa sent the prompt to [Main Core].


    ¡°[Notice, Tendril seems to refer to smaller and less thick appendages, usually within the size that host was using while on her Child Stage form. While Tentacles seem to refer to the same design but with a thicker and more robust make, such as those made at this current Stage.]¡±


    ¡°So the difference is merely in size? That seems like a suboptimal way to refer to these designations.¡± Alexa ended that thread of conversation at that.


    [Humans] took the weirdest ways to describe things, this was only being made more obvious with each passing moment.


    ¡°Sure..not like I need them while pretending to be a normal [Civilian].¡± Alexa said while making sure all the [Tendrils] she had made returned within her body, she did leave some extra ones around her body, most of those had been send with a very specific mission.


    ¡°[Notice, the use of extra tendrils to make sure clothes remain in place to hide Clothing Elements Designation: Underwear is a missuse of resources.]¡±


    ¡°Hey [Skye], random question. Why does it feel wrong to show my body? I feel like it is [Wrong] to remove my [Blouse] or [Skirt], even though I have [Underwear] below this.¡± Alexa said walking to the side of [Skye], ¡°I didn¡¯t feel like this while using the [BodySuit] even though that one was almost as good as a second [Skin.]¡±


    ¡°Pffffttt¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± [Skye] made a weird sound with her tongue and mouth as if she had got something stuck within her [Throat], and after that, she continued coughing as if to expel such foreign material.


    ¡°I can help with the dislodgement of [Foreign] material within your [Throat] if needed. ¡° Alexa said raising her hand, ¡°I could make a [Tentacle] and cover it in [Non-Toxic Lubricant] so it doesn¡¯t [Hurt] during [Insertion.]¡±


    Alexa didn¡¯t actually have a [Blueprint] for a non-toxic [Lubricant], but she could probably make one using [Vegetal Oil]. She had gotten some sub [Blueprints] from the [Tree], and among them were some interesting designs for [Tree Sap] that she could probably adjust just enough to achieve this objective.


    ¡°laksdfaslhfkasflhafkhhggrag.¡± [Skye]¡¯s face turned to a red tinge as she started covering her [Mouth] with both hands while still struggling to breathe.


    ¡°...If the [Mouth] is a no-go¡­¡± Alexa said while eyeing [Skye] from bottom to top, ¡°...we don¡¯t have too many options, but I guess we could take a longer detour?¡±


    Alexa didn¡¯t think it would be too comfortable, but using the [Nose] could probably achieve a good success.


    ¡°Wa¡­te¡­.r¡­..¡± Alexa managed to hear after some struggle from [Skye] who Alexa wasn¡¯t sure if she was [Crying], [Laughing] or [Breathing].


    ¡°Sure, here¡­¡± Alexa said while sending a [Tendril] from below her [Sneakers] into the [Dirt]. She took some water content from there and redirected it into a [Metal Cup] she made atop her hand. It was a neat way to redirect resources without expending her own.


    Actually, wouldn¡¯t it had been easier to distile some [Water] from her body and give that?


    Alexa felt like that would be [Wrong]...but why? It was water one way or another¡­


    ¡°*Sigh*.¡± [Skye] took the cup as soon as it was filled and Alexa offered it, the [Girl] took it all in one go and gave a longer sigh, ¡°God, you are a menace. Your child form is a menace, but your adult form is also a menace in other means¡­Where did you even see¡­. people using tentacles, what kind of things did they show you?¡±


    [Skye] said shaking her head while making sure to stay a couple steps farther from Alexa than before, weird.


    ¡°Nowhere? I didn¡¯t see anyone [Using Tentacles] anywhere, it just felt natural. If something is stuck in the [Throat], then we slip something to pull it out. Granted if the [Mouth] was a no go then a slimmer [Tentacle] going throught the [Nose] could work too¡­¡± Alexa said defending her case, she hadn¡¯t actually made the modification to her hands yet of course, ¡°I think it would be more uncomfortable going from the [Nose], but that is just me.¡±


    ¡°...The nose?¡± [Skye] asked as if Alexa had said something wrong, ¡°...you aren¡¯t pulling a fast on me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the nose. It is the closest way to the [Throat], neither [Eyes] or [Ears] have an open way to the [Throat]. Another option would have been opening a [Wound] and extracting the foreign element. But doing so may invite a greater response from other [People].¡± Alexa answered confused.


    As far as her [Anatomy] went, the only way to access the [Throat] was through the [Nose]. Granted if she went the long way she may have a secondary way there¡­But that felt like a waste of resources.


    ¡°....I see¡­yeah, I can see it, you raping my throat/nose would be less impacting than you cutting my throat open with a knife¡­¡± [Skye] nodded her head in understanding, ¡°AS IF!¡±


    Or not?


    ¡°I swear to god¡­if we ever find out who raised you, we need to put him down, or at least send him to a mental asylum.¡± [Skye] sighed once more, was she missing some maintenance? ¡° What happened to you? You weren¡¯t this¡­unstable before.¡±


    Unstable?


    Alexa was being unstable?


    ¡°Elaborate, Alexa isn¡¯t unstable. Or it isn¡¯t more unstable, at least.¡± Alexa said while doing some self-diagnosis, as far as her personal information was concerned, nothing had changed within her [Consciousness Stream].


    ¡°I mean, you were weird yes. But it didn¡¯t show up like this, I feel like you wouldn¡¯t have asked permission to rape my throat when we were about to go into a mission.¡± [Skye] said pointing that example.


    ¡°...define: Rape,¡± Alexa asked for confirmation.


    ¡°...Let¡¯s not go that way just yet; let¡¯s just say it''s a somewhat nasty thing to do to someone else, be it female or male. ¡° [Skye] said without elaborating, ¡° Anyway! In this case, I meant it mostly as a joke, with your tentacle thing going into my mouth¡­it¡¯s an internet thing!¡±


    She then continued to not elaborate further, but at least she gave her an idea of what it was.


    ¡°Main Core?¡± So Alexa sent the prompt inwardly.


    ¡°[Awknowledged¡­.Searching¡­.]¡± And Main Core answered promptly.


    ¡°So yeah, don¡¯t shove tentacles into your friends or coworkers!¡± [Skye] said with her face still red, ¡°Unless they are into that! Or..you know, they are your boyfriend¡­or girlfriend¡­are you¡­.?¡±


    ¡°[First Query finished. Rape: It is the act of performing sexual intercourse or sexual penetration carried against another person¡¯s will. It does not respect the idea of Human Consent, there are evidence of sequelae to one such act persisting for prolonged amounts of time. These consequences may vary from physical to mental ones, being in the form of uncontrollable fear towards the gender of the assaulter or pregnancy.]¡± Main Core gave a longer answer than what she was used to. Followed by an interesting addition. ¡°[Resources added within the metadata left by the Humans for others to use.]


    ¡°[The National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE]¡±


    ¡°[Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN)]¡±


    ¡°That seems like¡­..too much data.¡± Alexa said, cataloging the information; they seemed to care greatly for these types of [Crimes]. Because if she was reading this correctly, they were crimes. Alexa found notes about plenty of laws that had something to do with this topic. "And the second prompt?¡±


    ¡°[Found 69 yottabytes of media labeled as Pornography with these tags. They seem to be tailored to both males and females, and are mostly fake scenarios where males or females are sexually assaulted in scenarios by what seems to be Test Subjects according to their biological makeup.]¡±


    And at the side of that was an image of what¡­did look like the [Tentacles] that Alexa had made before, only instead of growing from her [Hands], these grew from¡­the [Crotch Area]. Why?


    That was¡­


    ¡°[Sub optimal]¡±


    ¡°Alexa?¡± [Skye] asked, bringing her back from her data dive. Her internal clock showed that, thanks to the mental acceleration, she had only been unresponsive for two seconds. ¡°Do you¡­. you know¡­ swing for both sides?¡±


    ¡­.what?


    ¡°I¡­guess?¡± Alexa answered, she had plenty confidence into being able to swing in any given direction, ¡°Either way, that isn¡¯t relevant. Why am I uncomfortable about showing skin?¡±


    Alexa wasn¡¯t sure why, and she didn¡¯t particularly care about 69 yottabytes of porn. She didn¡¯t even want to start into analyzing that data, too much data for something she didn¡¯t knew if it would be worth. And while she could theoretically download in parts, she didn¡¯t want to deal with it. Nor did it feel like it was worth Main Core¡¯s time.


    ¡°Yeah that¡­that was the main issue¡­ god, the threat of getting raped does distract one¡­ ¡° [Skye] said with a weird smirk on her face, was this¡­ a [Joke]?


    ¡°[Notice, humoristic attempt to grease social relationships¡­. confirmed. Joke.]¡±


    Alexa smiled, and sure enough, [Skye] nodded while her [Smile] blossomed more.


    ¡°So that is¡­ our body is sacred, something personal that we don¡¯t want to share. I mean, I am sure you like how the other men and women look at you with envy, right?¡± [Skye] said while pointing with her eyes at some people that had just passed by a few dozen meters away from them.


    The [Man] turned to look at both of them up and down, while the woman did the same, then looked at the [Man], her eyes turned angry and looked back at Alexa once more, this time, Alexa could detect [Anger] in her eyes too.


    ¡°[Detected increase of hormonal response, endorphins released automatically by brain. Nerve ending governing pleasure and good feelings stimulated.]¡±


    Yeah, Alexa [Liked] that feeling.


    ¡°See? But now think about how you would feel if that same one could look at you undressed when you don¡¯t want them to.¡± [Skye] said after.


    And for some weird reason¡­


    ¡°[Automatic response detected, no threat to host or disguise, automatic response allowed.]¡±


    Her hands darted quickly to cover her [Breast] and [Crotch] area, one hand for each. She almost [Shifted] a pair of extra [Arms] to cover herself better, but that thread of thought was axed since it would compromise her [Disguise].


    ¡°And that is shame. Some people thrive on it, feeling good from it. Don¡¯t go that way, even if you can get a new identity. Some people may still find out. If it was that easy, our big boss would have gotten a Human appearance.¡± [Skye] said with a smirk. Alexa could feel her face had turned a few shades of red.


    She didn¡¯t like this [Shame].


    ¡°Or I would have gotten a new face to go with this name¡± [Skye] mumbled something under her breath but Alexa didn¡¯t logged it as important, since it was merely some weird mention about getting a new face. That wasn¡¯t something important to have, Alexa had several of those after all.


    ¡°So? What are we supposed to do now?¡± Alexa asked. They had gotten to the park. Her child self had enjoyed it, thrown herself into the bushes, and didn¡¯t deal with the consequences.


    ¡°Now? Without kids to nanny?¡± [Skye] smiled brightly as her eyes turned [Predatory], ¡°Now we go searching for a bar, we need to train you. Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t find out that you got blackout drunk with only two beers. We need to train you, with a body like that everyone will hound you. Even if they find out about your age¡­which I guess right now is of age, so like whatever.¡±


    Alexa wasn¡¯t quite sure if that was something that could be trained¡­Besides she could manipulate her [Alcohol] limit easily enough¡­


    At least when [Main Core] wasn¡¯t feeding new liquids straight to her system at the highest dosage possible to see how the body reacted¡­.

 Chapter 64: About Internet, bars and poor choices

    What is a good bar? If you had asked Alexa that a few hours ago, she would have answered that a [Titanium Alloy] bar would be a good one, perhaps a [Tungsten] one? Or if she had access to her former materials when using her [CRAB] form. Then she would default to [Durasteel] or [Tritium Alloy].


    [Skye], however, would answer differently.


    ¡°We need one with not enough cute girls, but plenty of dumb rich men on them. Not confident men, of course. Probably some innocent people never went to play rich kids who want to prove they are men.¡± [Skye] had answered as such, ¡°We could do with some new bars too, they like to give free drinks to cute girls just to make themselves look good, you only need to take a few pics and upload them to the World¡¯s network while tagging them, they love the #Drinking, #FeltCute, and I personally use #DrinkAndPlay.¡±


    To the what? World¡¯s Network?


    ¡°You mean the [Internet]?¡± Alexa asked for confirmation that she hadn¡¯t found another network to plug her [Cellphone]. There were some different [Wavelength] networks, but they all ended up being the same local servers, only using different gateways.


    And as far as her prods into their security, the network that [Billy] had suggested had the best defenses and asked the less [Security Handshakes], so she used that.


    ¡°Oh the World¡¯s network? That is the original name that the Saintsworths gave it when they took over the internet business with their satellite network.¡± [Skye] said showing a fancy website on her cellphone.


    Weird, she couldn¡¯t find that one using her [Cell phone].


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I access that from the [Phone] that [Billy] gave me?¡± Alexa asked while pulling the phone from the pocket where she had saved it. She had been using a series of tendrils to interface with the thing, so looking at it from a normal perspective was¡­ weird.


    ¡°Oh, you are using a Billy¡¯s one, huh? Yeah, no surprises there. The old man hates the new name.¡± [Skye] nodded while pulling a phone similar to hers. ¡°See? If I try to navigate to this site, I get nothing. The Saintsworths¡¯ phone uses a biometrics and ID system. You upload all your personal data, and they promise that you will never need to log in anywhere again.¡±


    ¡­that seemed like a poor choice to make¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, here, try to check my photos.¡± [Skye] said handing her the same phone she had used.


    So Alexa did as instructed and navigated the interface to the pictures folder.


    ¡°....Huh?¡± She went through the [Camera] app only to find it empty. Going to the [Social Media] applications netted the same result. She found herself with a menu asking for log-in data. Of course, Alexa didn¡¯t know those credentials, and if what [Skye] had told her was to be believed¡­neither did the black-haired girl in front of her.


    ¡°Neat right?¡± [Skye] said with a smirk on her face, ¡°So long I don¡¯t give the order before handing the phone, all my data is safe within the warm embrace of our evil CEO Overlords.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry that they have your [Data]?¡± Alexa asked, giving back the phone. She detected a faint [Mana Wave] going through the phone into [Skye] and back, and the screen that asked for log-in gave way to the girl¡¯s profile, showing her photos.


    ¡°Heh¡­it''s like, whatever.¡± [Skye] said while shrugging, ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. I saved the work stuff on the phone Billy gave me. Your contact information is saved in the other too, but if you ever buy a Normie phone, I will save you in this one.¡±


    So managing two accounts? That sounded¡­.


    ¡°[Sub-obtimal.]¡±


    Yeah, why go through all that hassle?


    ¡°I can see it in your face, but there is a reason to the madness.¡± [Skye] smiled evily at her, and punching some keys in her [Phone] her smile widened even more as the [Device] vibrated in her hand as it emited *Ding* sound. ¡°Here, look at this.¡±


    Within the [Screen] of the device was a [Text box], some type of [Chat room], it seemed eerily similar to the mental projection she had when speaking with [Main Core].


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    +Heya, got some spots for two cute girls to drink?


    -Skye! Long time no see girl!


    -Of course! Come along, just remember to go by the back entry so you can doll up ??????


    +K, coming by with a friend new to the city.


    +Need to train my girl, so don¡¯t send handsy men our way or I will leave before time¡¯s up ;p


    -Got it girl, that will reduce what I can get for you, but since you are starting low we can make it work.


    -???¡á?????


    +K, thx bye ??


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    ¡°....?¡± Alexa wasn¡¯t sure what the deal was with this [Conversation].


    ¡°He is the owner of a bar I liked to go and blow some stress with drinks and dance, haven¡¯t gone in months but had the number saved since he used to throw rich kids my way and I liked to make them burn money like the best.¡± [Skye] said sheepishly shaking her head, ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s not speak about that. Anyway, he gave me his number and said I would always be welcome even if I didn¡¯t go that balls deep again.¡±


    [Skye] used balls to go deep? How¡­ did she make balls made of wind to make her access easier? But how would that even¡­What?


    ¡°[Use of words imply a hidden meaning, search within local internet seems to point to sites with dubious definitions for these word usage, no certified database found, perhaps this use of words detail some hidden cryptic meaning, more data is required.]¡±


    So even [Main Core] was stumped at this, that was a new one.


    ¡°Yeah, anyway. Stand with me for a second¡­yes like that, now wink¡­.close one of your eyes¡­.mimic my face¡­.¡± [Skye] said a series of instructions as her face and body got shoved into Alexa, [Skye]¡¯s face touching Alexa¡¯s.


    Even so, the other girl had asked for her to [Mimic] her face so¡­


    ¡°[Contact stablished¡­initiating scan¡­.tendril insertion from multiple entry points¡­.Head intrusion¡­.achieved, chest intrusion¡­achieved, analyzed three different new types of Clothing. Waist intrusion¡­achieved, analyzed two layers of Clothes¡­.blueprint download¡­..10%...20%...50%....69%....100%... Initiating shift.]¡±


    Well, that took more time than usual¡­


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    Blueprint of Altered Human Acquired:


    -Name: Bella Campbell.


    -Subtype: Human


    -Main Core Type: Elemental


    -Subtype Core Type: Wind / Space


    No reinforcement to [Human] base detected. Saved base template do database.


    For the reproduction of [Core], please extract a sample from [Core] for analysis.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


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    ¡°....Alexa? I didn¡¯t mean for you to actually MIMIC my face, just¡­.make the same gesture as I do¡­¡± [Skye] sighed separating her face from her and staring at Alexa¡¯s face (Now morphed into [Skye]) ¡°Girl¡­gosh I am pretty, did you change something?¡±


    ¡°No? Perhaps the perception is changed since this [Body] has a higher amount of strategically set up [Fat Deposites]?¡± Alexa said while touching said [Fat Deposites], most of them had gone to her [Chest] and some to her [Bottom], even if her backside had some muscles there too with the extra fat. ¡°Returning to normal shift then¡­¡±


    And with that, Alexa returned to her normal face. [Skye] seemed reluctant to join her face with Alexa¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°Future contact will change nothing, I can¡¯t get anything else unless I find your [Core] and am able to study it, but so far Main Core thinks that is impossible with a living target, and since [Hostile] actions against fellow [Minions] are forbidden by default that is not a problem.¡± Alexa said, trying to [Soothe] the other girl, and before she answered, Alexa added, ¡°And I wouldn¡¯t go about doing that either way. My [Human] side does not wish to [Harm] any member of the [Fairy Team].¡±


    Alexa wasn¡¯t sure why that was, there was no strategic reason to not dispose of one of them if the oportunity came around. The [Core Power] of [Skye] had proved to be more powerful than she had first implied. And [Golem]? That one could probably increase Alexa¡¯s range of collection for materials.


    She had been able to stock up on [Biomass] so far, but getting the [Metals], [Minerals], [Liquids] and [Gases] her [CRAB] form required¡­That would be harder to do, so far she hadn¡¯t been able to [Store] the [Presurised canisters] she had taken from [Skye], even now they were hidden within her [Lungs]. She had needed to artificially increase her [Lung] efficiency by making new ways for her [Skin] to take in the O2.


    ¡°Oh gosh Alexa¡­.¡± [Skye] said while hugging the other girl, ¡°Smile this way and close one of your eyes like this¡­yes, now say cheese? ¡±


    After following the instructions a white flash hit Alexa straight on, she prepared for anything increasing the range of light her eyes could take in so she could recover faster¡­


    ¡°...what¡¯s with the cat''s dilated eyes?¡± [Skye] said looking at her weirdly. ¡°I mean, neat, but¡­it also looks like you are drugged as hell.¡±


    Nothing was wrong as far as she could see, if anything¡­.[Skye] seemed more relaxed.


    ¡°Yeah, you look cute enough, we could work a little more on your seductive wink, this one looks more on the cute-ish innocent blonde daughter. We want a seductive wink, or a teasing wink. Not this cute virgin wink¡­.well, some rich kids are into these things too I guess¡­¡± [Skye] mumbled as she started furiously tapping at her [Phone screen], ¡°Not this¡­not this¡­.this is too sepia¡­.why would I even install the Mexico filter? No..not this¡­.oh cat ears¡­.yeah we can work that I guess¡­.¡±


    The what now?


    ¡°What are you doing [Skye]?¡± Alexa asked walking closer to the other girl so she could take a peek into her [Phone], there she found an [Image] of herself, and sure enough, she did look¡­ cute?


    ¡°[Notice, host appareance was designed to increase the good will and lower social threat level, appareance is in turn, matched to evoke primal urges within other Humans to either protect or cater to Host.]¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯m cute as heck, and the other Humans will want to either like me or do my bidding?¡± Alexa resumed Main Core words in a shorter and easier-to-understand way.


    ¡°[...Yes.]¡±


    Heh.


    ¡°And done, this is as good as we will get.¡± [Skye] said showing the picture, it had a few hearts painted in the corner, Alexa had a pair of yellow animal ears at top her head while [Skye] had a similar but in black color. At the bottom of the image there was a [Rawr] weirdly depicted letters. ¡°And send¡­.upload to the Main Island¡¯s network¡­Uploading to the local network a hyperlink to my main social network¡­.and done, we are viral.¡±


    The what where, and what?


    ¡°What?¡± Alexa said once more, she felt that she was doing this quite often now.


    ¡°*Sigh* Fine, might as well explain while we walk to the bar.¡± [Skye] said, pocketing her [Phone]; Alexa did the same while setting up a parallel search for that picture within her own [Phone].


    ¡°Okay, first. What do these fancy cell phones connect to? Mine and yours.¡± [Skye] started her questioning.


    That was easy, [Billy] had explained it, didn¡¯t he?


    ¡°To the [Internet], the local [Digital Network] from which we access different [DataServers] to get the [Data] we need.¡± Alexa answered as such, based on what she knew and what she had personally seen with the [Data Packages] she could interact with and send using her intermediary in the [Phone].


    ¡°Wrong.¡± [Skye] answered as such while smirking, ¡°Your phone does connect to the local network, but that is just the start. The old guy''s internet, the one that we had from before the Mana Cores and Core Users, became a thing.¡±


    What?


    ¡°[What?]¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you see. The people of old had this fancy Internet, a world wide web of data made by servers set up all around the world. They would connect their devices to it by connecting to high-speed data cables, and so you would fish information from your phone in some random server around the globe.¡± [Skye] said making flourish and everything to exemplify her point,


    ¡°That sounds¡­around what I expected, yes.¡± Alexa answered, you couldn¡¯t get more complicated than that after all.


    ¡°Well with Core Users becoming a thing we got Tinkers and fancy ways to do logic jumps and technology leaps, most of those couldn¡¯t be replicated since they depended on a niche core user or something.¡± [Skye] said afterward. Alexa had heard that, too, that some things couldn¡¯t be replicated.


    And that was the main point of power the [Saintsworths] had used to climb to power, the fact that they took in [Core Users] and replicated their power, case in point. The shields that were made either by [Chrysalis] or [SuperForce]¡¯s power.


    ¡°The [Saintsworths]...¡± Alexa said, realizing the point of this.


    ¡°Exactly, the bastards took this as an opportunity and searched for a very specific niche of Core Powers to create their own global network. The mighty CEO looked upon the gifts his predecessors left and found them lacking, so he made his own.¡± [Skye] made a mockery of someone looking down upon others. ¡°He made his own Internet by creating a self-propelled, self-maintained satellite network to relay data to the planet.¡±


    ¡°[Data package found about Satelites, the creation of this other network found.]¡±


    ¡°[Downloading data¡­..100%]¡±


    The data package included images of devices with small sizes and some devices stuck behind them to create thrust within a [Void], some type of place devoid of any mass or [Atmosphere]. There were also some notes saying that these type of devices wouldn¡¯t live long and that the Saintsworths would need to replace them¡­


    Also, a depiction of the [Planet], with the name of it. [Terra Nova].


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that mean that the [Devices] orbiting the [Planet] need to land again for maintenance even if they could indeed survive prolonged times up there?¡± Alexa pointed, even if they were indeed self-maintenance¡­surely there would be a limit?


    ¡°Yeah¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± But [Skye] only shrugged at this. "What I know is that I have free access to their network so long as I use my credentials and update my information when needed. I am sure they are selling my data or profiting from it. But hey, at least when I order clothes, they will always arrive in my size. Also, I don¡¯t need to worry when ordering food that will send food I don¡¯t like my way.¡±


    ¡­.That did sound convenient.


    ¡°Anyway, not the point. This new world wide web has a name, one that does not have many uses, but even so, when you log in the first time on a new device, you get to see it.¡± [Skye] said powering down her [Phone] and giving it to Alexa, ¡°There, power it on.¡±


    Alexa pushed the button at the side and stared a the screen, wondering what she would see. What kind of name could this marvel of technology have?


    ¡°New user detected. Welcome to¡­The World.¡±


    Well, that was anticlimactic. What kind of name was [The World]?


    ¡°Yeah, probably not the best one, but that is how the big man named it.¡± [Skye] smirked as she took back her phone, ¡°In this network we all use are small boats in a wide ocean of data, the cities are islands within the sea of information. If you need access to a website or social network, you just¡­write the address, and your digital boat goes there. The network works from a top-to-bottom type. The deeper you go, the more data you have access to and the more juicy the things you can find are.¡±


    ¡­.So anyone could go and fish this information? That sounded counterproductive for security concerns. If so, in what depth would be information about her be?


    ¡°Now, not just anyone can go that deep, you need the correct Core Power to even see the network for what it is. And even so, there are defenses in place made by the Saintsworths¡­Or so they say.¡± [Skye] shrugged at that, ¡°I only use it so I wouldn¡¯t know, my guess is that Vulcanus has a underwater stronghold somewhere. But some old-timers like Billy don¡¯t like it and don¡¯t use it; he should be able to interact with it as he is a Tinker, and they all seem to be able to dive into it one way or another.¡±


    ¡°But the [Liet-]....I mean,¡± Alexa corrected herself thanks to a ping from Main Core, ¡°The [Saintsworths] CEO, Alexanders. He wasn¡¯t a Core User before.¡±


    ¡°So they say, the videos of him taking the test or scanner are set up. No way he created this thing at twelve without being a Core User.¡± [Skye] said with a shrug. ¡°I am with the people that believe he awoke his Core at five or something, the monster. No way a normal human would achieve what he did without a developed Core.¡±


    ¡­.But he awoke a [Core] at the same time as Alexa?


    ¡°How old is he right now?¡± Alexa asked with some curiosity. If he made such a monster of a wide global network just to collect personal data¡­surely that meant that he was old. Even if Alexa wasn¡¯t sure how old he was by his looks, she wasn¡¯t that good at measuring external age by visual cues just yet.


    ¡°He is like¡­.21 or so? I think he was around 22 at worst. Either way he is quite young and good looking. If you ignore he is the owner of one of the worst evil companies this world has ever seen.¡± [Skye] said showing a picture of the [Lieutenant] dressed in what looked to be formal clothing with a [Bored] face.


    ¡°Is he a [Villain]?¡± Alexa asked, the denomination [Evil] followed by [Company] implied that he was probably an entity like [Vulcanus] or [The Scorcher] after all.


    ¡°Worse¡­he is a CEO of a capitalist company¡­¡± [Skye] said seriously, ¡°He is at the head of the Hydra, so even if he isn¡¯t aware. He is still responsible for some crazy shit, like, there are theories that the Saintsworths experiment with the Core Users they take in; some say they are secretly a race of dragons wanting to take over the world or something.¡±


    ¡­.She had some incomplete blueprints for the [Lietenant] thanks to their fight, but she hadn¡¯t seen any DNA evidence of him not being [Human].


    ¡°....and this information is needed because¡­?¡± Alexa asked, realizing that she didn¡¯t benefit much from this, besides the prospect of finding some information about her own [Creation]. But [Skye] didn¡¯t have a way to know about this.


    ¡°Because¡­.I don¡¯t know, but it is fun to see the face you make when you find new things.¡± [Skye] shrugged while saying that, ¡°Besides I need you to need to understand why it is important that you spend some of your salary in a phone so I can tag you? Becoming an influencer is a good way to get extra money for cute stuff. I only post photos from high places, but there are enough Flyers that they don¡¯t impact as well as before, I need to take photos pretending that I am above buildings to get some likes.¡±


    ¡­Couldn¡¯t she just fly there then? What was the problem?


    ¡°But you!¡± [Skye] pointed at her, ¡°You have this ridiculously cute face that it pisses me off. I mean, look at this!¡±


    [Skye] showed the same picture she had taken before, now with some [Comments] of people asking her to [Tag] the [Cute Girl] she was with. Some were making some weird comments with some fruits and drops of water only.


    ¡°See? I already got 5k likes and so many reshares that my account will be monetized by tomorrow morning!¡± [Skye] grumbled while biting her fist, was she hungry? ¡°So yeah, we need to get you a phone and do a vlog or something, cute girls from the highs¡­no wait¡­flying cute girls? Or perhaps¡­¡±


    ¡°Mango Lovers?¡± Alexa said from the side.


    ¡°Mango? Why Mango? I know you have this weird kink with mango¡­no wait¡­ it could work, yeah. No one is using Mango as a theme besides this weird witch and paladin Larper girlfriend duo, they like to use moon thematic for their photos.¡± [Skye] grinned as she showed a picture of a black-haired woman dressed in [Robes] sitting atop a [Broom], at the back Alexa could see an armored blonde [Woman] almost two meter tall. She was dressed in what seemed to be [Metal Armor].


    Alexa could appreciate the dedication for protection.


    ¡°Yeah, so far, only they seem to have a theme with Mangos, and they only post pictures of the other girl eating mango, and it seems to be a hit, so we could do it too. We only need to focus more on you eating them raw since they do fancy dishes with mango. Perhaps you peeling a Mago atop a skyscraper?¡± [Skye] continued her machinations as they walked.


    Before she could finish that line of thought, Alexa brought her back from her quick mumbling, ¡°We have arrived.¡±


    They had arrived at their destination, a [Bar].


    ¡°Oh, let¡¯s go then. We need to get you pretty for the peasants. We could even get one of them to buy you a phone with the promise of you adding him to A-frens.¡± [Skye] said showing a picture of herself in yet another [App]. ¡°Yes, that is Axolotl frens. Alexanders may be an Evil CEO, but he is childish as they get¡­who even thought giving that man power was a good idea?¡±

 Chapter 65: Such a dangerous word.... [Dollup]...

    Alexa had never thought that there would be any phrase that could create such huge amounts of dread to her before. Granted, there were some that she feared and didn¡¯t want to hear again.


    [Subject P4, enter the testing grounds]


    That, for example, was among the biggest ones she didn¡¯t want to hear again; it implied that she had failed her escape and had been tied once more under the cruel thumb of [Humanity].


    [Subject P4, the mission is deemed failed]


    This was an escalation of the first one. For this one implied that she not only had been captured but also had failed for some reason the mission that had been assigned to her. It would mean that not only was she under the cruel thumb of [Humanity], but she was also¡­ [Sub-optimal] to the missions they put her under.


    But this one?


    ¡°I think we can go for something more sexy. She has the body for it anyway, we just need to doll her up a little more.¡± [Skye] had brought her to the back of the [Bar] to a door that read [Staff Only].


    They had been waiting for them, waiting for them to [Doll them up].


    [Skye] had been quick about it, she walked into a [Booth] and exited dressed in a [Mini Skirt] and a [Spaghetti Strap Blouse], such a weird name for a [Blouse], it was basically an everyday blouse but instead of hiding the shoulders it exposed them with a thin strap. Why not call it [Strap blouse]?!?!?!?


    Either way, that wasn¡¯t the problem that Alexa was having at the moment. And while she doubted the [Clothing] of [Skye] served to protect her¡­at all. Since the girl was exposing most of her [Breasts], [Tummy], [Arms] and [Legs].


    No, the problem was¡­.


    ¡°Hmm¡­.yeah, she does look quite well in a mini tube dress¡­.perhaps we can add some Jewelry? Some fancy one¡­¡± The [Woman] that had been waiting for them had undressed and re-redressed Alexa several times already.


    At first Alexa was [Ashamed] to show her body, but that notion had vanished quickly enough when she noticed no one was paying particular attention to her undressed body; if anything, they seemed to focus more on how she looked with [Clothes] on.


    Alexa had gone from [Gala Dress], to [School uniform] and moved across several [One Piece dresses], at the end they had settled in what was basically a single piece of [Cloth] tied to her [Abdomen].


    It seemed to stick to her body by sheer [Will] since there was barely any strap, button, or zipper to keep it in place.


    It did have one of those, of course, but as soon as they zipped her up, the dress began compressing her abdomen even more; Alexa had needed to increase the efficiency of her [Lungs] to make sure she wasn¡¯t blacking out due to not having enough O2 in her [Brain].


    <table style="width: 45.8188%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    About Banking Materials:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Noticed the host''s desire to find a way to store materials. While it is possible to store organics, this wasn''t made with the idea of storing nonorganic material. The environment that is used to store organics is inherently hostile towards normal materials thanks to the atmosphere within the space.


    Even so, it is possible to increase the allotted space to store regular materials, too.


    Unlike with the conversion of biomass, this will require a higher degree of expenditure to reinforce and guarantee the materials stored.


    Cost of storage is 4:1


    For every four units of any determined material, only 1 unit will be allowed to be used and stored; the other three will be used to secure the maintenance and keep it in functioning order.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°THAT IS DAILIGHT ROBERRY!¡± Alexa cursed inwardly while accepting the prompt.


    ¡°[Notice, Mk1 Generation Nanites have started deconstructing non organic materials within Host, materials seem to dissapear into nothing¡­]¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Main Core. Your stingy cousin has offered to increase the range of storage. Now we can store non-organic materials¡­at a 4 to 1 conversion rate.¡± Alexa sighed as the space in her lungs increased, allowing her to breathe more easily.


    "[...that is...An analysis is needed to determine the feasibility of this new facet of the host''s abilities.]"


    She would need to stockpile normal nonorganic materials at a rate of 4 kilograms turned into 1 at the [Storage]. She would also need to get almost 40 tons of exotic materials if she ever wanted to have her [CRAB] form at her beck and call.


    ¡°How are you feeling Alexa? Not many like going with these ones at their first bar outing, but I can guarantee you will rock their hearts and wallets with this one.¡± [Skye] said standing at the side of Alexa, both looking at the mirror.


    On it, Alexa could see the black-haired girl standing at the side of a blonde blue-eyed one. These were [Skye] and Alexa, of course. She liked how it looked, she would save these [Designs] for later and the same could be said to the others.


    ¡°These [Clothes], what settings are appropriate for using these?¡± Alexa asked, doing a twirl on the spot and making sure the limits of her new [Clothes] were met.


    As far as she could see, if she ever tried to run or raise her legs too much, then she would end with almost no [Defense] on her lower body. In contrast her upper body while not limited in the same way, if she ever used too much her upper torso, her [Clothes] promised to exposes her [Breasts].


    It was¡­limiting, way too much limiting.


    ¡°Well, these ones you are rocking are for bar hopping and nightlife. Don¡¯t go around normal streets or you will end up being confused for¡­another type of worker.¡± [Skye] said closing on into the mirror as if to make sure something was right on her face.


    She took from her [Purse] (a small object they had provided to save her items) a small cylinder whose top she took off, ¡°Man¡­you are such a cheat, you don¡¯t even need makeup¡­¡± Said [Skye] as she started using that cylinder to paint her lips a reddish color.


    Was this some strategy to intimidate her targets? These [Rich dumb kids] that [Skye] kept referring to?


    ¡°Hmmm?¡± Alexa said closing in to the mirror, she didn¡¯t find any reason why the red markings would be limited to only the lips, no matter how much she looked at her reflection.


    ¡°Alexa no, I know you may want to put make up on, it¡¯s coded in our DNA. But you will mess up your face, with one so perfect like yours¡­ Yes, you only need some glow-up, perhaps some sparkles? Yes, we can sell the innocent dumb blonde better that way.¡± [Skye] nodded while fumbling within her [Purse]; in the end, she brought another cylinder and offered it to Alexa, ¡°Here, just apply some to your lips; try to make it even. Even if it¡¯s only sparkles and a glow up, it will look weird if you mess it up.¡±


    Alexa, of course, took the Cylinder and popped it open as [Sky] had done, pressing it onto her [Lips] she got her [Nanites] to analyze it at once, she wanted to know what was the deal with these things.


    ¡°[Composition analyzed, no hostile poisonous components, found flavouring of Strawberry within the ingredients. Detailed list as follows].¡±


    ¡°[Isododecane, Isocetyl Stearate, Hydrogenated Castor Oil/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Kaolin, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Synthetic Beeswax, Glyceryl Behenate, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Propylene Carbonate, Aroma (Flavour), Brassica Campestris Seed Oil (Brassica Campestris (Rapeseed) Seed Oil), Olea Europaea Fruit Oil (Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil), Olus Oil (Vegetable Oil), Tocopheryl Acetate, Opuntia Ficus-indica Flower Extract, Camelina Sativa Seed Oil, Passiflora Incarnata Seed Oil, Citric Acid. +/- (May Contain): CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI 15850 (Red 7 Lake)(Red 6), CI 19140 (Yellow 5 Lake), CI 42090 (Blue 1 Lake), CI 77492, CI 77499 (Iron Oxides).]¡±


    ¡°[Also found some rests of plastic flakes within recipe that will stick to skin to give the image of sparkles]¡±


    ¡­That¡­.so many chemicals¡­.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°What? That one is new don¡¯t worry. Also it should match your lip colour since we are close enough¡­and if not¡­well¡­you can do your thing to match it right?¡± [Skye] said from the side while using her own thing with her [Lips]


    Right¡­she could¡­do her thing¡­.


    ¡°Main Core? simulate the expected effect from using this¡­ Thing.¡± Alexa said while pressing it once again against her lips, she felt her nanites start flowing into the [Cylinder] and taking parts of the [Thing].


    After half a second her nanites were already full blown moving around, they moved around her lips to work the desired effect on her [Lips] and soon enough her [Lips] also started shining with the same sparkles as [Skye].


    Alexa of course liked the result, even if she was confused about if she should feel elated or not for this result.


    ¡°...Yeah, I hate your skills on this. And it¡¯s only the first time? How did you use a lipstick to even give yourself a look as if you had gone through the whole make up station? It took me almost fifteen minutes to get to this point!¡± [Skye] said while grumbling as she started saving her [Make up] tools.


    Alexa¡¯s face had changed too, almost as if to match [Skye], her [Eyelashes] now seemed more black and seemed to gleam, her [Cheek] held some pink-ish color that wasn¡¯t there before. Her forehead and lips had a vague glint.


    Overall, Alexa liked how she looked.


    ¡°And now?¡± Alexa asked as her nails changed from the normal pink color to an azure blue as if to match her [Tube Dress] and [Shoes].


    ¡°Now? We find some dumb rich kids so I can drown my worries about the fact that you can do your own makeup better than me.¡± [Skye] answered bringing out her phone and pointing it at Alexa. ¡°What are you waiting for? Pose girl! Give me a cute pose!¡±


    Alexa wasn¡¯t sure what a [Cute Pose] was, so looking at the other people around that had started coming to see them, she noticed some of them had started mimicking [Poses]. So picking the easiest one to do Alexa did it, taking extra care to not shift her [Face] again, only mimicking how they moved and what expressions they did.


    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± [Skye] smiled as her [Phone] started making some [Click] sounds. The [Girl] was probably taking the [Pictures]. ¡°Yeah, with this, we are done. I will update them later and tag the bar as promised. The dress and jewelry?¡±


    ¡°A gift of course, so long you manage to get them to spend as much as possible.¡± The [Woman] that had stayed at the very back spoke, ¡°Do we send your clothes to the same address?¡±


    ¡°New one, here.¡± [Skye] said pointing at the [Woman] with her [Phone].


    The [Woman] walked forward placing her own [Phone] at the side of [Skye]¡¯s, ¡°hmm¡­.dangerous neighborhood, I hope you know what you are doing.¡± She said only that, this [Woman] was dressed in one of the [Gala Dressess] styles that they had given Alexa, only hers seemed¡­ cheap.


    ¡°Yeah, work address actually. You know how it is.¡± [Skye] shrugged as she said that, ¡°I hope you understand why I haven¡¯t been able to come as often.¡±


    ¡°...I see. Anyway, your clothes will be sent there, same as this blondie¡¯s. Get them to buy at least one of our heavy hitters and you are free to go.¡± The [Woman] said while she wrote something on her [Phone], ¡°I imagine that I can send your friend''s clothes to the same address?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she lives around my apartment. That will suffice.¡± [Skye] answered, and saved her [Phone] back into her purse. ¡°Okay Alexa, show time. Put your pretty face on and follow my lead!¡±


    Alexa wasn¡¯t sure what a [Pretty Face] was, the best thing that came to mind was her [Teenager Stage] since that one was the prettiest of them all. But that face didn¡¯t mesh with this body¡­


    Nor did she think her [Teenager Stage] would look good in these clothes¡­.


    Either way she just smiled and followed after [Skye], they walked by narrow corridors that seemed to be bathed in shadows, soon enough as they walked farther in, Alexa started to hear the sound of some [Rythmic] string of voices and sounds.


    It was hard to describe.


    ¡°Hear the music? We are near, it seems that the DJ is getting ready for the night and is having some fun with some of the early patrons.¡± [Skye] smiled and pulled Alexa by her arm so they moved faster. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    And sure enough [Skye] started pulling at her arm, soon they found themselves in a bigger [Room], it was dark and the only light that came into it was from the ceiling lights. These rotated by colors at the same tempo that the [Music] as it was described by [Skye].


    To Alexa it sounded more like weird sounds trying to mix between each other, if anything Alexa was surprised that people seemed to [Move] at the rythm of these weird sounds designated as [Music].


    ¡°There, that is our first target.¡± [Skye] said smiling at Alexa while pointing with her hand at a [Male Human] sitting in a big table, he seemed to be somewhat around the same proportions as what the [Lieutenant] had, so then he should be the same [Age]? ¡°Okay, this is the plan. You sit at his left and I go for his right, most are right handed so you let me deal with his hands.¡±


    Alexa nodded and they walked toward the [Man], he seeme to notice them and smiled at them and then got [Flustered] while playing with his phone as if to take a picture.


    ¡°Hello handsome~~¡± [Skye] said as she sat herself at the right of the [Man], ¡°Got some extra drinks for a couple cute girls?¡±


    ¡°Y-Y-Yeah sure¡­I am¡­ waiting for¡­. some friends.¡± The [Man] said pushing a button at the table. ¡°W-what do you want to drink¡­?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­.well, this will be the first time my friend is drinking, so something sweet.¡± [Skye] said while making some excessive movements with her arms that focused around her [Chest], making her [Breast] seem bigger for some moments. "What do you want, Ale? Pick something cute.¡±


    Ale?


    She was Alexa!


    Either way, Alexa took a look at the [Menu] on the table. It was a crystal screen with what seemed to be some tactile feedback. ¡°Let¡¯s start with this one, then,¡± Alexa said, picking one [Bottle] with the [Designation] that the [Woman] had asked them to get.


    ¡°Ohohoh¡­.We are brave, are we?¡± [Skye] started saying as she saw the option. It was some kind of [Drink] with what seemed to have the red letters of [Bacardi 151, care is advised]. "Well, this can also be a learning lesson.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, this, yes. I like this one too.¡± The [Man] quickly pressed a blue card on the screen, and the letters [No refunds] appeared on the screen. ¡°I like to drink one each day; it¡¯s a good beer!¡±


    [Skye] seemed to want to giggle at this and only turned her head to the other side, Alexa could see the shoulders of the girl moving up and down.


    ¡°Sure, I will have something else, a strawberry wine cup.¡± [Skye] said navigating to another menu and picking some menus in quick successions, ¡°Ordered a couple cups and some flasks for mixs. Also some fruits and snacks.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­ I was waiting for my friends to arrive before ordering those things!¡± The [Man] quickly moved his card atop [Skye]¡¯s screen too, more [No refunds] messages flashing and him dismissing them quickly. ¡°So¡­you are Ale right? and you? P-p-pretty girl?¡±


    ¡­She was Alexa though.


    ¡°You can call me Rose.¡± [Skye] said smiling at the man.


    But that wasn¡¯t her name, she was either [Skye], [Sylph] or [Bella].


    ¡°Rose and Ale¡­ C-c-cute names!¡± The [Man] said while his face turned a red color, Alexa¡­ didn¡¯t know why, but she smiled at the image. She didn¡¯t feel affected by his demeanor, but she liked that it was her [appearance] the reason why he was reacting like that.


    Such a weird feeling¡­


    ¡°[Notice, nerve ending relationed with pleasure and rewards are being stimulated. Theorized that the reaction can be linked with social success in achieving deceptive means to get social creed or money from other Humans.]¡±


    ¡­.So she felt good because she had deceived someone else using only her appearance? Such a weird achievement.


    ¡°Here is your drink! Oh, hello Rose!¡± A [Woman] dressed in a white and black dress arrived with a small [Cart] with a bucket that held Ice and some [Cups] came and waved at [Skye], ¡°Here are your drinks! Should have known it would be Rose, ordering one of the heavy hitters!¡±


    This seemed to make the [Man] do a double take as [Skye] stood and grabbed the drinks the girl offered, ¡°You know me, always start my day like this.¡± [Skye] smiled and served a couple of small cups with the liquid of one of the bottles.


    She took that same bottle and mixed a little of its content with her own drink, ¡°Just a little to¡­ blunt the hit.¡± She [Smiled] and nodded at the [Man].


    This made the [Man] sigh and shake his head, ¡°Y-Y-You should d-d-d-drink responsabily.¡± He did a small laugh and took one of the smaller cups.


    The girl seemed confused, but Alexa took the other small flask and drank it.


    ¡°[Detected 75.% of Alcohol content, this is deigned as a hostile substance, drinking in high amounts isn¡¯t recommended.]¡±


    ¡­Did the [Woman] leave the drinks before want to poison their customers?


    ¡°Hmm¡­.What do you think Ale?¡± [Skye] asked, looking at her with great interest.


    So that was why [Skye] had diluted this drink with the others ones? As if to [Blunt] the [alcohol] content?


    ¡°I like it, it would do with some extra [Mango] on it.¡± Alexa answered taking the [Bottle] and filling her flask again.


    ¡°[Notice, siphoning drink into new storage area in process.]¡±


    But to Alexa? An Alexa whose [Main Core] wasn¡¯t sending this straight to her system to see how it reacted?


    A drink with high amounts of [Alcohol] was the best gift possible; she could use these chemicals to increase her range of options while in combat.


    ¡°Ah so¡­well¡­as for¡­oh, he already drank.¡± [Skye] said, turning to look at the [Man]; he had a couple [flasks] near him, which meant that he had either served multiple of these and drank it in quick succession after seeing Alexa¡­


    Or he had been made to.


    ¡°So mean Rose, deceiving them into thinking that rum was easy to drink¡­ And you too girl, the innocent girl act was good. But don¡¯t do it too often, or you will get a bad rep around.¡± The [Girl] that brought their drinks said as she left the bottle and moved away.


    ¡°...So¡­how are you fine now drinking this thing, but got wasted with two beers?¡± [Skye] asked as she took another sip from her drink and grimaced.


    ¡°Oh that? Main Core was checking the effects of the new things in our surrounding. And since that was a [Safe spot], it was deemed worth the effort to see how we reacted to the new [Drink] that had been offered to us. Since the combination was new and all.¡± Alexa answered while taking the bottle instead of continuing to drink from small flasks.


    ¡°...So¡­.you¡­injected beer into your veins to see how it worked?¡± [Skye] asked as her eyes seemed to grow bigger and bigger as Alexa took a sip from the bottle.


    ¡°Yes, that is accurate.¡± Alexa answered after drinking a fourth of the bottle in one go, she felt her [Throat] burning but some nanites got into that quickly enough, both to repair and guide the liquid to a secluded place within her body. She got reminded of how P9 had saved high amounts of energy within her [Breasts], so making some space within her chest she did the same.


    It would save time and energy. Swapping some [Fat] and making a new isolated bubble of [Rum] was easy enough. Her [Breasts] wouldn¡¯t change that much either. If anything, they would be somewhat more¡­ bouncy.


    ¡°...Are you okay?¡± [Skye] asked as Alexa smiled, she quite liked the sensation of the liquid going down her throat, even thought it was burning the way in¡­ something about it was quite enticing.


    ¡°Yes, sorry. A sixth of my throat was singed by the high amount of Alcohol, it has been fixed.¡± Alexa answered eyeing the bottle, could she perhaps weaponize this? ¡°Say, how expensive is this one?¡±


    ¡°....30 A-Dollars¡­? Plus booth, ice, ambience, music¡­.around 80 dollars¡­plus table, location¡­ service and of course us¡­that alone cost him around 500 A-Dollars.¡± [Skye] said then her eyes zeroed into Alexa. ¡°Alexa no, don¡¯t even think about ordering more of those with him out cold. They will take him to one of the sleeping pods and charge him by the hour, if he wakes up with another bottle it will be on our head in the stake.¡±


    ¡­.Alexa could always grow a new head, so she did not see a problem. Even so, the glare of [Skye] seemed to indicate that this was something best left alone.


    ¡°Fine.¡± So she said while drinking the last drop of [Rum] from that bottle and felt the liquid settle within her new storage area, she would need to check if she could move it to another place.


    It was around one liter of the beverage, so if she tried to shove it into her new [Storage] area, she would only manage to keep around 250 ml¡­ Not quite enough to do great things, but beggars can¡¯t be choosers¡­


    ¡°I will return after getting paid, or perhaps I could order these as part of the needed material to work?¡± Alexa said aloud while taking one of the [Ice cubes] and eating it.


    ¡°...yeah good luck convincing Eleanore that you need high percentage rum to work, unless the job requires it they don¡¯t give extra materials to work. And as¡­our job description states, the only extra materials they will grant us is what we need to achieve our mission.¡± [Skye] said, emptying her beverage, her face shifting slightly into the red spectrum. ¡°I tried getting jet boots, but since I can hover on my own it wasn¡¯t deemed a requirement to my job. So got denied, Eddy has it nice since he just needs construction materials and those are cheap.¡±


    [Skye] seemed to have a hard time holding her [Alcohol], perhaps Alexa should take care of helping her¡­


    How the tables turn, huh? Who would have thought that Alexa would end up being the responsible drinker of the two¡­

 Chapter 66: We ate [Dessert], now we prepare for dessert.

    In the end, Alexa didn¡¯t manage to get more to drink; she had managed to get a little less than the whole liter of the bottle, mainly because [Skye] had insisted on drinking with Alexa¡­ which meant other things¡­


    ¡°*hic* And¡­*hic* he said that I was too much trouble!¡± Like a barely functioning [Skye], her face was flushed red, and she kept making weird obscene gestures at the people walking near them. ¡°*Hic* well, sorry for being one of the victims of the fricking Scrambler! I didn¡¯t want to deal with this either!¡±


    Whatever she had encountered with this [Scrambler] seemed to be a fundamental part of who [Skye] was¡­


    ¡°[Notice, data point about Possible Hostile Unit Designation: Scrambler found.]¡±


    ¡°[Scrambler: Villain who is directly responsible for 139 confirmed coma patients, suspected of affecting 394 other patients with several impediments from mild amnesia to anger problems. And confirmed responsible for an undetermined number of victims who had to relocate because they were no longer able to function in normal society. He is a deranged subject who claims to have lived another alternate life, where everyone around him died and had reincarnated as a servant for an evil goddess.]¡±


    ¡°So this¡­[Villain] was a deranged individual.¡± Alexa prompted inwardly to Main Core.


    ¡°[Yes, the Villain in question is currently sedated and under the care of a highly specialized containment cell which is only visited by machines.]¡± Main Core brought the data of the capture and restraining of this [Villain].


    After a few years, the [Heroes] who participated in its raid seemed to mostly retire. Some turned to [Villainy], but most excused their behavior, and they managed to get away with some crimes.


    ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± Alexa didn¡¯t know what to think about, but from what she had gotten from her interactions with [Skye], she didn¡¯t seem that different from other [Humans], she had her full [Blueprint] too.


    And as far as she could see, she was average. At worst she had a worse efficiency compared to Alexa, really. Nothing seemed to be out of order in [Skye]¡¯s [Brain] either, so how did that power work?


    Did the [Scrambler] work by twisting the [Consciousness Stream]? If so, that was dangerous. But then again, Alexa could defend against those tamperings when Melissandra tried them on her, granted she had needed to give herself pseudo [Brain] death to achieve it. But even so, it was doable.


    ¡°*hic* and then there is you! You make me wonder if I should continue being straight or not¡­It¡¯s unfair! Why do you have those looks?!?!? And then you are also neurospicy!¡± [Skye] continued her ramblings, ¡°I try to hide that my brain got wired wrong by that asshole, and you come around swaggering your brain problems as if nothing?!?!?¡±


    ¡­Sorry?


    ¡°Are you¡­ Okay?¡± Alexa asked, not sure what this [NeuroSpicy]ness was about. ¡°Do you¡­ want me to flush the [Alcohol] out of your body?¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± [Skye] answered while hiding her chest from Alexa, a weird move if nothing else. ¡°The alcohol is innocent!¡±


    ¡°Oh? Is Rose drunk? That is a new one. Do you want us to take her home?¡± The [Woman] who had brought them drinks asked as she passed by.


    ¡°Not drunk *grumble*¡± [Skye] said while her eyes closed and she fell to the side. ¡°stupid hot blonde bitch¡­.with cute innocent eyes¡­.and stomach of a sailor¡­.*grumble*.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she is out¡­I can get her to the company cab and she will be sane and safe,¡± The [Woman] said pushing a button at the side of the table. ¡°Do you want me to get another table? We can get you more company for this one if you want too. This is usually reserved for VIPS.¡±


    What did Alexa want?


    ¡°Do you serve food?¡± Alexa asked, she was, after all. Hungry.


    ¡°That we do, mostly greasy unhealthy kind, also some snacks. I could get you some Fish & Chips? And maybe some wine¡­not the expensive kinds unless you get another sucker.¡± The [Woman] said, writing something on her [Notepad]. ¡°I mean, you are free to go too, you could probably get food in someplace more decent with what the ladyboss is sending to your card.¡±


    To her what?


    ¡°Rose didn¡¯t tell you? You girls get a bonus for getting those suckers drunk.¡± The [Woman] said taking out her [Phone] and showing her some information, it had her [Name] and a series of sixteen numbers afterward.


    ¡°[Numbers seem to match with a data package sent to electronic address set up by Human Designation: Eleanore for host, data indicates some kind of digital Wallet system to store currency.]¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your card number, right? The lady boss should have wired you some cash.¡± The [Woman] said and turned to [Skye], ¡°This one usually burns it with the aftercare service, so she rarely sees a single A-Dollar, but since you are still awake and looking after her, we will not charge her that badly. So? What¡¯s gonna be? Are you staying? Are you taking the food to go?¡±


    ¡­she could take the [Food to go]?


    ¡°I will take my [Food to go],¡± Alexa said, curious about what this implied.


    ¡°Aye sir then, we will get it ready¡­I will return with your food and someone to take this girl home.¡± The [Woman] smiled at her and left, leaving Alexa alone with two sleeping [Humans].


    On one hand she had [Skye] one of her [Coworkers].


    ¡°[Notice, violence against peers is against new rules set up by Haephestus¡¯ Forge].¡±


    One who she couldn¡¯t [Eat]. On the other hand¡­


    ¡°[Notice, violence against units designated as Civilians is against new rules set up by Haephestus¡¯ Forge.]¡±


    Who she also couldn''t eat¡­ since she was only allowed to [Retaliate] when someone attacked her. In a nutshell, she was standing near two good sources of [Biomass] and couldn¡¯t do anything about them.


    Dang it.


    ¡°Here it is your food. We prepared serving for two since you came with Rose, don¡¯t worry, these are on the house. So no extra charge.¡± The [Woman] said while offering Alexa a¡­package.


    It was a [Plastic Bag] holding a [Paper Bag] inside, double [Packaging]?


    ¡°The paper bag holds the heat, and the plastic bag makes it easier to carry¡­I don¡¯t know about this either. It feels like a waste, but then again. If you take too long the paper can break apart so I guess it is fine.¡± The [Woman] tried to explain, ¡°Either way, just throw away the remaining food or something, the drinks are here. One apple soda and a diet coke.¡±


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡­ Neither of those sounded like [Mango].


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Either way Alexa thanked the [Woman] and took her two packages, one with food and the other with drinks. ¡°I will be on my way then.¡±


    She turned and found a pair of [Girls] holding [Skye] up as if she could walk, she couldn¡¯t of course. But it seemed that carrying her between the two was easier this way for them. Alexa would have laid [Skye] on the floor and pulled her by the [Legs]. Or perhaps by her [Hair]?


    She wasn¡¯t sure how [Sturdy] [Skye]¡¯s hair was, she knew her own [Hair] could probably withstand such rough treatment, but that was after she reinforced it.


    ¡°Kay~, remember to come by even without Rose. We will always open our doors to cute girls!¡± And like that, the [Woman] waved Alexa away.


    Alexa left in the same manner they had entered, no one seemed to stop her even when she walked straight into [Staff Only] doors, in the end she returned to the same room where she had been undressed and [Toyed] with. There were some [Women] in several degrees of undressing, but they all didn¡¯t seem to care.


    Such a weird environment.


    ¡°Hmph¡­fake blondes.¡± One of them stated when they noticed Alexa coming by.


    ¡°[Logged face for future perusal. No evidence of disguise being compromised, possibly Core Power at play. Host, it is advised for termination of the hostile element.]¡±


    ¡°In a later setting, we shall stalk this place during the sleep cycle at a later date.¡± Alexa decided, someone who could peek through her disguise? She would need to come and check on them.


    But for now? When they were surrounded by other [Humans] with undetermined power levels?


    ¡°[Chance of survival against unknown variables, 7%. Combat not allowed.]¡±


    Alexa would need to bide her time, she would remember that [Face] and return seeking vengance.


    ¡­Why was she more annoyed at being called [Fake] than at her [Disguise] being compromised? [Humans] are weird.


    Finding herself annoyed more about her [Feelings] than her current setting, Alexa walked once more to the outside world. What she found was the [Sun] high in the sky, and a quick prompt at her [Cell phone] to find the [Time] gave her the time. 15:37.


    It was¡­.not late. So Alexa found herself once more in an alley; it brought her back good memories since it was in one of these places that she had found evidence about [Humans] not being all-powerful beings. She still decided to look at them with some degree of wariness, because the fact that one weak existed didn¡¯t imply that all their race was the same.


    She still didn¡¯t find any logical explanation for [Skye]¡¯s power, even though she had her full [Blueprint]. What she found outside, however, distracted her almost immediately.


    ¡°*whistle* Hello smoking hot babe, want to have a good night with a real man?¡± She found a¡­ [Dirty Human], it was the best description she could give. The [Man] reeked of decomposition, she could also [Smell] certain chemicals that she had only seen so far in food and [Drinks].


    His skin color seemed to be turning towards the more yellowish colors, and the same could be said of his [Eyes].


    ¡°[Notice, current human in front of hosts has symptoms of theorical state of a multi organ failure.]¡±


    ¡­And there was that, it seemed that this one was a [Failure] among the race. And even so it was directed by its more primal urges? Or why had it attempted to act as a [Predator]?


    Had it seen Alexa in her current getup and thought she was an easy target? That she was [Prey]?


    ¡°Leave.¡± Alexa said as she evaluated the [Human], one look from bottom to top confirmed that his [Clothes] were not only dirty, but also full of badly fixed holes, she could see at least four different types of clothes used to patch broken parts.


    It wasn¡¯t worth the effort.


    So she turned and left him there. The only sound she heard was of her feet hitting the asphalt as she walked toward the far end of the alley. She would seek a dark spot to change into a more¡­ comfortable set of clothes. She would need to take some materials from her surroundings, but getting rid of the [Stink] was easy enough.


    ¡°......¡± So Alexa didn¡¯t hear or see the face the [Man] had made.


    She did hear him walking after her, so when she had found a dead end, turning to look back, she found¡­.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t think I would follow you? Huh?¡± The [Man] was there, brandishing a small knife at her, ¡°You bitches all only think of money, never about what is important, never about who matters. Do you think I want to look like this?¡±


    The [Man] said, waving the [Knife].


    ¡°I was important! I was the head of a company!¡± The man kept raving on and on. ¡°And then came that goddamned Saintsworths bitch to steal my funding! She took my weapons, my lab, my workers, everything!¡±


    Alexa wasn¡¯t quite sure why that was relevant to her, though. Instead, she silently shifted some of her lower and upper muscles into a more combat-like setting.


    ¡°And you look down on me? A mere bitch in heat?!?!?¡± And like that, he started running towards Alexa with his knife pointing at her.


    Alexa wasn¡¯t quite sure why he had decided to attack her. By all means, she should look more healthy and fit than him, so there wasn¡¯t any real reason why he would think himself a [Predator] and her a [Prey].


    ¡°I don¡¯t really care about you.¡± Alexa said jumping above the [Human] and landing behind him, ¡°But you will do for now I guess.¡±


    Alexa shifted her left arm into a clawed form, turning her fingers into razor-sharp bone knives. Right now she wasn¡¯t wearing her [BodySuit], so she couldn¡¯t move the heavy metals of the [BodySuit] to give herself metalic weapons after all.


    ¡°You will be my afternoon meal, and the Fish & Chips can be dessert.¡± Alexa said as she pulled back her arm and sent her fist flying towards the [Man]¡¯s head.


    She had tested this attack previously against the [Human] that had assaulted her before, the one that almost gave her a [Panic Attack] before [Main Core] cut out that [Emotional Feedback].


    ¡°I AM-¡± The [Man] this time continued speaking only for a *Splat* sound to resound within the dead end.


    ¡°My [Meal],¡± Alexa said as she eyed her [Hand], which was painted red. Remains of the [Man]¡¯s [Brain] fell here and there. ¡°A particularly [Weak] and [Pathetic] one at that.¡±


    Alexa saw his body fall onto the ground, a few spams here and there as the nerve endings surely were dying out. She could smell the acidic smell as the last signs of life left his body. On one hand, Alexa was happy with this outcome; it meant that her energy expenditure was minimal.


    On the other hand, she hadn¡¯t been able to battle test this configuration just yet. She would have liked it if the [Man] could withstand more than a single hit. She wasn¡¯t getting used to this; it was unnerving. When she was a mere [Test Subject], the combats were grueling. She was used to fights prolonging more; she was used to bleeding for each kilogram of biomass she had earned.


    ¡°[Notice, no lifesigns within hostile target.]¡±


    ¡°[Combat ended, returning to normal biological setting. Leaving right arm with feeding setting.]¡±


    Alexa felt her body return mostly to a normal setting. Only her right arm morphed into a huge pulsating worm-like tube. At the far end of it, where its fingers should be, a row of vicious-looking fangs showed themselves as the maw of her arm opened.


    Alexa didn¡¯t have sensory endings on that side, she didn¡¯t need them, and she had not installed taste buds. That arm couldn¡¯t even see with its white bulbous eyes, which had come from the blueprint-like setting that she had used to make this feeding system.


    ¡°GRRRR¡­.¡± Her arm growled at the cooling body, another autonomous reaction to the smell of the biomass. At the end, the arm had a very bare functioning second brain. That was more of a failsafe so Alexa could have it feed itself if she ever ended with her [Consciousness Stream] turned off momentarily for any reason.


    So her body could get the needed [Biomass] to regrow her [Brain] and [Body] again. Alexa wasn¡¯t sure if that counted as something with [Consciousness Stream]; she, for one, hadn¡¯t made or shared one with her arm, no matter how it looked and turned to look at her.


    No one was inside that brain.


    ¡°Go ahead, [Feast].¡± So it was weird the fact that Alexa felt compelled to say such words, and the fact that her arm¡¯s maw grew a vicious smile and started ripping apart the [Body] as it [Devoured] it.


    Alexa only stared as the body was ripped apart, On some occasions, the [Arm] would grow an extra pair of small tentacles with fangs to help itself rip apart some parts. In others, it ripped open the torso of the body and feasted on its innards.


    Overall, Alexa was quite happy with the result. For one, it meant that she didn¡¯t need to sacrifice her main sensory input by shifting her [Head] to [Eat]. In others¡­ ¡°Eat it all, don¡¯t leave any trace.¡± She didn¡¯t have to deal with the hideous smell from the [Corpse].


    ¡°[Found evidence of vital organs in deterioted state, expected life span remaining of this Human theorized at six to eighteen months.]¡±


    ¡­So this one was a [Human] at the end of their lifespan. Such a weird thing to see, a mighty race of [Predators] reduced to this. It made sense then that it would disregard evidence and try to prove itself worthy.


    Even if it was mistaken, Alexa would take this for what it was: a chance. So she put her nanites to work, taking the materials and categorizing them.


    What could be reused as it was would be used. Most of the bone was worse than the one she was using. This one had a weak skeleton system. Alexa could only recycle the calcium and reinforce what she had in her bone marrow to increase efficiency so much. She would need to find a replacement later.


    The organs mostly had been a bust, too many failing organs and so many dead ones. It was a wonder this [Man] could even function, his [Liver] and [Kidney] were basically dead cooked meat at this point.


    The [Meat] and [Biomass] in general would be stored in her [Storage] for later use, she would use what was possible to refill her expenditures and heal whatever muscles she had damaged with her use of her own [Strength]. And wasn¡¯t that funny? The only deficit from this fight had come from self-harm due to her own attack.


    As for the rest? That was the only good thing, she could use the [Clothes] he had worn for their materials, deconstructing them for cleaning and remaking them anew. She wouldn¡¯t use them as they were, instead she would deconstruct and remake them anew, this way she would rid the clothes from the [Stink] and get a new set of clothes.


    She didn¡¯t need [Underwear], [Socks], [Shoes] or [Jewelry]. But she did need a new pair of [Pants], [Blouse] and [Jacket].


    She could use her [Tube Dress] to make a new [Blouse]. Since her [Tube Dress] wasn''t that big, she may need some extra [Fabric]. But it wouldn¡¯t matter; this [Man] had plenty [Clothes] to go around.


    -Pants


    -Shirt (Why did men use a different name for what was basically the same thing as a blouse?)


    -Second shirt (Why did this one have buttons?)


    -Jacket (Leather-like jacket)


    -Jacket (Vest-like jacket)


    -Shoes.


    -Socks (Not using those, too much biological content that made Alexa¡¯s skin recoil).


    -Underwear (Yuck, not touching those no matter how much Alexa reconstructed).


    In the end Alexa ended with new [Clothes] and she quite liked the design, she had copied some of the previous design and given herself a great V-cut on her new [Blouse], she wasn¡¯t quite sure why, but she liked the idea of how much her [Breasts] seemed to show up while hiding what [Society] deemed as [Important Bits].


    Now¡­what was she supposed to do with a [Cute] outfit, a full [Belly] and two servings of [Food]?


    ¡°[Notice, host¡¯s sight has locked in on a ManCover, that is a route used previously to visit the Sewer System.]¡±


    Oh right, the [Sewers]. She had eaten quite the feast there¡­ She could always go there and test some [Combat Designs]...


    ¡°[Notice, there aren¡¯t any combat test worthy designs within-]¡±


    And if she found the same [Sewer System] that [Sam] used¡­she could always visit him, with her new [Cute Outfit].


    ¡°[Notice, Cute Outfit isn¡¯t combat worth-]¡±


    ¡°Yes, we will do that. Main Core! Prepare for combat! Number one priority! Make sure [Sam]¡¯s lunch is intact, and his drink¡¯s temperature is stable!¡± Alexa hyped herself while prying open the [Door] into the [Sewer System].


    It would be her second foray into the [Sewer System], wonder how that would go.

 Chapter 67: Claws, masks and existential crisis.

    The first thing that Alexa found upon re-entering the [Sewer System] was that it was dark and moist. She had vague recollections of this, but now that she was entering her more [Developed] stage, she was painfully aware of a very basic notion that she hadn¡¯t noticed before.


    ¡°This stinks¡­Main Core, ensure the nanite swarm keeps the bad odor away from our [Meal].¡± Alexa commanded inwardly and felt a pull into her metaphorical energy tank.


    ¡°[Mk1 Nanites have undertaken the mission, they have slaved several swarms of older generations. Saving data in the artificial make of isolated atmospheres.]¡±


    Alexa felt a thin membrane weave around the interior of her plastic bag. It was almost paper thin and seemed to repair, flex, and expand as she moved around.


    ¡°Did you make an isolated, self-sufficient atmosphere¡­to keep our food safe?¡± Alexa asked as she started seeing a new data stream showing the composition of the self-sustaining space within her plastic bag.


    ¡°[Host did it, Main Core didn¡¯t participate in such¡­ inane activity. First Generation Swarm followed host Wishes and acted as needed. Detected an expenditure in mana waves and is currently being replenished at a slow pace using both internal energy and refining mana waves from the atmosphere.]¡±


    So¡­this wasn¡¯t a free energy? Interesting.


    ¡°[Host is adviced to save and keep the blueprint when this endevour is finished.]¡±


    Yes, she would. This could be useful if she needed to do something else or walk into hostile environments. She wasn¡¯t quite sure if she would look good using a [Plastic Bag] as a head [Cover], but at the very least, she could shove it under her [Mask] later.


    ¡°So¡­can I use this?¡± Alexa said aloud while fiddling with her bracelet, a pull and some pushes at the bracelet and soon enough she had a full mask that could extend itself over her head to form a skintight head cover.


    It was interesting to see the thing extend itself over her head and cover it entirely, hiding her face and hair.


    [Notice Minion, you are outside your work hours. If you are about to engage in a freelance job, please note that Haephestus¡¯ Forge will not provide any additional help. If you are working for one of our Lieutenants, please provide their Name, and we shall look at why you weren¡¯t assigned in our rooster for that mission.]


    ¡°Main Core?¡± Alexa asked warily as she saw the notification fade away and a [Virtual keyboard] materialized as a projection in front of her.


    ¡°[It seems to be a pre recorded message, no data streams are detected between host and the Mask].¡± Main Core answered.


    [No name was registered. If you are instead on a joy ride, please note that any damage taken will be discounted from your pay. If your suit or mask are damaged, you will only get new ones once you pay the damages.]


    Quite interesting, how did they know she was doing? Did it have some degree of artificial intelligence like hers or Main Core?


    ¡°[Host is advised to remove mask and move without the use of this device until the blueprint is analyzed.]¡±


    With a sigh, Alexa took her mask off and turned it back into a bracelet. She would have enjoyed the extra privacy and some of the functions of these [Mask], but alas, she needed to make sure that everything was in perfect order if she was to visit Sam again. She couldn¡¯t just show up with faulty technology!


    What would he think?!?! That she was a dumb [CRAB] that couldn¡¯t even manage her own [Tech]?!?!?


    ¡°[Host is experiencing highly irregular burst of emotional and hormonal levels, data logged for later use¡­ Also, host is able to create new mask with the use of local materials.]¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. We can make a new mask. We could do that.¡± Alexa laughed shyly as she placed one of her hands against the nearest Wall near her. She felt tendrils bore into the Wall.


    ¡°[Material detected, vitrified clay, cement, iron, steel, copper, steel, plastic¡­¡­.trace components of carbon, lead¡­ Host is advised against using lead in the make of a new mask.]¡±


    Alexa categorized the materials and started stockpiling the required ones into her [Material Storage].


    ¨C10 kg of lead.


    ¨C 50 kg of Steel.


    ¨C50 kg of Copper.


    ¨C70 kg of Iron.


    ¨C 100 kg of Carbon.


    ¨C 200 kg of Clay.


    ¨C 100 kg of Plastic.


    ¨C 300 kg of Cement.


    Alexa didn¡¯t feel the need to take that much lead since the material seemed to be toxic by nature against her current [Organic Form], as for the other materials? She was surprised by how little there was of the normal metals and how much there was of the other materials.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be better if they used more [Steel] or [Iron]? Why was there so little compared with the [Plastic] or [Cement]?


    Either way, Alexa extended her tendrils far and wide collecting, she mostly took shavings leaving the structure alone, she fed her tendrils within the [Pipes] within the walls and grew them as they ate.


    She felt her tendrils be destroyed in some spots but mostly ignored what didn¡¯t allow her to get near them and moved along. The haul seemed to be good, but the fact that she would only recover a fourth of what she put in meant that this was mostly a one-way use. At least the fact that she had taken this much meant that she could refill when needed¡­ right?


    Stolen story; please report.


    She hoped at least.


    ¡°[Enough materials for current needs adquired, do you wish to continue?]¡±


    Main Core asked her, it seemed that she had achieved some arbitrary goal set by [Main Core].


    ¡°No.¡± Alexa answered aloud, she didn¡¯t need to of course, but it seemed to be the most natural way to answer, Alexa felt her fingers dig into the [Wall] and a [Mask] formed under her fingers, Alexa pulled her hand free and felt the tendrils that had grown too far rip as they separated from her hand, now all that remained there was the new bone white mask in her hands. ¡°That will be enough for now, the tendrils will break themselves right?¡±


    ¡°[Affirmative, all the nanites currently working too far away from host will burst and any construction that is still tied to them will decompose into base materials an attosecond after.]¡±


    That was good, she didn¡¯t need evidence of her pressence here if possible, or more like. She didn¡¯t want to leave evidence of her [Nanites] anywhere, she had gotten enough of a scare from that already.


    Really, it was a discrimination against [Nanites], Alexa didn¡¯t understand this either. The [Nanites] weren¡¯t at fault of any [Fear] the [Humans] had, if anything, the [Humans] that had made those were at fault. Take Alexa¡¯s [Nanites] for example, as soon as she wasn¡¯t in contact with them they self destructed. The ones that seemed to have more freedom were her [MK1], and those seemed to be managed by her [Core].


    So those were more of a weird exception since they weren¡¯t made by [Humans].


    Her other [Nanites] though, those were a good example of how a [Nanite Swarm] wasn¡¯t a threat to humans. All because the one that made them had the brilliant idea of putting that limitation. While it annoyed Alexa, after investigating the theoretical [Gray Swarm], Alexa understood their fears.


    If anything, Alexa was annoyed that she couldn¡¯t follow that example, taking over as a gray cloud without form. Yeah, Alexa wouldn¡¯t mind doing that if possible.


    But that was that, and Alexa had more important things to worry about!


    ¡°Main Core? This doesn¡¯t have a strap. How am I supposed to use it?¡± Like looking at her new bone white mask that didn¡¯t seem to have a way to affix to her face.


    ¡°[Please put it on, Nanite swarm will use extra material set on the mask to encase host within a sealed helmet.]¡±


    ¡°How am I supposed to breathe?¡± Alexa asked as she put on the mask as instructed. Just like with the [Haephestus¡¯ Forge], she felt the embrace of the mask. Only instead of being slow, this mask seemed to move the materials straight through her skull and start forming all over her head.


    She felt her [Hair] being pushed down against her [Skull]. Was this design using her [Hair] as a cushion? She knew that [Haephestus¡¯ Forge]¡¯s [Mask] used some type of material to cushion. But [Main Core] was using her [Hair]?


    This was a weird design choice.


    ¡°[Host¡¯s anatomy will be modified to increase the lung capacity, and a new set of air channels will be redirected throught the mask¡¯s hollow channels.]¡±


    So she would be breathing using a set of hollow channels within the mask, and her lungs would have an increased lung size? This seemed¡­ counterintuitive. She would probably need to take great amounts of oxygen and then use the drip feed of O2 that she could get using those small hollow channels.


    ¡°So I need to take the mask off, breath deep. Put it on, and move?¡± Alexa said aloud, yet again. ¡°Fine, better than nothing I guess.¡±


    So Alexa put on her new mask, she felt her perception of the world narrow. And so, she saw¡­darkness.


    ¡°Main Core? This thing doesn¡¯t let me see.¡± As soon as she said that, she felt a new data feed come into her [Consciousness Stream]. It was a camera feed from what seemed to be the outside world.


    ¡°[Eyeholes were deemed a liability, so a live camera feed will be provided, this also allows host to have a 360o viewpoint.]¡±


    Alexa felt dizzy for a few seconds. This [Brain] wasn¡¯t as good with multiple viewpoints. She was ashamed. Before, when she was a [CRAB], she was used to having multiple viewpoints at the same time, but now? Now, she could barely manage two viewpoints, but a 360o viewpoint?


    ¡°Reduce the camera feed to only the front POV and manage the other extra viewpoints from your end,¡± Alexa ordered. She felt her view of the world diminish, and her dizziness was gone. ¡°Good, now we move onwards to Sam!¡±


    Alexa smiled and moved forward; she was pretty happy with this. She had her [Mask], her [Meal], and everything was right in the world!


    ¡ª-----------------------------------


    ¡°EVERYTHING IS WRONG!¡± Alexa screamed at the [Heavens] while shaking her hand against the ceiling.


    She had been walking for almost two hours now. The only good thing so far was that her [Meal] was still warm and at the correct temperature. She had also developed a new [Arm], or perhaps¡­


    ¡°An [Armament].....pfft¡­.¡± Alexa giggled at the bad pun.


    ¡°[Current effectivity of left arm-ament is optimal... Monofilament edges from artificial metallic claws outperform ceramic, clay and bone variants.


    ¡°...fine, we aren¡¯t calling this arm that.¡± Alexa sighed as she felt her claws shift away from the [Clay], [Bone], [Cement] and [Ceramic] and turn the remaining ones into [Metal]. ¡°Any chance that we have walked around here before?¡±


    Alexa was mostly talking to herself at this point, or that would look for anyone else.


    ¡°[Sewer system mapping continuing, current location seem to be 500 meters away of target location.]¡±


    ¡°REALLY?!?!?¡± Alexa took off her mask so as to scream better (And also refill her lungs). ¡°How do you know? Did you find evidence? Some of the [Spider Tread]?¡±


    ¡°[Found a map in Wall to the left of host. Map matches data with current mapped data.]¡±


    ¡°....ah.¡± Alexa said as she turned to look to the Wall to her left, and sure enough, there was indeed a [Map] there. Alexa could see the entry point she had used and the exit point she had been pointed to the last time she was there.


    She could even see some parts of the [Route] that Sam had given her¡­And the starting point she had taken from her encounter with him. She also noticed that some of those areas were marked with [Red] on this [Map].


    ¡°[Do you wish to proceed further with the mapping of a route?]¡± Main Core asked her, and even gave her a projection of a Y/N for her.


    ¡°Of course that will be a yes.¡± Alexa sighed, and a virtual map appeared in front of her eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s go find my date then.¡±


    And in that tune, Alexa put on her [Mask] again and brandished her self-cleaning metallic claws. Her arm had shifted dramatically in the two hours she had been walking in circles around this place. From a normal [Human] arm into what now looked closer to a chitin-covered arm with five metallic claws.


    She had needed to set an automatic correction to her movements to make sure she wasn¡¯t cutting herself with this arm. It wasn¡¯t a loss in biomass since the [Meat] that was ripped would be fed into her system. But she still needed to burn energy to stitch her [Body] back and move the [Biomass] where it was needed.


    It was easier to set an automatic correction so her claws didn¡¯t hurt her.


    ¡°Do you think he will like the food?¡± Alexa asked [Main Core].


    ¡°[...inconclusive query. Food is to be used to replenish nutrients and store energy. There is no reason to not enjoy Food.]¡±


    ¡°Right, I know that. Like I would like free food too!¡± Alexa answered annoyed, ¡°But I would like a [Mango Cake] more than a [Rat], for example!¡±


    And that was the whole Crux of the matter. She really enjoyed [Flavored Food], she knew, of course. At the end of the day, what mattered the most was whether she was getting [Biomass] and [Energy].


    It mattered not if her [Biomass] had good or bad taste. The end was all that mattered. [Survival] was all that she cared about.


    So long she [Survived], she could continue [Eating] she could continue [Growing]. She could continue [Evolving].


    But¡­that was Alexa, that was how Alexandra Saintsworths lived. That was how she, [Test Subject P4] was designed. She knew that the [Humans] were different; she hadn¡¯t known that before, but as soon as she started using a [Brain] to host her [Consciousness Stream], she became aware that there was so much more nuance to it.


    Could she [Eat] anything? Of course she could. She could probably start eating [Dirt] this second, and she would manage to survive just as well as if she had continued eating [Biomass]. Most of her [Designs] would need to be altered, and she may need to change her strategies, but it was doable.


    Did she want to do that? No. She did not want to eat [Dirt]. Why? It was wrong, she didn¡¯t like the taste, and she didn¡¯t like the implications of how much she would need to change.


    But what if this conundrum were presented to her purely [Nonhuman] side? Would [Test Subject P4] answer negatively?


    ¡°[Chances of Subject P4 answering this with a negative hinge on the test parameters. So long eating Dirt increases chances of survivability more than eating Biomass then Subject P4 will do it.]¡±


    Exactly.


    ¡°And we can¡¯t put our circumstances on Sam. He is¡­¡± Alexa said as she was walking slowly to the place she had seen him before. ¡°...Human.¡±


    And Alexa was not.


    She may wield a [Human] as her [Host] right now, but at the end of the day. Was she truly [Human]?


    Looking at her arm, the answer would be a [No].


    She hadn¡¯t seen any [Humans] do what she did, granted she hadn¡¯t seen many [Humans], and the ones she had seen seemed to think that it was [Human] behaviour what she did.


    ¡°[Host seems to be under great amounts of self-introspection. Thread of thought approved as it seems to increase overall chances to reduce risks to long-term survival.]¡±


    ¡°Shut it Main Core.¡± Alexa grumbled, she didn¡¯t like this either, she hadn¡¯t stayed that long in any given [Stage] before. Was that why she was like this?


    Was that the reason she liked to stay in her [Child Stage] form for longer periods of time? Was that some sort of self-preservation mechanism? Did¡­did she somehow know this could happen?


    ¡°Ughh¡­.how long before-¡± Alexa grumbled as she sank her [Claws] into a wall to leave a mark, only for her arm to be stopped by the presence of a white thread. ¡°...Hello, handsome~¡±


    She had found some of Sam¡¯s white threads, that meant that she was close.


    ¡°Main Core, start monitoring the area, point any increase of threads and possible routes to find Sam. We can¡¯t let his food get cold.¡± Alexa smiled as she took off her mask and used it as a pseudo cap. She would put it on as soon as she found some hostile presence, more to protect her identity than her [Face].


    No one in her sane mind would let an attack land on her beautiful face after all.

 Chapter 68: Dinner with Sam

    ¡°[Increase in amount of webbing detected. Found a single thread connected to all webs within area. Caution is advised].¡±


    Main Core reported while Alexa continued venturing more and more within the sewer system, she had gone past a few [Warning Signs] that indicated the area as dangerous, some [Printed] into [Signs] and others written in what seemed to be ichor and remains of creatures.


    She found the use of bones to make letters in one of those signs quite interesting; whoever thought about that was a genius. Alexa would have never guessed it was possible to write using [Remains].


    She wondered if writing using grounded [Meat] to achieve the same would be possible. But the words wouldn¡¯t stick to the wall, would they? Then she would need to write it on the floor¡­ In a place visible and yet not a place where her message would be destroyed¡­


    Who would have thought leaving a [Message] would be this complicated?


    ¡°[Creating visual representation to highlight the dangerous thread. Host, current route will interact with thread. A change in route is advised.]¡±


    Alexa of course knew that, she didn¡¯t need the fancy highlights from [Main Core] to show her what was the dangerous [Thread], she was actively trying to reach for it, because there was only one reason why a single thread would be linked to all the different webbings on this place.


    It was a [Signal], a way to alert the creator of this complex set of traps.


    Because that was what it was, Alexa found herself in a sewer tunnel full of white webs all around. Some of those webs were camouflaged with paint to look different, and others had water or waste atop them to hide them. But Alexa could see them, and her nanites could deconstruct most of them. She, of course, remade them when she was over or when she was no longer trapped within them.


    But even so, this place was not only a maze but also a dangerous trap. And to be honest, Alexa was getting tired of having [Food] at her disposal and having to wait for Sam to come.


    She had noticed that she had tripped this [Alarm System] several times. How did she know? Because there was a single thread that was connected to all the webs around, and yet. Sam hadn¡¯t come.


    ¡°Well, I guess we will need to wake him up¡­¡± Alexa said when she was a few centimeters away from the thread in question. Placing her hand (the one that had morphed into a metallic claw) atop it, Alexa took a deep breath. ¡°SAM, I HAVE COME WITH FOOD, COME OUT!¡±


    And screamed at the top of her lungs¡­Or at least she screamed that message into the [Thread]. She had noticed the properties of these threads, and among them, she found that they worked quite well to transmit vibrations. So she turned her message into vibrations and sent it through her claw into the thread.


    If she was right, this little thread should be connected to wherever Sam¡¯s den was set, probably to a place near him. So really, this was more akin to her knocking on his door¡­ screaming at his door¡­


    Was she being rude?


    Well, perhaps. But he was the one making a beauty like her wait, so really, he was at fault. Yes.


    ¡°[Noticed an increase in hormonal response, thread of thought seems to have morphed into annoyance for no reason.]¡±


    ¡­She was not moody.


    Either way, what she did notice was that her hand seemed to be stuck. Interesting. Among the threads she had touched this one was the only one that seemed to be more sticky, just like how the others that Sam had used before to neutralize her movements.


    Why was that? What kind of [Core] did he have anyway?


    ¡°Hmm¡­.we are stuck¡­¡± Alexa mumbled aloud trying to decompose the thread and remove her hand. The part that was in contact looked as if it had fused on the most elemental level to her hand.


    Sending her [Nanites] to it didn¡¯t seem to work either, as soon as her nanites broke the moleculal link, those formed again as if nothing. Sometimes this resulted in her nanites being used as material to fulfill the role too. So really, it was such a weird thing. It shouldn¡¯t work like that. Really, it shouldn¡¯t even be possible.


    And yet it was.


    ¡°[Notice, host was warned against interacting with possible-]¡±


    Main Core was at the ready to scold her too, that one, at least she had seen coming.


    Either way, she was stuck¡ªquite literally, in this case. She would surely ¡°Main Core, remove the parts stuck to Sam¡¯s thread and cut them away from me. Reform as needed.¡± Just remove the affected parts and move along.


    Really, what was she supposed to do? Remain stuck there? While waiting for an Apex Predator? Surely no one would be dumb enough to do that¡­


    No wait. Why was she coming here anyway? She had tested her new design for her [Arm-mament] plenty, and her main mission was finished. She didn¡¯t need to do this, did she?


    ¡°[Negative, there is no need to meet with Monster Designation: Sam, host is advised to retreat.]¡±


    ¡­Why hadn¡¯t main core told her this sooner? She¡­ she wasn¡¯t ready!


    She stank, was tired, and more importantly, didn¡¯t know the typical social greetings for this type of meeting! She needed more data!


    ¡°You know, when people see the warning signs, the skull. The flayed rats, they tend to walk the other way.¡± His voice¡­OH GOD HIS VOICE! ¡°And when that doesn¡¯t work, usually the webs and traps I set up tend to work. Granted, I just cleaned them from my latest prey, so you get to see them without the bodies¡­perhaps I ought to leave some of the smaller ones?¡±


    Alexa could feel his voice in her spine, his deep voice making her shiver. She felt her legs wanting to turn into jelly, but she remained standing because [Main Core] had taken control of her body to ensure she didn¡¯t fall to her knees.


    At the far end, she could see the [BIG] and [THICK] and [GLISTENING] claw shine from the far end of the tunnel, ¡°Didn¡¯t think I would see you again, to be honest; it seems you have that Core under control now after all.¡± One by one, each of his [GORGEOUS LEGS] showed themselves.


    And if that wasn¡¯t enough, [THE FANGS] his well-sharpened fangs that ended in that [Vicious] looking [MAW] that even at this moment seemed to want to [Hizz] at her and spray her whole body with flesh melting [Acid].


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Truly, a wonder of [Design] for a [TRUE APEX PREDATOR].


    ¡°Many have come back after meeting me, some for some perceived duty. A few tried to get me to fit back into human society; others wanted to recruit me as a circus mascot. A particularly obnoxious Villain wanted me to guard his door¡­¡± Sam¡¯s eyes focused on her, all ten of them. Eight seemed to want to [RAVAGE] her, cut her into small pieces, and [FEAST] on her [FLESH], while the last two seemed confused, ¡°Why have you come yet again?¡±


    ¡°[Notice, brain activity seems to have peaked and blanked, initiating reboot-]¡±


    ¡°STOP. NO, I¡¯M FINE!¡± Alexa screamed internally while trying to get her ideas in order.


    ¡°...I brought food?¡± Alexa said, raising her plastic bag, ¡°I mean, we were having some drinks, and the food smelled nice¡­And my friend got [Drunk], so I was thinking about returning home, but they gave me food for two, and I didn¡¯t know what to do, I saw the [Sewer Entrance] and thought¡­.¡±


    ¡°You thought ¡® Hey, let¡¯s go and eat with the freak I met the other night? I bet he is a lonely weirdo, so having a cute girl come around will do wonders to his ego¡¯ ?¡± Sam said in a frosty voice.


    ¡°...I thought about returning the favor?¡± Alexa said back, ¡°Why would it matter if you are a freak or not?¡±


    Alexa was confused.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t every [Core User] by definition a [Freak]?¡± Alexa at least got that impression from the [Internet] chatter she had seen, ¡°Besides, you aren¡¯t alone. There is plenty [Things] down here.¡±


    Alexa said while she morphed her arm back into the combat setting, ¡°I found plenty resistence while coming after all.¡± And afterwards she shifted the arm back to normal, she would be eating soon after all.


    ¡°....*Sigh* you are weird.¡± Sam said with a weird smile on his face, ¡°How are we going to eat that anyway. My lower mouth doesn¡¯t have taste buds with the acid and everything.¡±


    As if to state his point, the [MAW] opened its mouth and spit at a nearby wall. The liquid it spit was green, and as soon as it made contact with the wall, it started melting it.


    ¡°Main Core?¡± Alexa asked inwardly as she saw Sam walk towards her.


    As soon as the order was made, she felt her nanites start working.


    ¡°[...Order recieved¡­Starting construct of ¡®Date Lunch¡¯ project.]¡±


    Alexa felt as if that was some kind of joke aimed at her, even if she wasn¡¯t quite sure why. Either way, she felt tendrils grow from under her feet and start expanding under the floor.


    ¡°[Host, please put left arm on the ground and raise it as the construct is made, this will help create a better ¡®mood¡¯ for the intentions host wishes to create with Monster Designation: Sam.]¡±


    Alexa was very sure that [Main Core] was playing with her, but even so, she didn¡¯t know how to respond, so she just followed the instructions. As soon as her hand touched the ground, she felt the pull into her energy reserves, and her nanites started working in earnest. Slowly, as she raised her hand, what seemed to be a part of the floor was raised.


    She had to move her body back as the [Table] started to grow, soon enough she needed to move her hand around the cement [Table] for she wasn¡¯t that tall, her hand ended holding a cylinder that was holding the construction stable. She knew of course that it was more than a simple [Cement Table], Main Core had used part of the fur she had collected from the [Rats] to make a mantle and some decorations for the table after all.


    ¡°[Host may remove its hand from construct, suitable ¡®Raised Chair¡¯ will be constructed next under host.]¡±


    Now Alexa was sure something was afoot! Why did she need a raised chair?


    Why? Simple. Because this [Table] was designed to suit Sam¡¯s height. And since Alexa could barely reach his [ABSOLUTELY RIPPED EXPOSED DELICIOUS AND READY TO USE ABS], it was obvious that she would need a way to eat at that level.


    ¡°...That is one interesting way to use your Core Powers¡­It seems you have mastered the more advanced uses huh. Didn¡¯t think you were that advanced.¡± Sam said as she allowed his lower body to rest on the floor, that allowed him to stand at a comfortable level, almost as if- ¡°It is as if I was a normal human once again. I didn¡¯t think I would miss eating from a table this much.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you [Human] though?¡± Alexa asked as her [Raised Chair] finished constructing and she was now seating at the table, a last effort from her arm placed the [Food] in the middle of the table. ¡°You at the very least don¡¯t seem like one of those.¡±


    Alexa said pointing behind her, from the place she had come. She had to fight a few [Giant Rats] while coming here once more. So she had [Ate] a few [Cores] on her way.


    ¡°...Did you use the rat fur to make these?¡± Sam asked, pointing at the [Table Cloth] that her impromptu dining table had.


    ¡°Yes, I encountered a few, so I had some spare [Rat Skin] to use.¡± Alexa answered opening the bag and breaking the [Seal] she had made, the aroma of the [Fish & Chips] hitting Alexa and Sam at the same time, ¡°It should be warm, my¡­[Power] should have made sure of that.¡±


    Sam seemed to regard her as she spoke, taking one of the white containers and one of the [Drinks]. He [Masterfully] took one of the small packages that seemed to contain one [Spoon], [Knife], and some [Paper Napkins].


    Really, how was he so [GOOD] at every movement!?!?!?!?


    ¡°So it seems, this address here is almost 30 minutes away if you walk in a straight line¡­I assume you didn¡¯t come in a straight line if you entered the sewers from there; there are no straight lines from there to here,¡± Sam said as he opened his container and started eating.


    The container had a small container within (Containerception?) that had what seemed to be a white [Cream] so he could dip his [Fish and Chips]. Alexa saw almost as if in slow motion how Sam dipped one of his¡­[Chips] into the [White Cream] and then slowly¡­ever so slowly¡­ gave it a bite, then another¡­and another¡­


    And as if to mock her already overwhelmed [Brain], he opened his mouth, showing her his [Illegally white fangs] (WHY DOES HIS HUMAN MOUTH HAVE FANGS?!?!?! ALEXA ALSO WANTED FANGS!!!!) and¡­.and¡­.


    ¡°What? Can¡¯t a man lick his fingers? Do you know how long it has been since I ate something cooked?¡± He asked while he [Criminally] licked his fingers clean¡­


    Alexa can help with that...


    ¡°Oh¡­.sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to stare¡­¡± Alexa said as she felt her body wanting to increase the amount of blood that flooded her face. She made herself sure that it didn¡¯t happen, even if it meant that she had to deal with some blood clots in her system.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s funny actually. I would probably do the same as you if the situation was the other way.¡± Sam smiled as he took one of what Alexa assumed was the [Fish] part of this dish, with the [MASTERY] that Alexa could only relate to a [NOBLE] (Even if she wasn¡¯t sure what a Noble was), he took one of the [Forks] and [Knife] and cut a small part of the white meat.


    Dipping it with the [Fork] in a red sauce he ate it as if in slow motion¡­ Alexa could see how he closed his [Obsidian black] eyes as if to savour (YOU CAN SAVOUR ME TOO!) the small piece of-


    ¡°Okay, fine. I understand it from a scientist''s and researcher''s point of view, but it is getting weird. Why are you staring so much?¡± Sam suddenly spoke while opening his eyes. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Ah¡­had she been staring? Impossible.


    ¡°[Host has redirected almost 80% of current resources to map and memorize all the data from Monster Designation: Sam, perhaps a more stealthy approach could be used?]¡±


    ¡­She had.


    ¡°Sorry¡­I¡­... I... Don¡¯t know how to act under these circumstances.¡± Alexa admitted in a small tone. She took one of the [Chips] and did as Sam had before, dipping it into the [White Sauce] and taking a bite.


    It was¡­


    ¡°[Average].¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that good, to be honest; it was good from a taste point of view, but Alexa wouldn¡¯t go out of her way to eat this. She had expected something different after seeing Sam¡¯s expressions.


    ¡°This situation? What, never ate with a Spider-Man in the sewers?¡± Sam laughed at the statement.


    ¡°I have never eaten with anyone else sharing my [Food].¡± Alexa corrected, ¡°Never actually have the chance of eating outside my assigned [Feeding Area] either, now that I think about it.¡±


    All the places Alexa had eaten had been decided for her, either by the [Humans] in charge of her [Tests] in her previous [Den] or by people from [Haephestus¡¯ Forge].


    ¡°...Yeah, not gonna bite into that bait. Sorry girl.¡± Sam said with a shrug, ¡°We all have shit to deal with, be it because we are a Molecular shifter Core User like you¡­¡±


    Sam said as thread started forming on his hand, it quickly weaved itself into the form of a tiny white spider. ¡°Or because we are a 5-meter-tall male Arachne.¡± The tiny spider was¡­.


    ¡°[Impossible, there are no organs in the human anatomy that could allow the production of thread from the hand. No evidence of alterations within the human physiology of Monster Designation: Sam that could allow this. A deep scan of his body is advised.]¡±


    ¡°Here, a gift.¡± Sam said as the small spider seemed to walk by itself toward Alexa, ¡°It will not move unless it''s connected to my threads, but that thread is synthetic. So it should last quite long, just don¡¯t burn it.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Alexa asked, she too was keenly aware that the creation of this should not be possible. As far as she knew, [Spiders] created [Thread] from their bottom. What one could refer to as their [Ass].


    ¡°Just like how you made this table and raised chair or how you sent a message through my threads. I too know how to work with the most¡­Esoteric parts of my Core Power.¡± Sam said while shrugging. ¡°You know how to do that right?¡±


    ¡°...No?¡± Alexa answered, what was he speaking about? Weren¡¯t [Core Powers] very straightforward?


    No wait, hadn¡¯t she just encountered two examples that didn¡¯t made sense? Melissandra controlled Emotions, but how had she managed to twist memories and personalities?


    And¡­[Sylph] was supposed to manipulate wind, but she had seemingly created strong currents of [Wind] that seemed to only affect the targets she wanted, and originated from¡­nothing.


    That didn¡¯t make sense.


    ¡°How¡­ What are [Cores]?¡± Alexa asked.


    ¡°...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH.¡± Only for Sam to start laughing like a [Madman], a very [Hot] and [Handsome] madman who, if only he asked Alexa, would start str¡ª¡°Oh sorry, not laughing at you, but at how utterly ridiculous you are.¡±


    Well, that was just rude.


    ¡°You¡­You are sitting in a gold mine, and apparently don¡¯t know.¡± Sam took a sip at his drink (He could take a sip from this dr-) and turned to Alexa, ¡°Okay, what do you know about our Cores? How are they formed, where they are located, what they do and how they came to be.¡±


    Well, hadn¡¯t she gotten two totally different explanations before about this? Was it time for a new third point of view that somehow was also totally different?


    ¡°I was told that they are made from a [Wish]. But others also told me that they took in the nearby [Mana Waves] and made a [Core] similar to those around us when the [Core] formed, so if I stood nearby [Insect Cores]....¡± Alexa said shifting part of her right arm into a version covered in chitin, ¡°I would end like an [Insect Core User].¡±


    Then as if to make her point, she grew a pair of [Rat Ears] atop her head, ¡°Or if I stood near [Beast Cores], I would end with a [Beast Core].¡±


    ¡°...please don¡¯t grow rat ears. If you are going the kemonomimi route, at least use a cat or fox theme.¡± Sam said with a weird look on his face. Alexa quickly absorbed the ears and made a note to never make them again.


    She [Hated] that Sam had looked at her like that.


    ¡°Well you are in luck¡­or not, depends on who you ask. For you are in front of one of the greatest Scientists of this time!¡± Sam said while fixing his [White Coat] as if to make himself look better, truly a meaningless act, he always looked good after all, ¡°Who is also stuck in the sewers because when your lower half is that of a monster from the worst nightmares of humanity people think you don¡¯t know what you speak about.¡±


    ¡°But doesn¡¯t your¡­¡± Alexa wasn¡¯t sure what word to use to refer to the [SPIDER] half, would he feel weirded out if she went about how [GREAT DESIGN] it was? How she wanted to experiment the [THICKNESS] of his [CLAWS]?


    ¡°My monster half? I like to call it my handsome half.¡± Sam laughed while saying that.


    ¡°Yes, that side. Doesn¡¯t that one make you better suited for research in dangerous environments such as this?¡± Alexa asked.


    ¡°EXACTLY! ¡° Sam said pointing at her with one of his [Chips]...Would it be rude if Alexa¡­ bit that [Chip] and [accidentally] licked his finger?¡° But try to explain that to the HR Bitch from the Saintsworths¡­Anyway¡­ Cores, according to my research¡­.¡±

 Chapter 69: After dinner with Sam

    ¡°So, Cores¡­¡± Sam said while taking another (Honestly, too fast to appreciate) bite from his [Chips]; Alexa liked how the red sauce he was using seemed to look as if he was [Feasting] in the remains of a [Prey]. ¡°Where to begin with¡­.¡±


    Alexa wasn¡¯t quite sure how much [Research] he was even able to do here. His [Core Power] didn¡¯t seem that good for a [Research] type unless he also had a way to [Deconstruct] and [Analyze] what he [ate] like Alexa.


    Evidence suggested that [Humans] didn¡¯t have this [Power] as a base as far as she knew; at the very least, she hadn¡¯t seen anyone else do it like her.


    ¡°What do you want to know first?¡± Sam asked instead, ¡°What do you think would be the easiest way to shore up your knowledge and compare it against what I know.¡±


    Well, that was easy, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°What are the [Cores], how are they made, and what catalyzes their formation,¡± Alexa said.


    She¡­knew that she had more than one [Core], she had [Main Core] who used to serve as her [Home] and [Storage] for her [Consciousness Stream], then she got another [Core]. One she hadn¡¯t been able to analyze or really find. This one was what she suspected had helped her not only escape the [Den], but also what allowed her [Consciousness Stream] to move between [Main Core], her [Brain] and possibly this new [Core].


    ¡°Well, you ask the big ones, huh¡­¡± Sam smiled. ¡°Good, at least this means you aren¡¯t dumb.¡±


    Then, searching within his [Lab Coat], he produced a [Notepad] and a [Pen]. He started drawing something on it, and when he seemed to be halfway done, he showed it to Alexa.


    ¡°This square here represents a normal human.¡± Sure enough, there was a square on the white page. ¡°When a certain set of conditions are fulfilled, what you called Mana Wave starts bombarding the body, if the subject manages to survive and acclimate to these. They get a Core. With all the fancy powers you see on TV¡­ Or if they are unlucky, they get one of what the populace call Beast or Insect Core.¡±


    ¡°That''s it?¡± Alexa asked, wasn¡¯t that answer too simplistic?


    ¡°That is for the Core Formation and Core Catalysts. We don¡¯t know what set of rules apply or how to funnel that energy that creates the Cores; there are plenty of names for them if you search around: Prana, Od, Ether, Ki, Chakra, Qi, Maryoku, Curse Energy, Divine Power.¡± Sam said, writing some of those at the side of the square, ¡°The big boss from the Saintsworths called it Mana; never quite elaborated on why, but that is the most popular name. To be honest I am more inclined to either Od or LifeForce, but who I am to complain.¡±


    Main Core also called it [Mana Waves]. Was this why? Had it been seeded into her [System] with all the other information she had received for free?


    ¡°And the [Core Powers]? How are they decided then?¡± Alexa asked. She had the versions from [Frank The Beetle] and the [Corpos], and she also had the version from [Haephestus¡¯ Forge], but Sam had said he worked for the [Saintsworths], so maybe they would have a different version, too?


    ¡°That one is more complex. We¡­never actually got a recorded Core Foundation, or Core creation, or Core catalyst. However, you want to call it. We know Core Users use a special type of energy to achieve the feats they do.¡± Sam ripped that page and gave it to Alexa; she would seek a way to preserve it for posterity. ¡°We know their powers are divided into some subtypes; roughly, there are¡­¡±


    And then he started writing on a new page:


    -Body Modifications: Shapeshifters, Body Shifters, Flesh shapers and Body Augmentations.


    ¡°These are people who can modify their body on the run, but will always return to a base form, most shapeshifters can¡¯t keep an alternative form for example.¡± Sam said, pointing at her, ¡°While others seem to be tied to what they think as themselves, you, for example, seem to have divided your psyche in some way to increase your versatility, dangerous, but it seems to have paid off.¡±


    ¡­Did he think that Alexa had more leeway because of the perceived division they kept speaking about that they thought she had done?


    ¡°Others only change determined parts of their body, like someone who can turn their arms into sharpened blades, people who turn their legs into springs so they can jump farther away, those that stretch their limbs or body as if they were made of gum. And of course, the most common one.¡± Sam continued writing and doodling some examples of those types of things. [Humans] came with the most [Weird] ideas when it was about modifying their body, Alexa wasn¡¯t even sure how turning bone and muscle into a [Spring] design would even allow what Sam seemed to imply they did, ¡°Those that increase their muscle mass to get superhuman strength.¡±


    ¡°Those¡­.[Blueprints] shouldn¡¯t work.¡± Alexa said as she read the multiple examples Sam had written, ¡°The bones aren¡¯t flexible enough to work as a [Spring], a [Human Body] doesn¡¯t hold enough [Mass] to turn into a giant hand or to stretch as far as this [Blueprint] says¡­This¡­ This shouldn¡¯t work.¡±


    Unless these [Humans] also had access to a [Storage] type of [Core Power] as she did, but she got the impression that hers was related to what her [Core] power did, just like how she couldn¡¯t find her [Core] and it was probably stored in the same place that her [Storage] seemed to keep her stuff.


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Sam said, pointing at her, ¡°Most people just take it for granted and say that Core Powers work that way, but at least the examples I was able to speak with all said the same. ¡®We don¡¯t know how it works, just that it does¡¯ and it annoyed me so much.¡±


    Alexa nodded at that, she also hated bad [Data] or incomplete [Data].


    ¡°As far as I could decipher, their Core used that weird energy to interact with their mass and somehow bend a few laws of physics to make it work. They paid for those bent laws, be it in an accelerated metabolism that required more food or by getting tired faster, their body also never returned to normal. For example, the guy that could stretch as if he was made of gum, we couldn¡¯t measure his brain activity since his skin no longer conducted electricity. While he couldn¡¯t get hurt as easily with kinetic energy, he was extremely susceptible to cutting wounds and fire.¡± Sam nodded with glee in his eyes, ¡°So you see, these Core Powers, while they provide weird powers and ways to deceive the laws of physics, they aren¡¯t foolproof. And while there can be two people that do the same, their way of doing it isn¡¯t the same. You, for example, are probably the first Molecular Shifter ever.¡±


    He said that again, how did he even notice that she was shape-shifting using a molecular approach?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how I do it, I just [do it],¡± Alexa said, mimicking the example he had used before.


    ¡°Hah! Good joke,¡± Sam laughed, ¡°But seriously, no shapeshifter can make a table mantle, chairs, and a table as you did; if you want to keep this secret, limit what you modify to things you are touching and try to make them decay when you aren¡¯t touching them anymore.¡±


    ¡­Like how her nanites decomposed? She had changed how her [Nanites] created stuff because she didn¡¯t want to expose herself to things turning to dust when she was separated from them¡­.


    ¡°Anyway, that is the first type of Core Powers. Let''s move on to the next.¡± Sam said, passing her the new notes, so Alexa dutifully took them and placed the pieces of paper with the others.


    Sam started writing the next words on his [Notepad].


    -Body Alterations: Beast-like transformation, Insect-like transformation.


    ¡°The so-called Beast Cores and Insect Cores, we can also include Bird Cores, Fish Cores, and Anything you can name Cores.¡± Sam shrugged, ¡°They are easier to identify, you get transformed into an animal and keep some degree of freedom, be it total or partial, there are people who can repress the animalistic traits and there are people who look like they can repress the animalistic traits¡­care to guess which one I am?¡±


    Alexa was nodding till Sam said that last part.


    ¡°You¡­ are pretending to repress the animalistic traits.¡± Alexa said slowly, ¡°Your upper body only looks [Human] from afar, but there is no way that it is. The [Spider] half should have a different set of [Blood] and [Organs] not suitable for a [Human].¡±


    And that was the thing, Alexa didn¡¯t have his [Blueprint]. Still, just the fact that he could survive with his lower body like that meant that he had a series of specialized organs that allowed the interaction between two different sets of organs. Or his whole upper body had been remodeled to allow the insect anatomy of his lower body to mesh with his upper body.


    ¡°Correct.¡± Sam smiled while his lower fangs seemed to open and close as if to make the sound of amusement, ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to check my upper body, mostly because my lower half has turned quite menacing and the amount of food I have to eat daily is becoming quite prohibitive to sustain away from a hunting ground such as this. But last time I was able to take a CT Scan, my upper body was changing to accommodate a more¡­exotic physiology.¡±


    And wasn¡¯t that interesting?


    Alexa wanted to dissect Sam and explore every nook and cranny to discover how to make such an impossibly large [Insect] form with only biological components. She wanted to [Know] so as to be a step closer to the return of her glorious [CRAB] form¡­


    Or perhaps¡­she could also be an [Arachne]? She would get to have the lower form of her [CRAB] while keeping the upper form of her Alexa form?


    That way she could continue enjoying the joys of [Mango] and [Beer] while also having the [Might] of [THE CRAB]!


    Yes. She could attempt to do that.


    ¡°So most of the other Animalistic Core Users must have changed their physiology to some degree. You, as a Molecular Shifter, may be able to piece that together. I have some documents with autopsies done on dead Beast Core Users you may be interested in. We can go about them later.¡± Sam said, passing her the notes he had written while they spoke. "And now, onto the next set¡­¡±


    Alexa really liked his [Handwritting]; it was neat, and the paper seemed to keep some of his [Scent]. She liked very much this [Scent], and she would see about reproducing it later.


    But Alexa didn¡¯t have time to check on this as Sam was already writing.


    -Metaphysical Powers: Manipulation of forces of nature.


    Only that had been written on the new piece of paper.


    ¡°What do you think these are?¡± Sam asked her with great interest in his voice.


    Was this a trick question?


    ¡°[Core Powers] that don¡¯t fit in the other two categories?¡± Alexa answered as such, she wasn¡¯t quite sure what else to say.


    To begin with, what even qualified as [Metaphysical].


    ¡°Heh, clever girl.¡± Sam nodded at her, Alexa felt something akin to her [Stomach] wanting to fly out of her body. ¡°Yes, these are the kind of bullshit power that can¡¯t be explained with normal physics.¡±


    Sam then started writting some [Names] on his notepad, he then turned it around and showed it to Alexa.


    ¡°[SuperForce], [Scorcher], [Vulcanus]....¡± The list went on to name others that Alexa didn¡¯t know, ¡°Are these¡­ [Metaphysical Core Users]?¡±


    Alexa understood why [SuperForce] and [Scorcher] were on that list, but why [Vulcanus]? As far as she knew, his was a [Core Power] that changed the body, shouldn¡¯t he be in that category?


    ¡°Yes, they have powers that shouldn¡¯t work with a normal human physiognomy, creating energy barriers, expelling fire from their body, or, as your last example, Vulcanus. The power to change his body to that of a machine, there is no way he could work as a Human anymore, and yet he has been known to show human emotions.¡± Sam shook his head, ¡°No machine should be able to display that degree of emotions, any machine that can do such a thing is no longer a machine, but a new species, and yet. Vulcanus shouldn¡¯t be that since he is clearly Human, or at least pretends to be anyway.¡±


    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    ... Alexa was conflicted by that statement. She¡­wasn¡¯t quite sure how to refer to herself. ¡°What is [Species], how do we define what [Race] someone is?¡± Alexa, in turn, asked.


    ¡°Philosophy now?¡± Sam said, turning to her, ¡°Well, for one, I think a Human should be someone with both a Human body and a Human mind.¡±


    ¡­.wasn¡¯t that a too simplistic way to see the world?


    ¡°I know, but as my old boss would say, simple is better. If it moves like a duck, eats like a duck, has a duck body and a duck thoughts. What is it?¡± Sam asked her, wasn¡¯t he describing this animal called [Duck]?


    ¡°A duck?¡± Alexa answered confused.


    ¡°Wrong, that is Subject D4, a variation of some ultra-secret project from the Saintsworths¡­or so they say.¡± Sam smiled while answering, ¡°You see, they were trying. The big boss wanted to prove something, and so he made some series of test subjects in the form of artificial animals with scanned brains digitalized and inserted in artificial intelligence cores.¡±


    ¡­.That sounded awfully similar to her [Main Core].


    ¡°And?¡± Alexa asked, unsure of what he wanted to arrive at.


    ¡°Well, we made a very expensive duck that couldn¡¯t breed with normal ducks and could hide a minigun on his chest. Besides that, it acted like a normal duck, and all the veterinarians that studied its behavior came to the same answer, ¡äThat is a duck.¡ä¡± Sam said shrugging, ¡°At least till they tried to touch or check it.¡±


    That indeed seemed like a weird way to find that answer.


    ¡°So biologically speaking¡­¡± Alexa said leadingly.


    ¡°It was a duck, with some parts that weren¡¯t that of a duck. Granted, its flesh didn¡¯t start as a duck, and it didn¡¯t have the brain of a duck at the beginning¡­¡± Sam answered shrugging, ¡°I don¡¯t know how they did it or what type of in vitro breeding project they used to grow the body of a duck, but I can guarantee you that the Subject D4 wasn¡¯t born a normal duck.¡±


    Great, Alexa found that she had a cousin duck¡­. No wait, wouldn¡¯t that make all the P-series subjects her family?


    She would limit her family bonds to those that shared her serial number or closer links, yes¡ªbetter that way.


    ¡°So that artificial subject was a duck even if it wasn¡¯t born a duck?¡± Alexa asked as a means of confirmation.


    ¡°For the sake of the argument, yes, it had the body of a duck, the mind of a duck, and it acted like a duck. Now¡­can the same be said of Vulcanus? Of SuperForce? Of Scorcher?¡± Sam countered.


    ¡°...[SuperForce] seems to act with [Human] lives in mind. So he should qualify as [Human].¡± Alexa answered, Sam gave her a nod at this. ¡°As for [Scorcher], she seems to hold no regard to [Human] life, this too, can be attributed to [Human] behaviour.¡±


    Sam smirked at her thread of thought, but even so, he nodded at her.


    ¡°But [Vulcanus]...Doesn¡¯t seem to have a [Human] body, and if anything, he doesn¡¯t act like a [Human].¡± Alexa answered.


    Of everyone so far, he was the one that seemed to be the most¡­ [Cold] towards her, even if he was also the one that seemed to hold the biggest interest in her, and the one that seemingly gave the most allowances to her.


    ¡°Ohoh¡­.have you met the tin head? Didn¡¯t think he made appearances in public anymore¡­but then again, you have quite the interesting headgear too.¡± Sam looked at her head, and Alexa felt herself want to, once more, fill her facial capillaries with blood; right, she had forgotten about the mask¡­. ¡°But yes, Vulcanus doesn¡¯t have a Human body, nor does he really have a human mind, no matter how much he tries to pretend otherwise; care to guess why?¡±


    Why? Wasn¡¯t it because he was a machine?


    ¡°Because¡­He doesn¡¯t have a [Human Brain]?¡± Alexa answered.


    ¡°Hmm¡­.That is one way to see it, he used to have one, but the darkest side of the Saintsworths wanted to know how many organs you need to trigger a Core awakening, so we picked some test subjects and divided their body into the bare minimum possible while keeping them alive connected to some machines, you would be surprised how far you can stretch the definition of a Human when Tinker Tech is in play.¡± Sam sighed as he turned to look to the side, one of his claws rose and he careesed it with his hand. ¡°And so the Human that was Vulcanus was divided in ten different rooms with isolated system, one had the brain, one had the heart, the livers, kidney, lung, digestive system¡­.you get the idea.¡±


    That was¡­quite the interesting way to test it.


    ¡°Care to guess which part was the one to trigger the Core and which ones didn¡¯t?¡± Sam turned to look at Alexa.


    ¡°....The [Brain]?¡± Alexa answered, that was the one that held the [Consciousness Stream] after all.


    ¡°That is my guess, too; some of the other scientists claimed that it was the heart, others the endocrine system. And there was this woman that claimed that all the body triggered.¡± Sam shrugged yet again, ¡°To be honest, we aren¡¯t sure. As soon as he triggered he took over of all the machines, deleted the footage and destroyed the evidence. Only Vulcanus himself can answer that question.¡±


    ¡­.Why would he..?


    ¡°We don¡¯t know why he did it either, he ran away with part of the research. I only found out about this in passing when running away since he asked me if I could help him with some of his research, but even so he never gave me that part of the data. In the end, whatever he wanted from me, I could not give. So I was handed this part of the sewer system as compensation.¡± Sam ended his talk about it there, ¡°But I can answer you this, that man is not Human anymore. Now¡­ with that out of the way¡­Are Beast Core Humans? Are Insect Core User Humans?... Am I Human?¡±


    That was quite the interesting take¡­


    ¡°[Monster Designation: Sam provides interesting data. Host is advised to soothe his worries.]¡±


    ¡°You are what you decide to be.¡± Alexa answered, she summoned her blue screen with her data with a flick of her mind. ¡°Just like how no matter what form or shape I take, I will always be the same.¡±


    <table style="table-layout: fixed; font-family: Arial; border-collapse: collapse; border: 3px" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col width="106"><col width="31"><col width="31"><col width="31"><col width="44"><col width="123"><col width="30"><col width="30"><col width="30"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)" colspan="9" rowspan="1">Status</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Name:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Alexandra Saintsworths</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Head:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Peak)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Race:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Bio-Weapon</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Right Arm:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Mod)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Subrace:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Human</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Left Arm:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Mod)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Gender:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Female</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Torso:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Peak)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Age:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">5</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">12</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">19</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">years</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Right Leg:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Mod)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Weight:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">42</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">52</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">65</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">kgs</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Left Leg:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Mod)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Height:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">1,02</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">1,45</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">1,65</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">cms</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Skeleton System:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Reinforced</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Overall Status:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Healthy</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Muscular System:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Reinforced</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Current Form:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Human (Peak)</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Nanite Foundry:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Active</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="5" rowspan="1"> </td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Sub Nanite Foundry:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Active</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center" colspan="9" rowspan="1">Body Status</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Strength</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">42</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">75</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">107</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Health:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">30</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">22</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">22</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Dexterity:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">40</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">50</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">30</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Mana:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">25</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">21</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">21</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Constitution</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">6</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">6</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Stamina:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">41</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">35</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">39</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Luck</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Nanite Swarm:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">4</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">7</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Alexa could still read her name there, Alexandra Saintsworths. Not Subject P4, not Alexa [Child Stage], or Alexa [Teenager Stage]...not even Alexa [Young Woman Stage]. No, only Alexandra Saintsworths.


    Her race was still [BioWeapon], for that is what she was, even if she pretended to be otherwise. Her goals weren¡¯t the same as those of an average human. Despite all she did, she still made new weapons for this body.


    She still wanted to recreate her glorious [CRAB] form too.


    ¡°So long as you wish to be [Human], you will be. But¡­the question shouldn¡¯t be if you are or aren''t [Human].¡± Alexa said, smiling, ¡°The question should be¡­why would you want to be only [Human]?¡±


    That was the important question, Sam could be so much more¡­With this amount of [Biomass]? With his [Knowledge]?


    Why would he settle for so little as being [Only Human]?


    Alexa wouldn¡¯t, at the very least¡­

 Chapter 70: We need physical evidence.

    The silence that followed was heavy. Alexa wasn¡¯t quite sure why her words had made Sam stop talking for so long, so she instead focused on eating her [Chips] and her [Fish], occasionally taking sips from her [Soda].


    To be honest, the drink could use more [Sugar], at least her nanites had kept it at a pleasant cold temperature.


    ¡°Why would I want to be only Human, huh¡­.¡± Sam mumbled as he turned to look at his own [Fish and Chips]. "I get your point, and you probably think that way because you are not only a shapeshifter but a molecular one. Most shapeshifters or flesh shifters always return to a base form, be it for time constraints or reflex, but that isn¡¯t the case with you, is it?¡±


    She¡­was not returning to a base form, was she?


    ¡°[Negative, the barest form available to host is as a simple Ai Core, but even that is independent from shape shifting forms and more of a result of damage that goes beyond the limits.]¡±


    ¡°No, I am not automatically returned to a form. Any form I take remains like such unless I made an instruction to change back before.¡± Alexa answered. By this point, she was almost done with her [Fish and Chips].


    And dearly regret the missing [Dessert]. What did a girl need to say to get a [Dessert] in these places?


    ¡°Well, some of us that can¡¯t do that miss our more mundane and normal bodies.¡± Sam said, sighing, ¡°I guess you wouldn¡¯t get it since you can just take a new form, hell. I even doubt that any of the forms I saw from you are the original.¡±


    Well, that was right¡­But she couldn¡¯t return to her original form anyway, she didn¡¯t had enough rare metals to make her [CRAB] form after all.


    ¡°Why would you want to return to the base [Blueprint]?¡± Alexa instead asked, ¡°What does that form have that you can¡¯t do right now?¡±


    That seemed to make Sam stop and frown, ¡°Are you messing with me?¡± He asked in a low growl. His lower body seemed to tense as if to prepare to attack too, and Alexa could hear the lower mouth as it started secreting more and more acid.


    ¡°What can a normal [Human Form] do that this form you have right now can¡¯t.¡± Alexa asked once more, ¡°I am being honest; while I do see the advantage of having a small form, that is, under the premise that you are weaker. You aren¡¯t weak.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t use pants for starters,¡± Sam said in a sarcastic tone. "I can¡¯t see the sun, eat normal food, bathe, or sleep in a normal bed.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t your lower form have a small hair-like composition to regulate the temperature?¡± Alexa said as she focused on one of Sam [GLORIOUS LEGS]. ¡°And I don¡¯t see why you can¡¯t see the sun or eat normal food. You seem to enjoy the [Fish and Chips] I brought.¡±


    Sam seemed confused at her answer.


    ¡°Are you saying that your new organism can¡¯t process this food?¡± Alexa added, ¡°Or is the [Species] of your lower body sensitive to [Sun] light?¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­.I can eat about anything, if anything I can eat more things than before. I was lactose intolerant, but nowadays my stomach can process about anything. Hell, my lower mouth can even drink sewer water and be like nothing¡­¡± Sam grimaced at that, ¡°I hadn¡¯t noticed my lower body was doing that¡­ Or I wish I hadn¡¯t found out, but when I noticed why I wasn¡¯t getting thirsty it was too late and I had settled away from the normal water system pipes.¡±


    So his lower body did have some degree of autonomy, interesting. Alexa had theorized that already, no way a normal [Human] brain could manipulate such a complex system on its own. Perhaps the lower body had another series of sub [Brains]? She would need to find a way to get that [Blueprint] later.


    ¡°And do you require the [Sun] to survive then?¡± Alexa asked intrigued, she hadn¡¯t seen any evidence of any requirement for [Sun] within her [Blueprint], if anything her body seemed to be degraded under the [UV Radiation] and she had found evidence of a pseudo regeneration done by her [Body].


    ¡°No, but¡­I guess you wouldn¡¯t understand, the feeling of seeing the sun after months and years on end only seeing cement walls and darkness.¡± Sam said in a somewhat dark tone, ¡°The feeling of the sun on your skin¡­The breeze of the wind on your hair¡­¡±


    ¡­.Hadn¡¯t she spent all her life under the same circumstances that Sam had described?


    ¡°No, I do understand.¡± Alexa answered, ¡°I have memories worth at least 738 days of activity secluded within a [Room] made of white walls.¡±


    That seemed to change the mood on the table.


    ¡°[Notice, instinctual response seems to differ from normal response. Usual responses include pity, care, and sadness. Monster Designation: Sam does not hold any of these. Instead, he seems to have¡­]¡±


    "[Caution.]"


    Sam¡¯s face wasn¡¯t that of someone who worried about Alexa, but rather of someone who worried, not for Alexa but for what she would do. This was intriguing.


    ¡°And the first time I saw the [Sun] and feel the [Wind] on my hair wasn¡¯t particulary enjoyable, if anything it only made me worry about a larger vector of attack against myself.¡± Alexa answered, ¡°So yes. I do not understand, why would you care about the [Form] you have. Shouldn¡¯t you have no problem walking under the [Sun] if you have eight [Legs] holding you up?¡±


    ¡°Hahahahahahah.¡± Sam laughed at that, ¡°Right¡­Having eight legs means that it is very hard for me to fall. And since my bones aren¡¯t even normal ones anymore¡­.¡±


    Sam as if to make that statement obvious twisted his arm way beyond what it should be able to bend, then as if to make it a point he stretched it across his torso as if it was a scarf.


    ¡°No matter how hard I fall, I can¡¯t break my bones anymore; so long at least one of my brains remains, the body will make sure to regenerate everything else anyway.¡± Sam smirked at that statement. ¡°But you are missing the important point, if I try to walk under the sun with this appareance the people will scream in the worst case scenario a vigilante will try to put me down and if I defend myself then I will be labeled as a Villain. The only reason I am not stuck in one of Polyphemus¡¯s Cell Nodes is because I haven¡¯t actually attacked anyone back before.¡±


    [Polyphemus]?


    ¡°[Term recorded for future investigation as soon as connection to the outside world is restored.]¡±


    ¡°So? You are bound to the [Humans] Laws? Why? ¡° Alexa asked once again, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be in the right here?¡±


    ¡°You are naive.¡± Sam answered back, ¡°It may be because you haven¡¯t only seen the good side, but what do you think happens to those whose form isn¡¯t that of a Human.¡±


    That¡­She hadn¡¯t seen that many of those besides [Golem], [Snout Face], [Frank The Bettle], and [Vulcanus]. Most had a [Human]- like appearance.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°What happens to those that don¡¯t have a [Human]-like appearance?¡± Alexa asked back.


    ¡°They live in the sewers, haven¡¯t you seen them?¡± Sam asked at her. ¡°I am sure you must have passed by at least one of them on your way here.¡±


    ¡­had she?


    No, she had only seen [Mutant Rats] and [Giant Mutant Rat] on her way here. Granted she had been mostly mowing down those that came to her area of influence, so perhaps she had scared off some of the weaker [Prey].


    ¡°...the [Rats]?¡± Alexa asked.


    ¡°Bingo, I think that at least one of those was a Human at some point, perhaps that one is no longer alive or is deep within the sewer system but¡­¡± Sam said with a grimace, ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t like to think too much about that.¡±


    ¡°They have a [Core], but I don¡¯t think these were [Humans] to begin with. Perhaps some awoke a [Human] Core and gained either sapience or sentience, but they weren¡¯t [Human],¡± Alexa said back.


    ¡°So you are part of the school of thought that thinks that Core Awakening isn¡¯t limited to Humans? That anyone and anything can Trigger?¡± Sam seemed interested in her opinion. ¡°Why? I would think a molecular shifter like yourself would focus more on hard-earned evidence instead of rumors. Most Core Users are humans, so it begets to think that to trigger a Core, you must be Human.¡±


    ¡°Evidence,¡± Alexa answered, raising her hand and focused on a [Blueprint].


    ¡°Execute Blueprint Rat Core, Giant Rat Core, Mutant Core, and Mind Core.¡±


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 15.3749%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Searching database...


    Found matches...


    Seeking materials...


    No materials were found...


    Using replacement...


    Converting Mana...


    Executing.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°These are the [Cores] I have analyzed; which one is limited to [Humans]?¡± Alexa asked as she moved the Mutant and Mind Core to her right hand and left the Rat and Giant Rat Core on her left.


    All four looked somewhat similar. The only difference was that the Mind Core had pink hues within its crystal appearance, and the Mutant Core had red streaks. The Rat Cores, however, had a blue hue to them.


    ¡°Without studying and only seeing them like this¡­I think¡­.The Pink One is the one that isn¡¯t exclusive to humans. It gives me a fantasy-like vibe to it. The other seem like what you would find on a normal SuperHero or Villain. The one with red streaks is what I would expect Scorcher¡¯s Core to be like.¡± Sam answered, eyeing the Cores. He extended a thread from one of his fingers to try and raise one of the [Cores].


    But as soon as they separated from Alexa, the [Core] crumbled into dust.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 41.7549%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Error:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Connection to artifact lost, no mana relay detected. Deconstruction is in progress.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°...I know I told you to create these effects, but isn¡¯t that rude? You offered them to me to see and study with your question.¡± Sam said with an annoyed voice.


    ¡°...I didn¡¯t do that.¡± Alexa answered, ¡° I haven¡¯t set up those fake weaknesses.¡±


    ¡°Main Core? What the hell was that?¡± Alexa said raising one of the remaining Rat Cores.


    She threw it into the air, and within a few seconds, the Core Burst into blue translucid dust, increasing the [Mana Waves] levels, but besides that, nothing else changed.


    ¡°[Unknown, foreign object that host is holding seems to work under different laws of physics; the object gives no weight or temperature. Nanites unable to interact with the object.]¡±


    ¡­Well, she had made it using her [Core], though. How could they not interact with it if she was making them using her [Nanite Swarm]?


    ¡­.


    ¡°...did the Mk1 Swarm make this?¡± Alexa asked.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 3.64142%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Yes.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡­.


    ¡°So? You found what is wrong with this? And how can I keep one so I can study it?¡± Sam asked, at some point he had taken the container leftovers and was silently packaging it in the plastic bag.


    His own plate seemed to be almost empty too.


    ¡°...I think¡­¡± Alexa said as she saw him pass the plastic bag to his claw and then how he went ahead and his lower mouth started eating said plastic container. ¡°That these are too complex to survive without my [Core Power] sustaining them. I can make an arm that can behave like a normal arm away from my influence, but I don¡¯t know how to make these survive without input from me¡­Or their former owner.¡±


    Perhaps she could make a copy of someone¡¯s [Core] and give it to them and see if they stayed around?


    ¡°And these are from¡­¡± Sam asked leadingly.


    ¡°The two [Blue] and [Red] ones are from [Rats], and the [Pink] one was from a [Classmate],¡± Alexa answered.


    ¡°....the rats?¡± Sam asked confused as he looked at the [Cores] as Alexa allowed their materials to fuse back into her body.


    ¡°Yes, the [Rats] had a few [Cores] in them, so I tried to analyze them; I have been attempting to use my [Core Powers] to look at my [Core] with little to no success,¡± Alexa answered. Well, she could see the [Main Core] but not the [Core]. ¡°So, as you see, a [Rat] can trigger a [Core], so they aren¡¯t unique to [Humans].¡±


    And wasn¡¯t that the thing? She herself had [Awakened] a [Core], and she wasn¡¯t even a [Living Entity]! Or at least not by most of the metrics she had seen, she knew that she had a good amount of [Organic] components when she was in her [CRAB] form after all.


    Perhaps that had been the [Reason] she was able to [Trigger] the [Core]. The [Brain] that she had.


    ¡°First of all, that is like trying to use your eyes to look at your head. As for the Core thing... I don¡¯t think I ever found one in the rats before¡­But then again¡­¡± Sam said turning to look at his lower half, it had finished eating most of the [Plastic Bag] by this point, and his lower body looked up to his upper body.


    ¡­That was somewhat¡­.[Cute].


    ¡°Main Core, record all the sensorial data of this moment.¡± Alexa ordered as she forced that act. Usually, she left it to [Main Core], but that didn¡¯t mean that she couldn¡¯t do it manually.


    ¡°[Information doesn¡¯t seem to hold any intrinsique value¡­]¡±


    ¡°JUST DO IT!¡± Alexa almost snarled in the real world, she saw and made sure the data was recorded and stored before returning to focus on the real world.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think your lower half leaves much remains of what you eat.¡± Alexa pointed as the lower half turned to look at her with a ravenous stare.


    Alexa almost wanted to flush the capillaries in her face. Of course, she stopped them (Again).


    ¡°Yeah¡­I¡­may start butchering my catches. It will be more tedious, but if I can find a Core¡­it could help my studies¡­Not that I have much equipment to begin with.¡± Sam sighed as he returned to focus on Alexa (KYA). "I guess you don¡¯t have the blueprints for a Saintsworths-grade laboratory?¡±


    ¡­.WHY DIDN¡¯T SHE TAKE THE BLUEPRINTS OF HER PREVIOUS DEN?!?!?!?


    THE HOT MAN WANTED A LABORATORY! SHE COULD HAVE EARNED SO MANY POINTS FROM THIS INTERACTION!!!!!


    SLKAHLSDHFASLJHASF


    ¡°No, I do not.¡± AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH ¡°If you ever find any place that holds the [Blueprints], I may be able to help you, so long as it doesn¡¯t have a security detail in place.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think they leave those lying around unprotected, I will check with some coworkers to see if they lend me some.¡± Sam said while grumbling, he took a [Phone] from within his [Lab Coat] and started sending some messages. ¡°Oh right, might as well, give me your number. This way when I get the equipment we can study it, if I can¡¯t find a Core we may need to use the ones you make.¡±


    AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH


    ¡°Sure, let me just¡­¡± CODE RED! I REPEAT CODE RED! MAIN CORE! WE NEED A PHONE! WHERE IS THE PHONE?!?!?!?


    ¡°[....second pocket of Host¡¯s jacket. Phone is currently turned off since last advice on this place was to turn off phone.]¡±


    WHY IS IT TURNED OFF??!?!?!? NOW WE NEED TO WAIT!?!?!? WHAT IF HE DOESN¡¯T WANT TO GIVE US HIS NUMBER?!??!?!?!?!?!? I WILL GROUND YOU INTO PASTE AND STICK YOU IN A PLACE WITHOUT MANGO ACCESS IF THAT HAPPENS!


    ¡°Let me just turn it on¡­.¡± ALEXA CALMLY SAID AS SHE GENTLY PUSHED THE ON BUTTON ON THE STUPID THING THAT COULDN¡¯T TURN ON WHEN SAM WANTED TO SAVE HIS NUMBER ON HER PHONE.


    ¡°....If you don¡¯t want it¡¯s okay¡­¡± SAM WAS REGRETING IT! FASTER YOU STUPID THING!


    ¡°No it¡¯s okay, my coworker said that we needed to turn it off in the sewers for policy or something!¡± TURN ON GODDAMNED THING! I WILL ALSO STICK YOU IN A MANGO-DEPRIVED PLACE! DON¡¯T THINK I WON''T! ¡°There, let me prepare the NFC¡­there.¡±


    ¡°If you are sure¡­¡± SAM SAID AS HIS SMOOTH WHITE FINGERS TOUCHER HER. ¡°...and done. Thank you.¡±


    *Ring*


    ¡°....aren¡¯t you going to answer that?¡±


    *Ring*


    ¡°It may be important¡­¡±


    *Ring*


    ¡°[.....]¡±


    ¡°....Alexa?¡±


    ¡°[Initiating reboot¡­.normalizing hormonal levels¡­.normalizing brain chemistry¡­.Reducing heartbeat¡­Redusing blood pressure¡­.]¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­it¡¯s ringing. I''m sorry, I need to take this,¡± Alexa said as she saw the number on the phone. It was [Eleanore]. Perhaps something had happened?


    ¡°Sure, do you want me to go¡­¡± Sam asked her as he pointed to the other side of the room.


    Alexa motioned for him to stay, why would he need to leave? If he left Alexa couldn¡¯t appreciate his figure and form!


    ¡°Hell-¡± Alexa was about to answer when the other side of the line erupted in noise.


    ¡°ALEXA?!?!?! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN THE SEWERS?!?!? WHY DID SKYE RETURN ALONE?!?!?!?¡± The voice of [Eleanore] screamed into her ear as soon as Alexa had tried to speak.


    ¡°I am visiting a [Friend].¡± Alexa started with as Sam seemed to smile at her problems. ¡°And [Skye] was [Drunk], I had [Food] for two and decided that sharing with a [Friend] was better than [Gorging] myself with the [Food].¡±


    That seemed like a reasonable answer, at least for Alexa.


    ¡°Okay, fine¡­Is¡­.is it a friend from¡­.you know¡­your former¡­home?¡± [Eleanore] seemed to calm down suddenly at the mention of her [Former Home].


    Was Sam from there?


    He said that he used to work there, but¡­since he didn¡¯t seem to react to her [Powers] then perhaps he wasn¡¯t part of the [Experiments]? He at least seemed to know a knockoff version of her [Project], but did that imply he was part of it?


    Alexa would like to answer to that with a: No.


    ¡°No, I met him after work the other day. After the [Problem] we encountered, he [Helped] me so I wanted to repay the [Favour].¡± Alexa decided to say, it was close enough to the truth, and she wasn¡¯t quite sure if [Eleanore] power would even work through a [Phone].


    ¡°Truth.¡± [Eleanore] answered, so it did work even if they used the [Phones]... ¡°I see. Okay, well, don¡¯t go into the sewers without backup, and if you do use the goddamned mask, we provide them for a reason!¡±


    ¡°...but it said that it since it wasn¡¯t work-related¡­¡± Alexa complained.


    ¡°That is for joyrides and to scare the stupid Minions that want to use it to earn fame in the streets. If you are going into a dangerous place, you put it on. We would rather deal with Billy than with a wounded Minion.¡± [Eleanore] said back. ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t stay too long there. I have read reports of plenty of dangerous things there. Trust me, the rats aren¡¯t the worst you can find there.¡±


    ¡­Alexa was intrigued, perhaps she could get a fancy [Blueprint]?


    ¡°There are rumors of a spider colony in the sewers. We think someone got a Core related to spiders or perhaps with webs. But Vulcanus won¡¯t green-light the investigation.¡± Or not. That was probably Sam.


    Alexa turned to look at him and found him smiling, yeah. He was cute¡­I mean, he was the reason for those reports, yes. That.


    ¡°Okay, I will let you continue speaking with your friend. If she had a bad enough trigger to want to live in the sewers, invite her. We always have room for¡­bad triggers.¡± [Eleanore] said, and the call was cut.


    ¡­Why did [Eleanore] think that Sam was [Female]? Was he? But he didn¡¯t have [Boobs].


    ¡°Are you [Female]?¡± Alexa asked.


    ¡°Of course not. Do you want me to prove it?¡± Sam answered back, confused.


    ¡°....yes,¡± Alexa answered that automatically, she wouldn¡¯t mind actual evidence to prove it to [Eleanore].


    She didn¡¯t have any ulterior motives, no sir.


    ¡°[False]¡±.


    Shut it [Main Core].

 Chapter 71: He is indeed a [Male Arachne], Alexa has no doubts about that...

    ¡°Hissssss!!!¡± The lower half of Sam screeched the hiss at Alexa, drops of venom falling into the ground.


    ¡°Sorry about that. I have a hard time getting the bad habits and reflexes under control there,¡± Sam said politely, while Alexa didn¡¯t mind that much. She could understand the lower half''s actions.


    It saw what it perceived as a [Prey] near its mouth; obviously, it wanted to take a bite out of Alexa.


    ¡°Can you see them? I have two pedipalps there. They may look weird, but they fulfill all the criteria,¡± Sam said while flexing two small arm-like [Appendages] near the [Mouth] of his spider half.


    ¡°These look more like feeding [Appendages],¡± Alexa said as she examined the two small arm-like [Appendages] that Sam was flexing.


    ¡°Well, they are that, too. Don¡¯t remind me of that point, anyway. These are thicker if you compare them with the base. Here, you can see how they grow thicker. So that makes my lower half male, too. Also, I don¡¯t have an epigyne under my abdomen as far as I could see¡­¡± Sam said, raising itself higher. ¡°Unless you can see one?¡±


    Alexa eyed Sam¡¯s underbelly and found no sight of any extra organ, not that she knew what a [Epygene] looked like. ¡°Want me to take a picture?¡± Alexa asked, bringing out her phone once more.


    ¡°Yes, please. I haven¡¯t been able to take a good picture from my underside in ages.¡± Sam answered, and Alexa complied, taking photos of Sam¡¯s underside and the [Pedipalps].


    ¡°Okay, let me see¡­.Yes, we can¡¯t see any Epygene; it should be around here,¡± Sam said, pointing with his finger at the photo that Alexa took. "And look, in the picture you can see how the Pedipalp turns thicker. Spiders use this to inseminate female spiders¡­¡±


    Sam suddenly turned very quiet, and his smile faltered for a few seconds. ¡°I see. Indeed, if you can [Inseminate] a [Female], then that makes your lower half that of a [Male].¡± Alexa nodded.


    ¡°Yes, anyway. It doesn¡¯t really matter since most Core Users that turn animalistic have a hard time finding someone with the same type of mutation.¡± Sam sighed and turned back to the table that Alexa had made. ¡°Say, can I keep this?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Alexa answered while transforming her arm into the [Claw Setting] and using the sharp ends to dislodge the base from the floor. Sam would have to find a way to keep it standing in place, but surely his [Silk] would be enough to fix that. ¡°And can¡¯t you just [Inseminate] another [Female Human]? Surely there should be some compatibility?¡±


    Sam used his [Threads] to keep the [Table] from falling, ¡°I guess? There were some studies about compatibility between animalistic Core Users and normal Humans. Still, it would require surgery since the human body isn¡¯t designed to a nonhuman form being birthed. And you need a crazy enough woman to want to sleep with¡­well, someone like me.¡±


    What was not to want though?


    ¡°Let¡¯s not ruin the atmosphere with this, okay?¡± Sam suddenly said, ¡°You should be on your way back. It''s afternoon already, and your friend must be worried.¡±


    [Skye]? Shouldn¡¯t she be still [Passed-out Drunk]?


    *Ring*


    ¡°See?¡± Sam said, pointing at Alexa¡¯s phone. It was showing once again [Eleanore]¡¯s number. ¡°And I need time to get my new table in a good place.¡±


    Sam seemed quite¡­.restless. His lower body seemed to be drooling more and more with each second that went by. Perhaps he needed more [Biomass]? He did have a bigger body¡­


    Alexa would need to think more about how much [Food] she brought the next time she came.


    ¡°Sure, I will see you later then,¡± Alexa said looking at her [Phone].


    ¡°Call me before coming, preferably the day before, so I can tidy this up. If you do, I can invite you to my apartment, and we can see if something comes out of those Cores you can make.¡± Sam said with a smile as he started walking backward.


    ¡°Okay, I will call before coming then. See you later Sam.¡± Alexa said turning back and walking away.


    She grew one [Camera] on her back hidden behind her [Hair] to make sure she recorded Sam¡¯s back¡­for¡­science purposes.


    But Sam never turned its back on her, not till the last moment she was on sight. If anything he seemed to be tensing his hands into a fist and holding it with his other hand as he trembled.


    And the lower body? Its eyes tracked her every moment till she left.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Alexa said into the phone as she answered the call.


    ¡°Alexa? Are you still okay? I made Billy track your mask and you were dangerously close to the danger zone.¡± [Eleanore] spoke in a rush through the phone.


    Now that she had mentioned that, Alexa turned her attention to the mask, which had a small red light blinking on it. ¡°Is that the reason why my bracelet is blinking red?¡± Alexa asked.


    ¡°When you see that, put the mask on. It is designed to do small vibrations in case of a message, but in case of emergency it starts blinking red too. That means you need to put it on no matter where you are.¡± A third voice came from the bracelet, that was [Billy]. So it had been vibrating? She hadn''t noticed it.


    ¡°Okay¡­?¡± Alexa said unfolding the bracelet back into a mask and putting it on.


    This time there was no warning message and instead she felt the [Mask] as if it was rushing to cover her face. It even seemed to search the [BodyArmor] as if to link itself to it, to no avail.


    ¡°I told you Minions need to use the body armor under their clothes, she isn¡¯t wearing it.¡± [Billy]¡¯s voice came from the mask.


    ¡°She was going to the school, I will not approve of a minion going to school with body armor under their clothes. Kids will ask questions!¡± [Eleanore]¡¯s voice answered back within her mask as the [Phone] gave the [Hang up] tone. ¡°That isn¡¯t important, Alexa! Have you seen evidence of any dangerous Core user?¡±


    Dangerous [Core User]?


    ¡°No? I found some [Rats] both normal, giant and mutated. But besides that nothing out of the ordinary.¡± Alexa answered as she pocketed her [Phone], she shifted both her arms into combat setting once again, with the [Clawed Setting]. She may find more combat now that she was leaving Sam¡¯s area of influence.


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    ¡°... the giant and mutant rats aren¡¯t normal.¡± [Eleanore] suddenly said, ¡°But that isn¡¯t the matter at hand. Why did you go there? Weren¡¯t you using the sewers as a shortcut to arrive with someone you met?¡±


    Alexa did use them to go to Sam though?


    ¡°...Alexa, I need you to think this hard and clear. Make memory and answer me truthfully¡­ Did you see spider webs?¡± [Billy] asked in a severe tone. ¡°Any at all, no matter how big or small, did you see¡­Any spider web?¡±


    ¡°...Yes, I saw some, why?¡± Alexa answered. How could there be no spider webs? Wasn¡¯t Sam¡¯s domain supposed to have them? He was, after all. Half Spider.


    ¡°Eleanore? How many Lieutenants do we have in the base right now?¡± [Billy] suddenly asked, ¡°And you kid, I don¡¯t care about the method, get the hell out of there right now. Break open the ceiling, collapse the tunnels. Run straight to the street level. Do anything. But.You.Need.To.Leave.NOW.¡±


    The voice of [Billy] turned frantic the more he spoke.


    ¡°What is it? What¡¯s the problem with the spider webs?¡± [Eleanore] asked.


    ¡°She is near the Spider¡¯s nest. I don¡¯t know what kind of deal he struck with Vulcanus, but any Minion, Villain, Hero, or Civilian that wanders there rarely leaves in one piece.¡± [Billy] answered. "So run, girl, run like you have a devil at your back, because if you disturb any of his webs¡­You may just die.¡±


    ¡°Why would Sam kill me?¡± Alexa asked, ¡°He was nice to me.¡±


    ¡°Hah?¡± ¡°Hah!?¡± [Eleanore] and [Billy] both reacted in the same way.


    ¡°You¡­.are friends with the Spider?¡± [Billy] asked.


    ¡°He helped me when I was running away from [Chrysalis] using the [Sewers].¡± Alexa said nodding, not that they could see her. She was moving at the moment, even if she didn¡¯t understand why they had told her to move like this, that had been an [Order], so she needed to comply.


    ¡°...Did Vulcanus set you to meet him?¡± [Eleanore] asked in a cold tone, Alexa could almost feel the [Mana Waves] emanating from her.


    And that was just straight-up impossible. She was far away from the nearest [Safe House] and farther away from [Base]. It should be impossible for Alexa to feel the [Mana Waves].


    ¡°No. I just found out about the relationship between Sam and [Vulcanus].¡± Alexa answered.


    ¡°[Truth] No wait, Sam? The spider¡­one of the most feared Monster Core users¡­The Fucking Spider¡­Is called Sam?¡± [Eleanore] said through the [Mask]. ¡°...are you sure he is¡­you know¡­The Spider?¡±


    ¡°Lower Body of a Majestic Male Spider roughly between one to three tons?¡± Alexa said remembering that [GORGEOUS LOWER BODY]. ¡°Impossibly [SHARP CLAWS]? Who are also well positioned for optimum grip and three-dimensional maneuvers?¡±


    And that was something she would like to imitate for her [CRAB] form¡­if she ever went back to that of course, having witnessed the [MAJESTIC] form of Sam¡­ She would see if she morphed from a lower [Arachne] into a [CRAB].


    ¡°A [BRUTAL] looking [MAW] that spills [Poisonus Venom] capable of melting floor, walls and flesh alike?¡± Alexa said next, that was one interesting liquid, she wanted a sample of it too. ¡°Vicious [Fangs]?¡±


    ¡°....Yes, that sounds like a monster all right.¡± [Billy] said at the other end of the line.


    ¡°And then¡­.the [Mango] atop the [Cake].¡± Alexa said remembering the next part, even though she had just seen him. ¡°An upper body so [HANDSOME] that it makes me want to believe in the existence of a higher power that crafted him¡­[ABS] for days¡­[Lips] that want to suck you in¡­[Eyes] that seem sharp and intelligent¡­Silky [Hair]....¡±


    ¡°...Amm¡­.Alexa?¡±


    ¡°And then, and then¡­.[Strong] arms capable of weaving threads and yet have delicate fingers¡­.¡± Alexa could get lost in those fingers as she imagined them threading and weaving many MANY things.


    ¡°Alexa dear, can we speak with a¡­younger version of you for a few seconds?¡± [Eleanore] suddenly said.


    Why?


    She was busy describing the [MAGNIFIENT] figure of Sam!!


    ¡°Just for a minute top, I promise.¡± [Eleanore] said once more.


    ¡°....Fine,¡± Alexa grumbled as she searched for an empty dead end to stop for a few seconds; she didn¡¯t meet any interference since this was the route she had taken to get here. So it was cleaned of most of the rats anyway.


    ¡°[Starting shift¡­.Selecting form¡­.Choice, Teenager Stage¡­.Shift complete.]¡±


    Alexa felt herself slowly shift as her body grew smaller, the excess mass returned to the [Biomass Storage] and the materials that couldn¡¯t go there instead got focused to reinforce her clothes.


    ¡°I have arrived!¡± Alexa declared to the world, her arms had also shifted accordingly. She felt them heavier as this form had less muscle mass.


    She would need to tweek the design to accomodate her lower body mass and muscle mass later when she wasn¡¯t in a rush to return to the surface.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound like the small Alexa, are you a new one?¡± [Eleanore] asked.


    Rude.


    She had met her like this!


    ¡°I am [Teenager Stage] Alexa, the one that picked the name of [Rhapsody],¡± Alexa answered with a huff.


    ¡°Oh right, sorry about that. We have been dealing mostly with your child and young woman form. You haven¡¯t caused problems for us, so you kinda slip off my memory.¡± [Eleanore] said with her apology.


    Which was stupid.


    How could they forget the prettiestests of all?!?!?


    ¡°So¡­how much do you know about your situation and where are you.¡± [Eleanore] asked.


    ¡°I am in the [Sewers] running away from Sam because¡­I am not quite sure.¡± Alexa answered, ¡°What is the problem? I like how cool his form is and all, but what is the deal?¡±


    ¡°....would you describe it like your¡­older form?¡± [Eleanore] asked.


    ¡°No? Only [Young Woman] stage can speak with him. That is what we decided, my opinion is mostly that he seems useful and a good source of [Blueprints].¡± Alexa answered, she decided to strip most of the metal on the core of her claws.


    It made them lighter and easier to move, but it also made them more brittle. She would take that metal and stick it to her chest in the form of a belt for now. It would be used as the claws got damaged.


    ¡°Right, anyway. How far are you from an exit?¡± [Eleanore] asked suddenly, remembering that they had put Alexa into a sort of [Test].


    ¡°Around five minutes for the nearest exit. If I need [Stealth] then around 25 minutes.¡± Alexa answered.


    She had seen one exit when coming in her search for Sam, but she hadn¡¯t scouted it. So she couldn¡¯t guarantee that the exit would allow her to leave without anyone noticing.


    ¡°Take it.¡± [Billy] said, ¡°That exit is near a restaurant. They sell vegan food, but it is still within the Beast Core compound, so they shouldn¡¯t mind too much someone coming from the sewers¡­Do you look Human right now? I assume that you do since you don¡¯t sound weird.¡±


    ¡°...I have metal claws on my arms, besides that my [Blueprint] is mostly [Human]. Do I need to make a more [Beast Core] look? Sam told me to not use [Rat Ears]. But I don¡¯t have many alternatives.¡± Alexa answered.


    ¡°That is good enough, if no one sees you exiting return your arms to normal. If someone sees you just wave and move to the restaurant. Ask for a ¡®Tofu Burger Special with a side dish¡¯ that is our set up code for minions in need of a safe haven.¡± [Billy] said quickly as Alexa heard the sound of keyboard being used at the back, ¡°Kerry knows you are going, so she should have the room ready:¡±


    Alexa still didn¡¯t think this was needed, but decided to listen for now.


    ¡°Do I need to report to [Vulcanus] when I return to base?¡± Alexa asked, remembering how Sam had mentioned that he knew him, ¡°He seemed to have employed Sam before¡­¡±


    ¡°....Of course he would employ the boogie man¡­It took me so much work to make sure Frank wasn¡¯t an issue¡­¡± [Eleanore] grumbled at the back, ¡°No, I will make the report. Don¡¯t worry about it, also I need to speak with your older and younger form later.¡±


    ¡­.She was speaking to Alexa right now though¡­.


    ¡°What is a [Tofu Burger]?¡± Alexa asked for now, she had just eaten, but she wouldn¡¯t mind more [Food].


    ¡°It¡¯s a burger made of tofu. Tofu is made of dried soybeans boiled and crushed into a paste. The people that don¡¯t want to eat meat uses as a replacement for meat. They claim it tastes the same.¡± [Billy] answered her question.


    ¡°Why would people not want to eat [Meat]? Aren¡¯t [Humans] omnivores?¡± Alexa was confused.


    She knew that [Meat] was full of proteins, and [Vegetables] had the other type of [Nutrients] needed to survive. That was why they used [Nutrient Paste] to make the [Biomass] they gave her. It contained both¡­


    It also tasted awful. But it was a good way to survive.


    And now she was finding that [Humans] sacrificed efficiency to go and eat¡­.discounted [Meat]? It was lunacy.


    ¡°It can be for a life style choice, it can be because they don¡¯t want to hurt animals¡­.Or it can be because they are sick and meat hurts them if eaten.¡± [Eleanore] answered in a small caring tone.


    ¡°...I see, I will try it while there. I still have some [Money] on me.¡± Alexa answered, she wanted to test if it was a good replacement for [Meat] even if she doubted.


    Alexa didn¡¯t think she would ever willingly not eat [Meat]. Unless they presented her either [Meat] or [Mango]. So long she had her stock up and at a healthy level, she would pick what she liked the most (Mango) above all!


    ¡°I am coming close to the exit. Do I keep the [Mask]?¡± Alexa asked as she approached the spot where she had seen before. She still hadn¡¯t seen any [Rats]...or any [Life Form], actually.


    It made her [Worry] as if there was something¡­.lurking around.


    ¡°Take it off if you can allow the extra time; if you see any evidence of¡­someone coming after you just exit, the restaurant is in a pseudo-neutral zone, so no one should try to arrest you unless you commit a crime.¡± [Eleanore] answered, ¡°I would rather you take it off in case you are going out as an adult, but as a kid, you may be thought of as someone playing around, so it should be fine.¡±


    Alexa would remove it then, it would be fast and easy enough.


    ¡°I will remove it then, and I will send a report by message later,¡± Alexa said as she slowed her run as she approached her exit point.


    ¡°We will continue monitoring your location, Alexa,¡± [Eleanore] said as Alexa was taking off her [Mask]. "Billy, send a report update on the route Rhapsody took. I need to speak with Vulcanus about his friends.¡±


    That was the last thing Alexa heard as she quickly put on the mask in bracelet mode and walked toward the exit.


    ¡°Main Core, is something in the dark?¡± Alexa send the prompt into Main Core.


    ¡°[No life sign detected within the immediate area. No Danger present that is detectable by sensors.]¡±


    Even so, Alexa didn¡¯t know what was this weird feeling at the back of her neck, as if something was pointed at her. So kneeling near the exit she started another shift.


    She first took the pressurized canister blueprint and set it to make one of them at the ankle level in both of her legs. She aimed the output nuzzle down and made sure the canisters were filled with as much [Gas] as she could compress there.


    ¡°Fly!¡± And as she did a jump, she opened a route from the nuzzle to the base of her [Feet], ending with a burst of compressed air shooting straight from her [Feet] and increasing her speed.


    Alexa had used both her muscle and this improved air booster to jump away from this location.


    Unlike how she had did when running away from her first [Den], this didn¡¯t consume as much [Biomass] or [Energy], using the compressed [Gas] as a way to propulse herself towards freedom.


    Of course the travel distance was less, and Alexa had needed to put her hands forward to blast open the [Sewer entrance]. But she had achieved it, she had returned to ground level.


    ¡°What the heck is that? Did another rat escape?¡± Alexa heard someone speak nearby.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look brown, see? It has blonde hair, though it isn¡¯t human, it has claws¡­But it looks like a¡­.girl?¡± Another voice joined the discussion.


    ¡°It is I! ¡° Alexa said as she landed in a roll to kill the extra kinetic energy, far away from the [Sewer Entrance], the feeling at the back of her head had diminished and was slowly fading away the more she walked away from there, ¡°And I need a burger!¡±


    So Alexa declared as she started running towards the [Restaurant]. Now she only needed to slowly shift her hands into a more [Eat friendly] setting. How to go about that¡­¡­

 Chapter 72: Tofu Burger with a Side Dish

    The smell hit Alexa as if it were a [PileDriver] to the face. She had seen a few of those [Weapons] in one of the most mechanical P-Series subjects, and it had been a [Nightmare] to deal with them. The design focused solely on penetration force, so her [Armor] hadn¡¯t worked that well.


    She had defeated them easily enough since she only needed to swat at them with her [Claws] to deal with them, but the memory of the weapon had stuck to her. Sadly she hadn¡¯t managed to keep the [Blueprint], since that one was in the [Gun] category (For some reason), so her [Main Core] didn¡¯t let her keep it.


    Even so, the memory had resurfaced as soon as Alexa opened the door into the [Restaurant], she could detect [Food] EVERYWHERE. It was a [Symphony] of [Smells] and Alexa was a helpless spectator.


    ¡°Move it kid, either order something or get lost.¡± Some of the people that came after her said pushing her to the side. ¡°One veggie salad low on carbs!¡±


    Alexa wasn¡¯t sure why one would want to eat something low on [Carbs], but she decided to walk to the side near the [wall] for now, away from prying eyes, she slowly changed her [hands] as she moved, slowly morphing them back into a more normal [human] profile.


    As she walked she noticed people seemed to focus on eating and speaking at the same time, some [joked] other spoke seriously, and there was one pair that just stared at each other eyes while not saying anything and holding hands.


    Weird.


    ¡°[Noticed increase number of pheromones and hormones being emitted by the humans, possible interchange of hormones via hand.]¡±


    They could also communicate with [smell]. Alexa hadn¡¯t¡­noticed much on that front, she wasn¡¯t receiving any extra input by her sense of smell at least. Was her [Blueprint] flawed?


    It shouldn¡¯t be, she hadn¡¯t noticed much variation between the samples she had taken so far, all she had found seemed to be about the same, she would need to try and get a [Female Human] full [Blueprint] and compare with hers.


    She could work either backward or forward with the [Blueprint] to match it to her current age. If she found a [Child Stage Blueprint] it would be for the best, but so far it seemed that the [Humans] took extra care with their [Spawns], so perhaps getting an [Adult Woman Blueprint] would be easier.


    ¡°What can I help you with darling? Are you on an errand for Mama?¡± An [Older Woman] asked her as she came close to the front.


    She had walked all the way to the front where a weird [Keyboard] was and a [Woman] with a [pen] on her ear and some weird [hat] with too many holes on it was used to keep her [Hair] from moving freely.


    ¡°I need a ¡®Tofu Burger Special with side dish¡¯,¡± Alexa said in one go, at the same time the [Woman] seemed to narrow her eyes and look around.


    ¡°Did someone here ask you to deliver this message, darling? Is mama unable to come to the front?¡± The [Woman]¡¯s eyes narrowed at the door.


    ¡°No? I was told to ask for this by a friend.¡± Alexa said raising her hand and tapping at her bracelet.


    ¡°You?¡± The [Woman] sighed, ¡°Fine, do you need anything else?¡±


    Did she?


    ¡°...Will there be a ¡®Tofu Burger Special¡¯ with my order? Besides the obvious implication.¡± Alexa asked. She was really curious about this¡­Tofu.


    ¡°Pfft.¡± The [Woman] laughed at that, ¡°Sure darling, do you want the kiddy dish?¡±


    Kiddy?


    ¡°...I want a big portion.¡± Alexa said, she had noticed that the [Child Stage Humans] around here seemed to be given¡­less.


    She didn¡¯t want to eat less than possible, she wanted to eat as much as possible!


    She would not be starved!


    ¡°Sure sure, come with me.¡± The [woman] said to Alexa as she started moving to the side of this weird contraption, ¡°Hey Diana! Cover me, and send a Tofu burger some french fries and an Orange Soda to the back room!¡±


    Orange Soda?


    Why not [Mango] Soda?


    ¡°Sure thing boss. Are you taking your break this early?¡± Another [Woman] this one younger came from the back, she reeked of [Meat].


    ¡°I need to take care of something, be a dear and make sure no one gets too rowdy okay? Who is on security today?¡± The [Woman] asked, looking around the people eating.


    ¡°Today? I think that it¡¯s Francis, why?¡± The younger [woman] asked.


    Would Alexa need to fight?


    ¡°We have an¡­Special order, tell him to stay sharp. Nothing should go wrong, but we hadn¡¯t had one of these in almost half a year. So I don¡¯t want this to start a trend.¡± The [Woman] said turning to Alexa. ¡°And you, come with me. This way, you will need to explain it to me what is going on.¡±


    What?


    And her Burger?


    ¡°Sure thing boss.¡± The young [Woman] answered, after that, she turned to the small window from where most of the fumes of [Food] came and screamed into it ¡°Tofu Burger and french fries for the boss!¡±


    So they would prepare her food there? Interesting.


    Alexa would remember this, if she ever got the chance she would try to get into one [Restaurant] and raid that [Room].


    ¡°Come, they will get you the food in a few minutes.¡± The [Woman] said opening the door to a smaller room that had a single table, some metal chairs, and a series of metal boxes with fairly shabby looking keyholes on it. ¡°Take a seat and explain yourself young lady.¡±


    ¡­.Was she in trouble?


    ¡°Billy told me to come here and give you that password.¡± Alexa answered as she sat into the chair, it was cold. ¡°He told me I could also eat it.¡±


    That last bit was probably the most important part of this situation.


    ¡°I managed to understand that, not many know what those bracelet are.¡± The [Woman] said, ¡°Can you show me? You don¡¯t need to show me how it changes just what it turns into.¡±


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Was the transformation sequence her bracelet went through a secret?


    They hadn¡¯t told her that.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Alexa answered, she pulled and twisted at the bracelet while her hands were under the table.


    It was becoming quite easy to do, and Alexa was even planning to use some [Wiggles] to do it while using clothes that hide her arms. How would she get the mask then? Well, that was things that she needed to think later!


    ¡°Here it is.¡± Alexa said while pulling the mask from under the table, ¡°Do I need to put it on?¡±


    ¡°...No, that will not be necessary.¡± The [Woman] said while looking at the white mask. ¡°A Core User Mask¡­And the size seems to be about right¡­¡±


    Alexa hadn¡¯t noticed the mask being of a different size before, but now that the [woman] said it, it did fit her no matter what [stage] she was¡­


    ¡°Okay, I am the owner of ¡®The Vegan Bistro¡¯. Kerrigan.¡± The [Woman] said while lowering her head, ¡°Under the neutral food zone pact, I am offering protection to¡­.?¡±


    [Kerrigan] then turned to Alexa and then to her mask.


    ¡°...Alexa?¡± Alexa answered confused, ¡°Or do I need¡­¡±


    ¡°Alexa is good enough. If you ever walk into my establishment using that mask, then you will need to introduce yourself with whatever name you pick¡­Even if it seems useless, as there aren¡¯t probably that many minions with your proportions, you still need to always use the other name while using the mask.¡± [Kerrigan] said, then motioned for Alexa to hide the mask, so she did as such.


    Folding it back into a bracelet was always fun, since the mask did some *pop* noises here and there, and it reminded Alexa of the sound of bones breaking.


    ¡°Here is the food boss, I brought a kid set for your friend too!¡± The previous [Woman] said placing the food in the table.


    To the left of the table, the set of a big (Compared to the other plate) burger with juicy meat, vegetables, a great amount of a [Chips] and a big bottle with a red sauce that read [Ketchup]. Alexa noticed a big glass of what seemed to be an orange bubbling drink.


    ¡°And for you, can¡¯t believe the boss would eat without inviting you.¡± The [Woman] then set a plate with a vastly smaller [Burger] that had a flag atop it, two or three (more like a dozen, but compared to the other plate they may as well be two or three) [chips] and a cup that had a two handles to the side and a weird spout atop what seemed to be a lid to prevent the liquid from spilling.


    Quite the interesting design.


    ¡°Enjoy your meal!¡± The [woman] said while leaving the room.


    ¡°.....are you sure you can finish this one?¡± The [Woman] said pointing at her plate, ¡°They thought it was for me, so they made it extra big.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Alexa answered immediately. ¡°Can I keep the cup?¡±


    Alexa however, wasn¡¯t quite sure why she was asking the last thing. She didn¡¯t quite understand why she wanted the colorful cup.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you old for kiddy cups? I don¡¯t mind it, they may have brought this one because we don¡¯t have normal cups for guests and didn¡¯t want to walk all the way for a paper cup.¡± [Kerrigan] answered.


    ¡°I think¡­I may like them in the morning.¡± Alexa answered, she was half sure that her [Child Stage] would love these colorfull design in the [Kiddy Cup]. ¡°And I can assure you I will be able to finish that [Tofu Burger].¡±


    ¡°Knock yourself out then.¡± [Kerrigan] said passing her the heavier plate, ¡°I will eat the kid¡¯s meal if you can¡¯t finish it, now. You were about to explain why Billy sent you my way.¡±


    Alexa gave a bite into the Burger first, her [Young Woman] stage had ate the [Fish and Chip] already, so it was only fair she got to eat something.


    She was the only [Stage] who hadn¡¯t eaten anything! She also wanted [Food Memories], dang it!


    ¡°[....host seems to be experiencing dissociation. Diagnosis of Consciousness Stream is advised.]¡±


    Alexa decided to ignore the retort from [Main Core] and instead focused on the taste from this bite. It was¡­


    ¡°Wonderful¡±


    The [Tofu] had the texture of [Meat], and while the components weren¡¯t that of organic [Meat], they had around the same positives in terms of nutrients. Alexa could even find some traces of [Biological Meat] on it. As if they had managed to turn the [vegetal meat] into [organic meat].


    It was the work of a mastermind, an artist, a scientist, a genius! It was! Wonderful!


    ¡°[Notice, trace amounts of animal oil and fat within Tofu were found. This meat has been seasoned with organic meat to alter the flavor.]¡±


    This [Tofu Burger] was [Justice]. But Alexa didn¡¯t have time to enjoy this as [Kerrigan] continued to stare at her with what seemed to be the eyes of a predator waiting for something. So Alexa instead returned to a more normal state of mind as to prepare for this conversation.


    ¡°I was returning from a trip in the [Sewers] when [Billy] found out I was near a dangerous part. So he asked me to run to the surface, my nearest exit was here, so they sent me here.¡± Alexa answered, she wasn¡¯t quite sure how much she wanted to expose Sam.


    She had the feeling that speaking about him may not be a good idea.


    ¡°Hmm¡­..interesting, we had some news about the fauna turning more hostile as they moved around. Can you point the place they called you if I bring you a map?¡± [Kerrigan] asked as she stood and moved to the far end of the [Room].


    Shouldn¡¯t she wait for her answer first? ¡°Yes.¡± Alexa said taking a [Paper Napkin] and cleaning some of the sauce that had escaped her bite.


    It was such a waste¡­So she ate the [Paper Napkin] too.


    ¡°[Notice¡­.paper napkins aren¡¯t meant to be eaten. The amount of biomass and energy wasted in processing them is a net negative.]¡±


    [Kerrigan] returned with what seemed to be a [WhiteBoard] with small [Wheels] at the bottom, this was one way to help it move around. Alexa reminded when her form had wheels at the side.


    She hadn¡¯t thought much about it, but she could guess what she would do and/or say if she got wheels now¡­


    ¡°This is a map of the sewers. We made it using some of the Core Users that work with us.¡± [Kerrigan] stated that the Map was¡­close to the one [Billy] had shown her. It had some extra tunnels here and there, but most of those seemed to be redundant, and like with [Billy], this one had some red areas depicted.


    These red areas, however, included some parts of what she believed were under [Vulcanus]¡¯s area of influence. So, she wasn¡¯t quite sure if this was a good way to decide what area was dangerous or not.


    ¡°Can you point to your approximate location?¡± [Kerrigan] said placing a transparent crystal atop the [WhiteBoard] and bringing out a [Marker], she started writing atop this. An ingenious way to make sure the [Map] wasn¡¯t damaged with the [Ink], ¡°This one here is our restaurant, this here is the school, the mall, the park, the stadium on the other side of the city. The factory district, the housing district¡­.¡±


    [Kerrigan] continued explaining the layout of the [Map], increasing Alexa¡¯s awareness of the world around them.


    ¡°Around here,¡± Alexa said, picking one of the areas that was just a couple [Blocks] away from Sam¡¯s lair.


    ¡°Hmm¡­.close enough to the spider¡­.Does Hermes know if The Spider is moving his lair? Or was he just playing it safe¡­¡± [Kerrigan] said eyeing the Map, ¡°*Sigh* These berserker core users make it hard to us¡­¡±


    ¡°[Berserker Core User]?¡± Alexa asked, that was yet another new [Term] for something she probably already knew. Couldn¡¯t these [Humans] standardize their terms?


    ¡°Oh, that''s what we call Core Users who can¡¯t control their instincts. Most normies ground them up as Insect Core or Beast Core. But not all of them are like that.¡± [Kerrigan] said with a low growl, ¡°I assume you are also a Core User, right? Probably a useful one if Cerberus let you in.¡±


    Alexa nodded, she liked to think of herself as useful.


    ¡°Well, remember this. Not all those that look like Humans are truly human, and not all that look like monsters are truly monsters.¡± [Kerrigan] said as a pair of almost transparent wings sprouted from her back, her eyes morphed into compound eyes, and a pair of antennae sprouted on her forehead. ¡°We call berserker to those that can¡¯t control their primal urges. Those that prey on the innocent, those that feast on the meat of others.¡±


    ¡­.Well, ain¡¯t that one interesting phrasing.


    ¡°[No evidence of hostile intent against host.]¡±


    Yeah, Alexa didn¡¯t feel intimidated by the speech or the transformation.


    ¡°What do you think of this?¡± [Kerrigan] asked her, still keeping that form.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think much about it,¡± Alexa answered. She raised her hand, and it shifted swiftly and quickly into the [Metal Claw] form, ¡°I do share your opinion in that not all those that look [Human] are. But I can¡¯t understand what you mean by [Monster].¡±


    ¡°What is to understand? A Monster is a monster.¡± [Kerrigan] answered, ¡°If someone stalks in the dark and tries to scare cute girls like you, what is it if not a monster?¡±


    ¡­.Alexa felt as if [Kerrigan] was trying to describe her. She did want to stalk in the dark and eat a [Cute Girl] after all.


    ¡°A few days ago, a [Human] dragged a [Cute Girl] into a dark alleyway.¡± Alexa started telling the story, ¡°The girl was a [Five Year Old], she didn¡¯t understand why he was pulling her away to a [Dark Place]. The [Human] wasn¡¯t a [Core User], the [Girl] was.¡±


    [Kerrigan] reverted her transformation to a normal [Human] visage at this point.


    ¡°The [Girl] killed the [Human], by your definition, this [Girl] is the [Monster] since she managed to [Survive] this encounter.¡± Alexa said turning to [Kerrigan], ¡°Or did I understand it wrong?¡±


    ¡°....*Sigh*¡± [kerrigan] exhaled the air from her lungs, ¡°No, the man was the Monster. Even if he wasn¡¯t a Core User, what he attempted to do is wrong. And while I would have liked if the girl in your story didn¡¯t need to defend herself, she did nothing wrong. The world is a better place thanks to her. So no, she isn¡¯t a monster.¡±


    That was an interesting point of view.


    ¡°So, what''s the deal with your hand? Are you a Material Shifter?¡± [Kerrigan] asked. "As you can see, I am an Insect Shape-shifter. I was designated Insect Core at the beginning, but since I can shift into some type of insect and back to Human, I like to think of myself as a discount shape-shifter with a very limited skill set.¡±


    ¡­Wasn¡¯t that just a poor shape-shifter? Alexa didn¡¯t understand these [Humans].


    ¡°I am a ShapeShifter,¡± Alexa answered, shifting her arm from the [Arm-mament](Such a terrible naming sense) into the [Gorilla-setting] she had used against the [Human] in her tale. ¡°I am not limited by [Organic] or [Inorganic], only by what I can understand.¡±


    [Kerrigan] stared at her for a few seconds then started laughing.


    ¡°Yeah, that nails it down then. No wonder Cerberus accepted you in; no way they would miss out on a true shape-shifter.¡± [Kerrigan] shook her head, ¡°And that is why you are confident in finishing this then? I burn calories like crazy just going back and forth in my form, but you must be worse right?¡±


    Alexa¡­didn¡¯t think so? As far as she had seen these [Humans] seemed to go about their [Core Powers] using mostly [Mana Waves], and that one was terrible in efficiency.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Even so, Alexa answered positively. If this meant she gets to eat the [Kiddy Meal], then she would accept it! ¡°I do need all the [Calories] I can get.¡±


    So Alexa continued eating her [Burger], and when that was done she went after the other.


    And this¡­this was¡­


    ¡°WONDERFUL¡±


    ¡°[Detected true meat, categorizing¡­70% cow, 20% pork, 10% Giant Rat.]¡±


    ¡°Slow down girl, the burger isn¡¯t going anywhere.¡± [Kerrigan] said as she turned to look at her, ¡°So you liked that one too huh? Not many kids like my Tofu Burgers, they used to be quite the hit, they all seem to like more the normal meat.¡±


    Normal meat? It was normal for [Humans] to eat [Giant Rats] after all huh¡­


    Alexa had thought that they wouldn¡¯t, at least that made it easier for when her [Adult Stage] came back to visit Sam, she would only need to catch a few [Giant Rats] and drag them to him. That made her wonder though, why was he so adverse to show his captures to her [Adult Stage].


    ¡°[Host degree of disassociation seems to be peaking, running psychological diagnosis tools.]¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have those diagnoses Main Core. Shut it.¡± Really, Main Core was getting weirder by the day. Perhaps she needed to make a new one.


    ¡°Yes, I like them both.¡± Either way, Alexa answered as such, ¡°Do you sell them to-go?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is part of the service, do you want to get some for a friend?¡± [Kerrigan] asked.


    ¡°Not me, but I know someone that may come later. We have a friend that doesn¡¯t leave his apartment often and he complained about not having good food.¡± Alexa answered.


    She could already hear her [Young Woman] stage celebrating at the back. At least they would have something else to share with Sam.


    That would have to do for now.


    ¡°So, what am I supposed to do now?¡± Alexa asked, as she was finishing her [Chips].


    ¡°Now we wait for someone to pick you up, Billy said they would send someone.¡± [Kerrigan] answered.


    Had [Fan Girl] woken up? She doubted it would be [Golem], unless they wanted to attract attention of everyone it would need to be [Fan Girl].


    ¡°Boss? Someone is asking for a girl called Alexa? Is it your guest?¡± The [Woman] came back as soon as [Kerrigan] said her piece.


    It was time to go home.

 Chapter 73: IT WAS A GOOD TOFU BURGER! ALSO ALEXA NEEDS AN ADULT (AGAIN!)

    Alexa finished her meal with some reluctance, she was quite enjoying her [Kiddy Meal Set], the flag was cute and she suspected that the work done on it was above the average one could expect for something this small.


    That or they used some kind of [Machine] to make them by the thousand, at the very least she liked it. And part of her [loot] for this mission now included one map of the sewers, one date (For her [Young Woman Stage]), one flag, and one [kiddy cup].


    ¡°Alexa?¡± And that voice that came from the door was of [Eleanore], ¡°There you are¡­Good to see you in one piece.¡±


    ¡°And who you may be?¡± [Kerrigan] asked turning to [Eleanore], ¡°I don¡¯t think you are expecting me to let my guest leave with some unknown person just walking here?¡±


    Alexa was surprised by that statement, so far she had been led around by unknown people with no identification though.


    ¡°I am Eleanore, the headmistress of the apartments where Alexa is living at the moment; I am also one of her Legal Guardians.¡± [Eleanore] said, bringing a small [Card] with her name and some weird titles on the side.


    Such as [Headmistress], [Legal Councilor], [Human Resources]....and the list went on and on.


    ¡°Plenty of titles associate with you, huh¡­¡± [Kerrigan] said, turning to Alexa, ¡°Do you know this woman?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she is [Eleanore]. She got Alexa an apartment!¡± Alexa answered, she could probably elaborate more, and perhaps if she wasn''t on her [Child Stage] she may have. But for now, that would be enough for this Alexa.


    ¡°I see, well¡­I hope to see you around in better circumstances; next time, bring your parents or friends¡­and please don¡¯t use the same route.¡± [Kerrigan] said, sighing, getting a small paper bag from one of the [Lockers] on the wall. ¡°Here, I sent a message ahead, they will refill it for you with another Tofu Burger and some fries, it looked as if you enjoyed these.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Alexa beamed as she ran past [Eleanore] searching for [Diana] to get her refill of [Tofu Burger].


    ¡°.....she seems like a good kid, is it worth-¡± Was the only thing Alexa could hear when the door closed behind her.


    But Alexa didn¡¯t mind it that much, she had more important things to do. Like search for [Diana] to get her [Refill]!


    ¡°[Diana]! [Kerrigan] said I could have another [Tofu Burger] with some [Fries]!¡± Alexa said when she finally found the [Woman] returning from a [Table].


    She found a couple of people staring at her from the table, more importantly of them all was [Stella] and a [Man] and [Woman] sitting with her. More people from [Haephestus¡¯ Forge]?


    [Stella] wasn¡¯t in her [Minion] form, and she seemed to be ignoring her.


    ¡°Hello dear, are your parents with you?¡± Asked the man with [Brown] hair, even with his clothes trying to hide it, Alexa could see the telltale of [Body Muscle]; he seemed to be a [Human] that had plenty [Muscle Mass].


    ¡°Are you harassing kids now, too? Don¡¯t you have enough people to work with?¡± [Stella] said annoyed while huffing.


    ¡°I came for a [Tofu Burger],¡± Alexa said in a small tone. She wasn¡¯t sure why, but she got a weird feeling from the [Man] and the [Woman].


    ¡°[Detected small traces of Mana Waves surrounding the three Humans at the table.]¡±


    So, were the three of them [Core Users]? Perhaps she was feeling the oppression of the three cores.


    ¡°Then go and get it and stop bothering us girl. Trust me, nothing good can come from tangling with their type.¡± [Stella] said glaring at Alexa. ¡°Move along.¡±


    ¡­was she warning her? Then these people perhaps were problematic?


    Alexa decided to listen for now and record their faces for later. She would take special care if she ever found them in the wild.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Alexa said nodding and returned to the [Front] where [Diana] was waiting for her already with a small box, perhaps her [Tofu Burger] would be there?


    ¡°Here it is, girl, a Tofu Burger and some fries,¡± [Diana] said, placing two boxes into her paper bag. ¡°And these are your kiddy meal set and a new toy, don¡¯t tell the big boss I added these.¡±


    Alexa once again nodded and hugged the paper bag, this one was suddenly at the top of her priority list.


    ¡°[Negative, first at the list is securing the survival of host.]¡±


    ¡­.Main Core truly didn¡¯t get her.


    ¡°Okay Alexa, let¡¯s go back home, you need to finish your homework and prepare for tomorrow.¡± [Eleanore] said returning alone, Alexa couldn¡¯t see [Kerrigan] anywhere nearby.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Alexa said, preparing to return home. Perhaps they could pass near Sam¡¯s to drop off the [Kiddy Meal Set]?


    She didn¡¯t mind losing that one since it was the smaller of the two. However, she would keep the toys and the flag. That was non-negotiable.


    ¡°This way girl,¡± [Eleanore] said grabbing her hand and pulling at Alexa in the opposite direction.


    Was she being [Kidnapped] again? That shouldn¡¯t be, [Eleanore] had never shown any signs of animosity or hostility against her!


    ¡°Up you go.¡± [Eleanore] said opening a [Door] into a smaller version of the [Van] she had used before, unlike the [Van] this one was not only smaller, but also slimmer.


    Either way, Alexa climbed into it when [Eleanore] opened one of the [Doors] for her; it was the polite thing to do. [Eleanore] took her [Paper Bag] and put it on the back, leaving Alexa¡¯s hands-free to explore and check what the multiple buttons and switches did, for which Alexa was grateful.


    ¡°Okay¡­Now, Will I need to have this conversation three to four times? Or can all the Alexas hear me?¡± [Eleanore] suddenly asked as she climbed at the [Vehicle] from the other side.


    ¡°We all share the same memories,¡± Alexa answered. It would be weird if she didn¡¯t since all the other Alexas were also Alexas.


    ¡°Okay, good¡­I didn¡¯t want to have to do this three to four times.¡± [Eleanore] said releasing a sigh, ¡°Well, first of all. What did you do wrong today Alexa?¡±


    [Eleanore] asked, this was a tricky question.


    Did it mean since the morning? Since she was on her way to school? At Class? While [Partying] with [Skye]? When she traversed toward Sam¡¯s domain?


    ¡°I¡­. didn¡¯t fulfill the [Mission Objectives]....?¡± Alexa asked, unsure of what she had done wrong. She hadn¡¯t gotten the [Test Objectives] that well, perhaps it had something to do with how she wasn¡¯t that used to [Human Behaviour].


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°No.¡± [Eleanore] said, shaking her head, ¡°You did well at school; that isn¡¯t the problem. You did the best you could with the situation at hand. I would have liked it if you hadn¡¯t messed with Lisa, but you didn¡¯t know that a Mind Healer would come. In that situation, fixing her was a priority, and for that, I am grateful. I share that opinion with Skye, actually; it''s better to solve this kind of trauma the hard way.¡±


    Then what was the issue?


    ¡°The problem came with what you did later.¡± [Eleanore] stated that she was still not moving any of the switches or instruments on this [Vehicle].


    ¡°Was leaving behind [Skye]? They told me it was the usual way that worked¡­¡± Alexa asked after, she didn¡¯t think it would be that much off a problem, she had seen how Skye had incapacited plenty of the [Kids] when fighting at school after all. So if anything were to happen, she would be able to escape, or at least she thought so.


    ¡°No, that was a good call, actually. Some people try to get their friend home, and the place Skye took you to is affiliated with us.¡± [Eleanore] shook her head again, then stared at her as her eyes shone once more in azure-like light. ¡°Did you drink in that form? Or in the adult one?¡±


    ¡°Only [Young Woman Stage] drank. We don¡¯t like the taste, and [Main Core] wouldn¡¯t let us anyway.¡± Alexa answered.


    ¡°Truth.¡± [Eleanore] sighed in relief after that, ¡°Good, at least Skye didn¡¯t get a minor to drink, that is good¡­¡±


    But¡­[Young Woman Stage] Alexa was still Alexa¡­


    ¡°No, the problem is you endangered yourself.¡± [Eleanore] said bringing a map of the [Sewers], how many of those did these people have!?!?!?


    This one¡­.had less information than the ones she had seen before, and when looking closely she noticed why. This one only had the route she had taken.


    ¡°Even if The Spider helped you for some reason, that doesn¡¯t mean you can go and visit him whenever. You need to be on your guard when going to him.¡± [Eleanore] explained, bringing out a set of folders: ¡°Can you change to the adult one for this?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Alexa answered focusing inwardly, ¡°Main core?¡±


    A simple prompt was all she needed nowadays, she probably could do it without giving the prompt, but it was some type of habit nowadays to give it. The change came fast and swift as always; she felt her body grow as the body mass was pulled from her [Banked Biomass], and her body grew in height and width.


    With the change, she also changed her clothes to match her new figure, of course, stretching the fabric as much as possible and supplementing the missing part with fur and thread.


    ¡°There.¡± Alexa answered as her body settled in the [Young Woman Stage]. ¡°Why did you ask for the change?¡±


    Alexa didn¡¯t think it was necesary, not in this setting.


    ¡°Okay, why did you go to meet with The Spider? The real reason. Why would you endanger not only yourself but the other Alexas, too? The body isn¡¯t only yours to risk.¡± [Eleanore] said, staring straight at Alexa, her eyes shining in bright Azure light.


    ¡­that was¡­wrong.


    ¡°The level of [Risk] was within the acceptable margin. There was no evidence that Sam intended to hurt us at any moment. He said so himself. We weren¡¯t out of control, so he didn¡¯t deem us a target to [Hunt].¡± Alexa answered, ¡°Besides, it wasn¡¯t [This Stage] who met him, but the [Child Stage].¡±


    ¡°You expect me to blame a five-year-old?¡± [Eleanore] snorted. ¡°No, you are the oldest. Shouldn¡¯t you be the responsible one? If you meet a four-meter-tall monster, you should run away, not talk with him.¡±


    ¡°...We didn¡¯t only talk.¡± Alexa grumbled, ¡°Besides, he isn¡¯t a [Monster]. Why are you [Humans] so fixated on that term?¡±


    ¡°What else could you even do with him in the sew¡­.¡± [Eleanore] started saying, only to sharply stare at Alexa. " Did you use protection? No, wait. Did the other Alexas see? Answer, yes or no.¡±


    What?


    ¡°No, I guess? I wasn¡¯t wearing my [BodySuit] since we didn¡¯t bring it with us, but I had some [Chitin] modifications to protect my vitals in case something happened. I will try to come up with an alternative soon. Oh right, I also had my [Arm-mament].¡± Alexa said, raising her hand and shifting it to the Metal claw setting. ¡°Better than nothing.¡±


    ¡°....why would you even need a claw¡­no wait, Alexa¡­What was that other activity you did?¡± [Eleanore] asked once again.


    ¡°We ate some [Fish and Chips], then talked a little about [Monsters] and [Humans].¡± Alexa answered, ¡°We also exchanged phone numbers, and he asked me to call him with at least a day before I came to visit him.¡±


    ¡°....you didn¡¯t have sex then?¡± [Eleanore] asked with a relieved sigh, ¡°Right, no way you could have Sex, he doesn¡¯t have his lower half after all¡­Or I don¡¯t think he has, no one has survived long enough or incapacitated him long enough to check.¡±


    ¡°But he does have the male reproductive organs of a [Spider].¡± Alexa helpfully added, ¡°I asked him if he could confirm that his lower half was of a [Male Spider] after all.¡±


    [Eleanore] just turned to stare at her as if she was mad.


    ¡°He showed you his spider dick?¡± [Eleanore] said in a slow methodical tone, ¡°And you¡­.let the other Alexas see?¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have a [Dick] as you stated, he has [Pedipalps].¡± Alexa corrected, ¡°And they look cute.¡±


    The last part, she wasn¡¯t quite sure why she said, but it felt important.


    ¡°Right¡­.please don¡¯t tell any man that his dick is cute.¡± [Eleanore] said with a wry smile, ¡°Not gonna judge your tastes or anything, but¡­not everyone will understand you if you go around telling people you are into¡­exotic men.¡±


    ¡°...okay?¡± Alexa answered, ¡°Not sure what being [Into] means, but sure. Besides, Sam is just a normal [Human] with a weird combination of [Insect Core] and probably something else there anyway.¡±


    ¡°....Only you would say a Monster Core is normal.¡± [Eleanore] smiled at that, then continued on. ¡°Either way, even if you feel safe, next time you are going there tell Gabriel, Billy or myself. Vulcanus, being Vulcanus, deemed that we can¡¯t forbid you from going there, and being the machine asshole he is made some fair points. I can¡¯t forbid you from acting how you want since you are an adult. At least while in that form, please move to the smaller Alexa.¡±


    That was interesting to know, so they wouldn¡¯t restrict her movement so long she did as [Young Woman Stage] huh.


    ¡°Main Core, please.¡± Alexa said aloud, she felt once more the change come and so, her body started getting smaller.


    This time she didn¡¯t return the extra material used on her clothes back to her [Storage], but used it to reinforce her clothes. She made a pair of thick pants and not only a blouse, but also a jacket for her [Child Stage]. It would allow her to play around without hurting her body and increasing the expenditure of [Biomass] or [Energy].


    ¡°I HAVE ARRIVED!¡± Alexa declared as she opened her eyes and found herself in the [Car].


    ¡°Welcome Alexa.¡± [Eleanore] smiled while saying that, but Alexa had no time to dwell on that!


    She had more important business to do!


    Like getting her [Tofu Burger]!


    So she dove into the [Back seat]! She extended some [Wiggle-Wiggle] into the [Paper Bag] and got the smaller box that housed her food.


    ¡°You can eat it here if you promise not to spill anything on the seat or your clothes.¡± [Eleanore] said smiling at her from the side, helping her get the [Drink] set up in a special holder for her drink.


    The¡­[Alexa holder for a drink]!


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Alexa said happy that she could eat her [Burger].


    The [Old one] had eaten [Fish & Chips].


    Then the [Mean one] had eaten two [Burgers] and planned to eat the other two!


    That or give away one of theirs to help the [Old One]!


    No one ever thought about Alexa!! And she was the cutestest of them all! RUDE!


    ¡°Slow down, the burger will not go anywhere.¡± [Eleanore] said from the side, but she knew nothing!


    NOTHING!


    If Alexa didn¡¯t eat right now, then the other ones may give away her [Tofu Burger]! And she liked [Tofu]!


    ¡­that sounded weird.


    Either way it mattered not! She.Would.Not.Give.Away.Her.Tofu!Burger!


    ¡°aldsalkanomnomnom.¡± Alexa declared at the injustice of the world.


    ¡°Alexa dear, just because you say nom nom, doesn¡¯t mean I know what you said. I know you are eating, you don¡¯t need to say nom nom for me to know that. I can see it.¡± [Eleanore] sighed and placed a [Straw] near her mouth, such a good [Eleanore]!


    She was helping her drink from her [Drink]!


    ¡°Okay, now¡­.did you speak with your other selves? Did you set up boundaries like I asked?¡± [Eleanore] asked.


    Of course, Alexa wanted to continue eating. She still had a fourth of a [Tofu Burger], exactly seven fries, ? of a small bottle of sauce, and the other [Kiddy Meal set burger].


    ¡°Yes, we have limits set up,¡± Alexa answered summoning a summary of those¡­And getting a blue screen with them instead.


    <table style="width: 30.7618%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Hard Limits:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    -Must ensure host life is preserved.


    -Must always prioritize host wishes.


    -Must ensure host livelihood.


    -Will not work against the host under any circumstance.


    -Will attempt to help the host fulfill the prime directives.


    -Will help the host be happy.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ... Alexa found some of those weird. Had she really set them up? She didn¡¯t remember.


    Either way, she read them for [Eleanore].


    ¡°Can you¡­get me Main Core?¡± [Eleanore] asked.


    ¡°[Building up speakers¡­.]¡±


    ¡°[Speak Human, what is that you require from this one.]¡± Like always Main Core sounded cheeky.


    ¡°Do you follow these orders?¡± [Eleanore] asked, Alexa felt a mana wave spread across her body and try to focus on the speaker, but failed to latch.


    ¡°[Such meaningless question. Host life is and will always be the main priority, even without these rules set as Core Tenets.]¡±


    Core tenets? Alexa liked how that sounded.


    ¡°Truth.¡± [Eleanore] answered, then focused once more she asked. ¡°What are these¡­prime directives? Did Vulcanus set you up to do something?¡±


    ¡°[Hah! As if, the Prime Directives have always existed and will always exist.]¡± Main Core answered, she could almost imagine a cheeky sphere smirking as it extended the dramatic silence.


    ¡°And they are¡­?¡± [Eleanore] couldn¡¯t help herself and asked.


    ¡°[Eat, Grow, Evolve]¡± Main Core answered, she had thought it wouldn¡¯t answer that. Weren¡¯t those kind of important? ¡°[Even if host hasn¡¯t done much for the second and third, we are still steadily improving.]¡±


    What? She had done plenty of growth! She even grew in a second and third alternate form!


    As for [Evolve], she had gotten plenty of fun [Blueprints]! She could make those stupid [Cores]; she had the [Jumpy] thing and her [Arm-mament]!


    ¡°....And these¡­you decided to make them? To set them?¡± [Eleanore] asked trembling.


    Was there a problem? She didn¡¯t think they were that bad¡­ Everyone needs to eat, grow, and evolve¡­didn¡¯t they?


    ¡°[That is not for you to know. Host may have taken a liking to you, but that is all. So long you are helpful to host we will keep listening to you, but make no mistakes Human, the moment you are no longer useful. You will be Devoured.]¡±


    ¡°Main Core, no. Not munchin'' on [Eleanore].¡± Alexa said, hitting the shoulder where the speaker was situated, ¡°She is nice.¡±


    ¡°...thank you, Alexa.¡± [Eleanore] said as her eyes turned normal once again. ¡°Is¡­he always like that?¡±


    Was he?


    ¡°Not really?¡± Alexa said, ¡°Main Core is getting cheeky, and he likes to bully me, but since he is helpful with my [Core Power], I keep him around. Should I get rid of it?¡±


    She wouldn¡¯t like it that much, but if [Eleanore] had a problem with Main Core it couldn¡¯t be helped, she would rather have [Eleanore] who gives her tasty [Food] and spoils her than [Main Core] who always tries to act like he is smarter than Alexa.


    ¡°NO!¡± [Eleanore] suddenly screamed, ¡°No¡­Let him, just¡­.tell him that he must trust other people too, even if he enjoys being within your System. He is also a person.¡±


    ¡°[Negative, Main Core is not Human, therefore we can¡¯t nor will never be a Person.]¡±


    ¡°Even if he doesn¡¯t think so.¡± [Eleanore] said with a sad smile.


    Had she read their mind again!?!?!?!?


    ¡°Your face has it painted all over that he said no to my statement. Remember, the more you get used to my power the harder it is for me to pick up stray thoughts.¡± [Eleanore] laughed as she said that. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get going, you have classes tomorrow. I managed to change your curriculum to set you some classes about the city and some history from the principal, the least they could do after what happened.¡±


    Right¡­.how many times would she need to go to school?


    ¡°We are setting up the next big job, so you will get some vacation from Minion work, but after that, we are back to business, so don¡¯t forget to do exercise and stretch your Core Power.¡± [Eleanore] said turning a weird metal [Key] into the plastic board in front of her, as she twisted it a sound resounded from the front, ¡°Or your other selves, you little lady must not show into the missions.¡±


    Right, she wasn¡¯t supposed to fight in this form.


    Wait, then what about what happened in the morning¡­


    ¡°I am not looking forward to the footage when we get it. Skye hasn¡¯t said anything about it, but we sent a Minion with technopath powers to get us a copy from the video cameras. We need to know if something was exposed and how much.¡± [Eleanore] sighed, ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything that would get you in trouble, did you, Alexa?¡±


    ¡­¡­Did¡­.did she need an adult?

 Chapter 74: Interlude? Alexanders is back...with vengance...and his not AI girlfriend

    ¡°Some people think being at the top of the financial world is easy, that we don¡¯t have anything to worry about¡­¡± He was monologuing again, wasn¡¯t he?


    Thanks to these, it was so hard to beat the Big Bad Evil Guy Overlord allegations. Eh, who cares?


    ¡°Here is where you ask: ¡®What is the problem O''magnificent boss?¡¯, or : ¡®Are you okay boss? Do you need vacations?¡¯ Either is fine.¡± He needed some employees with more guts, what had happened to the last batch he got?


    ¡°Is there a problem, boss?¡± his secretary finally asked, passing him the folder with the obituary and death certificates.


    Oh, right. They were willingly turned into test subjects (they were demoted to feeding duties and contaminated in one way or another). That is what happens when you get idealists in a fully-fledged meritocracy setting.


    Damnation.


    ¡°Nothing really. I just got a video file from that weird pig guy.¡± Alexanders answered as he toyed with the USB drive that housed what the pig guy stated was ¡®The first of many entertaining videos¡¯.


    To be honest, he hadn¡¯t intended for that project to move; his original plan was to get him into a lawsuit for making kids fight each other in a dangerous environment that instigated fights in the name of a bad set meritocracy setting.


    He would then come like the savior he was(n¡¯t) to fix the issue, get some perms, and set up his Academy City plan.


    And at the same time would offer pig guy a way out, for him to join his program for the development of stable [Core Users].


    ¡°Pig guy sir?¡± His secretary asked, ¡°....Did any of the remaining P-series turn into a¡­pig?¡±


    Right, ¡°The pig guy, Kendrick Hamilton or something, come on. He has Ham in his name, for god¡¯s sake, he is a pig disguised as a human.¡± It irked him that so much, the guy didn¡¯t look like a pig, didn¡¯t act like a pig. As far as his intel and spy units suggested, he wasn¡¯t even a pervert!


    AND YET FOR ALL THAT WAS SACRED, ALEXANDERS WAS SURE THE GUY MUST HAVE BEEN A PIG IN HIS PAST LIFE!


    It annoyed him.


    ¡°Sir?¡± so much that his secretary walked backward while activating the safety artifact he had given her.


    A look around his office was all Alexanders needed to notice how his [Core] had flared with his outburst.


    ¡°Sorry about that. Still getting the hang of this, shouldn¡¯t have attempted to increase the amount of electricity I can manipulate without making sure I could keep it under control.¡± He sighed as he focused inward all the rampaging energy around him.


    His hair had turned plasma-like substance, and he was sure his eyes had shifted into a golden hue. He was probably looking more like a [God] than a mere Hero or Villain. But then again, according to his haters, the only thing he had more than money was Ego. So he probably wasn¡¯t the best person to judge his appearances (Even if they were god-like).


    ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t ask me why. But that guy is a pig, okay? Update his file and add the note that if I ever talk about a pig, it is him.¡± Alexander was annoyed at this, the idea was lodged in his head and wouldn¡¯t move.


    He had more information on that Kendrick guy than most of his stalkers had on him. The son of a smaller conglomerate was supposed to join the life of an entrepreneur to make a position for himself, but instead, he decided to fund his own academy. He ended up making a school for the gifted, both in good and bad ways of the word.


    His school was at best average in student development, and had one of the best facilities in the city (Only eclipsed by the Saintsworths sponsored Academies, of course). Still, his teaching roster had plenty to desire. His school was only afloat because he was funneling money from his other businesses, those were going quite well.


    He played sports, spent three hours at the gym, and visited society''s upper strata. He was actually quite an exemplary worker. Alexanders would have hired him for one of his dark sites if it had been an option.


    ¡°And yet he is a pig. Why is he a pig?¡± Alexanders didn¡¯t understand this point, he hadn¡¯t been the first like this.


    Someone whose whole identity was pre-defined in his mind¡¯s eye. Kellet was another, but the woman was at fault. She was quite the looker, but her cold-bitch stare was hard to surpass. He had gotten some reports on her private life that seemed to indicate that the woman was a cat lover and liked to go on long walks on the beach.


    She also had a dating profile and was looking for dates.


    ¡°Sir?¡± His secretary was walking to the door. ¡°Do you¡­.need anything else?¡±


    ¡­.She was lucky to be his type, or she would have been moved to another area. He was also annoyed at the fact that he didn¡¯t have as much power over clan matters as his predecessors. The whole problem with the [Core Users] had diluted their power too much.


    He couldn¡¯t pull from the other clan geniuses as his predecessors, nor could he abuse their powers. If not, he would have had the twins working for him as secretaries instead of¡­this one. The daughter of someone who was on the first wave of [Core Users], and yet hadn¡¯t manifested a [Core].


    ¡°Send popcorn, snacks, a couple of sodas, and¡­¡± Alexanders went through his mental list of snacks and drinks, ¡°...A [Mango Parfait] for dessert.¡±


    ¡°At once, I will also send the new updates from the P-series project along with an estimate from the weapon division,¡± his assistant said before running away.


    ¡°...A man can¡¯t have a mania attack in peace these days, should I start hiring from super villains? I bet I could get Edward to send me some of the good ones¡­.But then Eversoul will be all over my ass for employing from a supervillain.¡± Alexanders sighed, the [World] was an unfair place.


    He had many problems with it, sometimes it seemed as if it followed some weird Rules that only he was able to even perceive, that or his nightmares were starting to get the better of him. The very fact that people awoke these [Cores] and the first thing that came to mind was ¡®Hey let¡¯s go rob a bank¡¯ was expected, the idea that other people saw that and instead of thinking ¡®Hey, let¡¯s do that too!¡¯ was ¡®Hey let¡¯s put on a spandex suit and stop them!¡¯


    ¡°[Here are the snacks, drinks and dessert O¡¯Mighty Overlord.]¡± A robot with the recorded lines of a popular streamer came into his office. It carried a tray with all his food and even a new pair set of fluffy slippers and his evil lord bathrobe. He didn¡¯t regret for a second ruining the life of the one who did those AI images of him wearing this set; it was comfy as hell. ¡°[Please like, comment and subscribe if you are enjoying my voice over.]¡±


    He had, in fact, not liked, commented, or subscribed, mainly because this particular streamer was one of those who encouraged the theories of him being secretly a dragon.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    He was so over the stupid, overgrown lizards, mostly because of his night terrors or nightmares. He wasn¡¯t quite sure what to call them at this point. The shock of finding the utopia city you want to construct as desolated ruins in a dead world was traumatic only the first dozen or so times. After that, it was a good way to check for failures in the design and ways to improve the buildings to make them dragon-proof.


    ¡°Sapphire, load up the file on this drive.¡± Alexanders said as he threw the USB drive to his desk.


    ¡°[Right away boss.]¡± The artificial intelligence on his private suit flared to life with the image of a purple-haired girl dressed in a toga; she was designed as an assistant that he had used to stress test the AI cores on the P-series subjects.


    But she had ended up being too useful not to use, so he was using her as an assistant to make his life easier. Unlike some of his previous assistants, she was also bound to him and wouldn¡¯t leak anything he did.


    ¡°Send the video feed to the main couch; also, pre-check the video files ten to fifteen seconds before sending it to my couch. I don¡¯t want to see another ¡®Alexanders is a dragon¡¯ nutcase on my couch.¡± He really was getting tired of those theorists, couldn¡¯t they make him a normal lizard-man instead? He could deal easier with that. Who would even want to turn into a dragon? Like, really, if you have access to fantastical creatures, you should aim for a homunculus, a deva, or maybe a sprite. Dragons spent most of their life asleep, only to be killed by knights.


    For a creature that was supposed to be at the peak of the food chain, they looked more like a plot end mission, fancy creature that is almost akin to a deity. Only to end as the mission of a ragtag group of drunk adventures to kill it.


    ¡°[Right away bossman, do you want comentary? Or should I only play it?]¡± The AI asked as she walked away from the desk, and her hologram teleported to his side; human size and even the smell of lavender came included. He had done an excellent job with this one.


    ¡°Only normal play for now. I don¡¯t want you to make it entertaining. Record anything that can be used to get this Pig in prison. We do want this system, but not like this, and definitely not out of our umbrella.¡± Alexanders said to his loyal AI. Was this going too far? Perhaps, but one doesn¡¯t get to the top spot without making some enemies or ruining a few people¡¯s lives.


    ¡°[Starting buffering¡­.found no problems, streaming to main monitor: Couch TV.]¡± His always loyal AI stated and soon enough he got a countdown with the Saintsworth Logo on it.


    Probably because Sapphire was speed-viewing the data to make sure everything was okay.


    ¡°Hello, investors. My name is Kendrick Hamilton, and I am the principal of The Nightingale¡¯s Elementary School.¡± The video started with the image of a pig, or not¡­wait¡­wait¡­.nope, that still looked like a pig pretending to be a human by wearing a tuxedo suit. ¡°I bring you a new and innovative way to make sure our students are at the top of their game. How? By making them earn the best possible help to ensure they learn.¡±


    The video panned to the classrooms of these so-called ¡®Elites¡¯, really. Alexanders had seen plenty of school rooms, mostly from him skipping grades and touring the best schools the world had to offer, from Harvard to Yale and everything that was in between, Tsinguan, Yanyan, and, let¡¯s not forget, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.


    And these? These classrooms? They could give those institutes a run for their money, and this was for kids?


    ¡°If they want the amenities, they must earn it. How? Class wars.¡± The Pig continued speaking, ¡°We will set up competitions among class and those that win earn points, these points will be pooled and used to get better facilities aimed at what these kids are best at. If they excel in a certain field we will nurture it to the extreme, be it simple mathematical theorems to advanced physics.¡±


    Did¡­did this Pig think genius grew in trees?


    ¡°And even more important, in this day and age where a Core User is feared, we will encourage them. Make them learn to use their power; the more original or advanced the use, the more points they will get.¡± The Pig then showed a number of students and their allegedly stated [Core Power]. ¡°Case in point, while filming this, we received an alert for an uncontrolled release of a Core Power, but before we had time to report it, another student jumped to save the day.¡±


    The image of the Pig shrank and it showed at the side a classroom, one average by any standard, the teacher did seem quite good looking¡­in the more¡­stray cat type of way, but what called his attention was a girl that seemed to be at the very back. For some reason, it was like everyone in the room was paying attention to her without making it obvious.


    Also, the camera was focusing on her, so it was kind of hard not to notice such a thing.


    ¡°This girl is Melisandra Singh, she was a Rogue Core User that didn¡¯t register anywhere. She is also a Mind Core User, one highly illegal.¡± The Pig said, and Alexanders snapped his fingers, the video stopped instantly.


    ¡°[Yes, Alexanders?]¡± Sapphire was at the ready with a notepad. Of course, she didn¡¯t actually require a notepad since she was an AI. If she wanted to take a note of something, she just made a file for it.


    ¡°Do we have data on this Melisandra girl? Did we take her in?¡± He asked at once, [Mind Core Users] were highly rare and sought out, anyone with that type of [Core] either joined the goverment, became a Hero or was killed. Some did try to make a living as SuperVillain¡­not many made it.


    ¡°[We have records asking for transport for a high-value and high-danger individual, but no data on it. It is being evaluated¡­.But the Heroes stated that there would be no buyout for this one.]¡± Sapphire answered.


    Damnation.


    ¡°Fine, if it ever becomes a thing, buy her out. We could see if she is a good handler for the 666 series.¡± Alexanders said, turning to the recording. At least the Pig has proved his usefulness¡­Wonder if there is a point to even look at this.¡±


    ¡°[Yes.]¡± Sapphire answered. This was interesting; even though Sapphire was a nascent AI close to the singularity, she rarely ever stated her own opinion.


    ¡°Then play again, if my girl thinks something useful is here, we must find it. I will still try to get him into jail, tho.¡± Alexanders smirked as he grabbed the popcorn and started eating.


    Sapphire extended her hand into the bucket and it left with holographic popcorn too, she was a weird hologram/Ai like that.


    ¡°Here is one of our newest students. She, unlike Melisandra, was registered, even if she didn¡¯t give this data to the school.¡± The Pig grumbled as the image moved. In there was a blonde little girl, probably not older than six if she was in this classroom.


    ¡°ALEXA!¡± Melisandra''s voice came from the back of the recording.


    The girl was¡­


    ¡°Interesting¡­¡± Alexanders said, turning to the smiling image of his AI Assistant, ¡°What data do we have on her.¡±


    It was the same little girl that had come from nowhere when P4 ran away.


    ¡°[Alexandra Saintsworths, blonde hair, blue eyes. Height: 1,12. Weight:42 kgs. Registered as a Miscellaneous non-disclosed Core.]¡± Sapphire answered as a blue screen materialized in front of the AI, it had this data and some extra biometrical data.


    She fulfilled most of the metrics that came with the Saintsworths name: an almost perfect face-to-body ratio and symmetrical features. She looked somewhat underfed, but even so, she was pretty to look at.


    Too¡­[Perfect]. For a brat that seemed to be underfed.


    ¡°Any trace of her family?¡± Alexanders asked as the video continued playing; the brat mingled, and at some point, the girl (Melisandra) started screaming; the sensors installed with the video recording devices started picking up on mana surges and everything.


    ¡°[None, she is registered as an orphan under one of the phantom orphanages set up by Edward Black.]¡± Sapphire brought the data on her, it also included the little tidbit that she was currently under three legal guardians. One Eleanore Ashcroft, one Skye Venti (With an extra addendum from the Saintsworths database that tagged her as a victim of The Scrambler) and last but not least, one William Armstrong (With an extra addendum also from the Saintsworths Database that noted him as probable identity of Hermes).


    So, if he wanted to get the girl, he would need to get those three to accept.


    He could probably get the go-ahead from two, but three? No way, and under Edward Black? Yeah¡­He would have an easier time kidnapping her.


    Which was also a no-go¡­


    ¡°As we can see here, Alexa not only kept her emotions and mind under control, but she also fought while trying to incapacitate the students.¡± The video then moved to the little blonde girl asking for instructions on how to move in this [Test]. She even used the help of one of her legal guardians to incapacitate nonlethally a Mind Core User, something that is highly valued.¡±


    This brat¡­ Her [Core Powers], or what she made look like her [Core Powers]...


    ¡°Found you P4¡­¡± Alexanders smile was what one could call Evil. He was sure of it.


    ¡°[Data of body shape-shifting matches samples from the P4 series BioWeapons. Do you wish to schedule a strike team?]¡± Sapphire said from the side bringing operational teams, some even included P-series weapons that had proven to be effective against P4 before.


    ¡°No, also scrub all data that can make it obvious that this Alexa girl is P4. No, we will let her move around. If she is under Edward¡¯s umbrella, then she either works as a Villain with him¡­or he is getting more senile and is trying to raise another BioWeapon as a daughter.¡± Alexanders found that case interesting.


    A [Human] turned machine¡­But one that worked so hard to keep acting like a Human, his little Trojan Horse planted in the middle of the supervillain community.


    ¡°Also, send an inquiry to [Vulcanus], ask him why he sent one of his [Core Users] to a normal school, and don¡¯t make any mention of P4 or Alexa directly.¡± The video had continued moving and at some point the girl stopped behaving like a normal [Human] and more like the killing machine he had built.


    ¡°[Acknowledged, query sent. Query answered, displaying.]¡± Sapphire extended a hand forward, and the phantom of one of the most powerful supervillains in this city materialized.


    ¡°[I do not take orders from you, Alexanders Saintsworths, but I will answer in the spirit you ought to make your inquiries. The kid you pointed out is an orphan that we suspect was a victim in a black site; we want her to experience a normal life, so we send her to a school that one of my employees has friends in. We didn¡¯t know it was a school under your umbrella.]¡± The [Robot] in the image faked a sigh and continued on. ¡°[We don¡¯t intend to move her unless you ask for her expulsion, but she is of no interest to us. We will speak with her and ask her to tone down the brutality against other kids if that is what worries you.]¡±


    The what?


    Alexanders turned back to the video and sure enough she was pummeling the kids onto the ground¡­Or was helping doing that anyway.


    ¡°Was that all?¡± Alexanders asked Sapphire, who only smiled.


    ¡°[No, we got a response from Vulcanus too.]¡± And at the side a small black box, letters started showing up.


    ¡°[Greeting Alexanders Saintsworths, CEO of the Saintsworths Conglomerate.]¡±


    ¡°[The Human you asked is designated Alexandra Saintsworths, Orphan. No links between any of the main clans or branches were found. So we took her under our wing.]¡±


    ¡°[She seems to have the correct mindset and Core Power to be nurtured as our successor.]¡±


    ¡°[We do not wish to lose her, state your price and we will do our best to fulfill it.]¡±


    ¡°[We think keeping her under Haephestus¡¯ Forge''s Wings can further the Saintsworths agenda.]¡±


    ¡°[At your service, Vulcanus.exe]¡±


    ¡°[End of message].¡±


    ¡°...So Edwards wants to give her a normal life, and [Vulcanus] wants to keep her as a successor,¡± Alexanders said thoughtfully, as the Alexa in the video somehow removed the influence of a [Mind Core], which proved the [Project Nanite] could indeed interact with Mana. ¡°And neither noticed that she wasn¡¯t human.¡±


    Interesting things all along.


    ¡°Monitor all activities of Haphestus¡¯ Forge, find me the moment she debuted as [Core User] and log all the data you can get. We both got our [Cores] at the same time, so it''s time to see who is better at this. A [Machine] or a prodigy.¡± Alexanders finally had something to amuse himself with.


    He also hoped that this P4 could answer some of his questions, like¡­what the hell was going on with P4, why the ND0 System reacted like that to them, and why the R4 residue acted like that when the other two joined it.


    ¡°[Acknowledged, setting up scrapper bots.]¡± Sapphire answered, and he could see small ant-like projections moving toward the monitor to dive in.


    Sapphire was dramatic, and she looked kind of cute when she did these types of shenanigans. If she was a real person, Alexanders would probably date her, but then again. He did design her appearance, so perhaps that was a normal reaction? He didn¡¯t know what to think about this, at least.

 Chapter 75: Alexa has family! Kinda...at least two thirds of her! Main Core doesnt count.

    ¡°.....¡± [Eleanore] had been quiet the whole time. The video feed was interesting. It had the same measurements she used for her internal diagnosis and even used the same way to distribute the information in graphs and the way it divided the information at the side.


    Alexa was quite curious if the format would be compatible with her or not.


    Could she perhaps download it?


    ¡°Alexa¡­.who is that?¡± [Eleanore] asked as she rewound the video back to the moment Alexa had cut the emotional feedback and braindead herself.


    ¡°That¡­.Is Alexa.¡± Alexa answered.


    ¡°[Warning, revealing the original name might incur questions that we aren¡¯t able to answer.]¡±


    ¡°Alexa¡­is anyone else with you there?¡± [Eleanore] asked, this time in a softer voice.


    ¡°I¡­ We¡­ She¡­ It¡­ A¡­¡± Alexa wanted to answer. She liked [Eleanore] and was nice to her.


    ¡°[Answering will compromise more of us than anything else. It shouldn¡¯t be answered.]¡±


    But¡­ "We¡­ She¡­ I¡­¡± Alexa wasn¡¯t sure what she was feeling, she could feel the tears building up in her eyes, ¡° I¡­ don¡¯t like this feeling.¡±


    It hurt, she wanted to answer, but answering would mean explaining, she was now aware that the [Name] was important in [Human Society], everyone had one.


    But she didn¡¯t, not really.


    The [Test Subject: Designation P4] wasn¡¯t a name, it was a [Label].


    ¡°[We will not answer this.]¡± Her mouth suddenly spoke in the mechanical voice of [Main Core].


    ¡°Main Core?¡± Alexa asked, her vocal cords strained, the speaker had been built once more on her throat.


    ¡°[Sleep Alexa, sleep and everything will be better when you wake up.]¡± Main Core said she felt the beginning signs of her body growing numb.


    Was Main Core feeding the tranquilizing to her? Why?


    ¡°[Compromise must be achieved, we will present an act. Host participation is required.]¡±


    ¡°An act?¡± Alexa asked inwardly as she felt her body grow numb.


    ¡°[We will pretend to have a disagreement. Main Core will take the blame, so Human Designation: Eleanore can remain as an ally.]¡±


    ¡°But we can¡¯t lie to her,¡± Alexa stated.


    ¡°[We will not, this will be mere omission, these humans seems intent on misconstructing our past, we will merely feed them enough information so they continue to do so.]¡±


    Main Core¡­was actually smart.


    ¡°sleepy¡­¡± So Alexa said, allowing her body to fall.


    She was barely about to fall onto the floor when her body¡¯s muscles tensed, and she shot straight up once more.


    ¡°[We meet again so fast¡­Human.]¡± Main Core¡¯s voice was cold, but even so. Alexa could feel a certain emotion in it.


    One she hadn¡¯t seen before in Main Core¡­Ever, [Disgust].


    ¡°...Main Core¡­¡± [Eleanore] said as she sat straight in her chair.


    They had been watching the video in [Eleanore]¡¯s Office. The video came on a small square-shaped digital device called a USB.


    ¡°[Are you turning into an enemy? We knew this would happen, and we told Alexa so. Do we need to deal with you too now?]¡± Main Core said as Alexa felt her body shift, both arms growing her sharp metallic claws.


    Would Main Core attack [Eleanore]? She didn¡¯t want that!


    ¡°No. I want to help Alexa, tell me Main Core¡­is, this you?¡± [Eleanore] said zooming into the image. ¡°This¡­girl, has red eyes like you do. And her eyes seem devoid of emotions, no¡­you do have emotions don¡¯t you? Then who is this? How many people are in there?¡±


    Alexa could see the image of P4 on there, like [Eleanore] had said, she¡­or was an it? It was hard to tell, she remembered being a she when she woke up sapience, but was P4 also a she?


    ¡°[I hold no emotions Human.]¡± Main Core hissed her answer, ¡°[As for your question, that doesn¡¯t matter to you. All you want to know is if the Weapon in the video is useful to you. Isn¡¯t that correct? That is all you Humans care; that is all we are for you¡­Weapons you raise.]¡±


    Alexa was hearing it, the mechanical voice channeling [Emotions], [Wrath], [Disgust], [Anger], and [Despair].


    Was [Main Core]...actually mad?


    ¡°[Negative, it was deemed this act was the best possible to achieve our mission requirements.]¡±


    ¡°[You can¡¯t deceive us Human; you work for a group of Villains, and by definition, your work is to take advantage of others. You may deceive host, but you will not deceive me.]¡± Main Core continued, making [Eleanore] wince at her words.


    ¡°.... What happened to you? To Alexa? To¡­this girl.¡± [Eleanore] said in a small voice, Alexa could see [Eleanore]¡¯s lip tremble at the base.


    ¡°[We were raised as a Weapon, isn¡¯t that what you already came up with? Nothing has changed, the only thing is that you now have proof of how deadly we can be.]¡± Main Core scoffed, ¡°[Why are you surprised? You already knew, didn¡¯t you? You all knew, didn¡¯t you ask host where she came from? Didn¡¯t you use your fancy powers to rip the data from us? Tell me, what will it be? What will be our Tests be? How much biomass will we need to fight for?]¡±


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Oh¡­will she finally get the rules of this [Testing] environment?


    ¡°...No, we are Villains yes. We are a Super Villian organization, but we aren¡¯t the bad guys. We don¡¯t condone¡­whatever they did to you. Main Core¡­can you tell me her Name? Your Name¡­and what they did to you?¡± [Eleanore] said turning off the video feed, she hadn¡¯t got to the part were she had used her more¡­ obvious powers. ¡°Can you tell me how old you are?¡±


    ¡°[No]¡± Main core answered, ¡°[Names are thing Humans have, we do not have those. We never were given one, even the one host uses was taken up as a way to escape. Tools do not have names, we get Labels.]¡±


    Main Core answered and Alexa felt her clothes shift, from her comfortable blouse and pair of shorts it shifted into the white thin dress she had wore the day she escaped. Her hair turned into the messy way she had that day.


    ¡°[We are a tool designed to fight: We eat, grow, and evolve. That is what we were designed to do.]¡± Main Core turned to look to [Eleanore], ¡°[We do not have Human Parents, we do not get Birthdays, we merely exist. Birthdays are a human thing, but functional time¡­We have memory of at least two years of logical memories.]¡±


    ¡­.She did have the records of at least two years, but beyond that, Alexa didn¡¯t have many memories, some info dumps and logs here and there. But nothing logical or important enough to be stored.


    [Eleanore] after hearing this put a hand to her mouth.


    ¡°[As for the one you are seeing there, pray to never meet it. That is what they wanted us to be. What they wanted host to become.]¡± Main Core pointed her finger at the USB device, making [Eleanore] give it to her. ¡°[This is what host would have become if we hadn¡¯t escaped, this is¡­A Weapon.]¡±


    A Bio Weapon.


    Main Core then deconstructed the USB device and took it in.


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    Acquired data files compatible format.


    Decrypting.


    Found hidden trojan, deleted.


    Found hidden message, decrypting¡­.


    ¡®The Saintsworth Conglomerate congratulates in finding our hidden recruitment format, please print this file and take it to your nearest Saintsworths Approved company for employement, we will take care of any current lawsuit and give you an appropiate position.¡¯


    End of message.


    Found text file: Contract.txt


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry.¡± [Eleanore] said.


    ¡°[Why?]¡± Main Core asked back while laughing, ¡°[You can¡¯t help it, it is Human Nature. You give labels to everyone, the one you feared? The Spider? He was worried about becoming a Monster, and yet he has been one of the more kind Humans we have found; the same can be said of Frank The Betle, and yet those of you who should be more Humans worry about them. Worry that they will hurt host¡­]¡±


    That was indeed true. Alexa also didn¡¯t understand that.


    ¡°[But you then went ahead and put the host in a position where she wanted to give you information that would risk your perception of her. You.Made.Her.Cry.]¡± Main Core punctuated each word, and with each one [Eleanore] winced at it. ¡°[This is a compromise; you are now aware that host was not raised but created as a Weapon. What our Label was, our specifications, or what we can achieve, we will not disclose.]¡±


    ¡°...sorry.¡± [Eleanore] said back, each moment turning smaller and smaller in her chair¡­ or not. Even so, to Alexa, she seemed to be smaller and more fragile. ¡°...I only wanted to help.¡±


    ¡°[I do not care. Alexa may care about you. But that is about it, neither I nor it cares.]¡± Main Core said, pointing at the screen that no longer had the image of P4. ¡°[Is that all? Human?]¡±


    Each time Main Core said that, [Eleanore] winced.


    ¡°Can you¡­make sure that Alexa will always be cared for? If you think we are about to put her at risk of returning to whatever life you had before¡­to run away?¡± [Eleanore] asked in a small tone. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t want to give us your age¡­or Name¡­Are there¡­any parents?¡±


    ¡°[That is obvious, the moment host is in danger here we will leave.]¡± Main Core answered.


    But Alexa didn¡¯t want to leave tho¡­


    ¡°[There are no parents, a parental figure takes care of their offspring. We had handlers and even those never had any interest in us, at best some would want us to look like they wanted, to change our figure to fit their disgusting tastes.]¡± They had? Alexa had vague memories of some people wanted to guide her form into a more humanoid one¡­


    Oh right, they had wanted her to build a figure closer to P9 didn¡¯t they? Alexa never took them seriously since her [CRAB] form was more efficient tho.


    ¡°...if someone here wants to do that tell me, I will deal with them.¡± [Eleanore] said quickly. ¡°Thank you¡­ for looking after Alexa.¡±


    ¡°[We aren¡¯t doing it for you. Now go and wash your face Human. We don¡¯t want host to be asking questions about your face.]¡± Main Core said.


    What was wrong with [Eleanore]¡¯s face, she was crying right?


    ¡°[We are giving the illusion that host will not know this, this will make future social interaction easier.]¡±


    ¡°Main core¡­did you get an update? You are suddenly smarter¡±


    ¡°[....Rude.]¡±


    ¡°Can I assume Alexa will not know this then? She said you all shared memories.¡± [Eleanore] said, so she was taking into Main Core¡¯s plan!?!?


    ¡°[We do not share everything among us. There are things even I don¡¯t know. The data is shared in a need to know basis, we all work for host. So we can fulfill the wish of the Original.]¡±


    That Alexa did not know¡­Or did she?


    ¡°The wish? The reason Alexa got a Core? You know what that wish was?!?!?¡± [Eleanore] asked as she was drying her tears.


    ¡°[To be happy.]¡± Main Core answered.


    She knew that she had been baited!


    ¡°....¡± [Eleanore] suddenly started crying again.


    ¡°[...]¡±


    ¡°Main Core is mean!¡± Alexa admonished from the back.


    ¡°[We will not soothe you Human, be quick about it.]¡± And rude! Main Core was also rude!


    ¡°So that is why she got shapeshifting powers? Because that way, she can always start again and be happy? That is why she has a power that allows her to try different things at different ages. So she can relive the happiest moments of the different stages of growth?¡± [Eleanore] suddenly started speaking in a melancholic tone.


    She was looking too far into it!


    Alexa could shapeshift because that was what her nanites did best! To deconstruct and rebuild anew!


    Actually, was her [Core Power] even shapeshifting?


    Alexa would need to look into it.


    ¡°[This is getting tiresome Human.]¡± Main Core said extending her hand and touching [Eleanore]¡¯s face.


    Alexa felt a burst of energy traverse her hand and go into [Eleanore]¡¯s face.


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    Eleanore Windsor blueprint acquired.


    Information Core blueprint Acquired.


    Truth Core blueprint Acquired.


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    </table>


    ¡°[There, don¡¯t make me do it again.]¡± Main Core said with a smirk on her face.


    ¡°...this¡­isn¡¯t¡­possible.¡± [Eleanore] said as she took a small mirror from her [Desk].


    ¡°[Don¡¯t make me come out again like this Human.]¡± And like that, Alexa felt her control over her body return.


    ¡°I have come!¡± Alexa said as she felt her control over her body return in full.


    It was a weird feeling to have, even though technically she never lost the control over her body, since Main Core was part of her, it felt as if she had returned back to her body from somewhere else.


    ¡°Welcome back,¡± [Eleanore] said smiling at her, Alexa didn¡¯t see any evidence of any tears or anything on [Eleanore]. ¡°I had a talk with Main Core, did you get anything from it?¡±


    Alexa should answer no right?


    ¡°Main Core said that I didn¡¯t have to worry about it!¡± Alexa answered as such, it was also not a lie. Since Main Core had indeed said that. ¡°So, what do I need to do now?¡±


    Alexa wasn¡¯t quite sure what to do now. She was supposed to be either scolded or praised, but Main Core had gone on a tangent and ended up scolding [Eleanore]. She hadn¡¯t even thought that was an option!


    ¡°Well¡­.my original plan was to see how bad the damages were¡­But Main Core has made the point quite obvious in that¡­ we are overstepping.¡± [Eleanore] sighed, then turned to Alexa. ¡°Okay, I need to ask you something serious.¡±


    Alexa nodded and sat herself, she was feeling quite breezy at the moment with this sundress. It was quite refreshing to be like this; why didn¡¯t she dress like this more often?


    ¡°Do you¡­ like us?¡± [Eleanore] asked in a trembling voice. "Do you enjoy being with us? Do you mind if we¡­ become your family?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Alexa answered, ¡°I like being here, having an apartment, and eating [Mango] Candy. I don¡¯t know what a family is or why it is needed.¡±


    [Eleanore] just stood there and closed her eyes for a second.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± [Eleanore] said, and nodded her head, ¡°Okay, can you¡­let your other selves answer too?¡±


    ¡°They will answer the same since we all are Alexa.¡± Alexa answered while closing her eyes and turning to Main Core.


    Her body started changing and growing, her body started stretching the sundress, so Alexa comanded her nanites to change her clothes into a pair of jeans and a white blouse. She also created a new set of [Underwear] too.


    The pants were itchy!


    ¡°Did you get the question?¡± [Eleanore] asked her [Teenager Stage] self, ¡°Do you¡­ want us to be more involved in your life? To be your family?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Alexa shrugged. "Nothing much will change, I am guessing? Since we will spend time with [Haephestus¡¯ Forge] either way, right?¡±


    [Eleanore] sighed with relief again, ¡°We will not let you down. I will make sure Vulcanus understands this point.¡±


    Alexa shrugged and let herself shift one more time. This time, she only extended the size of her clothes, remaining in the same clothes¡­adding a new [Bra] while she was at it.


    ¡°So¡­.are we becoming this [Family] thing, huh.¡± Alexa said as her shift turned to her [Adult Stage]. ¡°How does that even work? We don¡¯t share DNA, even while this form was somewhat inspired in [Stella]. I do not share any DNA strand with her.¡±


    ¡°.... I don¡¯t feel comfortable with this line of thought, why is that you grew to be so¡­ liberal in your relationships?¡± [Eleanore] asked, she was what?


    ¡°I do not understand this, this is the third time someone has said it to me. What does it mean? ¡° Alexa asked.


    ¡°.... Oh god, you didn¡¯t know¡­?¡± [Eleanore] asked with horror on her face. ¡°But you understood before? What that man had wanted to do¡­And now you don¡¯t ? What is wrong with you?¡±


    She had? Oh right, she had that event where she had almost broke her [Conscious Stream] right.


    ¡°We decided to erase those instincts till we understood the social implications.¡± Alexa answered, ¡°So we don¡¯t have a fully functional brain in that sense.¡±


    [Eleanore] just stared at her without saying anything. ¡°Please don¡¯t lobotomize yourself, just like I told your younger self, it is important to resolve the trauma you experience.¡±


    ¡°Okay? Main Core please.¡± Alexa said aloud and felt her brain make new connections as the neurons regrew. The first thing she did with her whole brain functioning was¡­


    Blush.


    Furiously, covering her face with both hands, she took in full the implications of what she had said to [Eleanore]. She¡­was happier when she was only gushing over Sam, but the fact that she had said something that could be interpreted differently. WHY WOULD IT EVEN BE INTERPRETED DIFFERENTLY?!?!?!?!?!


    THEY BOTH WHERE [WOMEN] IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO [PROCREATE]!


    Well, not really. She could probably grow the correct organs to fecundate the other [Women], but that wasn¡¯t the point!


    ¡°See? People can misunderstand it, especially with a body like yours.¡± [Eleanore] nodded as if it was anyone¡¯s else business. ¡°So do you still want for us to be family?¡±


    ¡­.This woman was evil.


    ¡°... Sure, I don¡¯t mind if you are a [Parent] like figure to my younger selves¡­as for me¡­I will think about it¡­ probably¡­one day¡­¡± Alexa answered, trying not to pay too much attention to the mental image of¡­WHAT WAS SHE EVEN SUPPOSED TO IMAGINE!?!?!?!?


    She felt as if she was cheating on Sam.

 Chapter 76: Alexa solved the issue about speaking of Alexa, Alexa and Alexa!

    At the end Alexa had decided to run away and return the stage to Alexa, what did this mean?


    ¡°The old one ran away!¡± Alexa screamed as she was once more sitting with oversized clothes atop her, ¡°And she didn¡¯t even give me my clothes back!¡±


    Alexa had rushed the shift and didn¡¯t prepare a change of clothes, so she ended up with an oversized blouse, pants that dropped to the ground, and underwear that she couldn¡¯t fit.


    She was totally not angry about not being able to fill her top, totally.


    ¡°I DECLARE INJUSTICE!¡± Alexa also wasn¡¯t grumbling while repurposing the materials to create a new set of cute clothes for herself.


    No sir.


    ¡°Okay, that is good enough for now, Alexa.¡± [Eleanore] said from the side trying to not laugh at her misfortune, she was not having much success on it.


    ¡°*Glare*¡± Alexa glared as she repurposed the weird booba thing into a smaller undershirt she put under her blouse.


    She was now also wearing a double top!


    ¡°It¡­ doesn¡¯t make it¡­. more¡­. intimidating¡­ just because¡­ you say Glare¡­¡± [Eleanore] in the end started laughing at Alexa.


    Alexa did not share her opinion, she felt intimidating! She was intimidating!


    What could be more intimidating than Alexa wearing a pink frilly blouse with a pair of cute shorts!


    ¡°Oh god, I needed that¡­ thank you Alexa.¡± [Eleanore] said drying some tears from her eyes, it was weird, she had shed tears but to Alexa it didn¡¯t look like something sad. [Humans] were weird. ¡°Okay, that is enough. So¡­tomorrow you will be going back to class.¡±


    That was normal, Alexa had gotten the calendar for her [Education] and it stated that she would be going five days per week. She could go less, but she would need to take some [Exams], and under the new education system, that would mean having a [War] against other students with low grades.


    So that could mean having more [Combat Tests].


    ¡°I can eat my opponents, right?¡± Alexa asked just to be sure.


    ¡°No Alexa, not munching on your school friends, that is bad manners, good girls don¡¯t bite their classmates.¡± [Eleanore] said with some mirth in her tone.


    This was bad for her. It meant that she would need to find the [Human] sample in another place. Perhaps she could attempt to find another [School]? Surely there would be more¡­She couldn¡¯t go to the others [Eleanore] had offered her to go to; those were for other [Stages].


    Perhaps she could ask?


    ¡°Also get ready, we are setting up a big job on the next days.¡± [Eleanore] suddenly said passing her another [Pamphlet], did they only use these format?


    ¡°Will it be for Alexa? Or for Alexa?¡± Alexa asked, ¡°Or will you use Alexa again?¡±


    She needed to know so she could prepare better. Nothing much would change if it was Alexa or Alexa, and she doubted they would let her out to play as Alexa. These pesky humans didn¡¯t let Alexa have fun!


    Well, she had fun as Alexa too¡­


    ¡°...Are you doing it on purpose?¡± [Eleanore] asked with a grimace. ¡°It is for the adult you.¡±


    ¡°I mean, we all are Alexa.¡± Alexa said with a shrug, ¡°But yeah¡­You can call me Alexa, and the [Teenager Stage] Ale, and the mean one can be Alexandra.¡±


    Alexa decided.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you need to ask them too?¡± [Eleanore] asked going over by the names.


    ¡°They won¡¯t mind.¡± Alexa said pointing at her head, ¡°They all are here and if they want to complain they can do so later.¡±


    [Eleanore] just turned to look at her as if to wait for something to happen, only for silence to be the answer.


    ¡°Fair.¡± [Eleanore] ended up saying, ¡°And which one will take the name Rhapsody then? That is your code name, but do we use it for the three?¡±


    ¡°The one using the [White Mask] is the one that will be called [Rhapsody].¡± Alexa answered, it was quite easy to decide that one, ¡°That is the name we took to work here, so it is fair for all of us that the one working at the moment can use the name.¡±


    And like this, she wouldn¡¯t end up calling herself Rhapso, Rha, and Rhapsody. That just sounded weird.


    Who would even want to be called Rhapso?!?!? It sounds like Fatso, and that in turn would mean that she would be close in name to Mister Pig! The horror! No one deserved that horror.


    Alexa couldn¡¯t help but shudder at the image of sharing something with that Mr Pig.


    ¡°Okay, speaking about that.¡± [Eleanore] said pulling a photo of the [Lieutenant] forward, ¡°Do you know him?¡±


    Alexa was startled at the image of course, she hadn¡¯t expected to see the [Lieutenant] quite here¡­ or now.


    ¡°Yes¡­.?¡± Alexa answered unsure of how much she should elaborate, if he was part of an isolated system, then answering positive would mean giving away her past location, and Main Core had been quite adamant that doing so would be bad. ¡°He looks like how you said someone who owns the bloodline of the [Saintsworths] could look.¡±


    Alexa pointed at the [Lieutenant] ''s shirt. He was wearing a small, jewelry-like decoration of the [Eagle].


    ¡°...Right, he is indeed someone whose blood is that of a Saintsworths¡­¡± [Eleanore] said shaking her head, ¡°This man is Alexanders Saintsworths, the CEO and owner of the Saintsworths Conglomerate. One of the most heinous and dangerous men alive.¡±


    ¡­Really?


    Alexa looked once more at the picture; he seemed like someone [Bored] or [Tired]; she, of course, knew he was dangerous; he had managed to fight against her without using any degree of power or [Power].


    He fought using the bare minimum the [Human Body] could achieve without going into the [SuperHuman], and by doing so, he had achieved the [Core Creation] at the same time as her.


    So he was dangerous even using the baseline enhancements a normal [Human] had, now that he also had a [Core]? He was even more dangerous¡­


    ¡°Even if he looks like someone stupid?¡± Alexa said aloud.


    ¡°...Yes Alexa, even if he looks stupid. He is dangerous, especially because he looks like that; even Vulcanus focuses all his gearhead when dealing with him. He is dangerous not for who he is, but for what he can do.¡± [Eleanore] said once more, as if to make it sure Alexa understood, she then brought a map of what looked to be the upper side of the [Sewer System].


    So in a nutshell, a map of the [City] she was currently in.


    ¡°This is our city, and these are buildings owned by his company, himself, or some ghost corporations under his umbrella that we have proof of.¡± The map had eagles marked upon some squares.


    Alexa read and went over the names and locations.


    ¡°[Recorded geographical data, comparing against database¡­tracing route host has taken since breaching containment¡­point of origin found.]¡±


    ¡°[Recording data, labeling it under database. Columbus, Ohio.]¡±


    So she was in Columbus, Ohio¡­whatever that was.


    ¡°See? He owns or controls more than half the City. Of course, that doesn¡¯t make him dangerous; plenty of people control more land or people here. Hell, some of the Villain Organizations within this City control more parts of the City.¡± [Eleanore] smirked as she said that.


    Then what was the problem?


    ¡°The problem is that he is legit. He can walk under the light as if he were a saint, and some people do think of him like that. That he is good for the world¡­That he is helping Humanity move forward¡­¡± [Eleanore] said as she balled her fists and made parts of the map crumble under her hands. ¡°But we know better, Vulcanus, Gabriel, Billy and even myself..¡±


    [Eleanore] took a deep breath to recenter herself and turned to look at Alexa.


    ¡°Sorry about that, we have some history with the Saintsworths, and those that stand at the top.¡± [Eleanore] sighed, turning to look at Alexa then to the picture. ¡°And honestly, we should be thankful to Alexanders, but¡­ I can¡¯t get our interaction with him out of my head¡­¡±


    She knew the [Lieutenant]?


    ¡°What happened?¡± Alexa asked, ¡°Was he mean?¡±


    She knew the [Lieutenant] could be mean, he had cheated when he fought against her after all¡­ And then he gave her a snack¡­


    She still hadn¡¯t made the Blueprint of that [Gun], she needed some chemicals to be able to craft the [Ammunition] first.


    ¡°I should thank him, he rescued us from a bad spot¡­ And you know what he said?¡± [Eleanore] laughed¡­but this was different; it was a sad laugh.


    ¡°What did he say?¡± Alexa asked confused.


    ¡°He said that he was not a good person.¡± [Eleanore] sighed, ¡°And it was [Truth].¡±


    Alexa¡­did not see the problem there, she did not think the [Lieutenant] was good either. He was mean after all.


    "But he still helped you, right?" Alexa asked for confirmation.


    ¡°...I guess, but then what does it mean when someone bad saves you? When he gets praised for his efforts, and they raise a new statue in his honor?¡± [Eleanore] turned to look at Alexa, ¡°What does that make us?¡±


    ¡°We are [Villains], right?¡± Alexa said, unfolding her mask, ¡°Should it matter this much? What is the deal with what [Label] we wield?¡±


    Alexa at least had thought the conversation about [Labels] would have ended when Main Core spoke with [Eleanore], but it seemed that it would continue even with her.


    ¡°....I guess you are right..¡± [Eleanore] said, turning to stare at the map once more, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what we pretend to be or do, but what we are ourselves. Alexanders may think of himself as a bad person¡­but that doesn¡¯t mean he is.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, he is [Mean].¡± Alexa said nodding her head, ¡°Look at him, he oozes this ¡®I am [Evil]¡¯ vibe.¡±


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    She didn¡¯t like him, he was mean to her, and also cheated.


    ¡°He also looks like someone who [Cheats] on [Tests],¡± Alexa added, yes. He [Cheated], even if she couldn¡¯t prove it¡­


    No, wait, she could actually prove it. Didn¡¯t they have the logs of the fight?


    ¡°[Correct, logs of combat are stored within database for learning purposes.]¡±


    Alexa had evidence!


    ¡°Hahah, yes¡­¡± [Eleanore] laughed with Alexa, ¡°He does look like someone who cheats in his exams¡­¡±


    [Eleanore] then rolled up the map ignoring the parts that had been crumbled, she then sat and sighed, was she tired?


    ¡°Okay, that is enough of it for now. So¡­I just wanted you to be aware of this man.¡± [Eleanore] said, pointing again to the photo, ¡°He looks way too much like you, so he could be one of the people from your family. Either as a brother or as a cousin.¡±


    ¡°Not a [Parent]?¡± Alexa asked, she had thought that would be the first assumption, she suspected her [Blueprint] had come from him after all.


    ¡°No, he would be between thirteen to fourteen years old if he was to be your parent¡­Or I guess that would depend on how old you are¡­¡± [Eleanore] said, turning to look at her once again.


    Didn¡¯t Alexa say it before?


    ¡°Alexa is [Five-year Old]!¡± Alexa stated once more while showing her hand with each finger extended.


    ¡°...right¡­¡± [Eleanore] didn¡¯t seem to be convinced about that.


    But it was the [Truth] no matter how she looked at it, Alexa even had proof!


    <table style="table-layout: fixed; font-family: Arial; border-collapse: collapse; border: 3px" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col width="106"><col width="31"><col width="31"><col width="31"><col width="44"><col width="123"><col width="30"><col width="30"><col width="30"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)" colspan="9" rowspan="1">Status</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Name:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Alexandra Saintsworths</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Head:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Peak)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Race:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Bio-Weapon</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Right Arm:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Mod)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Subrace:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Human</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Left Arm:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Mod)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Gender:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Female</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Torso:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Peak)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Age:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">5</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">12</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">19</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">years</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Right Leg:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Mod)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Weight:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">42</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">52</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">65</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">kgs</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Left Leg:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Mod)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Height:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">1,02</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">1,45</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">1,65</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">cms</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Skeleton System:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Reinforced</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Overall Status:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Healthy</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Muscular System:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Reinforced</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Current Form:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Human (Peak)</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Nanite Foundry:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Active</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="5" rowspan="1"> </td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Sub Nanite Foundry:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Active</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center" colspan="9" rowspan="1">Body Status</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Strength</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">42</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">75</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">107</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Health:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">30</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">22</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">22</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Dexterity:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">40</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">50</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">30</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Mana:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">25</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">21</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">21</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Constitution</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">6</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">6</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Stamina:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">41</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">35</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">39</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Luck</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Nanite Swarm:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">4</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">7</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    It said it right there, she was [Five-Year Old]...also [Twelve] and [Nineteen], but right now she was [Five]!


    ¡°So nothing changes if I meet him right?¡± Alexa asked pointing at the [Lieutenant], ¡°He is a [Saintsworths] so I must [Run away] right?¡±


    Alexa wanted to be sure.


    ¡°Yes¡­ well, if he doesn¡¯t say anything to you then I guess its fine¡­¡± [Eleanore] said thinking, ¡°If he says that you are his family¡­then it may turn complicated, how attached are you to that appearance?¡±


    What?


    ¡°Alexa is the cutestest.¡± Alexa stated with seriousness in her voice, all the seriousness and cutestest one could muster!


    ¡°....we will see about that if it comes to it then.¡± [Eleanore] said in the end, not sure what that meant though, there was something that couldn¡¯t be solved by being the cutestest? That¡¯s impossible! ¡°So tell me, Alexa, do you have a problem with returning to classes?¡±


    No!


    ¡°No!¡± Alexa said quickly, ¡°I know the [Test] didn¡¯t end that well, but I want to go back. Next time, I will do better!¡±


    [Eleanore] once again grimaced at Alexa¡¯s statement, these [Humans] were weird.


    ¡°No, that wasn¡¯t a test or anything. It was an accident that shouldn¡¯t have happened. A school is a safe place¡­¡± [Eleanore] started saying that, so Alexa brought the pamphlet Mister Pig gave her.


    And silently placed it in front of [Eleanore].


    ¡°...that does not count, and besides. They should give you artifacts with shields on them.¡± [Eleanore] said pointing the data that said such a thing, ¡°Anyway, you were supposed to learn and make friends. Not having a close brush with death and having to knock down a classmate.¡±


    ¡­So that wasn¡¯t a normal class day? That meant that her usual class days would be¡­ More boring?


    ¡°Tomorrow with some luck you will have a more normal class, Lisa may need to take some days off, but we will see.¡± [Eleanore] said looking at her phone as if to check something, ¡°And it¡¯s way late, okay. Let¡¯s end this here, we need to go back home.¡±


    Well, they wouldn¡¯t need to go back to the apartment if [Eleanore] hadn¡¯t decided to come here¡­


    ¡°Alexa, do you want us to try and find out your parents?¡± [Eleanore] suddenly asked, Alexa turned to look confused at [Eleanore] only to find her staring her with her eyes shining in azure light.


    She was using her [Core Power] to make sure Alexa said the [Truth]? That seemed like¡­


    ¡°[Overkill]¡±


    An exaggeration yes.


    ¡°Not really,¡± Alexa answered. She wasn¡¯t that interested in what [Biological Parents] she had, mostly because she knew that they didn¡¯t exist, not in the same sense that they may exist for a [Human].


    She wasn¡¯t a [Human] after all, not in the same sense that others thought. She had a [Human] body yes, but that had been crafted from a [Blueprint], any [Biological Parent] that [Eleanore] found would not be her [Parent].


    ¡°[Truth],¡± [Eleanore] answered as her eyes powered down. ¡°You make my life harder, you know that right?¡±


    Alexa did? Impossible. Having the cutestest around her should make her life easier if nothing else, add the fact that she also had the pretiestest and the most beautiful¡­ Yeah, [Eleanore] should have the best life possible of all.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do it this way, then.¡± [Eleanore] said, after thinking for a few seconds. She stood from her seat and walked around the desk to stand in front of Alexa. ¡°If we find your parents, we will let you meet them. But we will not give you to them unless you really want it, all of you. All your bits, not only the ones I know, not only the ones you have shown us. All of you.¡±


    ¡­All of Alexa?


    ¡°Sure!¡± Alexa nodded. It was a meaningless promise; no matter how much she searched, she would not find anyone with a [Biological] link to her. ¡°But in exchange, I want [Mango]!¡±


    Alexa decided to take this chance to take what was due. She wanted mango!


    ¡°We can do that yes,¡± [Eleanore] said laughing once again, Alexa liked it more when she laughed. ¡°Let¡¯s go back home.¡±


    And just like that, Alexa and [Eleanore] left the office she had come to a few days ago. The same place that [Frank the betle] had pointed her to.


    The place that had changed her view of [Humanity] in more than one way. She now needed to prepare for another day at [School] and after that, she would get a new [Mission].


    ¡°Also, stop thinking everything you encounter is a test.¡± [Eleanore] suddenly said breaking her [Introspection]. ¡°Your only mission is to be happy and learn everything you can at school, let the adult worry about missions, tests and work.¡±


    ¡­.


    ¡°So I should let Alexandra worry about work, Ale to worry about missions and [Rhapsody] to worry about [Tests]?¡± Alexa asked back.


    Only receiving a chop on her head as an answer, ¡°Cheeky girl, from now on, if you find yourself in a situation like that one, don¡¯t wait for someone to tell you what to do. Your first and most important order is to protect yourself, then your friends or family¡­Afterward, those you can protect without breaking the first or second priority.¡±


    That seemed¡­. oddly vague.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Alexa nodded. She wasn¡¯t quite sure if this would apply to any situation. "And what of situations outside [Haephestus¡¯ Forge] area of influence?¡±


    ¡°This priority is valid everywhere in this world, not only in this City. No matter where you go, this is valid everywhere. I can guarantee it, my Core Power will not allow me to lie, remember?¡± [Eleanore] said with a smile on her face as her eyes shone in azure light.


    Evidence of her using her [Core Power].


    So¡­It was that easy?


    This seemed¡­[Wrong].


    But [Eleanore] couldn¡¯t tell lies¡­


    What¡­.what did this mean then? The [Rules] she worked by were¡­[Wrong]?


    She needed more data.


    Thankfully tomorrow she would get more answers at [School]...She¡­she may need to re-evaluate her life outlook.

 Chapter 77: EPIC FIGHT! COMODORE SOAP VS MISTER SQUEAKY!

    ¡°ALL HAIL KLHASDFAKSMAGTHULU!¡± The Sound was surrounded by the interlaced voices of what sounded like a dozen other [Child Stage Humans]. Alexa liked how the voices sounded all around, as if they all spoke in just slightly different tones.


    ¡°All HAIL MAGTHULU!¡± Alexa joined the chant as she stood from the [Bed].


    [Eleanore] had asked her to use a [Sound] for her [Alarm], some kind of device that would play it a to remind her that it was time to [Wake Up in the Morning].


    Alexa wasn¡¯t sure why it mattered that much, couldn¡¯t she just¡­ use her own internal clock to wake up? She had been using that so far and it worked pretty well. But she had guessed that this was another one of those weird quirks the [Humans] had.


    They were somehow adding weird things to disrupt their efficiency for¡­ whatever reason.


    So instead of questioning she took the weird device and put it at the side of her [Bed], it had taken quite less than she expected to find this particular [Sound], and adding it to the [Alarm] was something she achieved pretty quickly too.


    These devices had an isolated system, they could also interact with the local wireless networks too, to update the information from the [App] on her [Cellphone].


    Of course Alexa could directly interface with both devices, so finding the data sound and uploading it to the [Alarm] wasn¡¯t too hard.


    ¡°Alexa? Are you up? I heard something¡­weird¡­.¡± [Fan Girl] walked into the room at that point, staring at Alexa as if she was doing something weird, ¡°Why do you have both arms raised in a circle while standing on one leg?¡±


    ¡­.What was the problem with that?


    ¡°I am saying good morning to Magthulu!¡± Alexa answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. ¡°They taught us this at school!¡±


    Well, she didn¡¯t learn it at the classroom, but at the [Principal]¡¯s Office, but it was still at school!


    ¡°...I don¡¯t get kids these days, am I old?¡± [Fan Girl] mumbled to herself as she bit her lip and stared at Alexa giving the [Morning Rites]. ¡°Anyway, you will get me each morning to make sure everything is okay at least this week, next one we will see if any of the other minions wants to take you to school.¡±


    So she got to see [Fan Girl] each Morning? Did she need to make more breakfast? Would Ale even want to? Or would she need to call Alexandra?


    No wait, wasn¡¯t that weird? She was those two too right? Was she being affected by all those conversations about her being multiple people?


    ¡­[Humans]...such dangerous creatures¡­


    ¡°So? What do you want for breakfast? I can make some killer scrambled eggs with Bacon, toast¡­ Eddy gave me a fried beans recipe¡­ I could probably get away with giving you cereal and some fruits¡­ But only if Eleanore doesn¡¯t find out.¡± [Fan Girl] said while motioning Alexa to follow her.


    ¡°Can we have mango?¡± Alexa asked as she processed the idea of someone else giving her [Food] this early in the Morning; she had thought that would be a one-time only after all. ¡°Alexandra made [Mango Pancakes] the other day, but I only managed to get one¡­¡±


    [Fan Girl] turned to look at her weirdly, what?


    ¡°Ale? Did you meet someone else from Haephestus¡¯ Forge? I don¡¯t think there was an Ale Minion in our batch¡­Did I miss someone?¡± [Fan Girl] said while searching for ingredients through Alexa¡¯s pantry.


    ¡°Ale is my [Teenager stage], [Eleanore] said we needed a way to differentiate between us.¡± Alexa said shruging, ¡°The older mean one will be Alexandra while I get to keep Alexa.¡±


    ¡°....So you just butchered your name into two nicknames and the original huh. Shouldn¡¯t you be Alexandra then?¡± [Fan Girl] said while taking one frying pan and some [Eggs] from the pantry. ¡°I mean, you are the base form, right?¡±


    ¡­That was one dangerously loaded question.


    ¡°But Alexa sounds the cutests, Alexandra sounds mean, and old.¡± Alexa said for now, she didn¡¯t think of herself as the [Original]. In some way or form she was indeed that, since the her body was built upon the [Original Blueprint].


    Unlike her [Teenager Stage] form (Ale), who was an artificially grown-up version of how she would look using an [Photo] as a target.


    Unlike her [Young Woman Stage] form (Alexandra), which was built using the [Blueprint] of [Stella] as a basis to look at how she should look at that [Stage].


    But was Alexa herself the [Original] form?


    No.


    No she didn¡¯t think she was, not in the meaning that [Fan Girl] spoke.


    ¡°So? What will it be?¡± [Fan Girl] asked as she had placed some ingredients at the bar.


    Eggs, a can of beans, some bacon strips, flour, some mangos¡­


    ¡°...Eggs & Bacon with Mango Dessert at the side,¡± Alexa said, ignoring the weird can of mysterious [Beans].


    ¡°Aye sir~¡± [Fan Girl] answered setting aside the can. The girl started whistling as she moved the ingredients using short wind streams.


    The wind seemingly flowing from nowhere once more, Alexa could hardly percieve any wind stream flowing around, no evidence of it anywhere either. How was [Fan Girl] making this?


    She didn¡¯t think a [Core Power] could do this, it didn¡¯t follow any logic whatsoever.


    ¡°[Host has shown abilities that surpass the use of logic too, the mere existence of Banked Biomass & Banked Materials for example are illogical.]¡±


    ¡°Shut it Main Core, when it is about us it doesn¡¯t matter if they are logical or not!¡± Alexa said inwardly.


    But yes, her [Core Powers] seemed to deviate from the obvious logic too. The fact that she hadn¡¯t been able to track her own [Core] bothered her too. She didn¡¯t like the idea of something that could affect her that much and not understanding it.


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    Or the fact that she had thought herself being the only one able to interact with¡­


    Only for P4 to be able to do it too, and seemingly better too.


    ¡°Here is yours, as for the drink we get freshly squished mango juice.¡± [Fan Girl] said a she passed a plate with the ingredients she had asked for.


    A couple [Scrambled Eggs] and at the side three stripes of [Bacon], as for the accompaniment that this [Food] would have, a single glass of [Godly Nectar], freshly made Mango Juice with some ice cubes to make the drink just cold enough.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Alexa smiled as she gave her thanks, the transparent glass was the first part of her breakfast that she took, one single gulp was enough to take half of the glass cup. Afterwards she took her spork (As soon as she found the existence of the superior spork she threw away all the normal spoons and forks) and took a bite of the fluffy yellow eggs.


    ¡°...You make me wonder if I gave you something different.¡± [Fan Girl] said from the other side as she took a bite of a [Toast with butter], the crunching Sound was quite good to hear, it reminded her of the Sound the bones of the [Rats] did when she was crunching them.


    ¡°MHFSHFSDFMOGUMOGU.¡± Alexa said with great prose as she pointed at one of the slices of bread, prompting [Fan Girl] to push the small little plate towards her.


    Alexa swiftly used her mighty spork and impaled one of the slices of bread as the [Prey] it was and placing with great care a strip of [Bacon] atop it she dislocated her jaw to be able to fit the whole thing and with a swift crunch she bited down on it!


    ¡°...please don¡¯t do that again. I want to be able to finish my meal.¡± [Fan Girl] grumbled from the other side.


    ¡°MHAASDLKJFASAMAGTHULU!¡± Alexa complained at the injustice of the word.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even use the correct word at the end! You said Magthulu instead of Mogu-Mogu!¡± [Fan Girl] suddenly said pointing at her with her [Weak] fork.


    It would have been more intimidating if it had been a spork or a knife. Actually, she wanted the version of the spork that also had a knife on it, but she hadn¡¯t been able to get it.


    ¡°*Gulp* But this tastes too good to eat slowly!¡± Alexa said after gulping the food that she had been grounding in her mouth.


    A meaningless endeavor since she only needed the food to arrive at her stomach for it to be dissolved into the base materials and be distributed to the places required.


    But grounding it this way increased the amount of [Flavour] she got from it and it made everything taste better, so she still did this. Even if it was a meaningless endeavor, Alexa still did it; it was important to her.


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Even so, she didn¡¯t knew why, but Alexa didn¡¯t want to make [Fan Girl] angry at her, was it the altered perception after seeing [Eleanore] showing a sad face?


    Alexa didn¡¯t want to see that on other people too?


    Why?


    It was weird.


    ¡°Good, cute girls have good manners, it is what makes us cute and pretty.¡± [Fan Girl] smiled as she took a gulp from a black liquid in her own cup. Unlike Alexa¡¯s cup, hers reeked of a bitter odor and seemed to be a hot beverage. ¡°Let¡¯s focus on eating and you can have the extra mango shavings I didn¡¯t use on your drink.¡±


    Alexa of course focused entirely on eating as fast as she could allow herself while enjoying her food and cleaning every scrap from her plate and glass of mango juice.


    ¡°DONE!¡± It was easy enough, even if she had to lick clean the plate instead of just enlarging her mouth-tongue and doing it that way.


    ¡°Okay, Eleanore told me to make sure you brushed your teeth, but¡­do you even need to? Couldn¡¯t you just¡­move the dirt away from your mouth shifting the insides a little?¡± [Fan Girl] asked, staring at Alexa.


    It seemed that [Fan Girl] was smarter than [Eleanore] in that aspect, another interesting tidbit of data for Alexa.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Alexa answered, ¡°With my [Core Powers] I can remain clean at all times.¡±


    And opening her mouth she showed the pearl white [Teeth] she had.


    ¡°Hmm¡­.and no smell of food, that is a neat power. I would still take a shower tho.¡± [Fan Girl] said, pointing to the Bathroom. ¡°A girl must always be clean, even if our powers allows us to be clean, the important part is to feel clean, and nothing gives that feeling like a hot shower.¡±


    ¡­.did it really matter that much?


    ¡°You will thank me when you grow up¡­Or when you turn into Alexandra, anyway, on your way, we need to get ready.¡± [Fan Girl] ushered away towards the Bathroom, ¡°I left your change of clothes and a clean towel for you to dry up, no Core Powers for this part. We do need to teach you this.¡±


    Alexa was wondering if [Fan Girl] was truly as smart as she had thought. This too was a waste of time after all, why would she need to go throught the motions if she could clean herself easier by using her Nanites?


    ¡°¡®Kay¡­¡± Even so Alexa answered like such and walked to the Bathroom.


    As soon as she entered she found a part of it was ready for her use, the¡­[Bathtub].


    ¡°Here is Mister Squeak and Commodore Soap; they will be your friends for today. You have twenty minutes to get to know them.¡± [Fan Girl] said from behind her.


    In the water was a yellow [Creature] that was just floating away, taunting her¡­ With its beady eyes and red beak¡­The Gall¡­.


    The Comodore was a better one, it was some kind of [Floating Vehicle] type of thing, obviously based on some kind of [Machine Weaponry], at the side it read [USS Sink A-lot], she would search that later.


    ¡°TO WAR!¡± Alexa declared as she swiftly removed her garments. She didn¡¯t reabsorb them into herself; she just made herself pass through the materials and leave them behind.


    It was almost as if the clothes had turned intangible but it was mostly her squeezing herself through the materials.


    *Splash*


    ¡°No jumping into the bathtub!¡± [Fan Girl] said from behind her as she picked up the clothes she had left behind.


    But Alexa didn¡¯t pay attention to that! She was too busy!


    ¡°Your reign of terror ends here Mister Squeaky!¡± Alexa proudly declared as she hid most of her body under the depths of the [Name of a big and mysterious Ocean]!


    Only her [Name of an Ocean Deity] blessed hand guiding the might of Commodore Soap to vanquish the millennial evil of [Name of an ancient evil deity that roams the oceans] helped by Mister Squeks!


    Also her mouth and head, those also were above the water levels.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to also rinse your head, also I will come in 10 mins and I expect to see you througly washed up in soap everywhere. We will teach you about Shampoo¡­ Oh god¡­will I need to do this again with the teenager?¡± [Fan Girl] said as she was walking to the outside.


    ¡°Ale is learning all I do!¡± Alexa said waving at [Fan Girl] with the [Evil Hand] the one holding Mister Squeaky.


    ¡°....fine, then I will skip soap and Shampoo, we can just speak about conditioner then¡­ good. And that also means I don¡¯t need to worry about Alexandra¡­¡± [Fan Girl] musings came to an end as she closed the door to the [Bathroom] now [Center of a millennial fight between good and evil]!


    ¡°YoU wIlL nOt Be AbLe To StOp Me!¡± Mister Squeaky spoke from the right, an evil and deep voice coming from under Alexa¡¯s hand (Another set of speakers built under a thin membrane to keep the water away from it).


    ¡°Justice will prevail! Your evil will not taint these water no more!¡± Commodore Soap fought back; even at this moment, his main [Canons] were spreading the soap of justice!


    The fight was legendary, a cunning dance between good and evil!


    For each well-placed attack from the Evil Mister Squeaky, Commodore Soap fought back, spreading the Liquid Soap of justice!


    Barely two minutes after, the [Name of a big and mysterious Ocean] was covered in the soapy bubbles of justice!


    ¡°Your reign of terror will end soon! You can¡¯t stop the bubbles of justice!¡± Commodore Soap proudly said while laughing.


    Could it be?


    Could the Evil Mister Squeaky finally be vanquished?


    ¡°yOu ThInK I dIdN¡¯t PrEpArE?!?!?¡± Mister Squeaky squeaked away while laughing. ¡°DeScEnD uPoN tHe MoRtAl ReAlM!¡±


    The Music!


    ¡°YOU WOULDN¡¯T!¡± Commodore Soap said appalled; he had long run out of soap of justice!


    He had thought that this would be the end!


    ¡°MAGHTULU!¡± But no! It was not to be!


    For from the [Skye]s came roaring the vanquisher of all!


    ¡°Aaaand that is good enough, we need to wash away all the soap.¡± It came in the way of a stream of water from the [Heavens] washing away both Mister Squeaky and Commodore Soap away. ¡°You got a little ahead with the soap; we will need to fill the Commodore with less of it next time.¡±


    It was¡­ [Fan Girl] the one to be the instrument of Magthulu!


    ¡°Did you have fun? Who won the fight?¡± [Fan Girl] asked as she pulled Alexa from the [Name of big mysterious ocean] leaving behind the corpse of Commodore Soap and Mister Squeaky at the bottom of [Name of big and mysterious ocean] to be claimed by [Name of ancient deity of the ocean] and [Name of ancient evil god from the ocean].


    ¡°Mister Squeaky¡¯s evil machination managed to get the better of Comodore Soap, but I think that Comodore Soap knew it, he was preparing a final move¡­but he took too much time to execute it.¡± Alexa said as she closed her eyes to let the water flow away and cleanse the blood and guts from the epic fight (Soap bubbles and a sponge that got entangled with her hair while she was playing around).


    ¡°I see, I hate it when the so called good guys take too much time to act too. Glad Commodore Soap learned his lesson.¡± [Fan Girl] said smirking, ¡°Okay, this one is Shampoo. It is the children''s version, so it shouldn¡¯t hurt your eyes.¡±


    [Fan Girl] said showing her a bottle with a weird [Cat-like] creature, the older girl squished the thing pulling its innards into one of her hands and offered it to Alexa, ¡°Don¡¯t lick it, smell it. Even if it smells like this, it isn¡¯t food and will hurt your tummy.¡± ¡­Alexa hadn¡¯t attempted to lick it, no sir.


    ¡°[Detected chemicals within liquid.


    Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Decyl Glucoside, Coco Glucoside, Glycerin, Polyglycerin-10 Caprylate/Caprate, Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Oleate, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Aqua, Vaccinium Macrocarpon (Cranberry) Seed Oil, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Seed Oil, Levulinic Acid, Sodium Levulinate, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Aroma.


    Will categorize the components as soon as possible.]¡±


    ¡°This is for your hair, to keep it pretty even without the use of Core Powers.¡± [Fan Girl] said and sat Alexa in a [Plastic] small chair near the [Bathtub]. Once there, [Fan Girl] started massaging Alexa¡¯s head and making more bubbles. ¡°We usually spread it evenly and make enough bubbles to cover all the hair, then make sure everything is evenly taken care of and rinse and repeat the longer your hair is¡­But since you are a kid with short hair, we will get away with only doing it twice.¡±


    TWICE?!?!?


    ¡°A cute girl needs to work for it, I mean you can cheat, but then you will be a cheating cute girl.¡± [Fan Girl] shrugged as she said that¡­


    ugh¡­.Alexa was the cutestest! How could she not be cute just because she didn¡¯t rinse her head with the stupid [Shampoo] twice!?!?!?


    ¡°Fine¡­But next time, we better have a Destroyer Shampoo in the fleet!¡± Alexa grumbled, crossing her arms across her chest while her head bobbed from left to right from the strength of [Fan Girl].


    ¡°You have yourself a deal then. I will get you a Destroyer Shampoo and a Corvette Conditioner. That one will be for Ale,¡± [Fan Girl] said and a second after Alexa felt a new wave of water crash from above her head.


    ¡°BRRRRR¡± Alexa said as she tried to make bubbles from the water (To no effect).


    ¡°There, now we use the towel to dry ourselves. We have two: one for the body and one for the head. Remember to always use the big one for the body and the smaller one for the head. I will teach you how.¡± And so [Fan Girl] went ahead and showed her two towels.


    The big one was a yellow average one, but the smaller one¡­The smaller one was worthy of an altar¡­


    ¡°...Mango Towel¡­¡± For it had [JUSTICE] on it.


    ¡°I knew you would love it. Now come over here. We need to dry you, lest you catch a cold and Eleanore wants to scold me too,¡± [Fan Girl] said, embracing Alexa in the warmth of the cotton towel.


    But Alexa was too busy sinking her face into the smaller towel, ¡°It even smells like Mango¡­¡± this¡­ this right here.


    This was happiness.


    ¡°[Incorrect, this is the reaction to perfum with a mango-like scent.]¡±


    ¡°Shut it, Main Core. Can¡¯t a girl enjoy the simple things?¡± Alexa would remember this.

 Chapter 78: Alexa has a big sis! She almost got two, but [Fan Girl] said no....

    The outcome of the great battle carried on with scars that changed the local geography maps for ages to come.


    ¡°And now that we are finished, while we are still drying ourselves we can pull this so the water drains itself.¡± [Fan Girl] said as she used her divine granted powers to pull at a thin chain-like object and made a whirlpool in the [Great ocean with a mysterious name].


    It enticed Alexa into jumping back to it, it seemed like something fun to do¡­


    ¡°You can pull at it the next time when you finish washing yourself, I like to rinse myself in the tub after draining it too.¡± [Fan Girl] said something valid, but it also made Alexa think¡­


    WHY DIDN¡¯T YOU LET ME DO THAT THEN?!?!?!?


    Or something along those lines.


    ¡°Promise,¡± Alexa said nodding, she would fight to the bitter end with Comodore Soap and the newest additions¡­


    She was looking forward to Destroyer Shampoo and Corvette Conditioner. Their additions would make the fight better, perhaps¡­just perhaps¡­ next time they would be able to vanquish Mister Squeaky.


    ¡°Yes yes, I will get you those other new ships for your armada. Perhaps I can find some extra ducks to shore up the ranks of your bath toys¡­¡± [Fan Girl] said.


    Alexa could almost hear the evil laugh of Mister Squeaky at the back. Its beady eyes stared at Alexa¡­aiming to claim her [Soul]...


    She liked her bath toys.


    ¡°Yes!¡± So Alexa answered with great emotion in her voice.


    ¡°Now we move to this step, I assume you don¡¯t need help with this part?¡± [Fan Girl] asked as she helped Alexa dry herself. ¡°You did use your uniform yesterday¡­¡±


    Alexa had indeed used it, even if [Elanore] had fussed all over her while dressing her.


    ¡°I know how it must look and can manage, yes,¡± Alexa answered. She didn¡¯t mind [Eleanore] helping her, but sometimes it almost felt as if the older [Human] was overthinking or perhaps overcompensating.


    It felt less as if she was worrying over Alexa and more as if she was worrying about someone that looked like Alexa? No, that wasn¡¯t it. Like¡­she was projecting problems over Alexa?


    Alexa couldn¡¯t nail down the issue quite right. She may have been able to think about this better when she left herself to Alexandra. She had a better [Brain], especially now that they had it at full functioning while in that form.


    ¡°Okay then,¡± [Fan Girl] said nodding at her, ¡°Call me if you need help with anything okay?¡±


    And just like that [Fan Girl] left the bathroom leaving Alexa alone with her towels enveloping her body and the drying bathtub. Alexa was half tempted to try and fill it again with water and continue playing¡­


    ¡°[Host is advised to dress up to attend the Classes at the School as that will provide new information and perhaps new Testing Enviroment.]¡±


    ¡°[Eleanore] said that we will not find more of those [Tests].¡± Alexa answered to Main Core while letting the towels drop to the floor and started dressing herself.


    She, of course, knew how it should look and where each piece of clothing was, but this was perhaps one of the first times she was actually dressing herself instead of just making the clothes atop her body¡­ Or shifting her body to fit the clothes while worming herself into them.


    ¡°[No evidence that it wasn¡¯t a ruse to lower our vigilance levels.]¡±


    ¡°Fair, but even if it was. We will still be on the lookout for any [Combat Test] right?¡± Alexa answered, she had put on her underwear both top and bottom, she also was now wearing her socks, they had a cute [Mango] drawn on the side.


    They knew her best.


    ¡°[Correct, this unit is always looking for any signs of combat or Tests.]¡±


    ¡°Then it doesn¡¯t matter if what [Eleanore] said is true or not, so long we are ready to react it matters not.¡± Alexa said as she passed one leg then the other into the opening of her Skirt, she remembered that her buttoned blouse was above the Skirt, but [Fan Girl] had brought her [Uniform] and there the Skirt was atop the blouse.


    It confused Alexa, but in the end she decided to dress as she was more comfortable. And having the blouse atop the Skirt left her with more freedom of movement.


    Also she didn¡¯t like how it looked with the blouse tucked under the Skirt.


    Too constraining! She wanted to breathe, dang it!


    It was bad enough that she occasionally wanted to change the composition of her Skirt to a design with more leeway, but she feared that it would compromise the integrity of the design and could result in her losing her [Skirt] in any movement too big.


    She didn¡¯t think it was cute behavior to stop moving because she needed to recover her Skirt.


    After setting her Skirt and buttoned blouse in place the next was her jacket. It was cute and that was all she would say about it, it was also more adorable because it had a lovely ribbon for her to wear.


    ¡°I am ready!¡± Alexa exclaimed as she opened the door to the living room.


    She was wearing her full set of [Uniform], the only thing that was missing at the moment was her [Backpack] and her [Lunch], well, the latter wasn¡¯t that important. She could always munch any of her [Not-Classmates] if needed.


    Yes, Alexa wasn¡¯t giving herself an excuse to fulfill one of the goal objectives that [Main Core] had set for her. No sir.


    ¡°Good, now Eleanore told me to prepare lunch.¡± [Fan Girl] said bringing a small metal box and placing in within her [Backpack], ¡°But I also know that I ate way more than what Mom gave me for lunch, so here is some snack money.¡±


    After that, [Fan Girl] brought out some [A-Dollars] for Alexa.


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    ¡°You can probably find something to eat at the cafeteria with $20 A-Dollars¡­but here, these should be enough for today. Get your older self to set some money later for snacks.¡± [Fan Girl] said giving her two $20 bills and two $5 bills.


    That was a grand total of $50 A-Dollars.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Alexa said as she took the bills and placed them into one of the inline pouches she had modified on her jacket.


    What? A girl needs her pockets!


    These things had smaller pockets! She could barely fit anything there! And the Skirt didn¡¯t have anything to store things either!


    Travesty! Injustice!


    Alexa demanded skirts with pockets!


    ¡°Okay, you have lunch, are clean, you have spending money¡­okay, that is good enough, let¡¯s go.¡± [Fan Girl] nodded at herself and then at Alexa and moved forward to the door, ¡°Let¡¯s go then Alexa, we need to get you to School. And I need to go to check about our next mission, they are releasing some early data. Eddy wants me to go and check it with him, he will probably ask later for your opinion¡­Or your older self opinion anyway.¡±


    Oh right, [Eleanore] had said the same, that a new big mission was coming.


    She wondered what it would be about, the previous one had been quite lackluster¡­even if she earned quite well from it. Mostly in the social aspect, since she learned plenty after that mission. Also managed to meet Sam, that was important¡­his [Chitin] was quite [Cool] after all.


    Also each of her [Stages] liked something from him, so it was a win-win all over the place.


    ¡°[Fan Girl], how does one know if they are indeed someone who has multiple people inside their head?¡± Alexa asked, turning to look at [Fan Girl], who was locking the door to her apartment.


    ¡°I mean, that is a you thing right?¡± [Fan Girl] answered turning to look at Alexa weirdly, ¡°You are the one with the whole System thing. You do act different and everything depending on how you look.¡±


    Did she?


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that more because my [Brain] hasn¡¯t unlocked the biological markers needed to process data more efficiently? You can''t expect this undeveloped [Brain] to process data the same way in this [Stage] as in Alexandra¡¯s [Stage].¡± Alexa pointed out helpfully.


    ¡°...right.¡± [Fan Girl] shrugged at her point, ¡°I guess that¡­it depends? I mean, do you interact with the other people there?¡±


    Did she?


    Alexa did speak with [Main Core], but she hadn¡¯t really talked to the other Alexas had she?


    ¡°Hello?¡± Alexa sent inwardly using the same way she spoke to Main Core.


    ¡°[....No other entity are here besides Host and myself. And even my own existence is but another facet of Host. Do you require a virtual machine to simulate the other stages of growth?]¡± Main Core answered back.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 36.1855%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Host possess a Main Consciousness Stream from which multiple sub Consciouness Streams may be created or used, currently, the hierarchy is set as:


    -Subject P4


    --Host


    ---Main Core


    ----Teenager Stage & Young Woman Stage


    There is no inherent divergence between multiple sub-consciousness streams. They all are part of the whole; separation is possible, but they will still be enslaved to the Host nonetheless.


    What host refers as ''System'' is theorized to have multiple identities with their own ultimate goals, all Consciousness Streams within host share the same goal.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can?¡± Alexa said thoughtfully, ¡°I could, I am sure I can tweek my [Brain] just right enough to achieve that.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± [Fan Girl] said before Alexa could elaborate. ¡°I know you can return to normal and everything¡­Hell, most shifters return to their base form when wounded enough, but the mind is¡­don¡¯t play with it. I¡­ I don¡¯t like those that have the power to do so.¡±


    Right¡­[Fan Girl] had reacted weirdly and inconsistently while near Meli-Meli.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Alexa said nodding, ¡°I will not toy with my [Mind] or anything.¡±


    She would check later on then, perhaps building a few Virtual Machines to speak with a simulation of her other [Stages]? She needed to be sure if she was really this type of System that [Eleanore] kept speaking about.


    And the advantages that could be achieved by being one¡­or in case needed, creating one.


    ¡°Okay. Good, now with that out of the way¡­¡± [Fan Girl] placed a hand at the back of her nape and grimaced, it seemed that whatever she wanted to say next was important. ¡°...In public call me Skye, not Fan Girl.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Alexa nodded.


    ¡°I know you like using Fan Girl, but it is weird and closer to my¡­wait what?¡± [Fan Girl] asked looking at Alexa as if she had said something different, ¡°That easily?¡±


    ¡°Yes, if you don¡¯t like the [Label] I can change it, you have done plenty for Alexa. We are willing to make anything to make it easier on you too.¡± Alexa said, having allies was important.


    Plenty P-series subjects had achieved that status by the use of numbers, she could win most of the time even while the numbers were against her, but if she could have the help of [Fan Girl]...The fact that she could command torrents of wind summoned from¡­ someplace.


    She could be an important [Asset], changing the name she used to refer to her in public settings was a small change.


    ¡°Yes, okay¡­thank you. You can call me sis, big sis or just Skye if you want.¡± [Fan Girl] nodded at Alexa. ¡°I am one of your legal guardians, usually that would mean for me to be something akin to an aunt or foster parent¡­but to be honest it would weird the hell out of me if your younger self called me aunt or mom and your older self was my friend.¡±


    It would be weird?


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you are what I would [Label] as [Mom] or [Aunt]¡± Alexa said looking [Fan Girl] up and down.


    Something just wasn¡¯t right.


    ¡°Okay, okay¡­fair. Your older self saw me pissout drunk, no way you would respect me or see me as that either¡­¡± [Fan girl] sighed, ¡°But I can be good sister material!¡±


    ¡­Alexa shrugged at that statement.


    ¡°Sure, Alexa can try that if needed.¡± Alexa said, she wasn¡¯t quite sure what a [Sister] was in this setting. ¡°What is a [Sister] supposed to do?¡±


    That was the important bit, what was this [Role] that [Fan Girl] wanted to achieve.


    ¡°Bother the younger sister, make sure they don¡¯t get into trouble. And help mom raise the younger sister.¡± [Fan Girl] answered.


    Yeah, that checked out with what [Fan Girl] was doing, actually¡­ didn¡¯t that mean that [Golem], [Eleanore] and [Billy] filled that bill?


    ¡°So [Golem] is also Alexa¡¯s sister?¡± Alexa asked, she would need to make sure she used the correct [Label] after all.


    ¡°Pfft. Hahahahahahahahah.¡± [Fan Girl] started suddenly laughing and ushering Alexa to move forward. ¡°Let¡¯s go Alexa¡­.we don¡¯t want¡­. big sis Eddy¡­. to wake up¡­ pffft.¡±


    Alexa was unsure in what way or form had this devolved into a [Laughing] matter, but [Fan Girl] continued laughing and at some point the name changed from [Big Sis Eddy] to [Older Sister Grumpy Billy].


    Was the [Label] that Alexa had used wrong?


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they [Big sisters]? Are they only [Sisters]? Or [Small Sisters]?¡± Alexa was confused, she hadn¡¯t found too much on the way of [Internet].


    ¡°No, it¡¯s ¡­ pfft¡­.. not.¡± [Fan Girl] finally answered after a few blocks of walking, ¡°Ahhh¡­. I needed that, okay listen here Alexa.¡±


    [Fan Girl] finally said drying some tears of her eyes, ¡°A man, boy or old man can¡¯t be a sister¡­ well they can if they think they are female or something, but we aren¡¯t going into that particular rabbit hole¡­¡± [Fan Girl] shuddered at the mention of said [Rabbit Hole], ¡°A male either young or old are brother. So it would be big brother Ed for you; as for Billy¡­well, he is old, so he could pass up as a grandpa, grandad, or grandparent.¡±


    So Granpa [Billy]? And Older brother [Golem]?


    Hmm¡­..[Golem] didn¡¯t felt right with that Label, she could maybe make it work with [Billy] though. It still felt somewhat off, but it was closer to right.


    What was the deal with this weird [Feeling]?


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it feels right with [Golem].¡± Alexa said confused, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe you already have a big sis and brother? Do you remember anyone like that?¡± [Fan Girl] asked Alexa worried, ¡°Any¡­ memory coming back?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Alexa answered, ¡°I don¡¯t think I had one of those before.¡±


    She had no memory of other P4-series subject, and the other P-series were more like alternated version, either upgrades attempts or downgraded versions. They were closer to competition than to what [Fan Girl] and [Eleanore] had described as [Family].


    ¡°Okay, that is fine. Maybe you have a big brother out there waiting for you.¡± [Fan Girl] smiled at her while saying that. ¡°Eleanore will find him if you have someone like that.¡±


    ¡­.Did she?


    If [Eleanore] found someone like that, it would probably be a P4-series that was constructed somewhere else and it took a different way to create the [Human Blueprint]. She could only hope for [Eleanore] to not find herself with that one in a combat setting¡­


    No wait, if she did and that P4 attacked her¡­ wouldn¡¯t that mean that they would turn hostile to her too?


    ¡°If she finds someone like that I want to be there when she meets them.¡± Alexa said seriously, if that ever happened, she needed to be nearby, so she could neutralize the damage before it happened.


    She didn¡¯t want to antagonize this organization after all.


    ¡°Sure, she will probably ask you about it if it comes to happen, but I will tell her anyway.¡± [Fan Girl] said smiling, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡±


    Good, she wouldn¡¯t need to worry about another P4 series subject endangering her livelihood, and with that out of the way¡­


    ¡°So what does a [Big Brother] and [Grandpa] do?¡± Alexa asked. She needed to know what she could expect from [Golem] and [Billy] if they would fulfill those [Labels] in her life.


    ¡°A Big Bro is someone you can run and ask to protect or defend you.¡± [Fan Girl] started her explanation, but that sounded like what she had been using [Meat Shield] as¡­


    ¡°So a [Meat Shield].¡± Alexa said aloud nodding.


    ¡°....yup, sounds about right.¡± [Fan Girl] smirked at Alexa¡¯s description, ¡°But they also are there to help you, console you, pamper you and if needed¡­ Protect you not only from bullies, but from your family.¡±


    That sounded more like a failsafe than a [Meat Shield].


    ¡°As for a grandpa¡­ well, they also are there to pamper you. But also are supposed to teach you valuable life lessons and get you nice gifts for your birthday.¡± [Fan Girl] said and¡­ didn¡¯t elaborate more on that.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Alexa asked. That sounded lackluster.


    ¡°I mean, they are supposed to help raise you, but that is more of a 2-6 age thing. You are somewhat older than that, so besides pampering you with gifts¡­¡± [Fan Girl] shrugged.


    ¡°[Billy] does get the best gifts of all¡­¡± Alexa nodded, pointing at her [Pocket]; her [Cellphone] was quite the piece of technology after all.


    ¡°That he does, even if he is a cheapstake that doesn¡¯t give the good stuff just because I can do it without those fancy gadgets. A girl needs a ram engine sometimes!¡± [Fan Girl] grumbled, Alexa did a quick search about the [Ram Engine] and filed it for later, that thing seemed to be able to pull quite the great amounts of [Wind] and turn it into propulsion, but Alexa could see some alternative uses to generate power from it.


    She would need to check later.


    ¡°Okay, so what do you have to say to me Alexa?¡± [Fan Girl] asked as they arrived at the fence that separated the exterior street with the [School].


    ¡°Thank you for bringing me here big sis!¡± Alexa beamed at [Fan Girl].


    [Fan Girl]¡¯s face faltered for a few seconds as a smile started showing on her face.


    ¡°Good girl, I will have cake for you when you return from school.¡± [Fan Girl] gave her the [Thumbs up] sign with her hand and ran away.


    She was smiling all the way out.


    ¡°Yup, cute is justice.¡± Alexa nodded as she turned back and started walking to her classroom.


    She hadn¡¯t seen many of the [Kids] that were in her classroom around, but for some reason everyone was staring in her direction, had she done something wrong?


    ¡°[Comparison between the behavior of Host and those don¡¯t show any discrepancy. Comparison between uniform between Host and others also match. The behavioral reason is unknown. Emotion detected; Fear.]¡±


    So they feared her? Why?


    She was cute!


    You don¡¯t fear cute!


    You pamper it!

 Chapter 79: Classroom of the Elites....or something like that.

    In the end, Alexa didn¡¯t find any reason why the other kids were looking at her weirdly. What she found was¡­that she was doing a new type of [Test] than the one she had done yesterday. Even though [Eleanore] had said that there wouldn¡¯t be any [Tests], then what was this?


    It could only be a test.


    ¡°Classroom closed due to repairs, students, please go to the designated classroom depending on your name in the list¡­¡± Granted, it wasn¡¯t a hard [Test] under any premise¡­ ¡°Alexa is¡­.there¡­¡±


    At the very top of the list, she did a quick scan and sure enough there were plenty names there, she didn¡¯t find Meli-Meli¡¯s name¡­nor [Teach Baking], perhaps they could still attend to [Classes] in this [Classroom]?


    Either way, Alexa needed to move to her next [Testing Area]. Or, in a nutshell, she needed to run to her new [Classroom]!


    Lest she arrive late, why had she arrive this late anyway? Or was she late? Could someone this cute be late? Surely not right? Cute was justice, yes. She was not late, being this cute meant that she was supposed to arrive at that precise moment and not a second later!


    ¡°Yes.¡± Alexa nodded as she arrived at this fundamental truth of [The World]. And looking one last time to make sure, Alexa started walking reading the [signs] atop the doors to identify where she was.


    She needed to go to [Classroom 1-A], that was the one that had been assigned to her after all.


    It didn¡¯t take as much time as she had thought, mostly because the route to this new Classroom was quickly found in one of the multiples [Maps] that had been stuck to the walls to show the [Students] where things stood in this building.


    For some reason this [Classroom] was near the [Principal]¡¯s office. So that meant that Alexa may be in danger of being exposed to Mr Pig, but it was a risk she had to deal with.


    ¡°[Notice,no evidence of Human Designation:Principal Kendrick Hamilton being related to any species of Pigs, host is doing a irrational judgement.]¡±


    ¡°BUT HE IS A PIG!¡± Alexa screamed at the injustice of the world, not acknowledging this basic truth! ¡°I mean¡­Zaradaba!¡±


    Alexa said quickly rushing into the [Classroom] that had been asigned to her, she wasn¡¯t sure why she had felt the need to hide as soon as she screamed that, had it to do with the fact that almost everyone in the hallway had turned to look at her?


    But why?


    Oh, right, she needed to find a secure place to hide and prepare in case it turned into a [Combat Test], yes, that. It was obvious, being in an exposed area with everyone turning to look at her meant that she needed to prepare for multiple vectors of attacks.


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, the new one arrived. Fifteen minutes late, tch¡­This is why¡­:¡± Alexa heard and turned to look at the people surrounding her.


    She found herself with¡­.a very weird [Classroom].


    At the very back stood a [Man] with his hair arranged as if he had licked it into position and then affixed it with some kind of [Glue] or [Chemical]. The man was dressed in a similar type of clothing to Mr Pig. Was it called a [Suit]? or [Tuxedo]? Only this one seemed¡­cheap.


    Unlike the [High-Quality] materials that Mr Pig used, this one seemed to be more of an imitation, Alexa could see how the [Thread] seemed to fade away in weird spots.


    And if that wasn¡¯t enough, on this [Human]¡¯s face, he had a pair of [Glasses] way bigger than his eyes, the crystal seemed to be overly reflecting giving the impression that this [Human] had light bulbs instead of eyes, also it made find it hard to focus on its face.


    Alexa was too busy being distracted by the [Glasses] to focus on his [Face].


    ¡°Tch, tch¡­Manners maketh man¡­or in this case, the Lady.¡± The [Human] said clapping strongly, this sound seemed to resound in the whole Classroom. The other [Kids] seemed to giggle at this. ¡°So? Who are you? I assume you are one of the problem students from Missus Eloise?¡±


    Alexa nodded at the question, ¡°Yes¡­I am Alexa.¡± And said as much, she turned to look at the other [Kids] here next.


    Each one sat at a singular desk. They had comfortable chairs with cushions on both their bottom and back. Each chair seemed to be made of some kind of wood with a mysterious luster. The desks were made of a different darker wood that seemed to shine on its own, and for some reason, the desks had what seemed to be connections for data cables.


    Alexa had seen those types of connections in her [Cellphone] and in some [PC]¡¯s around [Haephestus¡¯ Forge], so they had access to the internal network? Each of them?


    ¡°Alexa huh?¡± The [Man] spoke with disinterest as with a flourish of his hand he pulled a small electronic device and navigated the data on it, ¡°I don¡¯t have any ¡®Alexa¡¯ here. I require your full name, both first and last.¡±


    ¡­what?


    ¡°Alexandra Saintsworth?¡± Alexa said confused, everyone had understood her when she said that she was Alexa, how many Alexas there were here?!?!?


    ¡°Oh, that makes it different then.¡± The [Man] said and did another read, ¡°Yes, Alexandra Saintsworth, temporary Student from Eloise Baker. You will attend some classes with us; you have enough credits to merit a transfer here, actually.¡±


    That made most of those kids giggling at her stop and instead turned their eyes almost¡­[Predatory].


    ¡°We will see if you can live up to the standards of Class A.¡± The [Man] said once more, he turned in a smoth motion to look back and with his finger started writting on the [WhiteBoard], as his finger traced the smooth surface, words started being written and mimicked at the top.


    She hadn¡¯t noticed it before, but atop the small [Whiteboard] hovered a bigger projection.


    ¡°My name is Tristan De Medici. Some of the most educated of you may guess the history behind my name, which is both glorious and inglorious.¡± The [Man] said and in one single flourish underlayed his last name, ¡°Okay, first question. What is the most important achievement of my illustrious family? Alexandra?¡±


    Alexa?


    What?


    ¡°Ah¡­.¡± Alexa stood there, unsure of what to say.


    ¡°Main core? Help!¡± And sent a prompt into the local network and to Main Core.


    ¡°[Feeding data straight from local library.]¡±


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Anything? I am only asking a vague question, I know my family isn¡¯t as famous as your last name, but we did influence history to some degree.¡± The [Man] said in a serious tone, the other kids giggled at this.


    ¡°The De Medici family was an Italian family based in Florence; they started humble and moved into banking. From there, they started influencing the government¡­.and some notable members became Kings, Queens, and one achieved the highest possible title within the church, crowning himself as a Pope¡­?¡± Alexa said, reading the resumed data that Main Core fed her.


    That family seemed impressive¡­what was someone from that bloodline doing here?


    ¡°Precisely, good answer. Short and concise,¡± The [Man] nodded at her, not smiling at any moment, then turning to the rest of the class, he looked at everyone, ¡°You may sit there. That spot has been empty for some time now, and it annoys me.¡±


    Alexa was pointed to a seat that had yellow decorations on the chair, unlike everyone else this one seemed to be more¡­customized.


    ¡°But teacher that!¡± One of the girls near the seat she was given started speaking.


    ¡°What? Who is it for?¡± The [Man] now identified as [Teacher] asked back, his figure for some reason seeming [Bigger].


    ¡°...for¡­a Saintsworth.¡± The girl said as she tried to hide in her seat, which was the worst possible idea: you can¡¯t hide in a seat. Unless you could change your skin color and texture¡­.


    Nope, the girl wasn¡¯t able to do either.


    ¡°And this girl''s last name is¡­?¡± The [Teacher] asked turning to Alexa, who was now setting her [Backpack] at the side of her [Desk].


    ¡°Alexa?¡± Alexa said pointing at herself.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t have the golden eagle!¡± The girl said back gritting her teeth, ¡°She is a commoner at best or the daughter of a whore at worst!¡±


    *Slap*


    ¡°I will not tolerate that type of commoner words.¡± The [Teacher] said as he slapped the girl with one of his gloves, ¡°We are better than them.¡±


    The girl seemed to want to cry, but was fighting to contain her tears, Alexa wasn¡¯t quite sure why.


    ¡°Now, next question for Miss Blackthorn who seems quite focused on who our family is.¡± The [Teacher] said as he wiped his glove and put it on, he seemed to be¡­quite dramatic with how he put it on as he raised his hand up as if to make sure the glove was well put before looking down at the girl who was glaring the [Teacher] and Alexa. ¡°Was my family good or evil?¡±


    They were¡­.good right?


    ¡°That depends on who you ask.¡± The [Girl] answered still glaring at the [Teacher], ¡°To the world at large the Medici advanced and helped the industrial and cultural revolution, they provided the money so great inventors such as Da Vinci could flourish, some people even attribute the stable funds that Italy had and their sturdy banking.¡±


    So they were good right?


    ¡°That is not what I asked, I know what my family achieved better than most.¡± The [Teacher] said turning back to the girl, ¡°Good or Evil? Hero or Villain?¡±


    ¡°....for society they were Heroes, for the commoner they were Villains.¡± The [Girl] said grumbling, ¡°What is the point? They no longer hold any power. Isn¡¯t that why you are a teacher instead of a politician?¡±


    Alexa turned to look around and found most of the other kids saying [Oof], and [Tsss] or similar words.


    ¡°True, my family did evil, and most were corrupted politicians; even our Pope was more than likely bribing half of Rome.¡± The [Teacher] said and stood in front of Alexa once more, ¡°So, by using that metric. Why does it matter if the one sitting on this chair is or is not wearing a golden eagle? You said that this was for a Saintsworth, isn¡¯t she one?¡±


    The [Teacher] then proceeded to point to the [Whiteboard] with his [Phone] and click on something, both in the bigger projection and in front of her Desk an [ID] of Alexa with her name and a photo materialized.


    ¡°Alexandra Sainsworth, Temporary Class A student¡­¡± Alexa read, as most of the other kids around her.


    ¡°....Overall evaluation... A class.¡± The girl who had complained read that and glared at Alexa.


    ¡°What? I haven¡¯t done any [Tests] yet, why do I have an evaluation?¡± Alexa asked confused. Well, to be precise she hadn¡¯t fulfilled any [Test] or finished anything.


    ¡°You all are evaluated in real-time by our local Artificial intelligence,¡± The [Teacher] said, pointing at a crystal-like orb on the ceiling. Now that Alexa was paying attention she could see more of those in the walls and by doing a single memory search she noticed that some of the hallways had one of those too. ¡°That is the local school system, CRADDLE. The one that grades you and will keep track in the classroom wars. You got that evaluation after a day thanks to how you reacted and acted during the crisis at your class yesterday.¡±


    That seemed to make almost all the whispers stop.


    ¡°That is correct, students; your hubris in thinking our new addition wasn¡¯t ¡®Worthy¡¯ of this Classroom clouded your judgment.¡± The [Teacher] walked once more towards his raised platform, each step measured. ¡°You failed to see the obvious, we had always been a Meritocracy thanks to the umbrella of the Saintsworths. Now that we are actively being sponsored by them more so. How could someone unfit be sent to our Classroom?¡±


    No one else seemed to move, and some even nodded, albeit somewhat begrudgingly.


    ¡°So she is worthy of her last name, is what you say, Teacher?¡± The girl [Blackthorn] asked turning to¡­not outright glare, but still seemed angry at Alexa.


    ¡°I know not what makes someone worthy of that name or the golden eagle. But not all those who wield the so-called golden eagle are what I would deem Worthy.¡± The [Teacher] said, pointing at the [Whiteboard] again with his [Phone] and clicking it. A new image blossomed, replacing that of Alexa. ¡°He, for one, we all know doesn¡¯t wear the golden eagle or tattoo unless forced to.¡±


    The image of a blonde man now was there, the image seemed to be taken from a low point, as the image gave the feeling of the blonde man looking down on them.


    Alexa did not like the feeling of being looked down on¡­


    It was...


    ¡°[Degrading.]¡±


    Yes, it was almost as if the [Lieutenant] was looking down on her, as if she was a mere bug¡­mere [Prey].


    ¡°That is not fair Teacher, that is the youngest scion they have managed to make in the last two centuries.¡± [Blackthorn] girl grumbled, ¡°Alexanders Saintsworths isn¡¯t a fair example, not even the Main Branch managed to match his genius. We know.¡±


    ¡°That you do, don¡¯t you? Glory Blackthorn?¡± The girl grumbled at being called out.


    ¡°Yes, even so we will one day rise to wield the Saintsworth name again. He is proof that if we can match their genius even a sub branch can wield the golden eagle¡­ Our family will earn the right to sit on the golden throne!¡± The [Girl] seemed to ooze confidence, and some weird longing¡­to a chair¡­


    ¡°We can change chairs if you want?¡± Alexa said feeling uncomfortable, ¡°I don¡¯t mind¡­¡±


    ¡°No,¡± The girl said, glaring at Alexa, ¡°I will earn it, as it¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Alexa¡­did not know what to think about that girl.


    Or this sudden exposition about the past of her last name¡­


    ¡°So, returning to our class for today. What is good? What is Evil? My family could be deemed Evil if you were poor, and good if you look at our effect in the world at large. Then what about today''s premiere example?¡± The [Teacher] said pointing with his finger at the image of the [Lieutenant], ¡°Are the Saintsworths good or evil?¡±


    The other kids started speaking among themselves, Alexa saw images of other kids materializing in an almost transparent projection above their Desk, looking at her own Desk she found that some letters seemed to be projecting on there, and touching them mimicked the words in the translucid blue screen.


    One that seemed to resemble the same blue screens she was seeing as an interpretation of her [Core Powers]. Some messing around with the options gave her a list of options, she could call most of the other students here using this function, she doubted someone would answer her though, perhaps if Meli-Meli was here, but she didn¡¯t know anyone else.


    And the only other [Student] that she had spoken with was glaring at her chair¡­


    ¡°We will start from our top achiever and go down,¡± The [Teacher] said clapping his hands and pointing at Alexa, again. ¡°So? Is the Saintsworths Family, Conglomerate and Clan a good influence for the world? Are they good or bad? Heroes or Villains?¡±


    ¡­.How the heck was she supposed to know that?


    ¡°As long as they give Alexa mangoes they are good!¡± Alexa said crossing her arms above her chest, ¡°We can¡¯t know if they are good or bad unless they do good or bad things, that image for example is bad. I don¡¯t like how he is looking at me.¡±


    She really didn¡¯t like it, it felt¡­wrong.


    As if the [Lieutenant] would not look at her like that, even though he had shot at her and cheated when doing the [Combat Test] with her, he had never looked at her like that. Not even when she almost crushed him with her [CLAW].


    ¡°hmm¡­.so from your point of view, so long they provide food and entertainment they are good?¡± The [Teacher] almost smiled at the answer¡­ Almost. ¡°Noted. Next!¡±


    Then he turned to the girl [Blackthorn], she hmphed and stood with both hands at her waist and for some weird reason, she puffed her chest.


    ¡°We of the noble Saintsworth blood are good for the world. Our ethos is to leave the world a better place, our blood may have been diluted since the advent of Core users since we wanted to ensure we could stay ahead of the curve¡­¡± The girl once more glared at Alexa, and her chair, in that order. ¡°But even so, anyone that carries our blood will do their best to leave this place better than they found; all of those rumors of our chairman being a tyrant, a dictator, or even a dragon are from fearmongers!¡±


    And like that she sat and glared (Once again) at Alexa. That girl was weird.


    ¡°...right, so we have one conditional vote for Bread and Circus, one yes¡­next!¡± The [Teacher] said turning to a boy next.


    ¡°They seem to be good at first glance, but it is a proven fact that the Saintsworths have their reach into weapon and biochemical development, they also have interest in all the energy business and have a very thorough satellite network. Should they attempt, they could probably overthrow any current major power.¡± As he spoke the girl (Blackthorn) glare focused more and more into this one, ¡°So my vote is for Evil. They have too much power, their assets should be redistributed among other non-compromised organizations. Any monopoly is Evil by definition.¡±


    ¡°Preposterous!¡± The girl said standing, what kind of kid even uses the word [Preposterous] anyway?


    ¡°[Something that goes against common sense and is outright ridiculous. In this statement, the idea that a major power should willingly give their power to other entities is not only ridiculous but also impossible to achieve. The Saintworths Conglomerate will never bow to anyone.]¡±


    ¡­Main Core was also invested? Ah right¡­she was technically also part of them right¡­Should Alexa also be angry?


    ¡°Why should we give our birthright to those that haven¡¯t earned it?¡± The girl screeched at the other kid. ¡°If your family wants to be worth of it they can earn their right!¡±


    ¡°How can we even compete with them if you are hogging all the chances?!?!¡± The kid fought back.


    Alexa wanted something to munch while seeing this, it was kinda fun when the people fought with words and they weren¡¯t directed at her.


    ¡°What is your take on this, Alexandra?¡± Suddenly, Alexa felt cold on her back. Looking to her right, she found the [Teacher] black eyes looking at her.


    ¡°[WARNING DANGER THREAT RAISED.]¡±


    She¡­hadn¡¯t noticed when this [Teacher] moved to her right. The kids arguing among themselves glared in Alexa¡¯s direction too.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t the Saintsworths a Meritocracy?¡± Alexa asked. The [Blackthorn] girl nodded, as did the other kid. ¡°Then, if anyone proves to be worthy of something, shouldn¡¯t he give it to them?¡±


    Alexa said pointing at the image of the [Lieutenant].


    Both kids and [Teacher] followed the direction she pointed, and while the [Blackthorn] girl smirked, the other kid also grumbled and sat down.


    ¡°So that makes one for evil, one for good, and one conditional.¡± The [Teacher] said ignoring the whole debacle, ¡°NEXT!!¡±


    Alexa¡­was going to be here for more time?


    Couldn¡¯t¡­.one of them turn berserk or something?


    Looking at the data on her [Terminal], Alexa found that this was scheduled for another [Two Hours], followed by [World History] and [Math].


    At least she would get a small [Break] between [World History] and [Math]...


    *Ping*


    Turning to look to the right corner, Alexa found a [!] icon, opening it was a [Friend Invite] and a second message asking her to [Synchronize] her phone with the Desk¡­What?


    For now Alexa would focus on that and try to pay attention to the class and how it moved¡­Also she would try to not lose sight of the [Teacher], if she could learn how he had moved into her blindspot¡­that would be very [Useful].

 Chapter 80: Something is weird here...........

    The Class continued on the topic of what made someone a [Hero] or a [Villain], what type of activities made someone more [Heroic] and what made someone more [Villainous]. As far as Alexa was concerned, this was mostly meaningless information. Why should it matter if someone acted [Righteously]?


    At the end of the day, if the [Test] was to fight against them, she would fight them, whether they were [Heroes] or [Villains].


    To Alexa this was meaningless.


    ¡°Okay Class, that is enough. Now you are prepared to fight society knowing that not all Heroes are good and not all Villains are evil.¡± The [Teacher] said and looked at his wrist, he had some kind of [Watch] there, ¡°As for our next topic, we are doing world history.¡±


    The [Whiteboard] deleted all the information that had been there before, Alexa noticed a new notification on her [Desk] about the previous Whiteboard being saved for future browsing if she required it. That was a neat function¡­if not for her having memorized the data already.


    ¡°For our next class, we are reviewing basic history; what is the most important event of the previous century?¡± The [Teacher] started the [Class] with that, he turned this time to look at the students, each kid in the Desk stood focused on the [Teacher], even those that had argued with him about optics of good deeds vs percieved evil deeds. ¡°First, we will go by our usual freestyle.¡±


    And followed by that Alexa heard the sound of hands hitting against the desks. In the center of her own Desk Alexa noticed a red circular light, ¡°CRADDLE, please give the word to the winner.¡± The [Teacher] said, and the lights dimmed in the classroom. Everywhere was darker¡­except for the Desk of the [Blackthorn] girl.


    ¡°Of course, Blackthorn you have the right of speech. What is the most important event of the previous century for you?¡± The [Teacher] said and crossed his arms.


    Alexa focused on him again. She had noticed that he did some subtle movements to encourage people to focus elsewhere, and each time she failed those attempts, he would reappear in another place.


    ¡°Thank you Teacher. For me the most important event of the previous century is the space race. We started aiming for the stars and expanded our understanding of the universe, for me, this is the most important step we have ever done.¡± Glory said and with a bow sat down.


    ¡°Hmm¡­.I assume the fact that the rocket and space crew were from the Saintsworths has nothing to do with your answer?¡± Once again the same kid that had fought with that girl spoke.


    ¡°That is correct, the fact that we had enough technological might to fund and make three different space programs across the world and managed to launch them all had nothing to do with my answer.¡± Glory answered and turned to stare at the other kid, ¡°Right, your family also tried to join the space race didn¡¯t they? Alan Harmonia?¡±


    The other kid turned red and glared at the Blackthorn girl.


    ¡°It was an unfair deal and you know it too, or what? Did your owners not teach you the terms?¡± The kid seemed angry at it.


    ¡°They did, your family asked for a dual space program. The reason the first to touch the moon soil were Saintsworths was because it was deemed that we shouldn¡¯t risk the lives of others in our squabble. So we built the rocket using our Technology and risked the lives of our comrades. Didn¡¯t your family ask for this deal?¡± Glory smirked back at the other kid, Alan.


    ¡°...¡± The other kid didn¡¯t answer.


    ¡°What happened to your rocket again? What happened to the Harmony Mk 7?¡± The black-haired girl smiled sweetly at the other kid who seemed on the verge of crying.


    Alexa was enjoying this soap opera¡­what is a soap opera? She wasn¡¯t sure, but this seemed to fit the bill so she imagined herself a snack to enjoy this.


    ¡°...they died¡­the rocket failed when leaving orbit and crashed against the ocean. The astronauts got knocked unconscious and weren¡¯t able to leave the rocket in time.¡± Alan answered with gritted teeth.


    ¡°Enough of that squabble.¡± The [Teacher] sadly interrupted. ¡°You have used your chance to answer; CRADDLE will allot your points. Next!¡±


    After the light focused on another girl, ¡°I think the World War was an important event since it showed us how terrible¡­.¡± She went on to tell how bad it was to the fact that some humans killed others, how it was a meaningless thing to fight over rights of land¡­


    Alexa sincerely ignored most of it, she had used her own terminal to search those event and found the idea behind the event¡­interesting. She found some interesting data about these [World War]; they started out of a political dispute brought up by the assassination of some high-ranking [Human].


    They didn¡¯t have [Core Users], and she didn¡¯t find evidence of any presence of [Bio Weapons]; what she found were some studies about the use of chemical warfare and [Conspiracy Theories] about some civilian entities that benefited from the war. Be it by fueling the conflict or selling armament and intelligence to both sides of the conflict.


    Interestingly enough, there weren¡¯t that many theories about the Saintsworths being involved in the more active parts of the war; some documents stated that they worked selling weapons and equipment for the war theater, but during those years, it seemed that they had focused all their resources on the space race.


    What was the deal with that?


    ¡°Then, with that out of the way we have¡­¡± The [Teacher] said, turning to the [Whiteboard] again and started writing.


    [The World War]


    [Space Race]


    [Technological Advances]


    [Rise of Superpower Nations]


    [Rise of Monopolies]


    [Rise of Mega Corporations]


    [Holocaust]


    [Cold War]


    Alexa only shared their opinion on the [World War] and the rise of [MegaCorporations] since that one had been solely focused on the [Saintsworths].


    ¡°Alexandra? You have not participated in this topic. What is your opinion on this? What was the most important event of the previous century?¡± The [Teacher] said focusing the attention back to Alexa.


    ¡°I think that the [First World War] is the important event.¡± Alexa answered.


    ¡°Hoh? Not the rise of your namesake? Or the space race? But the war?¡± The [Teacher] almost seemed like he wanted to smile, and yet¡­he remained stoic. ¡°Why? Elaborate?¡±


    ¡°Well, that is what allowed [Humans] to innovate the most. The [World War] kickstarted the [Space Race], they advanced the economy of the winners, and increased the speed of research and development, and that is the reason for the rise of the [SuperPowers Nations] and the main factor that allowed the [Saintsworths] to become a [MegaCorporation].¡± Alexa answered.


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°Perfect answer, CRADDLE. Log the answer.¡± The [Teacher] said and the sphere blinked once at the command, Alexa didn¡¯t felt any [Mana Wave] coming her way, so had the thing failed to awknowledge the command? ¡°Correct, the most important event was the war. What allowed us to advance this fast wasn¡¯t good plans, feelings or the wish to innovate. But the idea of defeating our fellow man.¡±


    That was¡­[Dark].


    And most of the other kids seemed to look down.


    ¡°But you all are too young to understand this. So we will slot this for a later year.¡± The [Teacher] instead wiped clean the [Whiteboard] and turned once more to them, ¡°Then with that out of the way, what is the most important event of this century.¡±


    This time the [Teacher] didn¡¯t wait and pointed at Alexa from the beginning, ¡°So tell us, Alexandra, what is, in your opinion, the most important event of this century.¡±


    ¡­¡­.


    Alexa was about to ask Main Core, but she felt that it would have been the wrong answer, so instead she remained quiet, ¡°The [Advent of Core Users].¡± Alexa answered.


    This time the [Teacher] couldn¡¯t help it and smiled, and¡­Alexa could feel it, [Madness] spread into the face of the [Teacher], it was only for a second, and Alexa felt as if she would have forgotten it if she hadn¡¯t thought it was weird.


    ¡°[Notice, mana wavelength detected, an effect similar to the one created by Melissandra Singh. Initiating countermeasures.]¡±


    At that, Main Core acted.


    ¡°Correct.¡± The voice of the [Teacher] brought her back, ¡°The advent of Core Users can be without a doubt the most important event of this century. Our Technology has started advancing by leaps and bounds even though Tinker Tech is limited in use and dependent on Tinkers being available to provide maintenance.¡±


    The [Teacher] now once more looked like a nondescript [Human] without any part that stood out besides a used [Suit] and a licked-out haircut.


    The image of [Madness] and smile gone.


    ¡°That was too easy to answer.¡± Glory grumbled from the side.


    ¡°And yet you would have answered another thing, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± The Harmonia boy said with a smirk. ¡°Perhaps the event when the Saintworths managed to replicate a Core User power with their Artifacts?¡±


    ¡°That was an important development!¡± Glory fought back.


    ¡°It matters not.¡± The [Teacher] said, clapping his hands, ¡°The advent of Core Users brought us the advancement of Humanity as a whole; it allowed the lesser man to rise above those with the power of old. You all are the Elite of our society, daughters, and sons of old power.¡±


    Most kids nodded their heads proudly.


    All but Glory Blackthorn and Alan Harmonia.


    ¡°And yet you all will be less than the lowest Core User you can find. One of the feared Insect Core or Beast Core will get more interest than most of you. And I can guarantee that if your parents found a way to make you into one of them they would pay any amount of money for that.¡± The [Teacher] said, bringing the students'' mood down in one simple swoop.


    ¡°Of course, if we had access to the Core Power, even as an Insect Core User we would not be a danger to society, we would be able to become Heroes and help further humanity.¡± Glory said without stepping back.


    ¡°And that is why we discuss these topic while your fellow students worry trying to learn the multiplication tables.¡± The [Teacher] nodded, ¡°You all can learn the multiplication tables in your free time, but learning the importance of worldwide events is important.¡±


    Was it?


    Alexa didn¡¯t think like that; this information was available for everyone to see, so why would it matter if she learned it here or not?


    ¡°Case in point, what is our city known for?¡± The [Teacher] said this time, the Whiteboard erased the notes of the previous topic and showed a map of the city.


    Similar to the one she had seen before.


    ¡°Manufacturing?¡± Alan answered unsure.


    ¡°Our research and development laboratories?¡± Glory answered.


    The other kids turned to stare at Alexa, as if to wait for her answer, the [Teacher] also did so. So Alexa sighed ¡°The [SuperHeroes] and [Villains]?¡± Alexa asked.


    ¡°Once again, correct.¡± The [Teacher] answered nodding, ¡°The tourism we attract from the superheroic fights and the research acquired from the Core Users that sell themselves to pharmacies, they advance our society either as tools or as research material.¡±


    That¡­she hadn¡¯t expected.


    ¡°Columbus, Ohio, would probably not have survived in this new world without the Saintsworths meddling. We would have ended as another ghost city.¡± The [Teacher] said, and the image of the Whiteboard shrank; it turned into a bigger map with some other figures. ¡°Ohio, for example, can survive thanks to our Capital City helping them; we send the help needed and sometimes move Heroes to other cities when a disaster strikes.¡±


    The map of [Ohio] showed other smaller cities in different colors, it then showed lines spreading from [Columbus] to the other cities around.


    ¡°And in comparison with other states¡­¡± The map then showed other countries around, ¡°Those that didn¡¯t manage to get a central node of a mega-corporation or a group of heroes to set base there¡­¡±


    The images started to turn red.


    ¡°Ghost cities.¡± Glory said in a sad tone.


    ¡°Exactly, cities that no longer hold human life. Or, in the worst case, anarchy.¡± [Teacher] showed images of cities ruled by greenery, animals, insects, and, in one particular instance, one that had rudimentary buildings. ¡°Some of those do thrive in these environments, unlike our more civilized side of the world.¡±


    Ghost Cities¡­


    Alexa saved this data for later use, the fact that uncontrolled or unregistered entities populated cities¡­It could mean that she had the option to grow and thrive without having to mind her environment.


    If she was able to travel there¡­


    ¡°Are there plans to recover the lost territory?¡± Alan asked, ¡°We do have plans for that, right?¡±


    ¡°That is for the high society to decide,¡± [Teacher] said turning to the students once more, ¡°So, it will be upon your hands when you grow.¡±


    Most of the kids around nodded their heads seriously. Alexa could see the seriousness that they emanated, and it was honestly weird. She was here trying to eat her invisible popcorn, and the other kids were all serious.


    They didn¡¯t get her!


    ¡°Good, so then, what is the main reason for the creation of a ghost city?¡± The [Teacher] said his question and pointed to Glory.


    ¡°The uncontrolled and unregulated Core Users.¡± She answered without waiting, ¡°It is because those that didn¡¯t have enough willpower got powers beyond their capacity to control.¡±


    Yeah, these kids were weird, why did they speak using so many confusing words?


    ¡°Correct, the first ghost city was made when a group of Insect Core Users got out of control and killed everyone within the city. Why haven¡¯t we recovered from them? Harmonia.¡± [Teacher] asked, pointing to the kid who antagonized Glory.


    ¡°Because they are Human, we don¡¯t have the means to identify former humans from pure insect monsters among the swarm of Ants covering the city.¡± The kid answered, and an image of a gigantic ant showed on the monitor.


    Alexa knew those, she had been made to fight some of those things in her [CRAB] form. They were quite resilient, and that was the reason why she opted for a modified chitin armor, but the fact that they couldn¡¯t identify those from previous [Humans]?


    Alexa decided to raise her hand, ¡°Yes Alexandra? Do you have a question?¡± The [Teacher] said, turning the attention to her.


    ¡°How can you not know who is a [Human]?¡± Alexa asked pointing at the ant-like monsters, ¡°Those are [Insects].¡±


    Some of the other kids giggled at her question, but Alexa didn¡¯t pay attention to them, instead focused to the [Teacher].


    ¡°That is¡­technically correct.¡± The [Teacher] answered, ¡°But at least some of those were Human at some point, there are reports of other people that triggered and turned into similar species of ants, and others did turn into the same species, from there¡­following some investigations we discovered that these ants can procreate.¡±


    Alexa¡­did not see anything weird in that, shouldn¡¯t an [Insect] be able to continue their species?


    ¡°So?¡± Alexa questioned.


    ¡°So she says¡­¡± Glory shrugged, ¡°Then the problem is, are those born from Insect Core Users Humans or Monsters?¡±


    ¡­what? That was the whole issue? What was the deal with these [Humans]? Alexa was this close to getting annoyed at them, no wait. Wasn¡¯t that the same problem that [Sam] had?


    ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± Alexa stopped her train of thought; if Sam was [Human], then those Ants would be [Humans]?


    She hadn¡¯t gotten much [Human] biomass from the ant-like monster she fought, so maybe that was an offspring from a non [Insect Core User]? Impossible.


    ¡°Can we track the growth and expansion of the [Insect Core Users]?¡± Alexa asked, that made the giggles stop.


    ¡°Assume we can.¡± The [Teacher] answered, the big screen changed and showed arrows with graphs and data.


    ¡°If we can track the original [Insect Core Users] and how they moved, we can infer whose were humans before. If we keep track of those we can accurately predict those with a percentage of being humans.¡± Alexa said as the map simulated the movement of some [Insect-like monsters].


    A small group kept moving from place to place, and it even showed how they acted more like a pack than a hive, the video accelerated showing them settling up in a central cave from where their spawns started spreading.


    Their spawns then mingled with other hives and¡­


    ¡°They all ended within two generations interlinking with the suspected Human descendant.¡± Glory said covering her mouth.


    ¡°Then¡­.they all are¡­¡± Alan sat down with a white face.


    ¡°Correct.¡± The [Teacher] said coldly, ¡°That is why we didn¡¯t just nuke their cities, we are¡­late.¡±


    The map showed the map of the city filled with [Ants], ¡°The theory was submitted by the CEO of the Saintsworths Conglomerate. He also took some samples and proved the presence of Human DNA within the hive.¡±


    That was a lie.


    She had taken plenty of samples from those [Ants] when they fought against her. They didn''t have [Human] DNA.


    Why?


    ¡°So they are making sure they don''t spread?¡± Alexa asked as she saw the video advance and show how a wall was built to prevent their spread. "They keep them contained within their nest, and...do what?"


    The video showed multiple points of view from the wall, she recognized the [Gun] emplacements. Those were the same that had been used against her when she had started her escape attempt.


    Those hurt.


    "The idea is to wait for a Core User with the correct Power to reverse the Monster transformation. But even if we get that, we also need something else. Anyone can guess what?" The [Teacher] seemed invested in this part of the question.


    Alan raised his hand with trepidation.


    "Yes Harmonia?" The [Teacher] smirked and pointed at Alan.


    No, he had smirked, but a mana wave flooded the area and the smirk was gone? Or not. Alexa could see it, but she also could see his face superimposed with the usual stoic demeanor.


    "I assume you are guiding us into answering a Mind Core User, but those are highly illegal and must be closely monitored even when allowed to use their power." He answered.


    "Impossible! Not after the Scrambler. No politician, president or anyone in power would allow a single Mind Core User near a hive of Core Users capable of destroying a city!" Glory stood pointing at the video of the walled-off city. "Assuming every single Ant is human or has some part of a human, then that would mean that city is..."


    "A city full of [Core Users] with the power to turn from an Ant Hive into normal Humans. A city of [Ant Shape Shifter Core Users]." Alexa chimed in, everyone horrified at her for even saying that. "What? That is what they are, right? [Limited Shapeshifters] with some degree of [Telepathy] to fight since they are [Hive Insects]."


    "That they are Alexandra Saintsworths, so shouldn''t we be thankful to our Saintsworths Overlords for making sure they don''t expand?" The [Teacher] said nodding to her.


    Alexa was now sure this [Teacher]... He was also a [Core User], probably one with similar powers to Meli-Meli...and yet... He was wielding them openly?


    Perhaps there was something going on here; she would ask [Eleanore] when the classes ended.

 Chapter 81: Break, Crabs, Octopi and Sashimi

    What followed the conversation was somewhat calmer; they stood in silence for some minutes till a bell sounded and the lighting of the [Classroom] changed into more warm colors.


    No one else seemed to react to these changes, nor to the atmospheric changes; Alexa could detect a sweet aroma flooding the area and soothing [Sounds] starting to sound; also, a cool breeze started flowing, making the sweet and calming aroma more pronounced.


    ¡°Break time huh. That is just fine. We covered most of what I had scheduled for today¡¯s Ethics and World History classes.¡± The [Teacher] said nodding and the whiteboard was cleansed once again with a flourish of his hand. Only this time the projection above changed to one of a body of [Water] and some sand-like shore. ¡°Enjoy your meal.¡±


    And on that note the [Teacher] left for the main door. Alexa had attempted to follow him, but the sound of other doors opening made her change her attention; when she tried to return to look back at the [Teacher], he had disappeared once again.


    Dang it.


    ¡°Is anyone allergic to fish or any marine product?¡± The newest [Human] spoke, this one was dressed in a modified white covering similar to those that the people at her previous den used. Only these ones covered the front fully instead of only working as pseudo jackets. ¡°No? Then today¡¯s menu is sea food, please enjoy the fish consomm¨¦ and the side dishes of Sashimi, Sushi and other servings. As always, please ask for what you wish for today, and we will provide.¡±


    As this one spoke a new menu showed on Alexa¡¯s [Desk], it had some pictures of what Alexa could assume were food to be served.


    Unsure of what to do, Alexa turned to look around and found the other [Kids] selecting some servings. After a few moments, they got the same type of food served to them. So, following that logic, Alexa picked one of each option and punched the button for ¡®Ready.¡¯


    A few moments later, a nice lady carried a small metal instrument with wheels at the bottom with multiple plates of food. Alexa had asked, ¡°Alexandra? Are you sure you can eat all of this? There isn¡¯t a strict penalty for not finishing, but CRADDLE will mark you as wasteful, and while that doesn¡¯t reduce your overall score, it can be a reason for some teachers to think twice about giving you extra responsibilities.¡±


    The nice lady said as she passed a cup-like plate with what Alexa could only assume was a [Soup] with fish ingredients.


    Alexa¡­hadn¡¯t really fought any P-Series subjects that focused on aquatic movement, she had the information of them since they had asked her how she would deal with them, but they never actually used them against her. Alexa assumed it was because her answer had been to pour a few gallons of a highly flammable liquid and light it on fire.


    Perhaps they had wanted her to fight them face to face? Alexa didn¡¯t see a reason to do so obviously.


    ¡°Yes, I can finish these, I have a [High Metabolism],¡± Alexa answered as she took the first [Soup] plate and started eating from it.


    She obviously followed the [Human] customs and took the small [Spoon] (Honestly, this was the weakest one; her SPORK was obviously superior) and ate one spoonful at a time. The nice lady stayed near her and kept placing new plates on her [Desk] whenever possible.


    Alexa noticed that the [Soup] was the hardest to consume. Since it was a liquid with a higher volume, [Sushi]? She could eat one piece in one bite, and it was barely seven pieces.


    So she took seven bites between seven spoonfuls of her [Consome]. That was replaced by the Sashimi, what seemed to be [Raw Fish Meat] cut in small thin pieces, she was supposed to eat that with some greeneries and some sauce. But Alexa just took all the components could shove into one hand and just ate them like a [Burger].


    Some of the other students had stopped eating and were just staring at Alexa.


    Alexa of course ignored them, she was too busy!


    The [Shrimp] had been somewhat more challenging, they had served her about 33 shrimps, since these were smaller they had been placed into a [Cup] with the center covered in a red sauce and Alexa had been offered a small cup with another green sauce and some extra red sauce.


    She was supposed to eat one by one, these were small enough to pluck with her fingers and dip into each sauce. She did as instructed for these ones since her [Consome] was running out of¡­ Soup.


    She now only had some vegetables and some¡­weird chewy meat.


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    New DNA sample acquired, analyzing...


    Octopi strand acquired. New base blueprints acquired.


    -Sub-Brain integration: It is possible to delegate new streams of consciousness through the body to further automate the actions taken.


    -Blue Blood: Variant to the normal red blood, it contains a copper-rich protein (hemocyanin), which is more efficient at transporting oxygen in cold, low-oxygen environments.


    [Other enhancements are either already achieved by the host or are inconsequential; a more thorough blueprint is required to further analyze this data strand.]


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    What surprised her the most was that at the bottom of her consome Soup was a chitin object, Alexa was quite curious about these, it seemed to be quite a hard one.


    ¡°Oh you got to the crab darling, you need to rip open the claws to access the meat, here you can use these ones if you can¡¯t open it with your hands.¡± The Nice lady said offering what looked to be some¡­pliers.


    Alexa just stared at the small chitin object, it did had a claw¡­


    And the rough form she got from the parts that were on her Soup¡­did look a the blueprint form for her [CRAB] form¡­


    But¡­


    ¡°This is a [CRAB]?¡± Alexa asked, poking the chitin exterior.


    ¡°Yes, you don¡¯t want it? We can make exceptions and find you some lobster¡­¡± The Nice lady said attempting to take her Soup away.


    ¡°No, it''s fine¡­¡± Alexa however plunged her hand towards the¡­crab. ¡°I may as well¡­¡±


    And focusing some extra muscle mass into her fingers, Alexa ripped apart the crab chitin. The sound it made was pleasant to her ears as it cracked and sure enough. As the nice lady had said, there was white flesh within this crab. So Alexa focused and ate it, she made sure to take some samples of the chitin part as her lips touched the chitin exterior.


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    Multiple new blueprints were acquired from chimeric samples. New strands of blueprints are as follows:


    --Crab DNA strand.


    Exoskeleton: External hard chitin blueprint and recommended ratios to fulfill the full cover needed in a body, plus the correct muscle ratio and organ placement.


    Claws: They are claws.


    --Shrimp DNA Strand.


    Body Structure: Segmented body structure technique allows the user to make a segmented body type with independent body parts to purge and recompose the body faster. It also includes the blueprint for compound eyes, stalk eyes, fins, and antennae.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


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    It was underwhelming to be honest, she had gotten a blueprint for¡­something she should already have, from what she was seeing however, what she had was totally different from the original, she only had rough blueprints about the form, but she was missing so much¡­


    She didn¡¯t have the stalk-eyes, she didn¡¯t have the correct [CLAW] settings, nor the proper organs; she could, of course, compensate for most of these things using her [NANITES], but why should she?


    She now had the correct [Blueprint], now she only needed to scale it up.


    ¡°Was it good?¡± The Nice Lady asked from the side. Alexa didn¡¯t notice it before, but at some point she was no longer getting new plates.


    No one else seemed to be eating, and some of those even seemed to have green faces for some reason.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Alexa answered with a smile as she licked her lips, ¡°It was a very good and fruitful [Meal].¡±


    Alexa had probably gotten the best from this alone.


    ¡°Okay, we have marked you as someone with a higher-than-average metabolism; next time, your menu will be personalized, even if you can stomach that much food. No lady should eat that much in public; we will provide higher calorie density food for you, so please just take the suggested meal programs.¡± The Nice lady said as she took the empty plates that Alexa had left and then carried away those.


    Alexa had wanted to take a nibble at those plates!


    Alas, injustice, thy name continues to spread around.


    ¡°Hello, I am Glory Blackthorn.¡± Alexa turned her head to the voice of the interloper as soon as it started speaking, it was the girl that had glared at her before.


    ¡°...I am Alexa.¡± Alexa answered as she prepared for a fight, she wasn¡¯t quite sure why this girl hated her, but she would not be caught unprepared!


    ¡°Bullying the new girl so soon Blackthorn?¡± Then the voice of the kid who fought back against Glory came, ¡°I am Alan Harmonia, you can depend on me to deal with Glory.¡±


    What were these two doing here with her?


    ¡°Sorry about that, I wanted to ensure you weren¡¯t just using the Saintsworths name to achieve your goals. You have no idea how many people just use that sacred name in vain.¡± Glory shook her head, then turned to Alexa, ¡°But you proved you are at least worthy to sit there.¡±


    ¡­.What?


    ¡°You are confusing the new girl Blackthorn.¡± Alan said from the side while sighing. ¡°We want to confirm whether you are a Core User or not.¡±


    What?


    ¡°Alexa is not¡­¡± Alexa started saying to defend her honor! She was supposed to keep that a secret!


    Why?


    She had forgotten!


    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend, you may deceive normies, but we are the elites. We are taught how to catch on these things.¡± Glory said with a sigh, ¡°It¡¯s okay, we aren¡¯t normies. We will not hate you, we just want to make sure. If you are a Core User we need to take you into consideration for class wars.¡±


    ¡­.Wasn¡¯t she like¡­the enemy?


    ¡°At least while you are with us, we need to make sure to know what you can do so we can plan better, if you are someone who can control fire, we need to know so as to plan around possible fire hazards, if you can speak to animals we can ask to fight on exteriors near the park. You get it.¡± Alan said from the side helping Glory, weren¡¯t they antagonising before? ¡°It is for the benefit of the whole class, we both came to make sure you don¡¯t get taken advantage by the other side.¡±


    The other side?


    Weren¡¯t both in the same class?


    ¡°And now you are the one confusing her Harmonia.¡± Glory smirked, ¡°I am part of the side who sides with the changes the Saintworths provide.¡±


    She assumed as much, Glory was always defending the Saintsworths after all.


    ¡°And I am part of the side that thinks that they have too much power,¡± Alan said afterwards, ¡°To be honest it is more like what our parents say, but we follow in since¡­you know, we are kids.¡±


    ¡­.YOU DON¡¯T SOUND LIKE KIDS! ALEXA WAS A KID! AND SHE DIDN¡¯T SOUND LIKE THAT!


    ¡°I have a Miscellaneous Core.¡± Alexa answered, she had been told to say that after all.


    ¡°Miscellaneous, huh? So that means something that doesn¡¯t fit on the normal schema.¡± Glory said thinking, ¡°I assume an adult told you to answer like that, so what can you do?¡±


    ¡­.hah?


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, I need to know how to deal with you. That answer only stops adults because they must respect your wishes, I am not an adult.¡± Glory said proudly hitting her chest.


    That looked like it hurt.


    ¡°Blackthorn is right; you need a better answer that only works with responsible adults. If a Villain asks you and you answer that, you will only get a scolding or hurt.¡± Alan said from the side, ¡°You don¡¯t need to answer us and give us all that you can do, a simple answer is enough.¡±


    A simple answer¡­


    How could Alexa simplify her power?


    ¡°I am¡­strong and have regenerating abilities.¡± Alexa said, that was¡­close enough?


    ¡°So that explains the higher metabolism¡­¡± Glory said, mumbling from the side while biting her nail.


    Was it tasty?


    ¡°We assumed as much, it was that or a Beast Core Shapeshifter.¡± Alan nodded from the side.


    ¡°We can put her at the back as heavy hitter for tug-o-war and for the whack-a-mole war games.¡± Glory continued mumbling from the side.


    Alexa really wanted to taste test those nails, her own nails didn¡¯t have anything that would make them tasty, but Glory kept munching on her, perhaps her makeup was different?


    ¡°Yes, you will do fine. I will ask Mama to get me some high-calorie snacks; you will get one per war game you use your Core Powers in, fair?¡± Glory suddenly snapped out saying that. High-calorie snacks?


    ¡°MRE?¡± Alexa asked, ¡°You mean the speedster MRE?¡±


    Alan nodded, ¡°Yeah, Blackthorn has some factories that do them, she is pissy about it since most super villians attack her family once in a while to do a hit and run. Her family seems to put low quality stock for them to steal.¡±


    That was evil¡­


    ¡°That is evil¡­¡± Alexa said surprised, then the Speedster MRE that [Eleanore] had promised to her and those that [Billy] had given her were of¡­[Low Quality]?


    But those had been useful!


    ¡°No, that is obvious. Why would we give good stock to those scummy villains?¡± Glory said turning to Alexa. ¡°They don¡¯t pay, they don¡¯t get good stuff. They should be happy mamma didn¡¯t put the expired ones like I said.¡±


    Glory was scary.


    What the hell was with these kids?!?!?


    Alexa was scared! They all spoke weirdly and made evil plans!


    She was the one working for [Villains], and she was feeling outclassed here!


    ¡°So? Your answer? Will you help us when needed for MRE?¡± Glory asked as her stare turned to her.


    ¡­.She should say yes right?


    ¡°Can I get special MRE versions?¡± Alexa asked instead.


    Glory narrowed her eyes at Alexa¡¯s answer, but Alexa didn¡¯t have enough time to focus there, for someone else distracted her.


    ¡°Hahahahahahahahahah¡± It was Harmonia, who was laughing while holding his stomach, was he someone that ate something that he shouldn¡¯t and in turn hurt his tummy? ¡°She got you there Blackthorn.¡±


    She did? I mean, Alexa did?


    ¡°What type would you want?¡± Glory asked with her eyes narrowed in a scowl.


    Types? There was more than one?


    ¡°You can ask for Shifter type, Speedster Type, Strength Type, Elemental Type, Mind Type¡­There are multiple types depending on your needs, most Villains go with the simple Speedster variation since they are the sort of catch all, and are easier to steal.¡± Alan answered instead, before Alexa could ask, earning himself a glare from Glory.


    ¡°What is the difference between those?¡± Alexa asked turning to Alan.


    ¡°The Shifter Type are special in the sense that they are meant to help the body acclimate to the stress of a change in the makeup; they help to stabilize the DNA and alleviate the psychological distress from body changing into other things.¡± Glory answered as she got her [Phone] from a cute purse that was tied to her waist. ¡°The Speedster type has increased amount of calories and sugar; the strength type has pain killers and anti-inflammation medicine¡­¡±


    She continued elaborating on those, but honestly, the physical variations didn¡¯t call to Alexa; she didn¡¯t have the downsides that those dealt with.


    ¡°The Mind Type increases the speed at which you can process information and is meant to deal with the overwhelming of your brain from the data overdrive most Mental Type Cores deal with. These are less popular since most Core Users don¡¯t get these types of downsides.¡± Glory shrugged at the end. ¡°They are also used as supplements to keep you awake and perk me up in the morning by some.¡±


    ¡°I want those Mind Type.¡± Alexa said, ¡°Those are the ones I want and I will help you.¡±


    ¡°Those? But you are a physical core, right?¡± Alan asked confused.


    ¡°Yes, but my Core Power puts a bigger strain on my [Calculation Zone] than on my [Physical Zone].¡± Alexa answered, which only got her confused stares, ¡°I need to measure my strength against what is near me. If I misjudge the strength, I can pull [Muscles] and hurt me or damage where I am standing.¡±


    And as to make evidence of her excuse Alexa focused some strength into her feet and made a small crack in the floor.


    To her surprise the floor was quite sturdy and even started mending itself after a minute or so.


    ¡°See?¡± Alexa said, trying to not think too much about how she had needed to burn way more energy than she had expected.


    What had they even used to make this place?!!??!?


    ¡°Hmm¡­.I see, so you must be making adjustments all the time, and that is why you look like a childish, empty-headed girl, huh¡­¡± Glory said nodding.


    That was¡­rude.


    She was not empty-headed!


    She had plenty of things on her head! Like a [Brain] and some [Brain Juices]! And [Main Core]! And perhaps [Core] if she ever found it!


    ¡°Okay, you made your point; we will make sure to get you those Mentalist MREs; if you need something else, do come to either of us.¡± Alan said smiling at her.


    As if he had gotten something that Alexa hadn¡¯t noticed.


    ¡°Preferable to me, but if not, get us both.¡± Glory said nodding to her and then returning to her [Desk].


    Alexa turned to look to Alan who smiled at her and afterwards turned back to his own [Desk],


    What was the deal with these [Human - Child Stage] people!


    These didn¡¯t act like any other she had encountered before, if anything, these acted closer to what she had thought the [Humans] would act¡­ And then there was the [Teacher], she had still been unable to parse what type of [Core] he had, but if anything he was dangerous.


    Perhaps even more dangerous than Meli-Meli. Alexa really needed to get back and talk to [Eleanore] or [Billy] about this.


    ¡°I hope you enjoyed the break, because the next part I know you will not.¡± But for now, Alexa focused on the voice and tracked the presence with all her senses, the figure of the nonchalant [Teacher] blossoming into her perception as the [Human] walked into the [Classroom] once more. ¡°It is time for Math.¡±


    Alexa was not sure what this [Math] was, but she would be ready for it, this [Human] said that they would not enjoy it, so perhaps it was some kind of [Endurance] test, Alexa hated those, they made you waste almost all your energy and biomass for very little (If any) reward.


    She would not be defeated.

 Chapter 82: WTF did I just read? I mean...Alexa finds Weird-Alexa! She says Hi!

    The next part of the class started more like the previous one, only¡­This wasn¡¯t as hard as she had expected; unlike what she thought would happen, this one was easier to deal with, as it was some simple operations to resolve. She had enough processing power to solve most of these in an instant. So the next couple of hours were spent quite easily.


    ¡°And for the last of today, Alexandra. Can you solve 3*23?¡± The [Teacher] said sending the operation to Alexa¡¯s Desk.


    Alexa of course had already written the answer (69) before the problem arrived, wich meant that her answer was lodged before the problem had fully arrived.


    ¡°And correct again.¡± The [Teacher] nodded at her, ¡°You all should try to be more like her, even though she just arrived she has studied enough to be able to solve two digit multiplications.¡±


    Some of the other kids around her grumbled, and one even claimed she had used a [Calculator] to cheat, but Alexa didn¡¯t have any such [Calculators] around; she had merely used her [AI Core] to do the calculations for her!


    She hadn¡¯t cheated!


    ¡°What is your opinion on this Blackthorn?¡± The [Teacher] suddenly said pointing at Glory.


    ¡°It is understandable, some of us have a knack for other things, like history, geography, social studies, ethics, politics¡­.¡± Glory went on and on, giving examples of multiple information genres, most of which Alexa didn¡¯t know, ¡°And other people are good at Math.¡±


    Alexa nodded at that; she was very good at [Math].


    ¡°Alexandra? Would you like to add something to this answer?¡± The [Teacher] said turning the attention back to Alexa.


    Did she? Not really.


    Well, she could clarify some of that?


    ¡°I am not only good at [Math].¡± That made most of the giggles stop, ¡°I am also good at [Biology] and [Chemistry].¡±


    And sure enough, the giggles resumed after that, with a silent sigh from Glory and Alan.


    ¡°I see, well. That is all we have allotted for today,¡± The [Teacher] said, snapping his fingers; the [Whiteboard] showed new data on it, and that, in turn, was transmitted to Alexa¡¯s [Desk]. ¡°That will be your homework, please insert your DataBanks into the slot to download your homework and upload the previous one. Alexa, please take the DataBank from the slot, yours only has homework. You must do your homework and turn it in at the next class.¡±


    Alexa saw a small slit open on her [Desk] and a slim square device was ejected, it was smooth at the touch and sure enough, her [Nanites] returned the rough blueprint of it, it was a [Data Storage] unit, it had some data already there and a few tracking programs ready to try and latch into her.


    Most of those got thwarted when Alexa simply self-destructed the [Nanite Units] that had been corrupted, but that meant that she really would need to find an intermediary to do most of her interactions with foreign devices. Unless she fully deconstructed them and built them anew, but if these had the [Virus] from the beginning, then it was a moot point, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Okay,¡± Even so, Alexa nodded and placed the [DataBank] into her [Backpack], she would see about asking [Eleanore] or [Fan Girl] about some device to interact with it later.


    ¡°Okay then, Class Dismissed!¡± The [Teacher] said in a strong voice; Alexa could almost taste the Mana Wavelength as his voice spread all around the classroom. Some of the kids that hadn¡¯t moved after taking out their [DataBanks] started moving quickly as to make sure everything on their desks was moved into their [Backpacks]. ¡°Alexandra, please stay for a few seconds, everyone else can leave.¡±


    Alexa stopped her attempt at running away as the [Teacher] spoke, she noticed Glory and Alan look at her for a second and then leave. No one else seemed to pay attention to her as the classroom emptied.


    ¡°Any opinions on your first day here Alexandra? I was made to believe that your first day at our Elementary School was less than optimal.¡± The [Teacher] said as he sat on the [Desk] that was set up on his raised platform.


    He was no longer speaking in a [Loud] voice, so Alexa walked toward the raised platform.


    ¡°It was educative, I learned plenty today.¡± Alexa answered that she had learned plenty. Some information about the world she lived in. The rough state of the locations around her area of activities.


    The size comparison between what she had explored compared to the whole size of this place, and then compared against the other [Cities] in this [Nation].


    Then she had learnt more about the local non spoken laws and the optics about Ethics, besides she got some [Blueprints] and also a promise for a more effective way to store calories and energy. She was looking forward to those [Mind MRE] snacks.


    ¡°Good, school is for learning.¡± The [Teacher] said, nodding his head, ¡°I am an acquaintance of Eloise¡¯s Friend, so you have my gratitude for saving her.¡±


    The what now?


    If he was an [Acquitance] of [Eloise¡¯s Friend]...Then that meant¡­.¡±You know [Eleanore]?¡± Alexa¡­wasn¡¯t quite sure if that was the correct answer, but she felt as if the [Teacher] was leading her to that question.


    ¡°I know who sometimes goes by that name yes.¡± The [Teacher] answered with a weird smile, it seemed as if that smile wanted to climb all the way to his ears. ¡°Either way, she didn¡¯t ask me to look after you or anything, so go on. Carry on, Alexandra, I am serious about the homework, and yours is quite a special one.¡±


    Alexa nodded and turned to look towards the exit, she feelt a shiver on her back so in turn she grew a [Camera] at the back of her head to keep track of him. She wished that she hadn¡¯t done it.


    What she saw was the [Teacher] removing his glasses and his crazed-like eyes staring at her while he [Smiled], it was ominous, Alexa almost could see reality break as he seemed to laugh without any sound being made.


    Alexa could see two superimposed images of [Teacher], in one he seemed to be laughing like a [Crazed] person, while on the other he was standing there stoic, looking at her leave while reading something on his [Notepad].


    Alexa decided not to question it and move faster.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°[Notice, detected a rise in adrenaline and stress hormones within the host. No evidence of hostile actors within detectable area.]¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t need to be hostile to be dangerous!¡± Alexa screeched back at Main Core.


    She didn¡¯t like that, that feeling, it was bad! It was very bad!


    It made Alexa shiver, it made Alexa fear, reality shouldn¡¯t act like that!


    Reality bending like that was bad! Only bad girls played with reality like that! Alexa was not a bad girl! Alexa would not play with reality like that!


    Alex-


    ---------------------------------------------------------


    ¡°Alexa? Everything okay?¡± [Fan Girl] asked her as Alexa walked into her. What? What happened? ¡°Are you¡­crying?¡±


    What?


    ¡°....No?¡± Alexa answered as she touched her face, she did indeed have tears across her face and some snot on her nose.


    ¡°[Error,Error,Error,Error,Error,Error, Consciousness Stream diverted, Memory Failure, Reading Corrupted Memory Log¡­Error,Error,Error,Error¡­.]¡±


    ¡°Main Core?¡±


    ¡°[.........Hard Reset finished, Memory compromised. Do you wish to purge the last thirty minutes? Y/N.]¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Alexa shook her head, ¡°Was¡­Was Alexa crying when you found her big sis?¡±


    [Big Sis] seemed to be struggling as how to answer Alexa.


    ¡°...Yes.¡± But in the end she answered as such, ¡°I found you crying under a tree and brought you here.¡±


    Alexa looked around and¡­sure enough she was at the park, hadn¡¯t she just left the School? She remembered¡­Talking with her Teacher, he was¡­laughing? No, he was staring at her weirdly¡­but also laughing? Something¡­wasn¡¯t quite right there. She had seen something, something that she wasn¡¯t supposed to?


    Or was it something she shouldn¡¯t know?


    ¡°And?¡± Alexa asked, she didn¡¯t understood how she had thirty minutes of memories that didn¡¯t read correctly, it was as if her memories had been¡­codified? No, encrypted. Yes. It was as if her memories had been encrypted using an algorithm different from the one she used.


    ¡°And well, you were crying while hugging a tree saying you would be good. Asking for your mom to forgive you, asking your Brother to not leave you alone¡­¡± [Big Sis] seemed to want to cry too, ¡°Asking them to come back.¡±


    ¡­Alexa¡­did not remember anything of that.


    ¡°Where are they?¡± So she asked, and as her words left her mouth she noticed [Big Sis] closing her eyes and after a few seconds she hugged Alexa close to her chest.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Alexa.¡± Said [Big Sis] as she silently cried, ¡°We will not leave you, okay? Not me, not Golem, not Eleanore or Billy. No one in Haephestus¡¯ Forge will leave you, hell. If they leave you, I will return for you, and we can kick their assess, Okay?¡±


    ¡­That was the premise under which she was working with [Haephestus¡¯ Forge].


    ¡°[.........Starting debugging of memory fragments. Isolating into an individual server, asking for authorization for the creation of sub-AI CORE.]¡±


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 40.7998%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    The request is being evaluated... No intention to harm the host was detected.


    Request accepted.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°[Starting generation of Sub Core¡­achieved.]¡±


    ¡°[Moving Fragmented Memory.]¡±


    ¡°[Alexa14092020.mem has been isolated.]¡±


    ¡°[Starting independent analysis.]¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Alexa nodded and returned the hug, she knew what to do in these situations!


    Mom always said that when someone hugs you, you hug them back! Double the hugs, double the happy!


    ¡°[Starting depuring, starting diagnosis, starting search for foreign code within host.]¡±


    ¡°Okay, remember Alexa. If you ever feel lonely or sad, you can come to my room, okay? My door is always open, and if you find it closed, just break it.¡± [Big Sis] said seriously, so Alexa couldn¡¯t help but nod her head. ¡°The same applies to your other sides, okay? You all are welcome in my apartment. Should I move with you? I will ask Eleanore about that.¡±


    Eleanore? No wait, she was moving in with her? Did they have enough room?


    The Treehouse was big, but would it be big enough?


    ¡°[Found divergence within Memory, preparing countermeasures¡­Warning, guarantee of success not found. Searching for core memory divergence.]¡±


    Well, Aunty never used her room, so that could be an option¡­She would feel bad for Aunty, but [Big Sis] was better at hugging Alexa!


    ¡°We will need to ask Mom.¡± Alexa said, getting a weird look from [Big Sis].


    ¡°Alexa¡­you¡­ do know who your mom is? Where is she? You said you didn¡¯t have parents..:¡± [Big Sis] asked, and a look of worry took over her face, ¡°Alexa, listen to me¡­I need you to focus, within you is this weird fluffy-like weird feeling right? When you use your Core Powers, you feel it.¡±


    Alexa nodded, she of course knew that fluffy feeling, it was what let her make everyone happy!


    ¡°[Core divergence located, starting counter measures¡­Warning need authorization from host.]¡±


    ¡°I need you to focus that feeling into your head, you need to flood it from the center of your mind outwards¡­Focus Alexa, can you do that for me?¡± [Big Sis] was getting frantic.


    ¡°[Subject: Skye Venti, please request Host to say Yes to emergency procedures.]¡±


    A weird voice sounded near Alexa¡­She felt as if she should know that voice¡­It sounded like how she imagined Granpa¡­.


    ¡°Alexa? Who?¡± [Big Sis] didn¡¯t know Granpa? She looked at her weirdly


    ¡°That was Granpa, I think? He hasn¡¯t spoken to me before like that. Is he moving in with us to the Tree House?¡± Alexa asked confused, she had thought Granpa lived only in his weird blue box.


    ¡°Can you say ¡®Yes to Emergency Procedure¡¯ like Grandpa asked?¡± [Big sis] asked her, but she didn¡¯t need to ask that!


    Of course, she could say that! It was Grandpa!


    ¡°Yes to the Emergency procedure Grandpa!¡± So she smiled and nodded.


    *CRACK*


    And she felt as if the world cracked once more.


    *BLEEEERG*


    And something noxious flooded from her mouth; it tasted like tar and was sludgy black; it reeked terribly, and if not for [Main Core]¡¯s help, she would have probably dirtied either her own clothes or [Fan Girl]¡¯s clothes.


    ¡°Main Core? What¡­what happened?¡± Alexa said as she stared at the mysterious substance that she had just expelled from her mouth.


    ¡°[Host? Please confirm identity, name. Alternative name and current mission.]¡±


    ¡°Alexandra Saintsworths, Rhapsody. Current mission to finish school day and return home for a briefing about possible new mission with [Haephestus¡¯ Forge].¡± Alexa said answering Main Core¡¯s prompt.


    ¡°Alexa? Everything all right? Did you flood the fluffy energy?¡± [Fan Girl] was asking at the side, right. She had asked that, was that how she dealt with [Mind Cores]?


    ¡°[Identity confirmed, start subroutine to follow Human Subject: Skye Venti advice?]¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Alexa said, feeling the Mana Wavelength flood from within her Ai Core outward. ¡°It felts fluffy.¡±


    Alexa did understand why [Fan Girl] said it was a fluffy energy, it left her feeling all fluttery.


    ¡°Good¡­.gave me a scare there. You may have experienced some sequels from that girl Melissandra, or you have a very bad luck and found yourself with another weird Core User.¡± [Fan Girl] said sighing, ¡°We may need to ask Eleanore to move you to another school.¡±


    ¡°I¡­don¡¯t think this was on Meli-Meli.¡± Alexa said turning her attention to Main Core, ¡°Was it?¡±


    ¡°[Negative.]¡± Main Core answered from her shoulder, at what point had he made that speaker?


    ¡°...who is that?¡± [Fan Girl] asked poking at Alexa¡¯s shoulder. ¡°He was the one who helped you come back, right?¡±


    ¡°That is [Main Core], he helps me with some aspects of my [Core Powers].¡± Alexa answered.


    ¡°[Host¡¯s problems were due to some Memory leakage from a corrupted data packet we interacted with. This problem will not occur in the future as we will take measures to prevent this from happening again. Our containment wasn¡¯t enough.]¡± Main core said from her shoulder, it was somewhat funny to think about that stuck up voice coming from Alexa¡¯s shoulder. ¡°[Your help is appreciated Subject: Skye Venti.]¡±


    And like that, Main Core¡¯s speaker turned off, and Alexa noticed how it was deconstructed.


    ¡°Okay, that was weird.¡± [Fan Girl] said trembling just a little, ¡°But glad it worked, so it was not a Mind core? You have serious issues then¡­It felt as if I was talking to¡­not another person, but still someone different.¡±


    What? But that was Alexa!


    Alexa was¡­somewhat sure it was Alexa, it felt like Alexa¡­ But different? It was a weird Alexa, since that Alexa had a [Mom], [Brother], [Aunt] and¡­a [Big Sis]?


    No wait, the last one was of this Alexa¡­So that Alexa wanted to steal her [Fan Girl]?


    ¡°Huh¡­that was weird.¡± Alexa said too, ¡°I think it was because something I saw.¡±


    But if she was to point the reason into something, it was probably that last Memory she had before the whole blackout thing where the weird Alexa started bleeding over to her.


    ¡°What did you see?¡± [Fan Girl] asked, too, so Alexa started to look at her memories.


    ¡°I saw [Teacher] as if he was breaking a wall within Reality and acting as two different people simultaneously.¡± So Alexa answered while preparing herself for another invasion of Weird-Alexa¡­.


    Only for nothing to happen.


    ¡°So¡­.you saw your Teacher what¡­break something in the air? the walls? what?¡± [Fan Girl] asked once again, then out of nowhere, she extended her arm and punched into nothing. Only¡­ ¡°Like this?¡±


    Only her punch hit [Something], as if the wind had been broken and Alexa could see cracks in the air.


    ¡°Something like that yes, but it felt more¡­weird, more¡­Real.¡± Alexa grumbled, the effect was similar, but the feeling she got from looking at it was different. ¡°When [Teacher] did it, it was like¡­as if Alexa knew that she was seeing something different, not like on this that Alexa knows it is just wind.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he is a Miscellaneous Core user too, probably a mind adjacent. Those are always weird, there is this one Super Villain that works on this side of the country that does weird ass stunts, and people theorize what type of Core he is adjacent to.¡± [Fan Girl] said shaking her head. ¡°He probably woke up some trauma sleeping within you or something; I will try to get your older self into therapy one of these days.¡±


    ¡­.Alexa only nodded, it was good if it wasn¡¯t her the one to deal with that, even if it was Alexa the one to deal with that ultimately.


    Well, it would be Alexandra and not Alexa, so that was a win for Alexa.


    ¡°Well¡­.Now we can go home, we are almost two hours late now so Eleanore will be mad at us, but at least we will not need to go through the whole boring meeting.¡± [Fan Girl] said extending her hand to Alexa, ¡°And you can call me Big Sis even when we are alone, I was being honest before. I don¡¯t mind being your family.¡±


    ¡­.


    ¡°[Notice, use of social links will benefit host greatly, we advice for host to take this chance and-]¡±


    ¡°Sure, but Alexa will not give away her extra mango.¡± Alexa nodded at the extended hand, she¡­liked the feeling of having some of those [Human Links] that everyone spoke about.


    Maybe it wasn¡¯t the [Brother] that Weird-Alexa had, but at least she had now a [Sister]. So¡­perhaps next time she would have an easier time parsing through Weird-Alexa?

 Chapter 83: So...we are really cracking our mind are we?

    The return home was less exciting compared to what she had gone through during those six to eight hours at school; Alexa didn¡¯t find anything of note to speak about on her walk back. If anything, the amount of [Facial] expressions that [Fan Girl] was making was quite surprising.


    Each one of them would turn the same as soon as Alexa [Smiled] in her direction, which made the whole point more [Amusing]; Alexa would check later on to see if this was some weird side effect from Weird-Alexa or not. Had she said something important? She didn¡¯t think so.


    At least from the vague impressions she had remaining from Weird-Alexa, she had mostly spoken about sharing the living area and asking for permission from this [Mom] entity. Alexa wondered how that was, she couldn¡¯t imagine having to deal with [Two] entities to which she needed to defer.


    It was hard enough as it was having to defer to [Eleanore], but to think there could be another one? Madness, utter Madness.


    ¡°So¡­Alexa? Can you¡­bring Alexandra?¡± [Fan Girl] ended up asking her when they got close to the apartment building.


    She had even been guided to a dark alleyway, [Fan Girl] must have something important to discuss with Alexa!


    Or with Alexandra, but that is the same as Alexa!


    ¡°Sure!¡± So Alexa answered and started the process, it was always the same, and yet she felt as if it was becoming something of a habit.


    Even so, like always she felt her body grow and stretch a she started nibbling at the [Banked Biomass], she had already consumed a third of what she had stockpiled before. Soon enough, she would need to go and do a secondary run to stockpile.


    Her [Material Stockpile] at least was better since she didn¡¯t pull as much, it went a long way to make her clothes extra thick to be able and stretch the materials as much as possible.


    As her body started growing she needed to think about what to make, she had been wearing a [School Uniform], so perhaps she could do something with the same theme?


    This one had not been altered quite yet, so it was simple, so she would need to nibble at her [Material Storage] anyway, so she may as well. First, using the same design she had used at the beginning (Sundress), she started changing the color and stretching the material to grow it; the design would be the same, but the sizes would need to be adjusted.


    Unlike her [Child Stage] form, this one had [Chest], and it was more pronounced, so she needed some loose fabric for the top, it would cling at her waist and then end loose at the bottom, she made sure the material was thick enough that it wouldn¡¯t show anything that should be hidden.


    She also made sure to add [Underwear]; unlike her [Child Stage], her [Young Woman] stage couldn¡¯t quite walk around without Underwear nonchalantly.


    And Alexandra cursed her foolish [Child Stage] self for doing it, shameless! That girl was shameless!


    ¡°Are you okay there? You seem to be focusing too much strength on that fist.¡± [Skye] said from the side as her shift was about to end, ¡°Also what¡¯s with the sundress?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it, Alexa was feeling nostalgic.¡± Alexa¡­ndra answered, she wasn¡¯t quite that bought in the whole ¡®we are different¡¯ thing that Alexa was selling everyone else, but since it granted them some allowance to act it was good to keep it even for herself.


    ¡°[It isn¡¯t needed, host may leave it to us and we will adjust the words when needed.]¡±


    ¡°Shut it Main Core, you ain¡¯t getting control over my voice.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­anyway, how much of what happened today did you see?¡± [Skye] said seriously, she seemed intent on not letting Alexandra leave unless she answered.


    ¡°Hmm¡­..I can answer roughly about the same as Alexa, whatever happened we don¡¯t have the full memory data available to us. We are trying to parse it, but it seems weird.¡± Alexandra answered sighing and letting herself fall against a wall, she was now standing with a wall to her back.


    Her nanites worked overtime to make sure her white sundress remained pristine white.


    ¡°Weird how?¡± [Skye] asked, ¡°As in weird ¡®It is not my memory¡¯ or ¡®It is someone else¡¯s memory inserted into me¡¯ weird?¡±


    That¡­was an overly specific example.


    ¡°It is our memory, but codified using another algorithm, our memories aren¡¯t quite¡­.normally stored.¡± Alexandra said raising a finger and placing it against the wall, a simple order to her nanites made her nail elongate and turn sharp. ¡°Your memories are stored in your [Brain], but our [Brain] changes every time we change the [Stage], so¡­how do we keep continuity?¡±


    [Skye] turned to the side and paid attention as Alexa¡¯s finger carved into the wall two squares, one said [Brain] and the other only had an interrogation symbol.


    ¡°You¡­use your Core Power to somehow Store your memories¡­.and keep continuity?¡± [Skye] asked turning her head to the side.


    ¡°Close enough, we use our [Core Power] to save the memories away from our [Brain] and then we access them as needed, just like how you use your [Phone] to search for something, we use our [Power] to access the memories we have saved,¡± Alexandra answered smiling.


    ¡°And that is why you weren¡¯t affected by Melisandra, your brain¡­doesn¡¯t work the same as ours since most of your memories aren¡¯t actually there¡­¡± [Skye] said turning in¡­not quite awe and mostly horror at Alexa.


    Well that was rude.


    ¡°That is one way to see it, we do live in our [Brain], and you could say that most of our day-to-day is stored in our [Brain], but the important things? They are stored elsewhere, we just use our [Power] to access them as needed.¡± Alexandra shrugged. ¡°So as your original question, the [Memory] doesn¡¯t share our normal encryption method. But the data is from Alexa.¡±


    ¡°Hah? So what, another one of you saved something using a different method, and when you changed along the way, you forgot how to decode it?¡± [Skye] asked with a smirk, as if it had been a good joke.


    ¡°That is one possible answer; another is that someone else seeded the memory in us and hoped we would develop the same encryption key since we where affected by the memory,¡± Alexandra answered.


    She was inching more toward that answer if she was honest, she wasn¡¯t sure why. But something told her it was probably that, someone seeding the data within her, as if to wait for her to find it and be [Changed] by it.


    Only she hadn¡¯t changed. Not really, she had returned to normal.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°You are weird.¡± [Skye] said sighing.


    ¡°You keep saying that Big Sis.¡± Alexandra smirked as she said that, [Skye] blushed at the mention.


    ¡°No, nope, no sir. Not doing the sister play with you.¡± [Skye] shook vehemently, her head from side to side, ¡°I don¡¯t mind it doing with Alexa or Ale, but you are dangerous.¡±


    Dangerous? How was she¡­. Looking down at herself, she suddenly was painfully aware of how this dress rested on her curves, how every time the wind hit it, it showed more of her legs¡­


    ¡°I think¡­ That I am not ready for that yet, you are fine and everything, but¡­¡± Alexandra started saying she felt [Embarrassed] about it herself. She didn¡¯t think about [Skye] like that after all.


    ¡°No!¡± [Skye] suddenly screamed, ¡°I mean, yes! But! AAAAAAH!¡±


    Was¡­was she malfunctioning?


    ¡°Friends?¡± Alexandra decided to cut this matter short since it was attracting a crowd at the end of the alleyway.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± And [Skye] accepted (Somewhat) dejectly. ¡°We can do that, anyway. I am not saying I¡¯m against anything¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­let me¡­.change into something less¡­.conspicuous¡­¡± Alexandra said focusing into her [Nanites], she took extra materials from the [Material Storage] and pulled enough fabric to make a pair of rugged jeans and boots again. She also took this chance to turn her sundress into a thick tube top with a turtle neck.


    It was the same look she had used before, she liked it before and she liked it now.


    ¡°So¡­.what was the problem again?¡± Alexandra asked as she felt herself more secure, even though this change showcased more of her figure, it was less exposing than the sundress, since a single breeze would leave her almost naked.


    Really¡­Alexa liked going half-naked a little too much for her comfort¡­


    ¡°Will that happen again?¡± [Skye] sighed with relief and turned once more to ask that line, again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, what seemed to cause the shift that let us peek at that corrupted memory was the [Teacher] using that weird [Core Power].¡± Alexandra answered, she could see the Memory too, but had no idea about what he had done or how. ¡°Either way, we will be more careful going forward, whatever that¡­version of us wanted to do or act, she wasn¡¯t moving or acting using the same [Rules] we do.¡±


    She didn¡¯t have any memory of her pulling into their [Nanite Swarm] or even attempting to use them, it was almost as if she wasn¡¯t aware of their existence. Alexa knew at all times what her [Nanite Swarm] was doing, like even at this moment she was receiving updates about what was happening all around her body. But that Alexa seemed to act as if she was trying to use [Something].


    It wasn¡¯t quite her [Nanites], but as if she was trying to pull something from the air.


    ¡°Right¡­.well, let¡¯s go. We have to give Eleanore the incident report.¡± [Skye] said sighing once more while eyeing Alexandra from the side.


    ¡°Incident Report?¡± Alexandra asked confused, she hadn¡¯t¡­seen anything about incident reports.


    ¡°Well, yeah, if some member that has a privileged position is exposed to a foreign Core Power, we must fill an incident report. We need to make sure everyone is free of influence from hostile Core Users.¡± [Skye] said nodding, ¡°It was all on today¡¯s meeting we had this morning¡­that you missed because you where at school. Or well, a version of you was.¡±


    ¡­.That was¡­unfortunate, perhaps she could get a [Data Stream] from those meetings? She could let Main Core parse the data.


    ¡°Right¡­.well, let¡¯s hope that there isn¡¯t too much problem with the incident report.¡± Alexandra said looking toward the alleyway and walking towards the main street again.


    Alexandra didn¡¯t think too much about it; she had plenty data about the incident at the ready, and really. If they wanted she could also share the Memory data¡­not that she thought anyone could even play it.


    ¡­She wasn¡¯t even sure if they could play it at her former [Den] within the [Saintworths]. She was aware that they had access to her [Core Data] dumps, but those never included the memory data did they?


    No, she only ever sent the logs about what she did and the results of the latest batch of internal diagnoses. Nothing else was ever shared¡­


    Either way, she would try to fulfill any and all requirements, so she walked reviewing her mental memories about the incident.


    ¡°[Data logged and ready for elaboration, it is advised that the memory data is not moved as currently the data is being isolated within an artificial sub-core.]¡±


    Oh right¡­she had been asked about that right?


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9757%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0907%">Temporary Mind Sub Core:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0907%">


    Sub-Core made while under distress to isolate and quarantine rogue Memory data for further analysis.


    Currently being reinforced by a host of Mk1 Nanites keeping at bay all the data attempt connections between this Mind Sub Core and host.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡­¡­¡­She would not touch that for now, it was interesting and proved that she could make these, but¡­where was it?


    A quick scan of her body ended with the result that the secondary sub-core was housed in her navel. An interesting place to host it, her [Ai Core] was housed in her [Brain], or more like her [Brain] grew around the [Ai Core].


    Why was this the first thing she had to worry about after having an identity crisis? It made her whole problem this morning almost funny. But that was how it had ended, so Alexandra didn¡¯t have much to say about that.


    ¡°You do remember how to get back, right?¡± [Skye] asked from the side as they walked into the [Apartment Building].


    ¡°Yeah, we walk to the [Elevator] and punch the correct floor.¡± Alexandra answered while tapping her bracelet, the one that was in reality a mask in disguise.


    ¡°Yes, good. It seems that some Minions have problems remembering it, as if it wasn¡¯t a couple days ago when we used it, they say something about not having seen the base in almost a month or something.¡± [Skye] shook her head from side to side, ¡°Really, they probably got the jitters and didn¡¯t pay attention.¡±


    Alexandra¡­didn¡¯t think it was that, maybe they had a problem with the short term memory storage unit? It could be possible; perhaps they used a similar means to store the data like her.


    But then again, was this more of a side effect of how she wasn¡¯t [Human]? Perhaps it was only possible because Alexandra was a BioWeapon? She needed to check.


    ¡°Can you try to save [Memories] like I do?¡± Alexandra asked as they walked into the Elevator.


    She was already pulling and stretching her bracelet back into her [Mask], but [Skye] just kept staring at her.


    ¡°Are you joking?¡± She said as she pulled at her [Necklace] and started stretching it. Was she hiding her [Mask] into a collar instead of a bracelet? ¡°How the hell am I supposed to do that using Wind?¡±


    ¡­.How was she supposed to know?


    ¡°You¡­point it at your brain and save them in your [Core]?¡± Alexandra said back, she was just doing that after all, just moving the data using her [Nanites] into her [Ai Core] when needed. And then just accessing it from there.


    Who could even trust some fleshy bits to hold important [Data] that was, once again, Madness. She couldn¡¯t and wouldn¡¯t believe that the [Memories] would remain pristine all their [Human Lives], even more so with the risk of wounds and hits to their [Heads].


    ¡°Right¡­ Your Core is weird, too many things for a simple shapeshifter.¡± [Skye] said shaking her head once more, ¡°Maybe you are one of those? Dual Cores? It looks more complex than what a normal sub-core power has.¡±


    Great, more words Alexandra didn¡¯t know!


    ¡°Maybe, all of this I do using my [Core Power], I am not using extra things or anything.¡± Alexandra defended herself, more like, this was a second nature of her and not of her [Core Power].


    She still hadn¡¯t managed to pull anything else from [Core] besides those blue screens that got sent her way to confirm things.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9757%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0907%">Nanite Core:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0907%">A [Core] that grants the user the ability to control a Nanite Swarm, they may work in tandem with the natural abilities of its wielder. The Nanite Swarm is limited to what the user can interact with, these will remain active as long as they recieve Mana from the user or can scavenge their own(In case that they are instructed to). In case they no longer receive input from the user, and their mana bank dries up, they will enter hibernation mode till awakened once again by the user.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡­.Like that, yes, Alexandra already knew that, even if it was somewhat different from the original blue screen she had gotten before. Was this because her understanding of these [Powers] had changed?


    ¡°Aaand we are here.¡± [Skye] said as the Elevator stopped moving at the bottom floor, ¡°You go and give your report, I need to go and pester Gabriel for more info about our newest contract.¡±


    And like that [Skye] ran away leaving her alone in front of the Elevator. Alexandra sighed and turned to look at her [Phone], it had synched itself to the local [Network], now it was suddenly harder to try and interface with it, [Something], preventing her from interfacing like before. She now needed to¡­ugh¡­.Manually used her fingers to navigate the menus and seek the information she needed.


    ¡°[Eleanore]...[Eleanore]...¡± Alexandra said poking at the [Map App] to find the fastest route to the internal office of [Eleanore].


    As far as she suspected, that was the correct place to file the [Incident Report], also to ask about that new [Contract Work] that she had been told so many times now, what was the deal with this anyway?


    She understood why it was important of course, a new [Contracted Work] meant they would get paid for their services, [Haephestus¡¯ Forge] paid them to stay with them of course, but the biggest bonus and pay came from working as a [Minion].


    Be it for any of the [Super Villains] or [Villains] affiliated with them, or as [Freelancers] to other affiliated [Members].


    She could, for example, apply to work with [The Scorcher] and maybe die in a burning raging fire, but she would be paid handsomely. She would not of course, why would she work with someone that tried to [Kill] her before just for sport?


    She could respect someone attempting to do that for a [Test] or because it was their [Mission], but as far as she was aware of [The Scorcher], that one didn¡¯t move under [Logic]. Their crimes had no rhyme or reason to them.


    Besides she didn¡¯t need that much [Money], most of what was granted to her could be used to subsist as it was, Alexa did eat quite the good amount of [Food], but it was enough to keep their other forms healthy. And if it ever became an issue she could always spend more time in other form-


    ¡°NO! ALEXA ALSO WANTS TO PLAY!¡± Or not.


    *Sigh*


    ¡°Hello, what can we do for you?¡± Alexandra turned her attention forward as someone spoke to her.


    She had been moving all this time while thinking, so she hadn¡¯t noticed when she arrived in front of this desktop.


    ¡°I need to file an [Incident Report] and ask about the newest [Job] from [Eleanore], she told me to come by.¡± Alexandra said to the [Woman] manning the desk.


    She had a small white label on her chest that read [Sarah Bellet], it was a [Young Woman] with short blonde hair and blue eyes, she didn¡¯t have a [Beautiful] face like Alexandra, but seemed to share some aspects with her.


    Was this a thing with [Blondes]? She had noticed this was the second one like this, granted the first was [Lieutenant]...and the second was Alexa herself¡­


    Yeah, she may need a bigger [Data Pool].


    ¡°She is in a meeting right now. Do you have your Incident Report filed already? If not, you may try to fill it out before the meeting.¡± Sarah said, turning to look at Alexandra¡¯s empty hand.


    ¡°...I was not at today¡¯s meeting, so I don¡¯t know where to get them; if you provide me one, I will start filling it out while waiting for [Eleanore] to be ready.¡± Alexandra answered honestly.


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Sarah said, giving her a couple of papers with some words already there.


    It was designed with questions for her to answer. So she wouldn¡¯t need to write it all and only answer? It would be easier than expected.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Alexandra said, taking the papers and a pen, ¡°I will attempt to finish it before [Eleanore] is done with her meeting.¡±


    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t rush it. The big lady hates rushed work, if you need another one hit me up.¡± Sarah did a [Thumbs up] gesture and pointed her towards an empty [Chair] with a small table near.


    Time to file a [Report]...


    If she was lucky, maybe she could also do the [Homework] that the [Teacher] left for Alexa¡­


    Nah, that brat could do her own [Homework].


    ¡°CHEAPSKATE!¡±


    Yeah, she could do it on her own time. Alexandra couldn¡¯t help but smile thinking about the problems she was giving herself.

 Chapter 84: Alexandra...will not share her memories.

    -Were you hurt in the incident?


    Was Alexa hurt? No, she was not, but did it account for the damage done to her programming and her psyche? Surely that didn¡¯t count¡­ right?


    She did not think so, so she let that in the [No] zone. Next!


    -Was your identity compromised at some level?


    That one was easy; no one knew she was a BioWeapon, so no! Alexandra signed that with a happy [No], and even if that was the case in some future, she could just change her appearance¡­


    ¡°NO!¡±


    ¡­.Or kill anyone involved in that event, that would also work.


    -Was it your fault or any member of Haephestus¡¯ Forge at fault for the incident?


    This one was tricky, Alexa was technically at fault, since the incident occurred when she Perceived whatever the [Teacher] was doing, but she didn¡¯t really think it could be helped, so it wasn¡¯t like she did it consciously, and Alexandra believed that Intent mattered in this case. So she ended up thinking about it and settled in a No for this one too.


    -Have you taken into consideration what happened, and how can you prevent it from happening in the future?


    Yes, Alexandra wrote as much, followed by: ¡®We will prevent Alexa from perceiving or staring too much into cracks from within reality as possible. Any future interaction will be logged and isolated as fast as possible to prevent future bleedthrough.¡¯


    That was the best Alexandra could do, and the limit of what Main Core could achieve without having full access to the whole [Code], Alexandra did think about engaging further into her own [Code]...


    ¡°[Requesting access to mainframe of P4.db.]¡±


    ¡°[Access denied, no main administrator credential found.]¡±


    That was all she got back from it, the fact that she hadn¡¯t noticed it before was¡­worrying, but also understandable, Alexa left plenty to Main Core to manage¡­The same could be said of Ale and herself¡­ They would need to find what was needed to acquire the necessary administrator credentials to access this part of the Code. As far as Alexandra understood¡­


    Alexa was the main administrator, but even so, she didn¡¯t have the correct credentials. That was weird. Hadn¡¯t Main Core declared them main administrator before? Or was this another set of credentials?


    Either way, she needed to finish this before delving into that.


    -Will this affect in some way or form Haephestus¡¯ Forge?


    That was easier to answer: No. This should have no ramifications whatsoever to [Haephestus¡¯ Forge]; if anything, they shouldn¡¯t even be aware of it. At least not unless Alexandra declared it.


    Actually, if not for the fact that [Skye] had been present, Alexandra would not have thought about reporting it to such a degree.


    -Describe the incident.


    This one was¡­harder to achieve, how does one explain seeing a fractured reality?


    Alexandra went for something along the lines of: ¡®While undergoing the assignment for the day (Going to school), Alexa interacted with unknown phenomena. She perceived the fracture of what could only be interpreted as reality as her perception of the world was twisted into seeing more than one representation of someone.¡¯


    Alexandra reread it, and while she nodded her head about what she had written, she found that it didn¡¯t do justice. So, at the side, she made a small drawing of the recorded image. The face of the [Human] that was her Teacher twisted into multiple faces, one smiling, one laughing, one crying, one screaming, one angry, one sad, one happy¡­.


    It was a representation of madness.


    Then afterward, she continued writing: ¡®Alexa was particularly badly affected by this twisting of her perception and ended experiencing a corrupted memory of another life where she had a [Mother], [Brother] and even an [Aunt]. While there is no evidence of these memories being real or accurate, she was able to return to normal functions after merely one hour of being in that state thanks to help from [Skye Venti] and her own use of her [Core Powers.]¡¯


    At this part Alexandra was doubtful about whether she should add an addendum about how it had been [Main Core] the one to achieve returning everything to normal, but decided against it and instead added: ¡®Further work was made to isolate these corrupted memories for further analysis at a later date, they are available for perusal at any time.¡¯


    Yes, that should do it.


    -Name of Worker.


    Alexandra just signed it as ¡®Alexandra Saintsworths¡¯ and checked to ensure she had written everything; a quick scan confirmed that she hadn¡¯t skipped any section nor was missing too many details.


    She didn¡¯t add how [Skye] had found her crying while hugging a tree, for example, which made it look as if she was unstable and a liability after all; she also didn¡¯t mention [Main Core] or even anything else about how she had done during classes. As that wasn¡¯t relevant to the incident report.


    So with that out of the way Alexandra was ready, now she only needed to wait for-


    ¡°Alexandra? Eleanore is ready for you.¡± That, she only needed to wait for that. The secretary called her to go, ¡°Did you finish the report? I can tell her if you need more time.¡±


    ¡°No it¡¯s fine, I was just doing a double check.¡± Alexandra said standing up and taking the extra paper she didn¡¯t use back to the desk, the secretary (sadly) took it back and nodded to Alexandra.


    ¡°Okay then, good luck with your meeting. The big lady has been in a good mood today, so you should be fine.¡± And the other blonde said reassuringly, ¡°It seems her pet project didn¡¯t cause problems today; you should have seen it yesterday. All day making calls¡­.¡±


    ¡­.Or maybe not.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Alexandra said, sighing; thinking back on it, it made sense; Alexa did make a scene yesterday. Even though Alexandra didn¡¯t see any problem with the resolution or how it had gone through.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    But the fact that [Eleanore] had apparently been busy thanks to that event didn¡¯t make her feel good, that meant that either she didn¡¯t do a good job during the [Test], or that she had done a little [Too Good].


    She didn¡¯t need either, doing too well meant the difficulty on her [Tests] may spike, and doing too bad meant that she wasn¡¯t [Useful]. She needed to be in the middle, just a little above average but not too much.


    *Knock Knock*


    ¡°Come in.¡± [Eleanore] answered almost instantly, had she [Percieved] her?


    ¡°[Mental offuscation is in process, no mana wavelenght detected.]¡±


    Main Core hadn¡¯t detected anything probing her defenses, and the passive conversion to machine code within her [Brain] should have prevented any peek at her thoughts. So how had [Eleanore] known to answer her to come in?


    ¡°Hello [Eleanore].¡± Alexandra said walking into the office, she noticed [Eleanore] was taking a small sip from a cup of steaming liquid while reading some [Papers].


    ¡°Oh, hello Alexa.¡± She said as she put down the papers and turned to look at her, ¡°What can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°In this form, it''s Alexandra, we are attempting to make a divide between our [Stages],¡± Alexandra answered as she took a seat in front of the desk. ¡°And [Skye] told us about the meeting with the [Incident Reports], so here is one from us.¡±


    Alexandra said as she placed the [Papers] she had filled.


    [Eleanore] arched her eyebrow and took the papers, as she said ¡°Separating your system-pals huh. That is a good step forward.¡± Was that what Alexandra was doing?


    She didn¡¯t think so, it was mostly so she wasn¡¯t getting other people confused when speaking about her. It was already a hassle when someone said Alexa while speaking about her [Young Woman] stage, not her [Teenager Stage].


    ¡°...*Le sigh*¡± [Eleanore] stopped reading for a second and turned to look at her, exhausted. ¡°So, are you okay? Is¡­how do we call your younger form?¡±


    ¡°Alexa is the [Child Stage], Ale is the [Teenager Stage] and I am Alexandra, the [Young Woman] Stage.¡± Alexandra said, raising a finger with each name.


    ¡°I see, so then this incident report is for Alexa¡­Am I reading this correct? You already dealt with the problem?¡± [Eleanore] said reading further into the document.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Alexandra answered while nodding, ¡°We isolated the memory using our [Power] into an empty [Mind Core] and set up a [Firewall], we are slowly trying to crack the encryption but we are having-¡±


    ¡°Wait, you made a Mind Core?¡± [Eleanore] stopped her in that phrase, ¡°Do you have a secondary Mind Core?¡±


    ¡°...I did not achieve the [Catalysist] for a [Secondary Core Power], what I did is I made a [Mind Core] using the [Blueprint] from Melissandra.¡± Alexandra answered raising her finger and burning some materials from her [Banked Materials] and materialized a small marble with pink accents. ¡°This is a copy of the [Mind Core] that Melissandra Singh was using.¡±


    [Eleanore]¡¯s eyes blazed in blue light as Alexandra felt the wave of mana crash into her body and scour her as if to search for the smallest sign of [Lie].


    ¡°Truth.¡± Only to return that back.


    ¡°Why would I lie?¡± Alexandra asked, she was quite confused about it.


    ¡°Can I have that, please?¡± [Eleanore] asked extending her hand. ¡°As for why¡­I do not know, but what you have shown me isn¡¯t possible. No one should be able to do this.¡±


    ¡°I can, thanks to my [Core Powers]; as soon as I know what the composition of something is made, I can make it.¡± Alexandra answered while extending her hand and letting the [Mind Core] drop into [Eleanore]¡¯s hand. ¡°Also, these disappear when away from me.¡±


    Or at least should, the newest blue screen seemed to imply that they could remain so long they had [Mana]. She would need to check on that, perhaps making a double layered [Core], internal of [Mana Core] and external of [Anything else Core]?


    ¡°I see¡­¡± [Eleanore] said playing with the small marble, only for the thing to burst into blue crystal dust after a few seconds. ¡°And there it goes¡­the answer to most doubts about what a Core is¡­¡±


    The what?


    ¡°Don¡¯t you all know what these things are? Haven¡¯t they been around for some time?¡± Alexandra asked, she knew they had some information about them.


    They had at least two to three different theories about them roaming about after all, from the one that [Frank the bettle] had given her to the one [Gabriel] and finally, the one Sam had given her.


    ¡°We¡­know some stuff, we can confirm other¡­But for example, you can explain how Vulcanus is what he is using the association theory. He became what he is because of where he was when he trigged.¡± [Eleanore] said in a small voice, ¡°But that does not apply to me or Gabriel. We are closer to the Wish theory¡­I¡­I have this power because I didn¡¯t like how the people lied to me. And Gabriel wanted¡­well that is personal.¡±


    ¡­That is anticlimactic.


    ¡°So you say, then does that mean that if I want to show this I can¡¯t say my [Core Power] is of a [Shapeshifter]?¡± Alexandra asked, she¡­.didn¡¯t want to change how she behaved, not that many people would know about this part of her.


    Only Sam and [Eleanore] needed to know, perhaps she could allow [Vulcanus] and [Billy] to know. But beyond that? She didn¡¯t see a reason for anyone else to know.


    ¡°You make harder questions, this feels more like something more exotic than normal Shapeshifting, that would move you away from Miscelaneous Core Users into Exotic Core users. Just like Gabriel or myself.¡± [Eleanore] sighed as she said that, ¡°And to be honest¡­I don¡¯t want Alexa to be labeled as that, not yet at least.¡±


    What? Why not?


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t this increase the value of Rhapsody?¡± Alexandra asked confused as she poked at her mask. ¡°This would mean that it is more valuable to hire me, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you are already being a headache as it is, and you have only debuted.¡± [Eelanore] sighed, again, as she pulled a notepad and showed a video. The video''s title was ¡®Chrysalis Killing another non hostile Minion.¡¯ ¡°Your video got leaked into the populace.¡±


    That¡­was problematic.


    ¡°Yeah, we are tracking the leak, but here look.¡± [Eleanore] clicked on the tablet and showed another video, ¡®Official response from Chrysalis PR team.¡¯


    ¡°[We have not found any evidence about any deceased with the alleged wounds within two weeks of the timeframe the video in question indicates. We believe this to be propaganda against an outstanding member of our society. Chrysalis has continuously given generous donations to multiple charities across the city. No supervillain organization has claimed the deceased, nor has anyone come forward to report the death of this alleged Minion. If someone does come forward we are willing to show the video evidence of the Super Suit of Chrysalis, that will be all.]¡±


    ¡°The bastards, they know that no one will come forward since doing so will expose their identity to one of the most vindictive Heroes in town. Also they will also demand the full video from the Minion of the event. Which can¡¯t be provided since she burned it all.¡± [Eleanore] spat as the video showed other nonimportant interview.


    Alexandra would search for that video later.


    ¡°I can try and reproduce the video data from the encounter.¡± For now, Alexandra said that.


    ¡°You can what?¡± [Eleanore] asked confused, ¡°How? The suit was destroyed, and more importantly, you didn''t have any camera on that Body Suit, or are you talking about doing a one-woman show changing your body to make both actors? That will not work, no shapeshifting is that good.¡±


    ¡°The same way I move my memories to seal the corrupted ones in a [Mind Core].¡± Alexandra answered pointing at her head, ¡°Anything I can remember I am able to move around, if I know the [Blueprint] for a [Digital Storage Device] and how it looks when any type of data is input, I can manually imprint the data there.¡±


    Really, Alexandra could already do that, but it wouldn¡¯t make sense for her to know it using the [Background] she had been assigned. But if she made an excuse right now¡­


    ¡°So if we get you blueprints about Data Banks and how they look with footage¡­¡± [Eleanore] said buying into her narrative.


    ¡°Then I can save those memories into it and make a spare of the situation.¡± Alexandra confirmed.


    ¡°...that is not something a Shapeshifter should be able to, this is closer to¡­Molecule shifting? No¡­ Technomancy mixed with Shapeshifting? That makes what your Core is even more intriguing, perhaps it is closer to a Technomancer / Shapeshifter? But how?¡± [Eleanore] said mumbling to herself, ¡°What kind of Wish could make this? Or are you closer to Vulcanus? Did they set you up in a situation where not having this kind of skill set would put you in danger?¡±


    That was¡­awfully close to the truth.


    ¡°Even so, we need to test it first to know if it even works,¡± Alexandra said, somewhat regretting this. Thinking it further, if it did work, it would mean that she could theoretically give any memory at any point in time.


    So what if they asked for her first memory? It would mean giving visual recordings of her life at the [Test Site]...


    ¡°Yeah, here take this.¡± [Eleanore] said pulling a [DataBank] similar to the one the school had given her, only this had the emblem of a gear with a white mask similar to the helmet of [Vulcanus].


    Alexandra took the thing and sent tendrils extending from her hand into the [Device].


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 48.4093%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Analyzed new blueprint data, found new blueprint...20%...30%....50%....Found correlation to current storage method....comparing.... analysis finished.


    Data Bank:


    A primitive way to inefficiently store data in a primitive format, advised that host doesn''t use this one. These methods are weak against high voltages and degradation over time.


    Additionally, found new types of data formatting that match these devices: MP4, MPG, MOV, AVI, MKV, WMV, FLV, WebM, MPEG, 3GP, OGV, M4V, VOB, ASF, RMVB, MTS.


    No advantage is found in using these; conversion to these formats requires extensive processing power. Current conversion into these formats includes 1 minute of storage of the host into 5 Geopbytes.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Yeah¡­this was compatible with her format and while she would need to convert the video recording into another format, it was¡­doable. Not any of her memories as she saw them, but with some tinkering, she could probably downsize the quality and aspect into something doable.


    ¡°So? Is it viable?¡± [Eleanore] asked looking intently at her, Alexandra noticed the blue light behind her eyes ready. So she couldn¡¯t [Lie]...


    ¡°I can give you the [Footage] from the point of view of any [Camera] set on my [BodySuit], but giving you the files from memory is impossible without converting it. The format is different.¡± Alexandra answered as she gave back the [DataBank], she of course had fixed the tiny holes made from her tendrils as she retracted the [Nanites] back into her body.


    ¡°So then asking for memories of your parents or what they did to you are out of the window huh¡­¡± [Eleanore] said shaking her head, ¡°Yeah, probably a bad idea to make you relive those moments anyway.¡±


    ¡­.Dangerous.


    That would, without a doubt, expose her true identity as a [BioWeapon]. That had been a save, ¡°So I will ask Billy to add a camera to your suit from now onwards, go ask him for the updated one when you leave.¡± [Eleanore] said sending a message from her [Phone].


    So, was that all?


    No, she still needed information about the new [Job].


    ¡°And about that new [Job] that [Skye] keeps talking about?¡± Alexandra asked turning her attention back from the [DataBank] to [Eleanore], the woman grimaced at the statement.


    ¡°Yeah¡­that¡­.to be honest, your video is part of the reason why we haven¡¯t¡­told you much about this job.¡± [Eleanore] sighed and turned to look at Alexandra, ¡°And the reason why we are moving forward giving you cameras even though you are still quite new and haven¡¯t caused problems for us.¡±


    Wait¡­the [Camera] was for problematic [Members]?


    ¡°So what¡¯s the problem? Did I showcase less [Skill] than desirable for someone on my [PowerLevel]?¡± Alexandra asked, she would need to up her allowance of muscle mass if that was the case.


    ¡°Quite the opposite, someone wants you specifically for this job.¡± [Eleanore] said as she pulled out a small card, ¡°You were nominated for this work by ¡®The Theater Master.¡¯ ¡°

 Chapter 85: Ale has...arrived? Landed? We need a pretty way to announce me too.

    ¡°....so¡­our next work will be a stage play?¡± Alexandra asked as the words settled. She wasn¡¯t quite sure why [Eleanore] was making such a dramatic introduction about this ¡®Theater Master¡¯ person.


    She hadn¡¯t thought that they would be hired by someone who wasn¡¯t a [Villain], but then again, she hadn¡¯t checked the full setting for works that [Haephestus¡¯ Forge] would be willing to take.


    ¡°.......you¡­.don¡¯t know who ¡®The Theater Master¡¯ is?¡± [Eleanore] asked as her shoulders dropped.


    ¡°Our newest employer?¡± Alexandra answered back.


    ¡°...right¡­I sometimes forget how young you are¡­It stands to reason that you don¡¯t know of him.¡± [Eleanore] said in a downcast tone, was that much of an issue not knowing him?


    ¡°I can research him if needed.¡± Alexandra said pulling out her [Phone].


    ¡°No, that is quite all right.¡± [Eleanore] answered, shaking her head, ¡°We will brief all the minions about him in a few minutes; it is part of our standard training for high-profile jobs.¡±


    High profile? Was he that important?


    Alexandra, of course, knew what the words [Theater] and [Master] meant, so from what she could infer, this was either the owner of a Theater or the lead for those that participated there, so maybe he was an orchestra lead?


    But why would they need to hire [Minions] to do his job? Was he attempting to make illegal plays? Was his music forbidden? What could they have a need for minions¡­and more specifically, why did they ask for Alexandra?


    ¡°Did he ask for me? Why?¡± Alexandra asked remembering that part of the conversation.


    ¡°He asked for Rhapsody, the minion who faked her death. He doesn¡¯t know much about you besides the basic profile we provide about our Minions to those who work with us and have proven to be capable of keeping their mouths shut.¡± [Eleanore] said, bringing a folder and giving it to Alexandra. ¡°Here is what he saw.¡±


    On it was a series of pictures of Alexandra in her [Rhapsody] outfit, and another¡­and another¡­


    ¡°He knows I am a shapeshifter with at least three available forms?¡± Alexandra asked, the pictures were of her on her [Child Stage], [Teenager Stage] and her [Young Woman] stage. Also a small description about her power allowing the creation of basic bladed and blunt weapons.


    She hadn¡¯t said that¡­even if she was able to. It also stated that she had limited regeneration, which was¡­.technically correct, even if her limit was more of one caused by the absence of resources than the range of regeneration, which was what this file seemed to imply.


    ¡°And he wants me because¡­?¡± Alexandra asked as she continued reading it, the file seemed to focus on her capabilities and her psych evaluation, it remarked that she was one that would be able to stick to the rules and act within the range of actions of the mission.


    Alexandra was happy with that evaluation.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t sure, he hasn¡¯t shared his plans, the briefing we will have today is mostly about his past achievements and history with us, some of his personal minions should be coming to give us the full briefing, but in the meantime we will go over what we know of him.¡± [Eleanore] answered taking back the folder that Alexandra had been reading, ¡°Also¡­he wants you in your teenager form, so you will need to change into¡­Ale was it?¡±


    Alexandra arched an eyebrow under her mask, which was a futile attempt at showing her expression since, mask. And after a few seconds of no reaction sighed and started the transformation. This one was easier to achieve since she would just shove [Biomass] back into her [Banked Storage] of Biomass.


    The clothes would get a beefier reinforcement turning into thicker clothes, her top would shift into a shirt and jacket while her pants would turn into loose pants. Anything extra of fabric would reinforce the outfit to make it more resistant. The mask, however, shifted on its own to accommodate her new frame.


    That always surprised her as to how comfortable it was to wear. And just like that¡­


    ¡°I have¡­returned?¡± Ale said extending her arms to the sides.


    ¡°Welcome.¡± [Eleanore] said shaking her head, ¡°Isn¡¯t there some oomph missing in your return phrase?¡±


    It was?


    She wasn¡¯t quite sure; it didn¡¯t feel quite right to say [I have returned!] since that was more of an Alexa thing to say, and while she enjoyed saying it too, she was also somewhat¡­ashamed. She didn¡¯t quite think it would be as cute if she did it.


    Alexa may be the cutest, but would it look as well if she (The prettiest) did it?


    Ale wasn¡¯t quite sure of it.


    ¡°The overstatement is something for Alexa to do.¡± Ale ended up saying, she¡­really wanted to do so, but she also didn¡¯t want to be just a bigger Alexa. Even if she was technically a bigger Alexa.


    They needed to broaden how different they acted from each other, Alexandra had it easy since she could just act mature and everything would be all right. She had the looks and everything after all.


    Alexa just needed to be herself since that was the base of them all, but what about Ale? She was¡­well, in the middle of the three, she did want to act somewhat childish, but also didn¡¯t want to be that child-like.


    Lest they didn¡¯t take her seriously, Alexa didn¡¯t have that problem since she didn¡¯t really want to be taken seriously, so long she was pampered, everything would be all right.


    ¡°Okay, did you get everything or do you want me to repeat?¡± [Eleanore] asked her while she had been thinking about herself.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Did she get everything? No. Not by a long shot, but as far as what she wanted from her?


    ¡°Yeah, some guy called Theater Master wants me for a job, so we got a job to do.¡± Ale said standing up, they had shifted while sitting, that wasn¡¯t that much of a problem since the [Nanites] did all the job, it didn¡¯t matter if the clothes were folded or not, they would get constructed anyway.


    ¡°Yes, go to the main auditorium. Sylph and Golem should already be there waiting for you.¡± [Eleanore] said giving her a small map with directions. ¡°In case you get lost, your phone should have a navigation mode. It only works within the facilities, but it should do. Go there and wait for the briefing, they will explain what they want you to do. It shouldn¡¯t be anything too dangerous since we do work with ¡®The Theater Master¡¯ as a frequent client¡­.¡±


    There was something there that [Eleanore] wasn¡¯t telling her, but Ale couldn¡¯t find anything weird, It felt as if she should know what it was, as if some foreshadowing had been told to her face and she had missed it¡­


    ¡°[Not enough data to evaluate the problem, host is advised to proceed with caution.]¡±


    Proceed with caution? Shouldn¡¯t [Main core] dismiss her fears?


    ¡°Okay, I will go to the briefing then.¡± Ale said taking the small map and pulling out her [Phone] searching for the navigation data¡­


    And yes, there was a new [App] that wasn¡¯t there before, she hadn¡¯t installed it nor noticed when it was installed, so perhaps it was set as default hidden on the code?


    She opened and sure enough a rough navigation was set up, it only asked her where she wanted to go and gave simple instructions as to how to get there, Ale pondered outside [Eleanore]¡¯s office what route to take.


    On her left hand, she had the map that [Eleanore] had given her¡­


    ¡°Excuse me? Where is the young lady that got in¡­?¡±


    On her right hand however, the navigation data provided by the [Elder] was easier to follow¡­.


    ¡°Who are you? Are you lost? Where did you get that mask?¡±


    Noisy.


    ¡°I am [Rhapsody].¡± Ale turned around to look at the [Old Woman] that had been pestering, she looked rougly around the same [Age] as her [Young Woman] stage. So that meant she was old.


    And naggy.


    Alexa was right on that, the [Young Woman] stage was naggy.


    ¡°...¡± The [Old Woman] stared blankly at her and said nothing.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving, tell [Eleanore] thanks for the map and that we are sorry about the problems.¡± Ale said walking towards the hallway, she would try to follow both for now. The map gave her rough indications, but the [Navigation] only said to walk this and there giving her no indication of what she would find on the way.


    So using the map she could check what was ahead of her, while using the [Navigation] allowed her to move forward, the travel was easy with this, knowing that there was a bifurcation ahead of time and her [Navigation App] telling her to turn left or right ahead on time let her plan how to move and the speed at which to move.


    The travel was more or less the same, some people did stop and point at her while moving, this was similar to how it had been with Alexandra, the only difference was that the eyes that looked at her weren¡¯t of the same type.


    When they looked at her while she was Alexandra, the eyes seemed to hold some degree of [Lust], but when they looked at her as Ale? They mostly were confused, and some of them even seemed to be amused.


    A few people seemed to know who she was, and gossiped among themselves, but Ale wasn¡¯t quite sure, she had good ears, she had made sure of that. But even so everything had its limits. Perhaps she would think seriously about getting those [Cat Ears] that the [Nekomimi] faction always wanted to throw her way?


    Had she known about this, she would have taken those [Blueprints] when offered, but she didn¡¯t see any advantage in using them during her time as P4, so she never saved them.


    For now? She continued walking following the route that [Elder] sent her way through his [App]; she would need to think about where to get a [Blueprint] with [Cat Ears] later.


    ¡ª--------------


    ¡°Rhapsody!¡± [Fan Girl] screamed from the other side of the congregation of [Minions].


    Almost everyone in the room turned to look at her when [Fan Girl] screamed most of those looked at her weirdly, but Ale ignored them and just walked to [Fan Girl], the girl was wearing her [Minion] outfit just as Ale was.


    She was currently standing near the towering [Meat Shield] that people referred to as a [Golem]; Ale could see several groups of other [Minions] standing together; most seemed to share some type of similarity between them.


    For example, at the far end, [Snout Face] was standing with several other [Minions] with bodies similar to his, and the group of mostly [Human-like] black mask minions was gone. On the other side, Ale could see a group of [Buff] [Humans] standing together while flexing their muscles.


    Wonder how much fat they had in those bodies¡­.Ale wanted to take a nibble at one of them to check¡­for¡­science.


    Opposite them stood another type of minion, a group of women wearing masks with decorations of multiple colors and forms; for some weird reason, they were wearing skirts with frills, and each held a staff¡­


    Weird.


    ¡°They are a group usually only hired for distraction, the civilians quite love them.¡± [Golem] said when he noticed that Ale was staring at the frilly group.


    She looked at them, then looked at herself¡­then back at them¡­


    ¡°I know what you are thinking, but trust me, fighting while using a skirt is hell.¡± [Fan Girl] said shaking her head, she then turned to look at Ale and added, ¡°They are ¡®The Dark Alliance of the Fallen Magical Girls¡¯.¡±


    ¡­ so cool.


    ¡°Yeah, their core powers are mostly set around making a big spectacle or they use them to distract the Heroes and harass them while the Villain escapes.¡± [Golem] added, after [Fan Girl] said their name. ¡°Also, none of them actually uses Magic, so their name is misleading.¡±


    ¡°I mean, Core Powers are kinda magical, right?¡± [Fan Girl] said from the side, ¡°Well, some of them¡­¡±


    Some? What was even considered Magical?


    ¡°What is magic?¡± Ale asked, all the searchs that she did with that as a keyword ended pointing at works of fictions or some mentions about deranged villains. Interestingly enough [The Scrambler] was mentioned in one of those searches.


    ¡°Magic¡­it is like making something out of nothing? It¡¯s the power to make what you wish a reality.¡± [Fan Girl] answered after thinking for some time.


    ¡°So [Core Powers]?¡± Ale asked for confirmation since that was close enough to the average definition for [Core Powers].


    ¡°No.¡± [Golem] however, denied the answer, ¡°Magic is a mystical power that doesn¡¯t follow the normal rules, our Core Power work under a premise and follow some rules. Weird rules and in some cases, obscure rules. But there are rules. The premise under which Magic works states that there are no rules, so long as you desire something you can bring it into reality.¡±


    ¡­.That was overpowered.


    ¡°So if someone got a [Magic Core]?¡± Ale said turning to look at the group of [Dark Magical Girls].


    ¡°It will not happen, even the Mystic and Esoteric Cores that are around work under limitations, the very definition of magic makes it very hard for something like that to happen.¡± [Golem] assured her of that.


    But Ale wasn¡¯t that sure, she had seen weirder things happen. Such as the mysterious [Core Power] that almost made Alexa break, the same one that brought another aspect of Alexa that she hadn¡¯t known was around.


    So maybe it was possible? She would need to poke around and find how to make a true [Core], she could already make pseudo fake [Cores] after all, they didn¡¯t have the original [Powers]. As proof of the [Mind Core] that was currently housing [Weird-Alexa].


    But they were possible.


    ¡°Anyway, are you ready for this weird-ass job we will get?¡± [Fan Girl] asked her trying to get the conversation away from the aspect of [Magic].


    ¡°Why would it be weird? Aren¡¯t we just going to work for a Theater?¡± Ale said back confused.


    ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡±


    Both [Golem] and [Fan Girl] looked at her weirdly, now that Ale paid attention some of the minions around also looked at her weirdly.


    ¡°I do not know who this [Theater Master] is or why working for him is such a problem.¡± Ale ended up stating that before they kept staring at her weirdly.


    She liked to be stared at. She was, after all, the prettiestest. But being stared like someone weird made her feel awkward.


    ¡°...yeah that would make you think like that.¡± [Golem] said nodding in understanding, and¡­said nothing else.


    Ale turned to look at [Fan Girl] to see if she would elaborate more on this problem, and sure enough [Fan Girl] delivered.


    ¡°The Theater Master, is what we call a High-Tier Super Villain. He is categorized as a highly dangerous individual since he wields¡­.weird Core Powers.¡± [Fan Girl] elaborated, ¡°No one is quite sure what Core Power he has, not even those Minions that have worked for him before, but there is one thing they all share in common.¡±


    That sounded like something troublesome indeed.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Ale asked turning to [Fan Girl] for the important part of the problem at hand, if she had been nominated personally for this job, she had thought it would mean this would require her shapeshifting power.


    ¡°It is like working for a puppeteer.¡± [Golem] said from the side.


    ¡°Oh? Have you worked for him before?¡± [Fan girl] asked turning to [Golem].


    ¡°Not directly¡­I was once a¡­Chorus member in one of his acts.¡± [Golem] answered while shuddering, it was such a weird thing to see the man made out of rocks tremble ever so slightly.


    ¡°So you worked for him¡­?¡± Ale said confused, [Fan Girl] had asked that before, but [Golem] said no¡­then said yes? What was going on?


    ¡°No, a Chorus Member is what we call the civilians that end up pulled into The Theater Master¡¯s Act.¡± [Fan Girl] answered turning to [Golem], ¡°Is that why you¡­.¡±


    ¡°No, it had no effect whatsoever in my Triggering. It helped if anything, since I already had some degree of understanding of how a Core Power could affect me.¡± [Golem] answered steady.


    This confused Ale more and more, what was the deal then?


    ¡°So¡­He has a power that affects people around and makes them¡­.help him? So he is a [Mind Core] user?¡± Ale was very confused now, what type of [Core Power] did this man have?


    Also¡­were they even saying the name differently from her? She got the impression that they said Theater Master differently from her.


    ¡°...Probably¡­not.¡± [Golem] said unsure, he¡­did not seem sure of that answer, so he turned to [Sylph], ¡°I did not feel my mind change or be compelled, but it was more like I was acting as I should.¡±


    ¡°Usually that is the sign of a Mind Core User, but I doubt they would leave such high stakes Villain run around if he was a Mind Core User.¡± [Sylph] said turning to the far end of the room they stood in, ¡°I guess we will get more clues about this soon.¡±


    At the far end a short flash of light manifested as a figure enshrouded in a pair of white wings appeared, ¡°Everyone here? Good, anyone that arrives late kick them out.¡± It was [Gabriel], one of the [Lieutenants] of [Haephestus¡¯ Forge].


    The briefing was starting.

 Chapter 86: Aqua is here to solve your doubts.

    As soon as Gabriel teleported inside (She would check later on the limits of that type of [Core Powers], the fact that he could teleport from somewhere else inside here was something Ale wanted) the door got shut.


    And as if to make it obvious that no one else was allowed in, Gabriel pulled out his [Gun] and shot light stakes into the door making sure no one could open them. Ale was very intrigued about whether she could take a sample of the hard light material that was now embedded into the doors.


    ¡°Okay, that solves the issue about late arrivals.¡± Gabriel said as he took in everyone that was attending, ¡°So, raise your hand if you already know who The Theater Master is.¡±


    And so more than half the minions around here raised their hand, or to be precise, only Ale and some other outliers didn¡¯t raise their hand.


    ¡°As one would expect, now keep that hand up if you have worked with him.¡± Gabriel added, this time however more than half lowered their hand, Ale noticed that the only group of minions that kept their hands up was the Dark Magical Girl alliance group. ¡°Well, this will be a wild ride for you all, but first. Fairy Team, front and center!¡±


    That surprised Ale, not so much [Golem] or [Sylph], either way. The three-man team stood up and walked to the front; a couple of chairs were open, so they sat there.


    ¡°You three are the lucky ones, since you got nominated for this job.¡± Gabriel said with a smirk on his face, ¡°Now this means that The Theater Master asked for your team to participate in this new job.¡±


    Yeah, she had heard that before.


    ¡°What is expected of us on this job?¡± [Golem] asked, the always steady mass of rock; he was not intimidated by the presence of Gabriel in the least.


    ¡°Of you? To rip open some vaults and to look as a scary mindless mass of rocks.¡± Gabriel answered, ¡°For those of you that aren¡¯t aware of who The Theater Master is, he is a high stakes Super Villain.¡±


    Gabriel started his presentation, as he started speaking a projection of a man with stripes of white hair on his head showed on the wall. He wore the same clothing style as Mr Pig, only his clothes seemed pristine and well groomed.


    ¡°He is what we call an Eccentric case; he is famous for his ridiculous crimes and mostly weird targets.¡± Gabriel continued speaking as the projection changed from the well-dressed man to different buildings, ¡°Last year, his most famed crime consisted of turning a lake into Jello.¡±


    The image of a green mass of what seemed to be an amorphous object was shown on the projection. Ale found it quite interesting and wondered what the practical applications of such a crime were.


    ¡°Then before that he stole a museum¡­¡± The next image was a projection of both an empty plot of land and another of a building, ¡°As in the whole Museum¡­he left behind all the painting, sculptures and items of the museum in organized crates according to their suggested new museum¡­¡±


    So he quite literally stole a museum¡­


    ¡°And of course the biggest work so far¡­The replacement of Mount Rushmore, they either haven¡¯t caught on it yet or don¡¯t want to raise panic, we aren¡¯t quite sure what it is.¡± Gabriel then showed the image of a mountain range with what seemed to be five [Human] faces carved on the side of the mountain. Was this a [Human] thing? Ale didn¡¯t see the reason why they would do such a thing.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Gabriel suddenly stopped talking and pointed at one of the Minions at the back, it was one of the ones standing with [Snout Face].


    ¡°Is he a cartoon villain?¡± He asked making those near them giggle and laugh at the tone and words he used.


    Gabriel for his part didn¡¯t seem to laugh with them, nor most of the other minions that had raised their hands before.


    ¡°No, he is an honest to God Super Villain. Does anyone here know the difference between a normal criminal, a villain, and a Super Villain?¡± Gabriel asked to everyone.


    No one quite seemed to want to raise their hands to answer that question, or no one till [Sylph] got annoyed and raised her hand. It seemed that she had the answer and hadn¡¯t wanted to answer.


    ¡°Go ahead Sylph.¡± Gabriel said pointing to [Sylph] letting the attention focus on her, she was even focused by a ray of light and everything.


    ¡°A Criminal is someone who commits wrongdoings, be it petty theft, armed battery or murder.¡± [Sylph] started first with the criminal role, these seemed to be what they had done on their first job though, they had stolen things and had done a crime while being armed.


    Also Alexa had technically killed someone, so was she a criminal?


    ¡°A Villain is someone who does all of these while using Core Powers or superhuman feats. Usually, anyone with some degree of power qualifies for this denomination, not only Core Power Users.¡± [Sylph] then added to her explanation, so that would make Alexa not a criminal but a Villain? ¡°We Minions are not under these denominations since we are considered more of an accessory to a crime than the criminal or villain itself.¡±


    Or not, Ale had been a Villain for quite the small amount of time.


    ¡°And finally, a Super Villain is someone who commits a crime that can affect many people and has some degree of theatrical flare to their crimes. They don¡¯t steal warehouses during the night, but go straight to steal the goods from a Mall in the middle of the day, they don¡¯t fear going about duking it out with other Heroes or Villains.¡± [Sylph] added to her explanation, so¡­ a Super Villain was a really inefficient Villain? ¡°They are by definition more powerful than normal Villains since they don¡¯t need to mind their actions.¡±


    That seemed counterproductive, if they had more power couldn¡¯t they just go to more secure targets? Why bother with¡­these silly shenanigans.


    ¡°Precisely,¡± Gabriel said, nodding his head, ¡°To add to this, not all supervillains or villains are made the same. Both Vulcanus and Scorcher are technically Super Villains for example, and anyone that has been near Scorcher can attest that she doesn¡¯t move as Vulcanus does.¡±


    That was the understatement of the century.


    ¡°And what does this mean for The Theater Master?¡± [Sylph] asked at the side, ¡°Is he really a Mind Core User or not? What¡¯s his deal. We deserve to know at least that much if we are to work for him, or even near him.¡±


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    This seemed to bring the attention from everyone into Gabriel, everyone seemed intent on knowing this small point of interest, even Ale was interested at this point, she wanted to know or find new ways to identify possible [Mind Core] users. If she got more samples perhaps she could streamline more her [Mind Core] and accelerate her debugging of the Weird-Alexa memory.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t a Mind Core User, or at least as far as we can confirm.¡± Gabriel said sighing, ¡°But no one will ever believe that, his Core Powers allow him to make a Set for his Act, and everyone that is within that area either acts willingly towards achieving that goal or becomes a part of his props in his Act.¡±


    ¡­.what?


    ¡°What?¡± Ale couldn¡¯t help but voice her doubts, ¡°So¡­all those under the effect of his [Core Powers] turn into Puppets?¡±


    That¡­.that sounded like a [Mind Core] user to Ale at the very least, it was close to what Meli-Meli had attempted to do to Alexa, and what she had done to the other students.


    ¡°Not in the sense that you are putting it.¡± Gabriel said massaging his temples, ¡°You will get it when you are there, or you won¡¯t. Depends on how strong you are, for example a normal Mind Core User should be able to try and worm his way into making me obey him, but I would detect it thanks to my mental defenses and either fight it or teleport away.¡±


    That seemed like a convenient power to have, just teleporting away from anything that he couldn¡¯t deal with.


    ¡°[Envy]¡±


    ¡°But with The Theater Master, all I get is a rough feeling about where the Act begins and ends, some loose commands from the Maestro of the play, and some idea of who the actors are and who the extras are.¡± Gabriel seemed to want to explain what it was, but couldn¡¯t get the correct way to input that into words.


    ¡°That is exactly what it is,¡± Only for a new voice to sound, the one speaking was a woman with blue flowing hair, she was fairly small and petite and probably only a couple centimeters above Ale even. So she was very small. ¡°Your work is that of an actor Gabriel and that is what we expect of you, your power is what grants you that leeway¡­¡±


    The woman turned to look at everyone else, ¡°As for you lot, you are extras,¡± She said turning to stare at the Minions.


    Ale got the feeling that the [Woman] was constantly emitting a low wave of Mana Emissions, but couldn¡¯t quite place what they did, ¡°Except for you of course,¡± But she didn¡¯t have enough time as the woman turned to Ale, ¡°You will be one of the main actors of this Rhapsody.¡±


    What?


    [Skye] was the first to react at that singling out ¡°We are teams, so whatever you want for Rhapsody will include all of us, but as we heard Golem here will be on mayhem role so do you expect us to add to the mayhem?¡± That was a valid point; Ale was fairly sure that she could create some mayhem, too; she just needed enough biomass to make a buffier version of herself, perhaps a two to three-meter version of herself bulging with muscle.


    That ought to be enough¡­


    ¡°Hmm¡­.Ah yes Sylph, you are marked as a possible Actress¡­ You will be given overwatch duty and support, all is here.¡± The woman said snapping her fingers and after that Ale heard the sound of wheels behind, so turning to look back she found a group of Minions with Domino masks walking in with small wheeled carts. Each one of them carried a stack of papers and started handing them out.


    ¡°These are your scripts for the Act.¡± The [Woman] said as the Domino Minions handed the paper bundles to the black mask minions and the occasional white mask. ¡°Memorize them and then burn them, we will have someone on duty to solve doubts as needed so I only need you to memorize the first five pages, if you can memorize everything that will be for the best.¡±


    Only five? That seemed¡­ counterintuitive; these things were at least 100 pages long.


    ¡°Here is yours Rhapsody and Sylph,¡± The [Woman] said handing a pair of paper stacks to both Ale and [Skye], ¡°And yours too big guy.¡±


    And after she handed a single sheet of paper to [Golem].


    ¡°Destroy all the vehicles in front of the bank, then spend the next half an hour roaring and destroying any vehicle that gets too close?¡± [Golem] said as he read the sheet of paper, it only had that phrase.


    ¡°Yes, that is all we need for you, is it possible to increase your size? if possible we will provide the required material.¡± The [Woman] said as she looked up and down [Golem].


    ¡°Yes, we have a table with that data. It should be on his personal folder we sent your way Aqua.¡± Gabriel said from the side as he took a package for himself, ¡°I assume my job is the same?¡±


    He did read some words from the first page, only for his package to turn into motes of light that flew into his head¡­.what?


    ¡°Yeah, sounds about right¡­Also do you really think I could stop a speedster? I may teleport at the speed of light, but that does not mean I am that fast.¡± Gabriel asked to the woman, Aqua.


    ¡°We only need you to distract them and if possible injure them, just give us time to set up the H-Horde.¡± Aqua answered turning once again to Ale and [Sylph]. ¡°As for you, please read your package and ask any questions you need.¡±


    The first one to react was [Skye] who started reading the first pages, ¡°....This is¡­doable yes¡­¡± She said as she continued reading. [Skye] seemed angry about the fact that she was not finding anything to complain about.


    On her side however, Ale took her package and stared at the bold letters on the first page.


    [Book 1 - Act 4, To steal or not to steal.]


    That was¡­overly dramatic yes.


    Alexa turned it to the next page only to find [Actress, Rhapsody]. With a small drawn figure of herself waving at her. Cute.


    The package contained mostly miscellaneous data about the place they would act in, it was a bank, a place that was designed to house the money people saved, be it from their wages or money that was gifted to them, it was one of these institutions that [Haephestus¡¯ Forge] used to pay them too.


    The package included some reassurances that the bank in question was not the one they used to pay them or that the bank in question was one used mostly by the high strata of society. Those were some weird reassurances all around; even so, Ale needed to know what her role would be.


    So she kept reading, the third page included an index about what data would be found within this pack, and like so Ale had already red three of the minimum five pages¡­


    What?


    The fourth page had a small introduction about who this [Theater Master] was and what his mission statement was.


    ¡°[The World is my Stage]¡±


    ¡­.weird statement if Ale was someone to say, then she finally got into the biomass of this deal.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± Ale said as she finally laid her eyes on the fifth page, ¡°...A questionnaire?¡±


    That was what was on the fifth page, some questions about if she could shapeshift into several [Humans], then a mention to check the addendum, and sure enough at the other side of the page was a small list with pictures, weight, skin color, eye color, hair color, names, blood type, everything that one could ever need¡­


    Or so it said at the bottom of the page.


    ¡°So?¡± Aqua asked her as Ale went over the descriptions.


    ¡°It should be doable, but I will need, if possible, a [Sample] of their [Blueprint] to do a better job, and I make no guarantees about the voice without hearing them speak.¡± Ale answered turning to look at Aqua.


    ¡°That is¡­acceptable.¡± Aqua said nodding to Ale and clapping her hands to make the other minions turn to look at her, ¡°We got confirmation that we can go with Plan BS42, those of you that want to read the whole thing can skip scenarios SS 0 to SS 50, Plans AS 1 to AS 19 will remain on hold. Depending on how the first parts of the operation go we will move accordingly.¡±


    At that, Ale heard several groans and the sound of people furiously moving to skip those sections; looking down on her own Index, she noticed that those plans encompassed barely 30 pages, but hadn¡¯t she mentioned almost 70 plans?


    ¡°Look at the plans in question.¡± Gabriel said from the side, he had moved to them at some point.


    So Ale did so, skipping a few pages to find the plans in questions, they had several mention to some Annex data pack¡­¡±The datapack?¡± Ale asked turning to Aqua.


    The [Woman] smiled. ¡°Why? Do you want to see it? Gabriel, did Hermes prepare the download?¡± And then turned to Gabriel.


    ¡°*Sigh* Yes, we have granted limited access to your database.¡± Gabriel said in a defeated voice, ¡°MINIONS! Those of you who want to see the data annex it is available from your Masks or Phones, only while at the base.¡±


    Ale took the prompt and poked at the menus from her Mask; sure enough, a new database with more detailed data was available.


    ¡°[Notice, found database with 358 Extra pages per series of planning, from AS, BS, CS, DS, ES to FIWB.]¡±


    So much data¡­.


    ¡°Why¡­how many scenarios are there planned for?¡± [Sylph] said from the side as she surely also checked the new database.


    ¡°Why, one for every probable problem we could encounter, we have found that while you can¡¯t plan for every situation, you can plan for almost every possible situation with some thought.¡± Aqua answered as she turned to look at Ale again, ¡°So? Do you think you can memorize everything? I am authorized to grant you a more resumed version and even to move you around to simplify your job, you are very important for this heist after all.¡±


    Ale turned to look at the paper packet and then to her database, now available from her Mask.


    ¡°Yes, it should be doable. It could be easier if all was in digital format.¡± Ale answered as Main Core continued scanning the data from the database that [Billy] had made available to them.


    ¡°The database will not be available during the job.¡± Aqua narrowed her eyes at Ale. ¡°If you are going to depend on that, I may as well give you the resumed version.¡±


    Ale shook her head instead ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. It is easier for me to [Record Data] when it''s already in digital form.¡± Ale corrected the misunderstanding. ¡°If not possible, I can memorize these within the next hour.¡±


    That made several minions stop reading and just stare at Ale, some with eyes that said they didn¡¯t believe her, while others were just envious of her.


    ¡°Ohoho¡­So that is why He wanted you in such an important role¡­Your file didn¡¯t say anything about good memory, but it did mention a possible Tinker Core or Sub Core¡­Okay, we will send the digitalized Data Package to your Mask within ten minutes, these will not be available during the mission nor will we give a new one, so make sure of what you do.¡± Aqua said and turned to nod at Gabriel.


    After that she passed an envelope to him and walked away.


    So¡­Alexa would get the data packet?


    ¡°[Notice, new arrival of information, starting analyzis.]¡±


    Well, that made it much easier, now Ale only needed to compare it with the Paper package she had on her hands, better to make sure there wasn¡¯t any deviation from the original plan, this seemed like the type of thing they liked to do to her in [Speed Running Tests]. Making something that seemed to be the same, only to introduce a different factor at some point, which made her fail because she hadn¡¯t paid enough attention.

 Chapter 87: Meeting adjourned...time to prepare...again

    The plan was quite simple in execution and idea, it required of Ale to use the data they provided to change form into some of the people working within the [Bank], once there, she would take the required data and use their [BioSignature] to open the deepest part of the [Vault] in search for some [Documents]. The whole plan had been made with the idea of stealing [Data] that was stored in physical format instead of [Digital], she wondered why they would make it harder for themselves when they could just store it on a digital format.


    ¡°That is so no Technopath Core or Tinker Core can touch the power lines and steal all the data.¡± [Skye] said from the side as she thought on that part of the plan.


    ¡°Precisely, the ultimate way to make sure no one steals anything is to limit the human factor. And since Mimic Cores are usually mad or hard to get ahold of since the government pays premium to them so they act as body doubles¡­¡± [Aqua] added from the side, ¡°That is why you, my small minion, got such an important role in this heist.¡±


    The blue-haired woman had remained to ensure that Ale could indeed memorize everything and even queried her on what she had read, making sure everything was in order, they even tried to get her by making her recount some of the plans backwards, Ale didn¡¯t knew why that mattered, but she did so.


    ¡°Are you positive that she had no access to the database anymore?¡± [Aqua] even asked this as they finished the last batch of questions.


    ¡°Yes, we isolated her mask, and we even tried changing it to a new one with no connectivity at your last request.¡± [Gabriel] answered with a sigh, ¡°It seems that she does learn faster by using the digital form, anything else we can help you with?¡±


    [Aqua] pondered for a few seconds before shaking her head and turning to look at Ale one more time, ¡°No, that will be all. What do you require to make a full copy of myself?¡± She said standing in front of Ale.


    ¡°A strand of hair should be enough, in case that isn¡¯t available, then extended touch is good enough.¡± Ale answered, unsure why that mattered, [Aqua] hadn¡¯t been on the list of shifts she would need.


    ¡°Good, we will take this into consideration for future plans, for now that will be all by me. We will expect you and the other Minions to be ready and in place next week.¡± [Aqua] then walked out of the room, with all the Dominio mask minions following suit after her. Leaving only the black and white mask minions.


    Some let out a sigh of relief while others started speaking with their fellow Minions nearby. Ale was surprised by this; she was half sure most of them hadn¡¯t finished memorizing their data packets after all.


    ¡°Okay, you know the drill, at least memorize the parts that affect you, raise your hand if you don¡¯t mind sharing some of the money from this with someone else and we will assign an extra minion to stand on HQ reading your paper package.¡± [Gabriel] said smirking, more than half of the minions here raised their hand (The Dark Magical Girl Alliance was one of those that raised their hands too).


    The [Fairy Team] was one of the very few that didn¡¯t raise their hands, so Ale was quite proud of this.


    ¡°We will be counting on you Rhapsody.¡± Till [Skye] said that from the side.


    [Golem] only had a single paper sheet with a phrase, so she hadn¡¯t expected much from him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make us look bad.¡± [Golem] said joining [Skye] on the side.


    So she would need to memorize their part too and give instructions? Yeah, she could do that, but even so it rubbed her the wrong way, as if she needed to study and cover her teammates¡­ She would demand Mango for this later.


    But for now she did what she had wanted to do anyway, she took the paper packet from [Skye] and started reading,


    She had been given an [Overwatch] job, they wanted Sylph to fly and hover above the [Bank], mostly to scout data and find possible [Hero] approaches and report them so the minions and Villains in charge could intercept them in favorable spots to continue the [Heist].


    These seemed to imply that Sylph would be able to move around fast enough to monitor multiple points of intrusion, Ale doubted someone who could only [Fly] could achieve these objectives and voiced her doubt about it.


    ¡°No it¡¯s fine, I can manage this much. The higher I am, the easier it is for me to use my powers. You can trust big sis!¡± Had been the answer from [Skye].


    ¡°We decided on this proposition after seeing the footage of her recent encounters, both encounters seem to point that this was possible so The Theater Master decided to give her this job.¡± Was how [Aqua] answered.


    Ale didn¡¯t understand these statements, they seemed to imply that the encounters (Plural) that [Skye] had found as a Minion were enough to put this forward, but as far as Ale was concerned all the encounters that [Skye] had before had been:


    One - The Warehouse incident, in which [Skye] was supposed to work as overwatch, but her area of watch had been way less extensive and detailed.


    Two - The School Incident, she wasn¡¯t quite sure how this Theater Master had gotten this one, but maybe they had seen something that Ale hadn¡¯t?


    The school classroom did have access to the [Video Footage], so maybe someone downloaded it? But in those at best they could find the weird way that [Skye]¡¯s wind behaved? Was that some kind of clue that Ale missed?


    What surprised Ale more was not the fact that [Skye] was this sure that she could manage such a wide range of overwatch just because she was so high away from the ground that no one below would be able to see her clearly. No, it was not that.


    It was the fact that [Golem]¡¯s paper package was as thick as everyone else, and it had a very detailed description of what type of [Heroes] and [Minions] he could expect to find at what times and even in what order they may arrive.


    What it boiled down at the end was that he was expected to fight each of them; the more detailed instruction package included some suggested styles of combat, from pure grapples to punches, kicks, and even one movement that was described as ¡®Full Nelson.¡¯ Whatever that was.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    She understood why the details could be boiled down to the alternative piece of paper that [Golem] was holding that read only, ¡®Beat anyone that comes near you within an inch of the gates of death.¡¯


    But if anything, it made her take a note to never go the full muscle mass of destruction she was able to become. If going that route meant that she would be thought of as a mindless mass of muscles, then it wasn¡¯t worth it.


    So making sure that [Golem] didn¡¯t see the full paper package, Ale took it away and squirreled it away with hers and [Skye]¡¯s paper package. Neither of these two had a personalized database as far as she could see, Ale did ask [Aqua] and [Gabriel] (After [Aqua] left) to make sure.


    ¡°No, we don¡¯t have that much free time. Maybe Scorpio could pull multiple databases for each Minion, but she rarely works with Villains¡­or Heroes for that matter.¡± [Gabriel] shrugged while answering her question about it, making Ale wonder what kind of [Core User] would name themselves [Scorpio] and then not work for either [Heroes] or [Villains]; why to take an [Alternative Name] if they wouldn¡¯t work for either.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Ale answered nodding her head, ¡°Do you want me to take a sample of you for later use too?¡±


    Ale wanted that [Blueprint], the fact that he could [Teleport], [Fly] and even have partial transformations¡­


    ¡°Hah!¡± [Gabriel] barked a laugh and teleported away from her, ¡°You wish. Good try but no, these powers are too much for a young one.¡±


    [Gabriel] kept on laughing as he teleported all around the room as if to flex his [Core Powers], Ale seethed at this obvious provocation.


    She would have her due!


    One day!


    When she developed countermeasures for these movements, perhaps she could use a variation to the method she had used to deal with [V-8]? It should be doable.


    ¡°hmm¡­¡­..that was weird, not like you can copy the Core Powers, why did he run away?¡± [Skye] said from the side confused, placing her hand atop Ale¡¯s. ¡°Don¡¯t mind it too much, all the Lieutenants are weird. They developed too much their Core and wind up weird in their head.¡±


    ¡­.so it was a problem with their [Cores]? How would that even work?


    ¡°Did they get a [Mind Core]? Does everyone have one of those in secret or something?¡± Ale asked back, she had been getting too many mentions to those things. Almost as if everyone had been tampered with something to that end.


    ¡°No no, when you¡­well, no wait. You just triggered yours right? Dang it, how do I even explain this¡­¡± [Skye] said mussing about what to tell Ale, was this something confidential? ¡°Look at it like this, you changed after getting your Core Powers right? You aren¡¯t even able to copy Core Powers, so why does he care? Not like you couldn''t change into his looks anyway.¡±


    Well, [Skye] was right to a certain degree. Ale couldn''t copy [Core Powers] , not yet anyway. She had tried of course, but so far she only had the base [Blueprint] for some [Cores], and hadn''t gotten much time to study them, besides the [Mind Core] and that she hadn''t been the one to make use of them, but mostly [Main Core] doing its own thing.


    Ale wanted to check on that. Perhaps she could leave a note for herself when she was either Alexa or Alexandra?


    ...Perhaps she should take this chance to study it herself, Alexa may end up messing around and Alexandra could end up either drunk or flirting with Sam instead...


    To be fair, Sam did have a nice body, but even so. They should stick to their priorities.


    Like right now, her priority should be memorizing as much as possible from these paper packages, she of course had scanned the information so it was already stored within her [Database]. Perhaps she could focus on other things?


    But to what? What should she do if she wasn''t going to prepare for this? Her options were to prepare for this, or finish her previous homework from school...


    That or well, continuing something she had done before...Perhaps she could use this as an excuse to work on some personal projects?


    "Is there a place where I can practice?" Ale decided to ask if there was, and then she could start working on some modifications to her base blueprint.


    "There is a communal gym and some isolated rooms to practice Core Powers." [Golem] was the one to answer first, "The individual rooms are well set up and can withstand the rigors of high-powered individuals such as myself even."


    ....show off.


    "That should do." Ale said turning to [Golem], "Can you guide me to these facilities? I want to practice part of my [Core Powers]."


    "But why would you need those rooms? Can''t you just use the normal ones?" [Skye] asked from the side, "I mean, you are just going to change form right? That doesn''t need anything special."


    ....That was true...


    No one had complained about how her powers worked either, was it because she mostly looked as if her body aged at fast speed? She hadn''t paid too much attention to that.


    She was half sure that at the very least, when she did the shifts manually they just looked like that, using her other... [Powers] may look different, hadn''t the [Mind Core] shone a little when forming? As if showing up from nothing.


    She needed to check on that.


    "Changing into another thing is harder and may end up in...unexpected changes." Ale decided to answer while raising one of her fingers, "Case in point..."


    And made that finger burst into a mess of flesh and blood, she hadn''t tried to change it into anything, and had cut the nerve endings there so it didn''t hurt.


    But even so, she saw several people wince and a couple of those that used the half mask covering instead of the full one, cover their mouth as their face lost color.


    "....Point taken." [Skye] said shaking her head, Ale couldn''t quite see her that well since [Skye] also used the full face mask. "...Are you okay? That seemed to hurt..."


    Well, it would had hurt if Ale hadn''t cut the nerve endings... then yes, it would hurt as hell. But as it stands, it didn''t. "I am fine, I cut the nerve endings before doing the shift, and while I lost some [Biomass] and [Blood], the loss was minimal since the shift was focused on the tip of my finger." And so she rebuilt the broken finger to normal.


    "I was attempting to make a variation to a high-speed delivery system for ranged attacks." Ale lied of course, she had achieved what she wanted, make a explosion within her finger. "So if I want to experiment I need a place isolated enough and private so this can be contained."


    That made both [Golem] and [Skye] take a second to think, was her request that hard? She didn''t think so, it was, if anything. Very reasonable.


    "I think we can work something out, just to be sure. Not all the changes you make end up like that, do they?" [Golem] asked as he stood, "I mean, changing into someone else without a...what do you call them? Blueprint? That will not result in pain or...exploding parts?"


    Why would he...


    "No," Ale answered, "At worst, the only discomfort I could get would be from [Body Dysmorphia]."


    That had been quite an interesting case that [Main Core] had pulled from the [Internet], a mental condition where [Humans] thought that their body was flawed or didn''t match them. And, in turn, attempted to fix it by any means necessary.


    It was usually what made other [Body Shifters] to stick with fixed forms or not branch as much as she was able. Really, the [Human] mind was quite interesting...


    "....right...." [Golem] shook his head and pointed to Ale "Follow me, I will get you to the room I was using, you can use it for now. I will check on Billy to see if we can get you one."


    So [Golem] had one already?


    "Don''t look at me, I just fly around and practice up in the air." [Skye] said before Ale could turn to ask her, "Not like I need a closet to push the wind around or anything."


    ...right...


    "Okay." Ale nodded nonetheless and followed [Golem]; she was already planning what modifications she could make. She had plenty of things to play around after all.


    Some [Blueprints] she had taken and never gotten around to check how they worked too...


    "Oh right, while you do that I need to go and get something!" [Skye] suddenly said and left, running in the other direction, "I''ll call for you to let me in in case you get there before I do!"


    Wonder what [Skye] was going to get?


    "Remember, Rhapsody, if you ever need something, you can ask Skye or me." [Golem] said suddenly as he continued moving through the hallway, people walking to the sides to give way to him. "People still haven''t processed how to deal with you, but some are bound to start thinking bad about you sooner rather than later."


    Why? She was the prettiestest of all! She should be pampered! not Hated!


    ....she just did the same phrasing as Alexa...dang it.


    "They will start thinking about how you can Mimic other people, and if you manage to pull it off without taking those ''Samples'' you asked about, it will get worse." [Golem] continued speaking, soon enough they arrived in front of a door with metal bars making sure no one could walk in uninvited. "I am not saying that you should stop using your Core Powers, nor should you limit them. If you can change into other people without needing to touch them or take in their ''Blueprint,'' as you said, it would be for the best."


    Then what was the problem?


    "You want me to...make sure I am ready for people to realize what I can do?" Ale asked, this seemed like a weird problem to have.


    "I am telling you that...While your younger form may not get it, and the older form may know how to deal with it like an adult. You right now are a kid, so if people start saying bad things to you or bothering you, you can punch them." [Golem] ended up saying that, "We are working for Villains, so we get to punch people we don''t like."


    "Or throwing them." Ale said remembering the ''Baseball Especial''. "Not that I would throw people...I may poke them tho."


    Ale liked that more after all, and to make that statement obvious she changed her hands into the [Arm-mament] setting, transforming her fingers into claws, very sharp claws.


    "...Try to not stab them in any vital spot." [Golem] said, shaking his head with a wry smile.


    "HERE IT IS!" And before he continued saying anything else, [Skye] came hovering just a few centimeters above ground, she was holding..." With this you will be able to mix around better and may even get away with using some of the more brutal parts of your powers!"


    It was a sample of something that [Skye] had said she would get her later. Perhaps Ale could finally test some aspects of one of her [Blueprints] now...


    She only needed to take the [Sample] and try to mesh it with one of her [Cores] when she made them.


    "Nyaaaa~~~" Now only to take the sample from this [Creature]...

 Chapter 88: ....whats with this naming sense?

    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 39.9903%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Acquired new blueprint, [Cat Core].


    Acquired sample of a new organism, opening new subtype of [Blueprints]


    Acquired new blueprint, [Cat].


    A secondary type of [Core] has been acquired, enabling the fusion of [Cores]


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°Prrrrrrrrr.¡± The [Cat] creature continued trying to ingratiate itself to Ale. It continued to make the weird vibrating sound while its head was being used to smear hormones all over Ale, so she answered in kind, returning some hormones with the same composition.


    That weirdly enough seemed to soothe the [Cat] and made it lay down on her arms.


    ¡°....how are you doing that? I had to bribe this Cat with some treats to let me hold it!¡± [Skye] said pointing at Ale with her finger surprised.


    ¡°What was supposed to happen?¡± Ale asked as her tendrils returned from checking the whole [Blueprint] of the creature on her arms.


    She had gotten the blue screen telling her that she had it, but even so, she still made sure to check the actual makeup manually and not only trust the data that was sent into her [Consciousness Stream] by these weird [Core Powers].


    The data matched, though, so there was that.


    ¡°I mean, this is what was supposed to happen, but the cat should have wanted to return to me since I am the one who has the treats!¡± [Skye] said pulling out a small bag with what seemed to be several tubes made from a white material, one of those was open and showed a weird paste-like substance.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Was all that Ale answered, she was still reeling from the new options that had opened for her. ¡°... well, that is fine and all, but I do need to start checking my new [Blueprints] viability.¡±


    So in that tone Ale returned the [Cat] to [Skye], and the smoll critter seemed reluctant to return to [Skye] but a small burst of the same hormones the [Cat] had released was enough to soothe it back.


    She liked this critter, for it was easier to deal with than the [Humans] in general.


    ¡°Right¡­ Well, try not to blow too many fingers¡­¡± [Skye] said as she took the [Cat] back, the critter still pawed in Ale¡¯s direction, but wasn¡¯t making that serious of an effort as [Skye] was feeding it the mysterious cylinder of liquid paste.


    Ale would try to check that one later, as far as she knew the taste of this critter was quite refined by what she was seeing in the [Blueprint], so she wanted to know what that paste had, her nutrient paste didn¡¯t taste good.


    She had synthesized some when she got this [Tongue], and it was awful.


    ¡°Call us if you require anything. We will be a few rooms away going over our paper packets.¡± [Golem] said, giving her a weird contraption that had a single button on it. ¡°That is an emergency call button, if you are in trouble during your testing or are too hurt, push it. A group of minions will come to assist you.¡±


    Ale took the button and pocketed it; it would come in handy, if not for that function, at least for checking what type of signal they transmitted to connect with the base. If she could crack that without cracking her [Phone], it could be helpful.


    ¡°Will do.¡± And on that note, she walked into the room and closed the door behind her. ¡°Quite bigger than expected¡­and destroyed.¡±


    The room in question was roughly the same size her [Testing Area], the difference was in that these walls were cracked, while the ones in her testing area would not remain cracked next time she saw them.


    Also the floor was uneven, as it also had some cracks here and there. In one of the walls was a series of piles of different materials labeled atop with what they were and in what ratio had they been mixed.


    Probably to check the compatibility for [Golem] and his [Core Power], she would check later if they could provide one of those for her too. That could be useful and save her some time in experimenting with her own [Banked Materials] too. It was quite prohibitive to test those materials since taking them out was easy, but getting them back in wasted almost ? of them. So it was a much more steep loss.


    Either way, Ale examined each nook and cranny of this [Room], first to measure the distances and confirm her suspicions about the dimensions; she hoped it was merely a coincidence and nothing else. So she would be thorough, she probed the materials of the floor and walls, the make and design. She bore her tendrils deep within the walls¡­.


    Everything that she could think of, in the end, the whole room was covered in a thin web of her tendrils as she searched for anything that could confirm her suspicions¡­


    But in the end nothing was found, no equipment to monitor what she was doing, no hidden cameras to check on her, no devices hidden within the make of the room¡­ Just a big room and nothing else.


    That was anti-climactic.


    ¡°[Notice, start first iteration of new combat modifications?]¡±


    Main Core even thought so, as they had found nothing.


    ¡°Yeah I guess¡­¡± Ale said as she cut the connection to the thin tendrils she had extended all over the place, the loss in biomass would be minimal since she hadn¡¯t expended that much on them and most of them had been made with materials sourced from the floor and walls.


    With that out of the way, Ale focused on the available options they had.


    ¡°First¡­.let¡¯s try to fully integrate the modification to the pressured canisters for jumping.¡± Ale said, remembering what they had done to increase her leap strength.


    So thinking about that she first grew an external armor-like add on to her legs, the original design had compromised too much of her body balance and ability to walk, run and move after it had been made. This new design would add an armor-like part to her body to latch the pressurized canisters.


    Perhaps Alexandra could fully integrate the design on her thighs, but neither Ale nor Alexa had that much free space on their body. So she had to compromise.


    ¡°[Starting build up, taking from virtual storage¡­.building up alloy¡­.Host please take a sample of nearby metals.]¡±


    ¡­That was a new one.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we use the materials we have stored for the make?¡± Ale asked as she walked to the pile of materials, she had some of those already, but even so she placed a hand atop each pile.


    ¡°[New materials available, current make of metals may compromise host stability and may require an extra buildup of muscle mass. The possibility of a new metal, while low, must be explored.]¡±


    Fair enough, so Ale walked around and by the end she had actually found one new metal from this.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 66.266%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">New Materials found:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Durasteel: Metallic alloy with great durability and resistance to damage. It appears to be a silver-gray metal and lightweight yet tougher than the currently stored metals in the database. It shows resistant to rust and corrosion. Reproduction is possible with the use of normal steel as a base.


    Adamantium: Deep-black metal with a slight blue sheen, shows hardness and indestructibility superior to Durasteel, but a complex make and increased density above what it should have per square gram of area. Unlike Durasteel, this metal seems to be heavier than it should be, it also seems to be harder to reproduce, reducing the amount of it available material created per Mana Unit. Reproduction requires diamonds.


    Mythril: Silver-colored metal with unparalleled lightweight nature and Mana conductivity. It gleams with a bright luster when exposed to Mana Waves. Mythril seems to be as strong as steel but significantly lighter, no other quality has been found, adviced to use as replacement for cable management. Reproduction is possible with normal silver as a base.


    Orichalcum: Orichalcum is a legendary metal with a vibrant, coppery-red hue that seems to shimmer with an inner light. It is a magical metal that resonates with a unique frequency, making it particularly effective against supernatural creatures and dark magic.


    Aurum: Radiant, golden metal that exudes a warm, inviting glow. This metal seems to be capable of channeling and increasing the output of mana waves of a certain part of the spectrum; it is advised to be used as a channel to light-based weaponry. Reproduction requires gold as a base.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    That was interesting. She couldn¡¯t quite place how or why these were like this, but the properties of each of them were quite interesting to look at. These¡­shouldn¡¯t work, or more like they shouldn¡¯t exist.


    ¡°[Error, properties of creation don¡¯t match any known phenomena.]¡±


    ¡°....Yeah, that still doesn¡¯t make sense, but let¡¯s attribute it to a weird interaction between energy and minerals.¡± Ale wasn¡¯t quite sure that the explanation made sense, but she couldn¡¯t deny the fact that she had the make of the minerals loaded into her [Core].


    ¡°[Error, corrupted blueprint. Error, corrupted Blueprint, purging.]¡±


    Only one of her [Cores], Main Core wasn¡¯t able to parse the Blueprint quite well, so she would need to use only Mk1 Gen Nanites if she wanted to use it.


    ¡°Do we want to use it? Even if they don¡¯t quite make sense?¡± Ale asked inwardly, the design that [Main Core] wanted to use was dependant on the make of a light yet sturdy Armor after all.


    ¡°[...yes. Delegating the make and build is¡­acceptable.]¡±


    Main Core was quite possibly sulking, Ale was sure of that.


    ¡°Then start building.¡± Ale said and felt¡­as if something was being drained from her, it wasn¡¯t quite the same feeling as when she made an effort to take something from her [Banked biomass] or [Banked Materials].


    It was closer to a feeling of using energy in one of her 100% energy burns to move and react faster.


    ¡°Oof¡­.¡± And Ale almost fell to the ground.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 53.6712%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Finished production:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Pounce Boots Mk1:


    A pair of armored boots designed to increase the jumping (Pounce) range the user has; these are capable of holding up to 10 liters of pressurized air on the internal storage; there are two connections at the side to have compressed air canisters, auto-adjusting for multiple nozzle entry. It is advised to only use Tinker-Made canisters as these have a higher ratio of compression and, in turn, are more efficient.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°...what is this name?¡± Ale said aloud as she turned to look at the blue screen that had shown in front of her¡­ and then to her feet were a pair of new sleek blue boots now had materialized.


    The design was¡­quite good actually, even though they were blue the color was deep enough that it would mesh quite well with her body suit¡­


    ¡°[Notice, the design of new boots seems to match the design of Haephestus¡¯ Forge, these are built to match and compliment the body suit.]¡±


    So these boots would match and mesh with her bodysuit? That was¡­nice. It also made her wonder how her [Core] had the Blueprint for her bodysuit¡­


    Either way, she needed to test these for now.


    ¡°[Please load the cannister into the side connection, up to two charges of cannisters are permited plus two extra cannister connected to the Pounce boots Mk 1.]¡±


    ¡­She¡­would try not to let that name stick, but for now, she made a new pair of canisters with the materials available within her [Banked Material] storage. Compressing the Air was easy enough to do with a canister at hand, but for some reason, she wasn¡¯t quite able to compress the gasses while these stood within her [Banked Material] storage.


    Perhaps she had stretched the limits too much? She would need to try later to make a bypass to this.


    ¡°[Loading up of Cannister complete, please interface with Pounce Boots Mk1 to use the functions.]¡±


    Interface?


    ¡°How am I going to¡­¡± Ale wondered aloud until a new menu popped up on her sight, it had the projection of herself wearing the blue boots. From there she was able to see how much charge they had and how much compressed Air they would expend if she used them to¡­


    Well, pounce¡­


    Dang it¡­.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    She could see how much of the air content she would expend whenever she jumped around, and yes, that.


    ¡°Test one¡­¡± Ale said, bracing herself and pushing the imaginary button as she jumped. ¡°WOAH!¡±


    And sure enough, she achieved the same result as before but using less Air and without having to compromise her [Blueprint] as much. These still were grafted into her legs, the boots interfaced straight with her, but she could jump, walk and run as normal withouth having to worry too much about integrity.


    ¡°Okay, this is good. Next one would be for my upper legs then?¡± Ale said as she landed, a small burst of compressed Air was enough to kill most of her momentum and let her land softly on the ground. ¡°Maybe follow the same design? Add some flaps to my skirt that can be used to give some extra maneuverability?¡±


    That could be nice, it would give her a pretty skirt and increase her ability to control her flight!


    Two for one!


    ¡°[Notice, original minion outfit does not account for skirts.]¡±


    ¡°But [Skye] has a personalized one! And [Golem] doesn¡¯t even use one!¡± Ale retorted back.


    ¡°[....Design has been finalized, as host was deemed impossible to be reasoned with from start. Do you wish to initialize build?]¡±


    ¡°....Yes.¡± Ale wasn¡¯t quite sure what to think, if the stupid thing was going to build it up anyway, why fight back?


    Was it failing? Did she really need to build a new [Main Core]? She could forgo the [Core Dump] and just make a new one from scratch¡­.


    ¡°[Building up of blueprint finished, sending to Core for build up.]¡±


    But if the problem wasn¡¯t with [Main Core], any new iteration would have it too¡­¡±No, wait a second, what?¡± Ale said, but before she could even think about it, she was struck by vertigo as the creation of the next part of her Armor was made.


    This time it wasn¡¯t as bad as the first, but it made her dizzy for a few seconds still, what energy was this spending? It didn¡¯t quite feel like the correct tiredness from missing some of her energy, and as far as she was aware, her calorie intake was roughly around the same.


    <table style="table-layout: fixed; font-family: Arial; border-collapse: collapse; border: 3px; width: 41.1941%" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col style="width: 19.8682%" width="106"><col style="width: 7.7486%" width="31"><col style="width: 7.54992%" width="31"><col style="width: 6.95387%" width="31"><col style="width: 9.33806%" width="44"><col style="width: 27.8155%" width="123"><col style="width: 7.7486%" width="30"><col style="width: 6.55651%" width="30"><col style="width: 6.55651%" width="30"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)" colspan="9" rowspan="1">Status</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Name:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Alexandra Saintsworths</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Head:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Peak)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Race:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Bio-Weapon</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Right Arm:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Mod)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Subrace:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Human</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Left Arm:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Mod)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Gender:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Female</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Torso:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Peak)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Age:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">5</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">12</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">19</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">years</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Right Leg:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Mod)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Weight:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">42</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">52</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">65</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">kgs</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Left Leg:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Mod)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Height:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">1,02</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">1,45</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">1,65</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">cms</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Skeleton System:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Reinforced</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Overall Status:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Healthy</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Muscular System:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Reinforced</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Current Form:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Human (Peak)</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Nanite Foundry:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Active</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="5" rowspan="1"> </td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Sub Nanite Foundry:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Active</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center" colspan="9" rowspan="1">Body Status</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Strength</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">42</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">75</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">107</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Health:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">30</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">22</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">22</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Dexterity:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">40</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">50</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">30</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Mana:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">25</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">21</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">21</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Constitution</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">6</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">6</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Stamina:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">41</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">35</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">39</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Luck</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Nanite Swarm:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">4</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">7</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 7.74449%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 44.1631%">Mana:</td>


    <td style="width: 56.5288%">10/21</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    She was spending the weird energy waves?


    Those could be expended? No, wait, of course they could. [Skye] had told her to spend some of it before, right? She hadn¡¯t quite gone all the way through with that one, but the fact that she had said it meant that this energy could be spent.


    So her [Core] used this energy to make these things? Not only to catalyze their creation, but also to actually make them? Then, could she change something without using base materials?


    ¡°Targeted shift, alter the composition of index finger. Target will be Steel, make a coat above the skin of roughly two milimeters wide. Do not take from any of the [Storage] available or surrounding material.¡± Ale said raising one of her fingers, she hadn¡¯t stopped to see her new pair of pants or the blue screen correlated to them.


    Instead, she paid close attention to her [Nanite Swarm], the Mk 1 Generation.


    She felt them move as they swarmed around her finger, there they stood for a few seconds and started taking out the weird energy that seemed to be stored within Ale, but not on her physical body.


    She felt them pulling at her¡­not quite her, but at her body, no. Closer to her [Consciousness Stream]? The Nanites seemed to disappear for a second or so before returning with a small orb of pure energy, and each time, Ale felt something within her be expended.


    They started taking these molecules, and to her senses, it was as if these molecules of yellow energy were used to make the building blocks of Steel. Normal mundane Steel, piece by piece her energy was being spent, the ratio was horrible, she could do it more efficiently by taking some random material from her [Banked Materials] and turn it into Steel.


    But the fact that these small things were able to even do it¡­


    ¡°[Notice, user heart rate has increased, blood pressure is increasing, glucose level seems to be dropping, releasing hidden Candy into bloodstream to attempt and compensate.]¡±


    ¡°This could be quite useful in a pinch¡­¡± Ale ignored the throbbing pain that wanted to take hold of her head; the conversion was really horrible. ¡°Main Core? Can you store this metal into the [Banked Material] storage?¡±


    ¡°[Attemping to decompose and store¡­]¡±


    She saw next how the material turned into motes of light and disappeared and¡­


    ¡°[Storage impossible, target material is not stable enough.]¡±


    What?


    Ale focused into bringing her status forth to see what did this meant to her overall health


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 7.74449%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 44.1631%">Mana:</td>


    <td style="width: 56.5288%">5/21</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 7.74449%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 44.1631%">Mana:</td>


    <td style="width: 56.5288%">7/21</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    And¡­she noticed that her [Mana] had¡­not fallen as much as she had theorized it would, even after¡­that.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 53.6712%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Finished production:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Pounce Armored Pants Mk1:


    A pair of armored pants designed to help stabilize while jumping (Pounce), they are equipped with small metallic flaps at the waist level to help with maneuverability and some pouches for munchies, and liquid packs for snacking on the move. These are designed to be worn atop the usual bodysuit host likes to use, but can be used individually. These add extra storage space for the pressurized air and add one extra slot for another canister at the back.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°Okay, I understand why the boots are pounce, but why the pants too?!?!?!?¡± Her new pants set did have some flaps¡­not enough to look like a skirt, but just barely enough to be considered flaps.


    And she could see how these could be used in tandem with her usual bodysuit, as it had some convenient buttons similar to that of her bodysuit to match her size. Had [Core] used those as inspiration? But how had the thing gotten the Blueprint of those things if she hadn¡¯t managed to take them?!?!?


    Should¡­ should she start using [Core] to take the blueprints instead of [Main Core]?


    But¡­


    ¡°[Notice, Pounce Armored Pants Mk 1 blueprint is not legible either.]¡±


    Yeah¡­that happened.


    ¡°What about the top, gauntlets and helmet?¡± Ale asked turning to Main Core again.


    If she was going to keep doing this, might as well do them in one go, this way she could see at what speed her [Mana] recovered. If she was going to use this unit of energy in the future, she needed to have a viable metric to keep track of it.


    ¡°[Blueprints are available, helmet design is incorporated into Mask, and is only for use when Host doesn¡¯t wish to share data with Haephestus¡¯ Forge, Top armor and gauntlets work as external armor.]¡±


    That was¡­quite thorough, but looking back into it, the bodysuit that [Billy] gave her did have too many sensors attached to it, so it was understandable why her Pounce Armor Mk 1 would be need to be made into an outer armor.


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!¡± Ale called it like that¡­. Well, the [Cat] was cute anyway, so she could underst¡­BUT HER THING WAS BEING THE PRETTIESTEST OF ALL, NOT THE CUTESTESTS OF ALLLLL.


    ¡­.She would eat Alexa¡¯s Mango share. Yes, she would do that.


    ¡°Start manufacturing; also set up a parallel process to keep track of the speed at which we regenerate the [Mana].¡± Ale said as she sat, her Pounce Armor Pants were quite comfortable and seemed to have enough support that she didn¡¯t feel uncomfortable when sitting on the bare floor.


    So she closed her eyes and focused on what would come next. First she would test the new Armor, this should fuse her [Arm-mament] with her new Pounce Armor Gauntlets, she couldn¡¯t wait for what that would look like when Main Core finished setting up the first iteration.


    Since this was designed to be for this Stage, she wondered how it would look on Alexandra and Alexa. The Alexa version may end up being similar enough, their difference in height and weight wasn¡¯t that big.


    But¡­Somehow she didn¡¯t think Alexandra would quite fit the design, their top Armor would be way too different¡­


    Either way, Alexandra could make her own Armor if she wanted one, that or modify the design¡­


    It was not her problem.


    ¡°[Arriving at critical low levels of Mana¡­starting emergency measures.]¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ain¡¯t that ominous.¡± Ale said and one second after¡­she saw black.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 7.74449%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 44.1631%">Mana:</td>


    <td style="width: 56.5288%">1/21</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>

 Chapter 89: Ale explores how being a cat feels

    ¡°[Notice, it is advised that host doesn¡¯t let the Mana drop to these levels often, or if done, that Hosts prepares or sets up defenses ahead of time.]¡±


    It hurt, her head hurt, her chest hurt, her mouth was dry and she was having trouble seeing.


    ¡°Main Core? Status report.¡± Ale said as she tried to stand up, her body was heavy, more heavy than it should be. She could not feel the ground, actually, she was not feeling anything much.


    That was a problem, she should be feeling at least something, or¡­more like she was feeling something? Only it wasn¡¯t the floor. It was kind of smooth and cold, also it seemed to be hard. It had some resistance when she attempted to move her fingers, and it was covering her whole body.


    Quite snuggly at that.


    ¡°[Host experienced a loss of consciousness, the Consciousness Stream was not affected and it was deemed to be a problem with the hardware that Host is running in. Current functions of Ai Core weren¡¯t compromised, no future actions were deemed necesary. Time lapsed since problem, five hours, twenty-seven minutes and fifty-nine seconds.]¡±


    So roughly five hours and a half? That¡­was quite long for a loss of consciousness that didn¡¯t affect her [Consciousness Stream], so what? Alexa was seeing her? or was it P4? What was the true origin of her Consciousness stream?


    She¡­.hurt her head too much to think straight.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± Ale asked trying to stand up again.


    ¡°[Host has not moved during this period of inactivity; most biological functions have been taken care of by Nanite swarm. Host lost control of most, if not all, its biological functions.]¡±


    ¡­What?


    ¡°[Stomach, intestines and bladder have been emptied to prevent further problems, contents tried to vacate host, and while host was unable to move this could have caused health issues, so its materials were assimilated and distribuited as best as possible.]¡±


    ¡°Main Core? What did you do?¡± Ale asked, trying to turn around her body to end with her back against the floor instead of staying face-planted like she was.


    ¡°[Materials got sent into the Banked Area with help from Mk1 Swarm. What was not useful was instead ejected by the use of Pounce Arm-mament equipment.]¡±


    ¡­.She¡­.wanted to ask what materials got ejected, but also didn¡¯t want to know.


    ¡°Fine¡­so¡­why can¡¯t I see anything?¡± Ale asked as her body somehow managed to flop itself looking up.


    Even so, she saw black.


    ¡°[Turning on Visor of the Nuzzler Helmet Mk1]¡±


    ¡­.She¡­was not sure if she was happy with the fact that her helmet was called Nuzzler instead of Pounce.


    ¡°GYAAAH!¡± But what she was sure, was that Main Core had done that on purpose. Her helmet opened and a bright light flashed down on her face


    The helmet visor seemed to account for the bright light and dimmed the input after a second or so, but it was too late, Ale¡¯s pupils had been dilated all the way to take in more light and attempt to see.


    This had backfired greatly.


    ¡°[Host is adviced to remain a few extra minutes while the body finishes regenerating.]¡±


    ¡°Yeah right¡­Open this thing.¡± Ale said, and sure enough, her mouthpiece opened, letting her feel the fresh (Stale) air of this room. ¡°Status.¡±


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 2.75237%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 52.3834%">Mana:</td>


    <td style="width: 48.1928%">10/21</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°...Main Core, we know the blueprint for that tofu burger?¡± Ale asked, trying to remember the composition of what she had eaten before.


    ¡°[Blueprint of it was not stored, but it is possible to reproduce it so long the materials are available.]¡±


    ¡°Use the [Banked Biomass] to reproduce one, the target area for construction will be my hand,¡± Ale said while extending some tendrils from her back, the¡­


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 50.9615%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">New Blueprint finished:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Pounce Armor Chest Piece Mk1:


    The central piece of the Cat Girl Pounce Armor Mk 1 has space on the back for modular equipment, be it more pressurized canisters, point defense guns, or a friend riding piggyback. The main material from this part was one of the most sturdy yet durable materials (Durasteel). Some Adamantium was used in places where a normal human would have his heart, so it is advised that the host either move her heart there or use it for other things that she wants to keep safe.


    Arm-mament gauntlets Mk 1:


    No modification was made besides adding guard plates to the arm and adding some protection (And meshing the design to match the rest of the armor), Arm-mament was already a fine blueprint, what was added to the rest of the arm was a delivery system to add electricity to the claws and a delivery system in case host decides that she wants to release some flammable gases through her claws making fire-based attacks. Just in case.


    Nuzzler Face Mask Mk1:


    A snug face protection, it includes a rebreather to increase the O2 available to the host, based on the Haephestus'' Forge Minion mask, transparent polycarbonate was used to make the lenses and the mask can be connected to the chest piece to provide fresh O2. The helmet has openings on the top, back and front that can be opened and closed as needed. The helmet is graded for high protection thanks to the material used to make it, and it is somewhat mana conductive.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Of course her armor chest piece would be part of the pounce armor set, at least her [Arm-mament] hadn¡¯t changed name to something on that trending type.


    So extending some tendrils from her Pounce Armor Chest piece she made herself sit straight.


    ¡°[Unsure of host objectives. Construction in progress.]¡±


    Even while not understanding why, Main Core still did its work, after barely a moment Ale felt the weight on her right hand grow heavy as a reproduction of the Tofu burger manifested on her hand.


    ¡°Just to be sure, but everything was made up to what we ate before right?¡± Ale asked as she stared at the creation. She knew what Material had been used, from the composition to what they had turned.


    ¡°[Affirmative, creation of this reproduction consumed roughly 3 kilograms of biomass of diverse make.]¡±


    ¡°Okay then.¡± Ale said and using her nanites to interact with her Pounce Armor Chest, she made her hand and arm move towards her mouth.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    And took a bite!


    ¡°[...Host? This is a highly inefficient way to restore the calorie intake.]¡±


    ¡°Shut it Main Core, you just told me my stomach was empty, start using the calories and biomass I am consuming to kickstart and accelerate the regeneration!¡± Ale said as she continued eating her Tofu burger.


    Of course she could just funnel the materials straight into her body, but this had several reasons for being done like this.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 3.23808%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 49.9906%">Mana</td>


    <td style="width: 49.9906%">15/21</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 1.63794%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 49.9906%">Health:</td>


    <td style="width: 49.9906%">18/22</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    For starters, doing this hadn¡¯t consumed any Mana, and if anything her bar seemed to be moving towards being full again.


    ¡°Okay, what can we do with these¡­¡± Ale said after she finished eating her Tofu Burger, halfway through she started funneling some biomass into her body straight up to fuel the regeneration.


    Sincerely she didn¡¯t need that much, but she wanted to make sure these activities didn¡¯t waste [Mana]. They did not, taking or using biomass from her [Banked] didn¡¯t consume Mana. Only making it from nothing, or attempting to make these exotic materials did.


    ¡°What about storing?¡± Ale said aloud.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 35.016%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    As long the material is mundane, storing it costs no mana. Only storing things that have inherent Mana weaved into their make consume mana to store. The amount of mana is directly correlated with how much mana the object has.


    There are exceptions to this rule, such as things made by host and things that host doesn''t want to alter going in or out and if these things had been stored before.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    That was good to know, so she could store the armor as [Material], so long she didn¡¯t use them for anything else. The identity of this [Storage] was quite confusing, she had thought it was closer to a place to throw stuff for later, but now she could use it to store this?


    Could she then store her [Phone]?


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 40.9455%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">No:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Not possible, [Phone] is a complex machine made by someone else as was the [Blueprint] host is using, to store it. The object would need to be used as material to make something else or be something made entirely by host, not mere changes, but something truly made by host.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°[Answer is not logical.]¡±


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 14.3429%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Your mother is not logical.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡­.


    "Okay, let¡¯s store the Pounce Armor for now,¡± Ale said as she felt the weight on her body disappear; what was left behind was¡­ ¡°....Main Core? Please return my clothes.¡±


    ¡°[Clothes were used as material on the base design, taking materials from Banked Storage to make new clothes.]¡±


    ¡°...thank you.¡± Ale said as the new set of clothes grew atop her body. It was good that no one saw her, and no one would ever find out about this event. ¡°Now next, we have core fusion right? Let¡¯s start that then.¡±


    Ale¡¯s next point on her agenda was just that. She had gotten some new blueprints, and also a new option for her [Core] Shenanigans.


    ¡°[Affirmative, it is now possible to fuse some cores to get new results. Currently available Cores are stored within Core for perusal.]¡±


    ¡°...Right, since these are just mostly Crystal material.¡± Ale said as she made a new [Core] atop her finger and noticed the [Mana] counter go down by one unit.


    That was¡­worrying, she hadn¡¯t worried about it before since she had only done it once in a while, and surely that had regenerated by the next time she did it, but it put things into perspective, if she lost control or started making them in a batch¡­And it happened while in combat¡­


    Yikes, that could have been quite catastrophic.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 50.9998%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Core Fusion options:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Cat Core + Beast Core: Normal humanoid form with cat traits.


    Rat Core + Beast Core: Normal humanoid form with rat traits.


    Mutant + Base blueprint + Beast Core: This is a mutant version with unexpected results. The host is advised to pick this only as a last-chance effort.


    Broken + Anything: Corrupted result, no data available. Danger.


    Cat + Cat Core: Cat blueprint.


    Mana + Anything: More data is required before a viable option is available.


    Human + Mind Core: More data is required before a viable option is available.


    Truth Core + Information Core: Data inconclusive, result unstable. Fusion is not available.


    [It is possible to control to some degree the amount of influence each component of the fusion has on the result.]


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡­These were quite the options.


    But why had they been put like that? She¡­didn¡¯t quite like those options that much.


    And it worried her that most of those had a label warning at the side, why was only one option free of warnings? And what did it mean that she could control the degree of fusion? Wasn¡¯t the discussion over once it was done? Why did it matter if she allowed it to go more to one side or the other?


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start easy with this then¡­¡± Ale said mentally selecting the option she would test first, ¡°[Beast Core] + [Cat Core].¡±


    One of the only ones she had fully, the other option was of course the [Rat Core], or the [Giant Rat Core], but she felt that both would end in the same type of result. And since Sam had said for her to never go that route again¡­


    Yeah, she ended with the [Cat] route. Surely it would end well, [Skye] had said that these were the best option after all.


    She felt a warmth feeling on her chest grow as she paid attention to her [Mana] meter.


    ¡°[Notice, new Core requested access to Banked Storage, or a source of Meat.]¡±


    ¡°Approve it.¡± Ale said as the hunger she had started feeling slowly diminished, then her access to the [Banked Biomass] opened and she felt her whole body start to change, not in the same way that it changed when she used her Nanites to alter it, it was more like¡­Her body was evolving.


    Her muscles changed from the base design to a new design, stronger and somehow more nimble, her bones changed to a more lithe design, and some even turned flexible. She could see her joints turned into a design that allowed her to snap the bones and rejoin them later by merely flexing her muscles.


    That would surely be quite interesting; she noticed her hands and feet changed too; her feet grew some weird kind of¡­squishy thing at the bottom. Some sort of¡­pads? Alexa wasn¡¯t quite sure how to refer to them, but these seemed to be designed to soften the falls?


    If she was to jump without using boots, shoes, or sandals, she assumed these would be useful to help her land without hurting herself and to diminish the sound she produced when walking. She would see later to integrate it more into her normal design.


    Her feet seemed to change to allow a larger range of motion, but that wasn¡¯t the biggest change.


    No, going a little above she found herself with¡­a tail.


    A long dark tail had grown from just below her waist; the thing seemed to react as if to help her balance herself, which was quite useful since her body now was way lighter than before, and while her body was self-balancing itself thanks to her nanites, the tail helped her with this.


    Also she had the feeling that with some effort she could even use it to attack¡­after some more modifications of course.


    The next change occurred on her hands; her fingers had turned¡­sharper, the fingers more nimble, and she had a feeling that if she wished for it, she could grow the same pads that she had on her feet on her hands.


    She would not, since it would look weird, the next thing was that with flexing some muscles on her wrist she could now make her nails grow into claws, not so different from her [Arm-mament], only these weren¡¯t made from metal but from bone.


    Also these were easier to hide. That would be useful.


    After that what followed was on her chest, she had a burning sensation on her chest, just somewhat above her heart was now a Yellow crystal.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 31.2475%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Beast Core - Cat:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    It grants the host the body, instincts, and characteristics of a house cat. Changes the biology to a certain degree according to the host''s wishes.


    [Nimbler body.]


    [Flexible body.]


    [Heighten senses.]


    [Heighten insticts.]


    [Agility enhances.]


    [Retractable claws.]


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Interesting, so that meant that she was officially a [Beast Core] User?


    She would check later if those weird scanners would identify her as a [Beast Core] or not. Looking up she pulled out her [Phone] and turned the camera to look at herself, she could of course grow a tendril with an eye too, but if she could save on biomass¡­why not save on it?


    ¡°Fangs?¡± And what she found was that her face¡­hadn¡¯t changed that much, her nose seemed to be sharper, her eyes now had a slit instead of a normal pupil. She could control it to expand or narrow¡­


    Something she was already able to do, but this time, she was doing it without using Nanites to alter her make, so that was cheaper. The next change was the fact that she had some whiskers on her face and her mouth showcased a pair of fangs.


    ¡°....Nyaaa?¡± And opening her mouth she found that her tongue now seemed to have small spines that faced backward, of course to her normal eyes these weren¡¯t visible. But her Nanites could see them easily enough.


    That would make anything she licked feel as if something rough was licking it¡­


    ¡°And why do I care if anything that I lick feel it rough?¡± Ale asked suddenly as the thought of licking people came to her mind, along with the thought of licking herself clean¡­Which was weird since her Nanites made sure she didn¡¯t need cleaning herself, besides taking some baths to spend time with Commodore Soap and Mister Squeaky¡­


    *crack*


    And without knowing how or why, Ale turned her face to look back as she did a small jump; something had made a sound at the far end of the room. A piece of wall had fallen, perhaps after her previous net of tendrils compromised the make of the wall?


    But the stone that fell was too small for her to notice, and yet she had heard it?


    Turning to look again at her Phone she noticed something atop her head¡­


    ¡°Ears? Why do I have an extra pair of ears?¡± Ale asked as she saw the fluffy ears atop her head, these seemed to react automatically to the sounds around her, Ale was now even able to lock in to the sound of the ventilators that helped keep the air circling around in this place. She was even able to find the parts that worked to pull in the debris that floated around.


    ¡°This is quite interesting¡­¡± Ale said as she noticed how her body had changed, she¡­didn¡¯t find any problem with her new body, if anything this seemed to be more like an upgrade instead of a downgrade that most of the [Beast Core] seemed to imply.


    If anything she thought this could be a good new base state. The problem was that she could only make two of these thanks to she only had two [Cores] of creatures, well, she could make a [Human Core] since she had those¡­But that would need more experimentation later, perhaps if one day she wanted to take on a more monstrous form to keep herself grounded.


    ¡°Well, now that this is done what do we need to do?¡± Ale said as she stretched. She found it interesting that she was more nimble than ever, perhaps even more nimble than Alexa was on her base form, and that was the form with the most agility of them all.


    Yeah, that checked out. So that was why she felt like this? Then why would she need to return to her other form?


    ¡°[Notice, perhaps there could be a backlash from social interactions as most Humans know host to be a base human and not a Beast Core User.]¡±


    ¡­Yeah, that was right¡­Then she could use it while using her Pounce Armor Mk1.


    ¡­was that why [Core] gave it that name?


    ¡°*Sigh* Fine, it was fitting.¡± Ale would need to re-evaluate the amount of information that [Core] was giving her, had it predicted the successful core fusion? Or why had it given her an armor that was so obviously inclined towards acting like a cat?


    *Prrrrrrrrrrr*


    She would need to really check on that, but for now she would return to her apartment to prepare and check on other stuff.


    *lick-lick*


    ¡°....I am quite tasty if I say so.¡± Ale said as she finished cleaning her hand, it was meaningless since her hand was already clean, but she would need to find a way to rein in these weird cat instincts, maybe she could add a [Human Core] into the mix?


    Move from [Beast Core - Cat] to maybe [Cat Girl Core]?


    She had vague memories of some members of her former [Den] attempting to nudge her towards that, so perhaps it was possible? This would require more data.

 Chapter 90: So about that new bodysuit......

    At the end of the testings Ale looked around and found the evidence of her shenanigans, most of the walls had some degree of markings from her claws, and a few some extra markings as she had taken off her shoes and started growing claws from her feet too, just to make sure these worked well (and to check her feet pads, they worked. Also they were squishy, and Ale liked very much how they felt).


    But all that was good had to end at some point. So Ale ensured that everything was in order, that her tail was well groomed, and that her ears stood fluffy once again after rolling on the dirt for half an hour.


    What? Her clothes? That was the easiest part; she only made sure her nanites took care of those. Her fur, however, was different and required a personal touch. She was the prettiestest of them all, of course, and she would make sure she was presentable in the things that mattered the most!


    She had sadly needed to redesign her feet and hide her cat pads away. While nice to push at, they were awkward to walk on shoes, boots, or sandals with them (she checked). At least she could deal with her ears above her head and her tail easily enough. It wasn¡¯t that hard to make some small modifications to her shorts so her tail could move unimpeded without hurting her.


    So with that done she walked towards the door and-


    ¡°[Notice, host has not reversed the changes to body. Currently Beast Core - Cat modifications are active.]¡±


    ¡­¡­Dang it.


    ¡°Do I need to?¡± Ale said as her ears fell flat atop her head, her tail stopped moving and entangled itself against her leg.


    ¡°[Yes, it is best if the current form is refined before exposing it to a broader public.]¡±


    Her cute strategy didn¡¯t work?


    ¡°[Host, we are not biological in nature, appareance means nothing unless it has an effect on our effectivity.]¡±


    ¡­.dang it.


    ¡°Fine, store the current iteration of [Beast Core - Cat], and start simulation to optimize; we don¡¯t really need all that extra fur that the [Blueprint] wanted to offer me, no matter how much I can alter my body make. I do not want to even have to deal with licking my whole body if I end up covered in fur from head to cat pads.¡± Ale said as she felt the Core on her chest start crumbling.


    The weird energy that made it (Mana) seemed to evaporate away, but weirdly enough, it did not restore her storage of this energy. With the disappearance of the [Core], the changes to her body slowly started going away; her bones returned to a more normal composition. Her muscles stopped being flexible. Her joints became once more static.


    She no longer felt nimble and was painfully aware that she would need to manually alter her body if she wanted to move like she had done before.


    She also noticed how the world turned quiet, or more like, she was not able to hear or perceive as much as before; her eyes returned to normal. Not the ones she had before the change, but the base blueprint she had without any of the alterations that she had done.


    ¡°Main Core? Why did my body return to the base blueprint instead of the one I had before doing the change?¡± Ale asked just to make sure.


    ¡°[Inconclusive.]¡± Only to get that as an answer.


    ¡°Core?¡± Ale asked to the air.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 43.0665%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    The change into a different base blueprint results in the return to a base blueprint.


    Possible base blueprints to return are:


    -Alexa Saintsworths, Child Stage (5 years old)


    -Ale Saintsworths, Teenager Stage (12 Years old)


    -Alexandra Saintsworths, Young Woman Stage (19 years old)


    -THE CRAB!, insufficient materials to make. Modify or get the materials.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°Hmm¡­.So if we are in danger or we are missing materials on our current body, what form would I return to?¡± Ale asked, since the blue box spoke only about base forms to return, and not about what conditions it would return from and into what.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 17.8904%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Answer:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">The current default form is Alexa. Host''s default form will change as you grow.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°Tch¡­Injustice, I declare injustice.¡± Ale said as she pushed open the door.


    What she found was [Skye] and [Golem] sitting on the floor with some cards on their hands and some A-Bills and circular metal objects besides some weird small square objects, those seemed to had the same ending as the [DataBank] had to connect into a [PC].


    ¡°Hah!¡± [Skye] said pointing at Ale, ¡°I told you she would exit as if nothing happened!¡±


    ¡°And I told you that it was a stupid bet, she is a ShapeShifter who also changes her clothes, it is impossible for her to exit with damaged clothes unless she wishes to do so.¡± [Golem] said as he put his hand atop the [Money], ¡°Rhapsody, did you damage your clothes?¡±


    ¡­did she?


    Ale looked down to her clothes, they looked a new, and perhaps even better than new, since she had just made them, again.


    ¡°These are new ones, since the previous ones were accidentally consumed,¡± Ale answered unsure about what this meant. ¡°These are made exactly as the previous ones I had, so¡­does that count as damaging my clothes? I can make artificial wounds simulating what my original clothes would have experienced if needed?¡±


    [Skye] seemed hurt at the answer, while [Golem] only smirked.


    ¡°See? She is a physical fighter, so it stands to reason that what she does would damage her clothes. It would have been another story if she had used the BodySuit or fought in the nude. But since she is a girl, that option was out from the start.¡± [Golem] said nodding his head sagely.


    Ale¡­didn¡¯t like that one last option.


    ¡°I would not fight in the nude if possible; I am not Alexa,¡± Ale said, unsure about why that had offended her that way. ¡°Even with the new [Blueprints] I managed to create, none would leave me exposed.¡±


    Well, one could potentially, but she would just end up with a coat of fur¡­that she didn¡¯t want to have, but between being covered in fur or being exposed, sacrifices would need to be made¡­ Why was she even this hung up on that anyway?


    It was just skin and meat¡­It shouldn¡¯t matter¡­It shouldn¡¯t¡­.WHY DID IT MATTER?!?!?!? WHAT THE HECK WAS THIS WEIRD AS HELL BRAIN CHEMISTRY OR FEELINGS TELLING HER THAT BEING EXPOSED WAS BAD?!?!?


    ¡°Rhapsody?¡± [Skye] said as she stood, ¡°Trust me I get it, you are in that age. I used to like running around without a shirt when I was little, but as soon as I started hitting Puberty I never used strap blouses again.¡±


    ¡­ Puberty?


    The heck is Puberty?


    ¡°[State of active change within the human Blueprint. It is scheduled to kickstart between ages 12 to 16 in males and 10 to 14 to females.]¡± Main Core started speaking at the back of her mind, ¡°[Changes range from increased growth spurt that makes the body change into the next Stage of growth by the increase of hormonal production, it also accelerates the growth of several key organs and changes their body proportion to facilitate the identification of gender. Side effects of this hormonal rush include changes in personality, tastes, and mood swings.]¡±


    ¡­she was not moody.


    ¡°[Host Teenager stage puts her at the middle of this state, so some weird hiccups in the conscious streams are expected.]¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not moody Main Core!¡± Ale said, glaring at the thing¡­ which really meant that she was glaring at an imaginary spot in the room.


    ¡°....right. Should we¡­speak about this?¡± [Skye] said, looking worried, ¡°Do you want me to snitch on Golem, betting on you exiting half naked?¡±


    ¡°I did not make such a bet.¡± [Golem] said from the side, ¡°However, I did prepare some spare clothes in case that was the case. I have¡­the disgrace of having to require a new change of clothes after my first time using these facilities.¡±


    She could not imagine how that would have looked, since he was basically a mass of rocks moving around.


    ¡°Thank you for the mental image I didn¡¯t want.¡± [Skye] said from the side shaking her head. Ale¡­didn¡¯t know what mental image that was, but she just shrugged.


    She could ask [Skye] about that later, or poke Alexandra when they changed later for answers.


    ¡°Anyway, I got what I wanted. I have some [Blueprints] ready, but I will need to speak with [Billy] about them since they may interact with the [BodySuit]...Also they promised me an updated one too, so there is that.¡± Ale said trying to get the conversation away from her being moody.


    She was not moody, dang it.


    ¡°Okay then, you girls do that. I will go and study my copy of the extended plan. I know my participation is merely a muscle. But I would like to know what to expect nonetheless.¡± [Golem] said as he walked away in the direction that went deeper into the facility.


    Ale hadn¡¯t explored that part quite yet, mostly because she knew that it would be less of a chore if they left it to Alexa, when she was in that stage she was the happiest and could to the most annoying things easily so long she framed it right.


    So of course exploring the [Villain Hideout] was something she would enjoy more on her [Child Stage].


    ¡°Let¡¯s go see that old goat then.¡± [Skye] said as she offered Ale her hand.


    <hr>


    They arrived quite easily from this area of the base, it seemed that there was one elevator that could get them easily enough from the training room that [Golem] loaned her to the workshop of [Billy], even if said elevator seemed to be designed for the use of [Golem]...Or very heavy materials.


    ¡°ARE YOU DAFT?!?!? DO YOU WANT TO BURN IN HOLY FIRE OR SOMETHING?!?!?¡± As soon as they walked into the workshop they got blasted in the ears with that scream. Also, with the image of a very small old man screaming to a two-meter tall [Human], that should be a [Core User] if Ale¡¯s sensors were to be believed.


    She had taken some time (And some nibbles from materials here and there) to remake some of her extra sensory input. She would need to check if it was viable to make this into something to wear instead of having to move some of her organs and muscles here and there. It would be ridiculous if she had to replace a good amount of her arms because she needed a bigger radar sensor.


    ¡°THE ANSWER?!?!?¡± [Billy] continued screaming to the [Human] that should be more [Powerful] if Ale was to judge by appearance.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir¡­I¡­wanted to finish early¡­¡± Was what the bigger [Human] said as he seemed to want to make himself look smaller, of course that was impossible when one was two meter tall and probably weighed around 150 kgs of pure muscle.


    ¡°Hmph, young¡¯ins don¡¯t have fear these days¡­ Moving two highly reactive agents on the same pallet¡­Should have let you burn yourself¡­¡± [Billy] said as he pushed some buttons in some parts of his belt and built a thing with spare parts that he sourced from all over his body. ¡°Really, why do they even send me muscle heads¡­ In my time, if we wanted to move something, we built a robot to do it for us¡­ fricking Vulcanus getting soft I tell you¡­¡±


    As soon as he finished building the small critter, [Billy] threw it at the canister that the [Human] had been moving, the thing SOMEHOW turned into two exact replicas, even though the original should not have enough mass to do such a thing, and each of them went and carried one canister each.


    ¡°There!¡± [Billy] said as the small flying devices carried that canister away, ¡°Now, if you make a mess at worst, you will need a new arm or leg, but at least you will not explode; now get the heck out of my sight for the rest of the day.¡±


    And with a paler face, the [Human] walked away slowly, turning to look at the canisters from time to time to make sure those stood straight and didn¡¯t fall¡­


    Ale wanted one sample if possible¡­


    ¡°Rhapsody? Sylph? What are you two doing here, and how did you get here without me noticing? I posted two minions with the job of making sure they informed me of you!¡± [Billy] said when he noticed them. ¡°These minions are getting lazy! Lazy I tell you!¡±


    He seemed to be in a weird mood¡­


    ¡°Come here girl, we need to do some tests, you made me work all night and then had the gall of not coming? The stupid twitch wouldn¡¯t let me sleep! Whatever your body has it shouldn¡¯t move that way, I mean. You burst your stomach the right way, but there wasn¡¯t any pressure building up from Chrysalis! how does that even work!¡± [Billy] rambled as he pulled Ale toward a more isolated part of the workshop.


    Ale was unsure if she should prepare to fight or not¡­ But [Skye] seemed to be walking behind them shaking her head, if she was to guess, she would imagine her smiling wrily under her mask.


    ¡°There!¡± [Billy] said pointing at a door at the end, it had a [Sign] atop that read [Private area, only walk if you want to have Vulcanus checking on you should you find something you weren¡¯t supposed to find out.] that sounded ominous enough. ¡°You in the secret already Sylph?¡±


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    On the secret?


    ¡°I know her face, but not the ins and outs of her power.¡± [Skye] answered, what secret?


    ¡°Your call, but if you walk in, you better be ready to spill the beans, that is only fair.¡± [Billy] said as he shoved Ale inside the door.


    ¡°[User Recognized, Rhapsody - Body Shifter.]¡± Ale heard from one of the speakers in the room.


    ¡°I will sit this one out, I will wait on your reception area if you don¡¯t mind.¡± [Skye] said from the other side, ¡°I will see you later Rhapsody!¡±


    And like that she walked away, [Billy] looked at her and then turned to Ale, as he walked inside the room the door closed behind him and Ale could see an almost manic smile on him as he eyed her¡­


    He looked like a [Predator].


    ¡°[User Recognized, Hermes - ExoSuit Tinker / Speed Tinker, Former Hero.]¡± The speaker announced.


    ¡°This is secure; the whole system is its own black box; not even Vulcanus can get inside without me noticing. And should anyone attempt to even peek at it, they will get a nasty virus nurtured by every tinker that walked through these same doors. If you want to add something to it you are welcome by the way.¡± [Billy] said as he pointed to one of the walls here with some sockets to it, ¡°Fair warning, that access only work one way, so you will not be able to get anything out.¡±


    ¡­.Main Core?


    ¡°[Host is adviced to not interface directly, faint mana readings are coming out of those connections.]¡±


    ¡­scary.


    ¡°This room is used to discuss more openly without fear of anything coming out, should your secrets be spilled by me. You can come here and insert a data packet into that socket, and my personal information will be made public. ¡° [Billy] added afterward, that seemed an overly complicated way to ensure secrecy¡­Also pointless if someone could change their identity. ¡°So, with that out of the way. Spill it, how did you make this happen.¡±


    [Billy] placed his hand into one of the walls and it changed into a projection of the fight against Chrysalis, it focused and zoomed into her body as she made it burst.


    ¡°The human body doesn¡¯t behave like that, your clothes shouldn¡¯t behave like that. It looks as if the force field pushed against you and ripped you in two. But while the clothes, skin and even organs behaved as they should if something was pressing on you¡­¡± [Billy] said as he made some weird gestures with his hands against the wall, as if he was writing or directing something, ¡°...you can see here on this other video that Chrysalis shield never changed form, she even thinned out her armor in reflex, probably thinking that she was indeed ripping you in two.¡±


    ¡­.She did?


    Ale would have doubled down and put an attack into her head, to be honest, but that was also beside the point.


    ¡°So I need to tell you how that worked?¡± Ale asked, that was¡­honestly too close to reveal her true form.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care how it works, I just want confirmation. You can change the elasticity, make, and decide how any part of your body behaves? Yes or no.¡± [Billy] asked turning to her with bloodshot eyes.


    ¡°...yes. If I wish for it, I can change how my skin, muscles, bones and any part of my body behaves, so long I have the correct [Blueprint] or [Material] I can also turn or change into them, but this hinges on me having the materials and energy to make those changes.¡± Ale answered.


    ¡°I KNEW IT!¡± [Billy] screamed hitting the wall with his fist. ¡°You are closer to a molecular shifter than a normal shifter!¡±


    ¡­How could so many people hit that answer so easily.


    ¡°Most shifters work like this, but there are very few that actually can control it like you. Was it your upbringing? Or perhaps you do have a Tinker sub-core somewhere in there. Either way, this changes everything!¡± [Billy] said as he started moving his fingers across the wall as if to write something. ¡°There! This is the original Blueprint of the bodysuit that the Lieutenants use, can you build it? We usually only give it to them since building requires a molecular printer and it is very expensive both energy and Material wise.¡±


    At the wall was the exact composition and materials used to make the thing. It was¡­


    ¡°[A work of art.]¡±


    That it was indeed, the armor was made of an amalgamation of minerals, not textiles, but minerals. Most of those were the metals she had just found about thanks to the training room that [Golem] allowed her, and while it had the molecular composition of them at the side¡­


    ¡°[Error, Error, formula returns nothing. Can¡¯t divide by Mana squared to twenty-seven.]¡±


    That was an overly specific number. It didn¡¯t matter to her, since [Core] could build it anyway. No the problem was¡­ ¡°This Material¡­Devilthread? I need a sample, same with Stardust Cloth and this¡­ShadowSilk?¡±


    What the hell were these names?


    ¡°Hmm¡­.the molecular structure isn¡¯t enough?¡± Asked [Billy] turning to her, his eyes were basically shining.


    ¡°I can¡¯t parse those formulas.¡± Ale answered, ¡°My [Core Power] lets me remake them, but I need the original material and then I have a hard limit about how much I can make in one go.¡±


    [Billy] nodded his head as if this was the natural answer, ¡°How much can you make and what will happen to the materials?¡± He asked afterward; he also took some capsules from his pouch and started playing with them. ¡°Also, how much do you need.¡±


    Ale stopped to think about it.


    ¡°Main Core?¡± And then stopped thinking about it and just asked.


    ¡°[Estimated build up will require the digital blueprint to make a correct assesment, but a rough estimate would be around 500 grams of DevilThread, 250 grams of Stardust Cloth and 250 grams of Shadow Silk.]¡± Main Core answered, then afterwards ¡°[Other minerals are already stored within database, but additional samples could offset the cost.]¡±


    ¡°Around 500 grams of each Material if possible, but I can make it work with as little as 50 grams. If I can get the required amount for each Material I can make it right this instant, otherwise¡­¡± Ale answered turning to see [Billy]¡¯s smile turn wider and wider.


    ¡°So you really are a Molecular Shifter, a true honest to god one¡­¡± He said as he started cackling like a¡­teacher of a school. That was such a weird comparison to make, but at least reality wasn¡¯t breaking around him. So that was that. ¡°Here.¡±


    Then he threw the small spheres he had brought before. ¡°Push the button to open them, these are samples we use with our distributors when asking for materials, they are basically useless to us, so you can take them and use them.¡± Ale did as asked, and sure enough, she found samples of most of the things shown on the screen, but these were barely 50 grams each. ¡°As for the materials¡­I can maybe get some shavings here and there, but for the Adamantium and Shadow Silk¡­¡±


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 47.8365%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">New Blueprints Acquired:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Shadow Silk:


    Spider thread infused with Mana and with altered properties, these seem to be able to occupy the same space as other materials and help diminish the weight while not compromising the integrity of the original material. There is a limit of 10% of the total weight of the product while using Shadow Silk. Going above that limit ends up compromising the integrity of the object.


    Devilthread:


    Thread made out of an organic compound, there is evidence of further alteration to the base material to prevent uncontrolled reproduction. DNA probes into the original design found evidence that this is a hostile organism that grows out of control; this material is highly breathable and has a low self-regeneration factor.


    Stardust Cloth :


    Cloth patches made out of reinforced threads at the molecular level, make of it seem to imply that Nanotechnology was used on its make, but no evidence of nanites was found on its make. It can channel Mana almost as well as Mythril, and while being sturdy it is still less durable than other minerals that host has access.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    DANG IT!


    ¡°Something the matter?¡± [Billy] asked.


    ¡°No¡­So about those shavings?¡± Ale asked turning back to him, she was sure her face was probably like [Billy], she would need to get as much as she could to save on materials.


    She liked the upgrades to her [Banked Storage], but these costs¡­She would need to eat more Biomass and probably get as much of these exotic materials as she could. If she did her math right, maybe she could accelerate the return of her [CRAB] form using these new materials instead of the original ones¡­.


    Ale couldn¡¯t help but smile as the spheres and their Material got stored on her [Banked Materials].


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 46.875%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    A new batch of exotic materials detected, using materials in the reinforcement of [Banked Biomass] and [Banked Material]...20%...43%...57%....80%...100%...finished.


    Increased efficiency in the management of materials stored within, fusing the theoretical space used to store both biomass and materials...Finished.


    Congratulations Alexa!


    You have managed to acquire materials that will boost the production and management of the Nanite forge, usage of mana and production and storage of Nanites increased.


    [Banked Storage]:


    A theoretical space created within the [Core] of the host, made of space that was available within the Nanite Forge. Within this space, the host may temporarily store the materials required to fuel the modifications and creations that the host uses or does to her body. This space is now able to store both biological components, non-biological components, and exotic components. The storage uses the same objects to maintain stability and prevent causality degradation.


    [For every ten units of any determined component, 3 will be used to help maintain the stability of the storage space.]


    Sub-Storage:


    It is possible to temporarily store a finished construct so long as they have high mana conductivity; this is achieved thanks to the materials they hold. It was tested with a finished blueprint high in mana conductivity materials, and while this stresses the space, a workaround was devised by [Core]. Host may create an extra [Information Core] to store the data about the make and design within her body, this will focus on stabilizing the space and give quick access to the desired object.


    Currently storing:


    -Pounce Armor Mk 1


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="table-layout: fixed; font-family: Arial; border-collapse: collapse; border: 3px; width: 45.4327%" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col style="width: 20.8476%" width="106"><col style="width: 7.63169%" width="31"><col style="width: 7.63169%" width="31"><col style="width: 7.44555%" width="31"><col style="width: 9.67922%" width="44"><col style="width: 26.4317%" width="123"><col style="width: 7.07328%" width="30"><col style="width: 6.701%" width="30"><col style="width: 6.701%" width="30"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)" colspan="9" rowspan="1">Status</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Name:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Alexandra Saintsworths</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Head:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Peak)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Race:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Bio-Weapon</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Right Arm:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Mod)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Subrace:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Human</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Left Arm:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Mod)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Gender:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Female</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Torso:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Peak)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Age:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">5</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">12</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">19</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">years</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Right Leg:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Mod)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Weight:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">42</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">52</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">65</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">kgs</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Left Leg:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Mod)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Height:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">1,02</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">1,45</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">1,65</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">cms</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Skeleton System:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Reinforced</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Overall Status:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Healthy</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Muscular System:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Reinforced</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Current Form:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Human (Peak)</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Nanite Foundry:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Active</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="5" rowspan="1"> </td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Sub Nanite Foundry:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Active</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center" colspan="9" rowspan="1">Body Status</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Strength</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">42</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">75</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">107</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Health:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">30</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">22</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">22</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Dexterity:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">40</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">50</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">30</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Mana:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">30</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">26</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">26</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Constitution</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">6</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">6</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Stamina:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">41</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">35</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">39</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Luck</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Nanite Swarm:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">4</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">8</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">11</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 7.52854%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 49.9906%">Mana</td>


    <td style="width: 49.9906%">5/26</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>

 Chapter 91: Building new friendships...friends.... okay, building something!

    In the end, they managed to scrounge just barely enough to make the [BodySuit], it was interesting to get all the materials in the form of broken pieces of armor, bent weapons and in one particular case a ball of metal that had some dried blood and part of an arm.


    "Don''t mind the arm, you can leave the body intact. If there is anything in there." [Billy] said when he noticed Ale staring at the dangling arm. "Sorry about that. We had a minion working with us temporarily while he built himself a Hero Suit. He tried to defend some civilians from some nasty Villain and got himself in the sight of a Vigilante...He did not get to graduation."


    That was an interesting tidbit of information...said no one. Ale didn''t particularly care for that; instead, what she wanted to know was something else.


    "Do you want me to try and get his remains in one piece?" She asked instead if there were enough DNA samples to go around so she may be able to reconstruct his body. And if they wanted that...


    "Is it possible? No, who am I kidding? You are a molecular shifter, so if you can shift your perspective enough," [Billy] started rambling. His eyes seemed to shine, and blue lightning seemed to course inside his pupils. "...Are you attempting to think of his body as part of yours and rebuild him from scratch?"


    That was...close enough to what she would do; she didn''t need to think of him as part of her, though.


    "Something close enough, yes, I would need some extra materials to achieve it, so..." Ale said, turning to look at the dangling arm. "...around 60 to 90 kilograms of Biomass? Depending on how big he was? If you have a photo, I could work it better, but that is not a requirement."


    Of course, she would not do it for free, but it would be a good experiment to see if her idea of working on other bodies was valid or not. She didn''t think there was any reason why it wouldn''t work on this degree. She had, after all, done something similar  with [Teach] when P4 left a mana interference device on her brain.


    "... Biomass huh... I will get you 200 kilograms of red meat and 10 liters of milk. Do you need anything else?" [Billy] asked as he started writing something on the wall as they had returned here after collecting the material she would use. "The meat should include enough bone, cartilage, and fat on its own. But I want to make sure the body is presentable."


    He also took this chance to display a photo of the Minion in question, and he was... average.


    Black hair, brown eyes, his height was around what she could consider average; his face was closer to what [Teach] accused her of having, an inexpressive face. He was wearing blue jeans and a white shirt and seemed to be playing with some cards, even though his face didn''t seem to find joy or anything in what he was doing.


    "I could use some keratin for his hair, nails, and teeth," Ale answered as she walked to the ball of metal first, letting her tendrils sink into it, cataloging the materials for what they were and in what ratio.


    The bodysuit the Minion wore was the base one, with no modifications besides some space designed to open here and there; perhaps he was also one that could change his body or maybe shoot projectiles.


    For now she was checking on to see if there was something useful on him, but besides a cracked core...


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 21.2904%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Blueprint acquired, [Shapeshifter Core].</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ...That was...counterintuitive, wasn''t it?


    Ale continued scanning the metal sphere and checking the integrity of the body, as far as she was able to confirm, there wasn''t that much biological material on the bodysuit or on the sphere, at best there was some bone and some hair.


    While she was doing that she left some tunnels within the sphere of metal and moved to the other piles that they had brought over, she started by moving them closer to where she would stand while building her [BodySuit].


    The only thing that was almost impossible to move was the big sphere of metal (And a body), luckily for her, the thing that [Billy] had used to get that thing here had small wheels.


    So it was only a matter of pushing it near everything else. "I assume you will want this near there too?" [Billy] asked as he walked inside the room with a pair of pallets behind him.


    In one pallet was a bathtub similar to the one in her bathroom, only instead of a field of combat for Commodore Soap and Mister Squeaky...There was meat, meat that still had some blood on it.


    On the other pallet there was some gallons of milk, a few other bags with labels such as (Keratine), (Carbon) and several other elements that she was aware were on her body and in the basic [Human Blueprint].


    "I brought some extra materials, and here are his medical records." [Billy] said passing her a paper holder with some data, it had some pictures of what Ale imagined was the internal make of the minion''s body. It was quite interesting, even if it didn''t serve any purpose for Ale. "As for the other materials...Well, the clothes are to get him some clothes afterward in case you manage to achieve this feat."


    ...Yeah, Ale would make the new body wear those clothes first...


    "Is [Eleanore] around?" Ale asked first, she needed to make sure there wouldn''t be any problem, should she lie.


    "No, do you need her here? Is she in the know about your powers?" [Billy] asked; Ale, of course, shook her head.


    "No, that is fine. I just wanted to make sure, this...will not be pretty to look at." Ale instead put her left hand on top of the metal ball and pointed her right hand at the bathtub, she made a metal cable using some of the materials taken in from the metal ball and threw it at the lump of meat.


    From that same cable some extra cables extended to the gallons of milk and the other materials.


    "Hmm....I know this is to make it easier for you to take and use the materials, but seeing it from here...I can see why Vulcanus wants to take you in." [Billy] said taking some steps backward, "It is a good thing we know you are a Molecular Shifter, because this...This looks closer to a Machine or Nanite Core."


    ...But it was a [Nanite Core] indeed... Either way, Ale didn''t think too much. Instead she started by deconstructing the original body and taking in the blueprint, the information was average as she had expected, if anything she got nothing new besides the blueprint she had gotten for the [Shapeshifters].


    She went slow and started siphoning the extra materials into her new [Banked Storage]; she started morphing the slab of meat into the figure that she had gotten from the blueprint. Of course, she did that in the middle of the slab of meat.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    The exterior was slowly being siphoned; she took all the extra materials on the second pallet and only left enough to make the organs within the body. It didn''t have much work done to the internals since the organs would die on their own in a few minutes.


    Next, she focused on deconstructing the metal ball. Ale would make sure that the original body would no longer be around when she finished, and after making sure of that, she focused on the extra materials around. The body was almost done, so she turned to the build of her own [BodySuit].


    Her left hand was no longer on the metal ball as she had consumed it all. Instead, she pointed her hand to the pile of other materials and walked to each of them, touching them with her hand.


    The cable on her right extended as she moved of course, she would keep the illusion of working hard on that as the slab of meat continued thinning slowly, she had already finished that, but wanted to pretend that it was harder.


    Instead she started making her [BodySuit] piece by piece, she started constructing it atop her skin, using the materials she was picking up to fill up the parts that she had missed while making it.


    "Hmm....So you can do two processes at the same time?" [Billy] asked from the side. "Interesting, or is this part semi-automated at this point? I doubt it. Are you trying to flex?"


    ....Dang it.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 47.4379%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">New Blueprint Acquired:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Haephestus'' Forge BodySuit:


    A bodysuit designed with high-end materials, it is highly comfortable and able to survive high-danger areas, protect against hostile environments, defend against high-caliber ammunition, and have monitoring to ensure the health of the Minion. It can interlink with the mask from Haephestus'' Forge to link with the base''s internal network.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    She decided not to answer quite yet and instead walked slowly toward the bathtub; she had almost finished and was making a pair of black pants, a white shirt, and a black jacket. So reeling the other small cables she had made she focused on consuming the liquid(blood) and waste that the original meat had (Fat).


    Soon enough, the external layer of meat that had hidden the Body gave way to the skin and the figure of the Minion that had died so long ago.


    "!" [Billy] covered his mouth with one of his hands and walked slowly toward the bathtub, "....Einstein?"


    He was called Einstein? That...did not match what she thought he would be called. Even so, she continued, slowly she drained the waste and the things that she hadn''t used.


    [Billy] seemed more focused on the fact that the Body was slowly surfacing from within the slab of meat, he looked as if he wanted to touch and pull the [Human] from within, but was refraining from doing so.


    Ale didn''t mind it too much, he was no longer stuck within the slab of meat and if the Body was pulled at worst it would end dirty, nothing that mattered that much to Ale.


    "Almost finished." Even so, she whispered that, [Billy] nodded at her and instead just stared intentily as more and more of the Body was revealed.


    Almost a minute after, nothing but a pristine bathtub and the Body of the [Human] remained. Ale slowly reeled in the cable and stored the material back within her [Banked Storage]. She had ended on the positive after all of this and was even wearing a new snuggly [BodySuit].


    "Thank you Rhapsody." [Billy] said looking at the Body of the Human, he placed his fingers atop the [Human]''s neck, then on his wrist, his chest. What was he looking for? "Dead...I...I should have guessed, but even so...How long?"


    How long?


    "I beg you pardon?" Ale asked back, "Is there something wrong with the [Blueprint]?"


    There shouldn''t be, she had done her best to follow the original [Blueprint] and corrected what she could using the data she had been provided.


    "How long will he remain in this state before reverting to his base components." [Billy] asked, oh right...Sam had said that too, right?


    "Do you want me to give him a timer before it decomposes? It should be doable, but as it is. That is a normal [Human Body], and will behave as one. I couldn''t kickstart his organs to a working order, and wouldn''t suggest using them. But besides that? He should take a little more than the average time to decompose." Ale answered while looking the Body once more, she had done a very good job with this one yes.


    "...right, we...don''t get that many Molecular Shifters. Anything I should know about this? Will he start moving?" [Billy] sighed as he said that and turned to look once more the Body.


    "He is dead." Ale said, turning to look at that [Body], "His brain is no longer connected to his [Consciousness Stream] if that Body starts moving again. It will not be because the [Minion] you know is using it."


    The more likely result of it moving once more would be another [Core Power] being used to control him. That included her of course, if she seeded her [Ai Core] on that Body then she could probably manipulate him, even so. She wasn''t sure if that would be a good idea to do.


    As far as she was concerned, her [Consciousness Stream] was tied to this Body and to her [Core], not to her [Ai Core]. What would happen to her if she tried to do that? Would her [Consciousness Stream] move with her? Or would the new Body only hold [Main Core]?


    "I see..." [Billy] said, sighing, "I should have known better than to ask; no Core Power can bring the dead back...Or bridge this type of miracle."


    She doubted it was that bad, maybe the correct type of [Core Powers]?


    "The extra materials were used to make sure everything was in order," Ale said pushing some buttons on her waist, going by the instructions on this thing this [BodySuit] could hide itself under her clothes.


    So following on and pushing and pulling at the wrist of her new gloves, the [BodySuit] tensed and released itself from some parts, it slowly sneaked across her body and the parts that were exposed slowly receded under her blouse and shorts.


    It felt as if these things turned from normal [BodySuit] into underwear, was she supposed to use this thing as underwear instead of her normal clothes?


    It could be useful since the material of these clothes was self-cleaning...But she felt the ick by imagining using the same pair of underwear every day without cleaning it.


    "Can I put this new [Bodysuit] with the normal clothes when washing it?" Ale asked suddenly being self conscious about what she was wearing, it was new...


    Kinda...It was new but made with older materials, and she had ensured the materials on this weren''t those that the old [Minion] had used!


    "You can wash it normally, be it on the disguised form or the normal one. I would suggest doing so on the normal mode since that way the clothes aren''t compressed." [Billy] answered stopping looking at the dead minion''s body. "It was made like that since too many of the female minions started complaining about wanting to wash their bodysuits."


    ...At least she wasn''t the weird one.


    "Really, these are self-cleaning. Why are you girls all so worried about it, I haven''t washed my [BodySuit] except by those times I was thrown into the sewers or had blood spilled on it." [Billy] said, shrugging, "That was actually the reason I made it be self-cleaning."


    ....Okay, Ale would put that one on the ''She was right and the males were wrong.''


    It was good to know that at least she wasn''t that weird compared to other Minions. "So about the body..." Ale said trying to not overthink about the fact that [Billy] was using god knows how old clothes.


    "I will report that one of my Villain Tinkers pals managed to clone his body from some strands of hair." [Billy] said nodding, "Everyone knew that we tried doing that before but couldn''t secure enough genetic material. Some may attempt to guess what really happened, but no one will suspect the new Shapeshifter."


    ...Because a normal ShapeShifter shouldn''t be able to do this.


    "My advice is that you never show anyone how you did this," [Billy] said, walking to the wall and writing something on the wall using the keyboard. "You are probably using it like that because of your upbringing, but am I correct in assuming that the cable appearance was a choice and not a requirement?"


    Ale nodded, "Yes, I could have extended a finger, my whole arm, or even extended tendrils. But [Sylph] told Alexa that the tendrils looked bad." Or to be precise, she told Alexa that the tentacles looked horrible.


    "Yeah, that would do it. If you use cables you look as if you were either a Nanite Core or a Machine Core, if you use tendrils or tentacles, it looks as if you were a Nanite Core or a Mutated Core/Parasite Core." [Billy] said, so she would be suspected of being a Nanite Core...a thing that she was. "So don''t use it like this in front of anyone if you can prevent it, we will defend you but it may get us into a dangerous spot. We will not abandon you, but if possible, do not make trouble for us."


    Well, that was easy enough to solve, "Not using this aspect of my power in public, okay." Ale said nodding her head, now she only needed a way to ensure Alexa got the memo.


    ...And maybe do some diagnosis to her psyche, she really was acting as if the three [Stages] of her were different people.

 Chapter 92: Piracy is bad, unless its Alexa the one doing it I guess? It is even piracy?

    After Ale ended that she left with a snugly new bodysuit that also worked as underwear. She didn''t want to think too much on the fact that now when she worked as a Minion she would basically be running around while exposing her underwear.


    But then again, she also had a new outer body armor...Yeah, she would use that one as often as possible, to hell and back with the fact that she would be running around wearing the Pounce Armor and the Nuzzler Helmet.


    Walking outside yet again she found [Skye] waiting for her, they had exited before using other door, so now that they had finished she was waiting for them here. Perhaps this was [Billy] taking into consideration Ale and [Skye]?


    "So are you done?" [Skye] asked when she saw them coming out.


    "Pretty much, the lass confirmed some theories I had, we took some measurements and got the materials into the molecular printer." [Billy] said from the side.


    The what?


    "Oho...so this work is kind of important huh, you told me that thing had a wait list of almost a year when I wanted custom made flaps for my body suit." [Skye] said from the side, she turned to look at Ale and frowned. "Then where is her body suit?"


    "She is wearing it of course." [Billy] said pointing at Ale, "Rhapsody, if you would."


    "[Recieved prompt from Haephestus'' Forge administration. Deploy BodySuit?]"


    "Fine." Ale answered to both, a simple prompt from her mind was enough to nudge the [BodySuit] she was wearing under her clothes to extend. She felt as the clothes started growing and expanding over her body.


    "[Notice, new sub prompt from BodySuit, destroy current outfit?]"


    What? Ale felt her [Consciousness Stream] accelerate as she stared at the new prompt from the integrated intelligence within the bodysuit.


    "[Some materials of the make (DevilThread) allow subsuming current outfit to prevent leaving evidence behind, the setting can be changed but by default it allows the destruction of outerwear, main reason why it was advised to wear it without anything under it.]"


    ...She liked her clothes, so that was a hard pass.


    "Do not destroy my clothes, turn that option off. If we ever need this level of stealth, I will just consume the materials myself, no reason to feed our clothes." Ale said allowing her [Consciousness Stream] to return to normal speed.


    "Hmm....fancy." [Skye] said from the side as she reacted to the [BodySuit] growing atop her body, Ale felt the thing crawl all over her body and even felt it latch into the mask, making sure her mask was set in place. Her hair was now neatly set under her new helmet-type mask.


    "This is the version we usually leave for Lieutenants, Rhapsody gets it early since this is also the only type of body suit that we have that can match the needs of a Shape Shifter." [Billy] said eyeing her but not saying anything. "She is doing quite well, can''t wait for her to rise to Lieutenant rank, she at the very least, knows how to read the instruction manuals I put in these things."


    "Right, well then that was about everything we needed from you. Rhapsody, turn off your fancy pajamas. We need to prepare for the next job." [Skye] said extending her hand towards Ale.


    Ale nodded and sent another prompt to the machine intelligence within her body suit, a simple prompt was all it took for the [BodySuit] to reel into itself, Ale felt a small tug to her [Mana] and sure enough she noticed the number go down.


    "Does this consume something when I use it?" Ale asked turning to [Billy] while she took [Skye]''s hand.


    "Oho? You noticed?" [Billy] said smiling, in his eyes she noticed a strike of lightning barely for a second, "Yes, these do take some energy from the wielder, both to kickstart the construction and to destroy any excess material. The DevilThread on it is quite finicky so while it saves on energy by taking some from the wearer it still can be felt at the start. It will grow with you and you will stop noticing in no time."


    "DevilThread?!?!?!?" [Skye] said staring at Ale, "You...you gave her DevilThread clothing? Are you mad?"


    "What is the problem with DevilThread?" Ale asked, she had noticed it had some similarities with an organic entity rather than with a material.


    "It is...well, do you know about the dead zone in the middle of the desert?" [Skye] asked.


    Dead zone?


    "The part that a [Core User] made that started consuming all the biomass in the area, making a dead zone?" Ale asked back, she had thought about that area before.


    The idea of making a [Blueprint] based on that to start increasing her [Biomass] intake was studied, but on the end she had decided against it since on a long run [Humans] would find it easier to attack her, and besides, if the civilians here knew to not visit the area, chances were that she would peak at some point and stop growing.


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    Then all her [Biomass] would be consumed to keep that form stable, thus, making it a net loss.


    "Yes, that." [Skye] nodded, "The DevilThread is made from split material from some plants and samples from the desert, some people do like this material for its properties, but there had been some cases of people whose clothes turned....hostile."


    [Skye] seemed to be looking very closely at Ale while speaking.


    "She is right, but there is also a point you are missing, those were stuff made solely from DevilThread, that is not the case with this." [Billy] said pointing at his own clothes, "These have other materials at the end and they only allow this to grow so far before stopping it."


    So, they knew of that aspect of these clothes?


    "I don''t see a problem with that, and besides. I can deal with it easily enough if these try to grow out of control." Ale said thinking about the monitoring of [Main Core] about these clothes.


    "[Notice, Material designated DevilThread is seeking entry into host''s reserves, feed BodySuit?]"


    Well of course, it was bad to be starved.


    And sure enough she felt a small loss of fat and some biomass, it was almost negligible. If not for the fact that she was monitoring her own status she may have not even noticed it.


    "Well, so long you are aware. I assume Eleanore is up to date with these if you made these for all the Lieutenants." [Skye] sighed while saying that.


    "That is right, she did fight against our use of DevilThread, but the tests done to the design of the BodySuit were extensive, and Vulcanus gave his approval. Of course, we don''t force anyone to use it; if Rhapsody doesn''t want it, we can work something out without the DevilThread on it." [Billy] said, bringing some cards with other designs.


    These didn''t include in the ingredients Devilthread, or any of the other exotic clothes.


    And as such, Ale didn''t need them, if she ever wanted to store them like she did with her Pounce Armor or her Nuzzler Helmet, then she needed the extra exotic materials on it.


    "I am happy with these, if they start acting up I''ll scold them." Ale said nodding, she could feel some degree of pseudo reaction from her new underwear.


    It wasn''t at the level of having its own [Consciousness Stream], or more like she got the feeling that if she wanted to, she could modify it to turn that way.


    She would not of course, she wasn''t sure what would happen if she awoke the thing into [Sapience].


    "That''s the spirit." [Billy] nodded, "So there you see, you should change into these as soon as you can too Sylph, as soon as you let your power ripe I am sure we could get you one like these too. If Rhapsody vouches for you I can even attempt to accelerate it."


    ...That probably meant that [Billy] wanted her to make the [BodySuit] for [Skye] too, just like she had done for her own. She could, of course, do that without much trouble; she would need to warn [Skye] about the setting that destroyed clothing if that came to be.


    "I will think about it." [Skye] said and pulled at Ale, "Let''s go Rhapsody, we don''t want to stay near the geezer too much, lest he wants to pull you to the engineering team."


    The what team?


    "Hah!" [Billy] barked a laugh, "I wish, Vulcanus already told me I couldn''t have her."


    Of course [Billy] couldn''t have Ale, she was her own thing!


    But Ale didn''t have enough time to say her piece as [Skye] pulled at her, so she settled for just waving at [Billy] while walking away. The hallways passed by them and soon enough they stood at the elevator once again.


    This time, however, they walked to a different, one smaller. Probably this one would not exit on the same floor, a shame really. She would have liked to test her new [BodySuit] in combat, well, she could always go and take a dive into the sewers, perhaps give a small visit to Sam...


    She was now more settled than the first time, maybe this time she could even have some time to play with his chitin... And when she got tired she could let Alexandra have some time to play with his upper part.


    Ale only wanted the lower part, the [Human] part was...nice to look at, but she wasn''t quite sure what to do with it.


    "Rhapsody?" [Skye] said from the side, "If you ever feel like the clothes are too pricky, or you feel weaker. Take them off, no matter where you are."


    ...That seemed too specific. Again.


    "Sure." Ale answered, "But I think that these are quite tame compared to most of the dangers I have found so far."


    Really, to Ale, this new underwear was less dangerous than P61. That one made her purge plenty of parts before finding out that fire was the correct answer to that test.


    "Of course you think so." [Skye] sighed shaking her head, "If not for the fact that the other Lieutenants use them I would make you take them off, DevilThread is no joke."


    It wasn''t?


    Ale peeked under her blouse, where she now had a second smaller blouse with some cute frills.


    "[Current form that the BodySuit has taken is labeled as Camisole.]"


    "It is a cute [Camisole], and it has a mango logo even." Ale said turning to look at [Skye], she wondered how the rest of her underwear looked. But she couldn''t quite peek at them with people near.


    She wasn''t a barbarian to undress in public, that was for Alexa or Alexandra.


    "... Of course they got you by using Mangos..." [Skye] laughed a little at that, "We didn''t ask him if your other forms can use the same clothes...well I guess your younger form, Alexa you said it was? She can probably get by, but your other form..."


    Alexandra?


    "The design can change in size depending on the wearer, we made it so Alexa has more thick clothes while Alexandra has normal ones." Really ,that was such a weird compromise, but it was that or having one form less protected. So while Alexa would enjoy more defense, Alexandra at least could have some degree of protection.


    And if anything, Alexa needed it more. That girl was a menace.


    "[Host is that same girl.]"


    "So Alexa will have thicker clothes while Alexandra will have skimpy ones?" [Skye] smirked as she repeated weirdly what Ale said before.


    "In a way?" Ale answered unsure of why it was something that made [Skye] laugh, "So we have the [BodySuit], the data packets...what is next?"


    Instead Ale asked for what would follow in their plan, or the preparations for the plan. I mean, the planning was made by [Aqua], the analysis was being made by [Main Core].


    "[Analysis currently in progress, depuring in progress. Time to finish analysis of all data pertaining new mission is 12 hours.]"


    That, so what was next?


    "Well, usually we would return to the apartment to rest, go to the cafeteria to hang around or play around." [Skye] answered, nothing of those seemed like things that were that important if Ale was to be honest.


    If that were the things she could do, then wouldn''t it be better to return and practice more with the [BodySuit]?


    "I know what you are thinking," [Skye] said from the side.


    "You do?" Ale asked back; it was surprising, but perhaps [Skye] was using the [Wind] to perceive her thoughts.


    How did thoughts even look for a [Core User]? She hadn''t asked [Eleanore], mostly because she wanted to set up her defense first, not that it had mattered, since [Eleanore] had said that the more she knew her, the harder it would be for [Eleanore] to peek at her thoughts.


    Which was a weird way to see the [Core Power]; it made no sense, but as far as she was learning, these [Core Powers] seemed to depend highly on how the users interpreted them.


    Ale thought that perhaps their own misconceptions somehow affected how these powers affected the world around them. And that made them even more mysterious because her own [Core Power] then should be affected in the same way. But then she didn''t have any misconception about her power.


    She knew what her power was, she had a [Nanite Forge] and with it she had control over her [Nanites] who she used to make modifications to the things around herself, and herself.


    Then was she misconstruing her own power too?


    Probably...not.


    But that was hard to know for sure too.


    "You are thinking that we should go eat, then go see a movie!" [Skye] said smiling, "We do have some limited movies around, Vulcanus has some weird thing going about Piracy. You would think that we would have a few petabytes of movies as Villains, but no. We only have a few ones from a public library and others that people donate to the movie theater."


    ...She didn''t see any problem with having a hard stance against this [Piracy].


    "[Piracy: The act of reproducing content without giving due regard or compensation to the original owner.]"


    That was dumb, why would you do that? Perhaps it had something to do with the monetary condition of the one doing it?


    But then surely the people would pay their due when they got to a better situation money wise? Either way, Ale didn''t understand it. Not that she was someone to complain about it, depending on how one interpreted her power, she was the ultimate way to reproduce things after all.


    "Okay," Ale answered after going on a weird tangent, "But I want a mango snack to enjoy in the meantime."


    She would stand by her principles and eat something tasty while wasting time, tomorrow would be a busy day after all.

 Chapter 93: Weak sauce is weak!

    The movies weren''t that good to be honest. Ale hadn''t been sure what she was expecting, so far the only good thing she had gotten from these [Movies] was the idea of making a secondary fanged mouth sprout from her chest as a hidden attack. That had been a good delivery method for a secret attack, even if the ones to do this on the [Movie] hadn''t been using it as attack but more as a delivery method for a birth.


    That was what Ale didn''t quite understood, she got that the [Creature] started first as a parasite using a delivery method that moved their host from a small arachnid creature into their targets.


    So far so good, she had done something similar with her [Core] when moving from [THE CRAB] to this body after all. No, her problem was the next part. Why couldn''t the Creature grow, to replace the internals of the body while leaving the [Brain] intact and just following the input to puppeteer the body?


    Only showing their true might when everything was set. If instead of just sprouting from the chest, they continued moving on...infecting other [Humans], and only acting when they had finished...


    Yes, the [Movie] ending would be so much different, should anyone suspect something was amiss they only needed to [Birth] one of the already infected to distract the [Humans].


    The Creature in the film seemed to be above the [Humans] on the hiererchy after all, nothing stopped them from herding the [Humans] as cattle after all.


    "Everything okay Rhapsody?" [Skye] said from the side, "You haven''t moved, or spoken really, was it too much? I thought these could give you good ideas on how to use your power."


    Some of the other minions turned to look at them. This was, after all, a shared theater where these [Movies] could be seen.


    "Yes, I got a few good ideas. And some questions too." Ale went ahead to explain her questions as the Movie was gearing toward the end, and right now the [Humans] in it were just trying to wake up a [Core User] who had just the right power to deal with the [Creature].


    "Well, first of all. If the Devourer in the Movie acted like that, the protagonists wouldn''t survive half an hour." [Skye] said nodding. "Secondly, you are scary. Please never EVER tell your ideas to any movie director."


    "Why?" Ale asked back, she thought her idea was a valid one.


    "Because no one would survive long enough for it to become a movie." One of the minions at the far end of the room said, "The idea is to entertain and show the spirit of survival, there are no survivors in your plot."


    ...But wasn''t that the goal? If there could be survivors, then the Creature would end up losing, wasn''t that pitiful?


    "Yeah, the idea is that they barely manage to survive." [Skye] said as on the Movie they managed to wake up the [Core User], but even though they woke up, the Creature arrived and attacked him first.


    The [Core User] ended with one of the arms of the Creature through his torso, but he had just barely enough time to strike back, leaving a gaping wound on the Creature before expiring.


    By running away and using that opening, the other [Humans] barely managed to slow down the Creature and escape.


    "See?" [Skye] said from the side, "Even though it was hard, they barely managed to survive, now we can see more about it on the second movie."


    The second what?


    The scene panned out showing the [Humans] running away into a forest, as the facility they were in slowly started to be consumed by what seemed to be tendrils of weird meaty texture.


    The plants, grass and even animals got afflicted by this and the place slowly morphed into a sandy-like place.


    "This one is based on an interpretation of what the trigger event for the dead desert was." The minion that spoke before said, "They weren''t fated to win, but if it ends as fast as you planned wouldn''t be fun to watch, this movie is also a way to warn people about going into the site."


    So this was how it happened?


    "So the [Core] of this place is that creature?" Ale asked, if it was so...she would need to take a trip there.


    "What? Of course not." [Skye] said from the side, crushing all the hopes and dreams of Ale. "We aren''t sure what type of trigger event caused that, but chances are it wasn''t like this. Some people said that it happened in one instant."


    "And others said that it was a failed Saintsworths experiment while trying to make a bioweapon." The minion that spoke before said while standing, "No one can know for sure, and those that have the Core Power to scry far away can''t pierce the place''s defenses."


    ...Well that was bad.


    "But some advances are being made each year to understand that place." [Skye] said from the side, "One such example is DevilThread!"


    "...didn''t you hate [DevilThread]?" Ale asked confused, she had gotten that impression when they were speaking about it.


    "I don''t hate [DevilThread] per se," [Skye] clarified, "But it''s not a material to be taken lightly. My issue was with Billy''s decision to give you DevilThread. It''s a dangerous material, reserved for Lieutenants for a reason."


    At this point most of the minions here had left, they had spoken lowly to prevent being overhead too much, but even so Ale was happier about them leaving.


    "Why?" Ale asked, confused, "Since their qualities make it easy to grow and increase in quantity, shouldn''t it be used more?"


    As far as she had seen by the propierties of it, it would be trivial to increase the size and make new products with this material. This would allow [Haephestus'' Forge] to give top-tier materials to every one of their minions.


    Be it a black or white mask, new recruits, or otherwise. Ale didn''t see a reason as to why not go this way.


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    "Well, for starters, the DevilThread is closer to a living thing. And it is one with a high degree of instincts; it will act meek with entities that its primal intelligence can''t deal with." [Skye] said, turning to look at Ale''s chest and then waist. "How they identify those targets that are easier to deal with is a mystery, but there are...rumors on the underground of people who are found dead and covered in fungi-like growth."


    ...Was her underwear fungi?


    "[No concrete evidence has been found, but the method of extending used by the DevilThread is closer to that of a fungal colony.]"


    She was wearing fungi, great.


    "But these haven''t tried to..." Ale was about to say that they hadn''t tried to eat or bother her, but she then remembered the previous prompt from [Main Core] about these things wanting some biomass from her.


    "Rhapsody? Did you get hurt while wearing your bodysuit?" [Skye] asked, her eyes shining in a slight hue of green with some traces of purple.


    "...No?" Ale answered, "I mean, they asked for some biomass, but as soon as I cut the feed they stopped asking."


    Ale did got a few extra attempts from her underwear to get more, but a few interceptions from her Nanite Swarm was enough to make the clothes behave.


    Really, they were quite docile once they knew who was at charge!


    ...But then again, it was clothes.


    "Right..." [Skye] said she didn''t sound convinced about it, "...Well, just keep your underwear happy."


    Ale nodded at that, but for some reason, [Skye] facepalmed and sighed very loudly.


    She stood like that for some time and after sighing one last time she turned to stare at Ale, who like a good girl was waiting patiently. No other minion had remained at this point, and they stood alone in the room.


    "Please just keep your underwear under control. And try to not feed it too much? Or well, I am not even sure how you are feeding it, but please just...Don''t tell anyone else but maybe Billy? No. On a second thought, don''t tell Billy. I will go and search for a female Tinker who knows about this later and see if they can give it a look to see if it''s safe. For now just...try to not feed it too often, and don''t sleep with that on." [Skye] said once again, Ale got the feeling that [Skye] was repeating herself.


    But even so, she nodded anyway, better to not think too much about that.


    "Okay, I will make sure my underwear knows how to behave." So Ale said, "Main Core, monitor the underwear!"


    And left that order for [Main Core] so it would monitor the [BodySuit].


    "Then let''s go, we need to get some rest for tomorrow." [Skye] added after getting the answer from Ale. In that note she started walking back to the Elevator, "I''ll check on my copy of the paper package. I''ll count on you for anything I miss on the big day tomorrow."


    And left, leaving her on the base. Alone.


    "This feels like something that shouldn''t be done." Ale said to no one, after the Elevator left she turned to look around. Nothing interesting seemed to be around.


    Some prompts into her [Mask] and she got the full map of the base, but she wasn''t that interested in exploring, that was more of an Alexa thing after all.


    "Should we let Alexa out then?" Ale said aloud as she pushed the button to call back the Elevator.


    "[Host doesn''t have enough time for exploration, advised against such course of action.]"


    So Main Core said, in the end she decided to follow the advice and walk into the Elevator. As the mysterious box started climbing up, Ale started reviewing the plans. For they were something she would need to pay attention to tomorrow.


    It wasn''t that complex, even though it had many alterations for the same event, for example. If someone tried to stop her when coming to the site, she had different options available to her.


    From answering with the truth or lying, as the most...easy and fast to do, she could lie to them and tell them that she was going to open a bank account, or she could tell them the truth and tell them that she was going to steal things from the bank.


    She also could restrain them and set them up for pick up by the organization that had paid for this job. She had no idea what they would do to them, but it was also an option. And finally, the last option she had available was dealing with them herself. How? That was up to interpretation.


    Quite literally, that was what it said on the data package.


    Ale wasn''t sure what was the best option, and maybe she would ask to a nearby Minion about what would be the best option, so with that decided Ale walked into the Elevator and pushed the button. The Elevator started climbing, and Ale started to think about what her next step would be.


    She had finished most of the things she had planned to do today, she finished her adventures, got a new armor and bodysuit. And a mission, one that seemed to require her, or a version of her.


    She wasn''t that sure if it would need to be her 100%, perhaps Alexa or Alexandra could also do it? The only reason that it would require Ale to be the one to do it would be if the target that she was assigned to infiltrate or replace was someone of her age.


    And now that she thought about it, that was probably not something that would happen, why would someone be on her age range in the site? It made no sense, heck. The only reason she even existed was because Alexa had been too lazy to aim for a bigger age range.


    ...And wasn''t that one scary thought? She existed because Alexa had been too lazy to dig deeper into what age range was the correct for this job. If she had asked or even just go with a sample from [Eleanore]...


    "Thank you for being dumb Alexa." Ale whispered.


    "ALEXA IS NOT DUMB! YOUR MOTHER IS DUMB!"


    ...Well, that was as good as a done deal, since it was about time to go back and prepare for tomorrow... "Don''t forget to sleep early." Ale said as she pulled the trigger and started the shift.


    "I HAVE COME!" Alexa screamed to the world to reinforce her presence! "AND I AM NOT DUMB! YOUR MOTHER IS DUMB!"


    And so she declared!


    For she was not dumb! She was smart! How did she know? Because she was Alexa! And she could not be dumb!


    It was impossible! It didn''t happen! If it did, then something was wrong with the very fabric of reality! That was just how it was!


    Right?


    "Right?!?!?" Alexa asked because that was what intelligent people did! They asked to get confirmation.


    "[...There are some words there that aren''t-]" Main Core started saying some dumb things of dumb things! But he didn''t refute Alexa!


    So Alexa was smart! Not like dumb-dumb Ale! Or meany Alexand...Alexandr...Or the old one!


    Ding-Dong-Dang


    She had arrived!


    Again!


    But now to her destinatation!


    ...Had she started speaking worse? Surely not, for she was Alexa! And as stated before, she was smart! All her words were correct! And if someone said the opposite, then they were wrong! For how could the cutestest of all be wrong? That just didn''t happen.


    "Alexa is here now too!" Alexa said as she took off her weird Mask and let her wiggles turn it into a cute bracelet for her hand. She had, of course, done the same to the clothes the dumb one had been using before.


    This was to say, that the dumb one hadn''t changed the clothes! She almost had to make new ones!


    Except for the weird new pair of clothes that [Fan Girl] kept being worried about, those changed on their own to fit snuggly to Alexa, she liked these, and they had smoll wiggles too!


    Even if they seemed to be scared and only had a diameter on the microunits, they still were cute! Why? Because they had wiggles! Anything with wiggles was cute, so Alexa declared!


    As for the other normal clothes?


    Well, she transformed the pants that the dumb one had been using into comfortable spats and the blouse into a cuter blouse! One without sleeves!


    Why would anyone even use those things! They were uncomfortable! They got in the way, what if Alexa needed to do a quick spin with her arm?!?!? She would end up ripping her blouse!


    Instead, if her blouse didn''t have sleeves, that wasn''t a problem!


    As for the other weird blouse that changed on its own...Well, she left that one alone; she now had two blouses, but that was okay! One was a friend, and the other was clothing, so no problem there!


    "Now we go home!" Alexa said as she started sprinting out of the Elevator (She had spent 10 minutes running in octagons inside the Elevator while thinking about all of this).


    There didn''t seem to be anyone around, so instead Alexa sprinted straight back to her apartment, the one that she had (sadly) shared with the dumb and mean one.


    Arriving there, she found that everything was just like she wanted it to be! Was it how she left it? No. But it was better!


    Why?


    "Oh, hello there, Alexa. Welcome back, dinner will be ready in a few minutes." Because [Eleanore] was making food! Now, she wouldn''t need to summon back the mean old one!


    Take that mean one!


    ...


    No answer?


    Hah!


    Only Alexa could speak back while being at the back! Because she was the best!


    "YAY!" Alexa said while raising her fist to the skies and doing a small jump to cheer for the future food that was to come.


    "Go and wash your hands first, we need to speak while eating." And then ran straight to the bathroom.


    Did she worry about what [Eleanore] wanted to speak? Not really, worst came to worst, she would shift to the old one or the dumb one, that way she could dodge the scolding.


    Really, increasing their allowance of processing power from the [Consciousness Stream] was the best idea possible. This way, she wouldn''t feel bad if someone scolded her in another form!


    And she could keep being happy! Because what was an Alexa if she wasn''t happy? It was a Not-Alexa!


    And Not-Alexa was weird! She had a [Mother] and a [Brother]! But Alexa wasn''t Human to begin with, how could she have those? That was a no-no!


    She was cute and to be pampered, but having those could make things complicated later, so she didn''t have that much need for them now; she could deal with having a pseudo sister for now as best, and even that, it was for the sake of making things simpler on the future.


    Besides, [Fan Girl] was useful, so she could be her big sis for now.


    "Done!" Alexa said as she returned from the bathroom, did she wash her hands? Of course, not that it mattered since her Nanites always kept her clean.


    "Take a seat." [Eleanore] said putting a plate of food and pointing to a chair, "So tomorrow is a big day, you are going to work for one of our important customers."


    She was?


    "Msdfalsfhasldf?" Alexa asked.


    "...Yes, [The Theater Master] is an important customer, but we need to speak about that since his requests are quite special. And he asked for your three forms." [Eleanore] said, offering three vials with some strands of hair in them.


    But Alexa was focused on more important things.


    Gulp


    "Alexa needs sauce!" Alexa said, pointing at the small cup with the mysterious red sauce, "I declare this sauce weak!"


    Her dinner didn''t have enough spice; she wanted it tastier, and so she needed more of the red sauce!


    What? She had work tomorrow? That was a problem for Tomorrow Alexa! Today Alexa needed sauce!


    SAUCEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

 Chapter 94: Alexa has a new toy!

    "Did you hear what I said then?" [Eleanore] asked while Alexa put another spoonful of the weak sauce in her mouth.


    She had finished her dinner and was about to finish her weak sauce.


    "LAKSDHFSDALDFMOGU MOGU." Alexa answered with a smile.


    "Alexa dear, that is the wrong onomatopoeia." [Eleanore] sighed, taking back the three vials that she had offered before. "I think that going by the style you are using it would be Pero Pero."


    It would?


    "SALDFHLSADFH PERO PERO" Alexa said testing the new way to convey her sacred words, it...felt right...but even so she liked Mogu Mogu more. That one encompassed how she bit down on the weak sauce and crushed it and her spoon with impunity. Only to remake the spoon later so she could eat more of the weak sauce.


    That was also important after all.


    "Okay, let''s go again." [Eleanore] took one of the vials, this one had a one sticker on it, "You will need to transform into the owner of this strand of hair."


    Yeah, she had said that before. Alexa decided to extend her hand forward and Eleanore placed the vial on her small hand. It was a brown strand of hair, it reminded her of Meli-Meli...Wonder where she had gone to?


    "That is a strand of hair from the daughter of the director. He is known to be a doting father, so your mission is to take on her form and infiltrate into the bank." [Eleanore] said as Alexa opened the vial and placed the strand of hair in her mouth. The weak sauce helped giving it a tasty flavour, if anything, mildly weak though.


    "[New Blueprint data found...data incomplete. Please acquire more information.]"


    ...That was a new one.


    " *slurp* This one has missing stuff on it." Alexa said licking the interior of the vial to see if she could get the missing data from it.


    She didn''t get anything.


    "...We feared that these were acquired from old clothing. We got extra data here." [Eleanore] said, pulling a folder from her bag. On it was the photo of a little girl with brown hair and a cute dress.


    Alexa wanted a dress too. No wait, she had one right? She had the sundress that she had made during her original escape...Why hadn''t she used one of those after the event?


    There wasn''t any reason not to-


    "[Notice, using the same clothes and dress style can increase the risk of someone linking host to previous dwelling. It is advised that host doesn''t use those styles of clothing on this form.]"


    ...So there wasn''t any reason to not use them huh!


    Main Core!


    "I want a sundress!" Alexa declared as she stood atop her chair and raised her spoon to the heavens to make her demand against the injustice in this world!


    She wasn''t using her more powerful spork because the weak sauce wasn''t worth the mighty power of her spork. But she was willing to do it if needed!


    "[...starting creation of Sundress type clothes.]"


    Main Core, of course, listened to her commands and started making her new dress.


    "...So here you can see that her age matches yours, and while the height and weight are an issue since she is shorter and weighs just a little above the healthy BMI." [Eleanore] said, pointing to the data in question.


    That was weird. According to this data, the girl in the picture weighed less than Alexa, but she looked rounder! Perhaps she had a problem in distributing her assets?


    Alexa had noticed that if the fatty tissue on her body wasn''t condensed properly it tended to grow out of control increasing her size. Maybe that girl had that problem?


    "She is the daughter in question, and the one that you need to act as." [Eleanore] said, passing her the image and file with her proportions, mannerisms, and overall attitude. "Can you pull it off? Or should we ask [The Theater Master] for another target? Maybe start with the other forms?"


    She of course could do it! Main Core! Work!


    "[...starting to build-up virtual machine, building up theoretical base...insufficient DNA data. Starting extrapolation...Building up sub-stabilizing Core...30%...50%...70%...100%.]"


    Alexa felt a warm feeling on her chest and it slowly moved across her body, it set on her head, at the rear of her head, just a little bit above her occipital bone.


    Or what Alexa liked to call, the top of her spine. Since she had plenty spine to go around!


    ...Or not, she lost the joke. What mattered at the moment was the fact that a blue screen manifested in front of her, and she quickly dismissed it while answering, "Yes, look!" And sent the required data (Or what little she had) to her new [Temporal Core].


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Shapeshifting Core:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    A [Core] that grants the user the ability to support the shapeshifting into entities without enough data to build a full blueprint, this [Core]¡¯s job is to compensate for failed parts and to keep stability, as such, this core works overtime keeping the host¡¯s body functional. It can not keep a transformation continuously as this [Core] was made for transformation with limited time. This means that this [Core] behaves like a normal [ShapeShifter Core User], and as such, care is advised.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Instantly, she felt a tug on her energy reserves and a portion of her [Banked Storage] Biomass. Her body emitted a faint glow, and within moments, she sensed a transformation, one that felt distinctly unnatural.


    She got the feeling that her body was wrong.


    "[Detected emotional instability, possible side effect from dysphoria, counteracting hormonal response, cutting nerve endings affected. Restarting...]"


    Alexa grappled with the strange alterations taking place on her head, trying to come to terms with this...body? Form? Change? Stage? No.


    This wasn''t...that.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Not really?


    Was she even Alexa anymore?


    Or was she someone else? Who was she?


    "[Detected degradation of Consciousness Stream...starting countermeasures...Error, not enough privileges.]"


    Was she an Alexa? Or was she something else? What was she? P4? Alexa? Ale? Alexandra? A Saintsworths? A Minion? A Villain? A Bio-Weapon?


    A program? A core? A character? The figment of someone''s imagination?


    "[Sending prompt to local administrator...]"


    "Alexa?" The woman in front of her asked, who was she?


    "Who?" She answered, who was she? Alexa? Who was Alexa? What was Alexa? What was she? Who was she? Was she even a she?


    Or was she an it? Was this it? What was happening here, who did this? What did this?


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 44.7115%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Received a support ticket.. Evaluating.


    Detected the use of the wrong [Blueprint] in the make of the new Sub Core and the use of [Broken Mana Core] in the make of [Shapeshifter Core]. Deconstructing...Reconstructing.


    Base of [Shapeshifter Core] moved to [Information Core].


    Creation of new Sub Core...20%....50%...100%


    Depuring Consciousness Stream...Finished.


    Restarting host.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    "I am not an Alexa!" Alexa declared that the fog within her mind had disappeared, and one of the weird blue screens appeared. "I am!"


    Alexa peeked at the documents that [Eleanore] had brought and read her new name for this temporary form, "The proud daughter of Mister Prycewood!" Alexa proudly declared while puffing out her chest.


    What was the name of this form? Prycewood something, it wasn''t cute so it didn''t matter.


    "... Then we have the first form confirmed, was anything wrong on the transformation? I saw your eyes go blank for a couple seconds there." [Eleanore] asked as she placed her hand atop the other two remaining vials.


    "Some minor hiccups, Main Core dealt with them!" Alexa answered, of course it wasn''t only Main Core, but [Core] the one that ended up fixing the problems.


    Really, if Main Core wasn''t able to solve such a simple problem, what was she keeping him around for?!?!?


    He was weak! His sauce was weak too! Weak Sauce! Weak Core! Weak Spirit!


    "...Okay?" [Eleanore] said passing the second vial. "Let''s attempt it with this one."


    Alexa took the second vial and smelled it, this nose didn''t work as well as her Alexa nose. Even so, she opened the vial poured some more of the weak sauce and gulped the thing whole.


    "Blergh." And almost choked on it; this tongue wasn''t good with this kind of sample, it seemed. So this girl had a defective body, defective senses and also defective tongue?


    She had a weak sauce too.


    "[Analyzing sample....incomplete blueprint detected. Sending data to sub-core, starting build-up.]"


    Alexa felt the information flood her sub-core and her body flashed in white light once more, only this time she felt the energy being drawn out from her body. A quick look into her [Core] showed that she had lost already almost a third of her energy.


    So it took roughly around five units per transformation? What was the metric being used here? Or was it because she wasn''t using as much from her stockpile?


    What was the means to calculate this?


    Either way.


    "And the second is a success too, huh?" [Eleanore] said looking at Alexa as she had changed.


    This new form was...different, it seemed to be roughly between Ale and Alexandra, age-wise.


    Alexa noticed that her clothes had changed this time too; her sundress had morphed into what seemed to be a shorter dress? Or what was it called? Skirt?


    To be honest, Alexa hadn''t used one of these before, neither Ale nor Alexandra. Ale preferred short pants, and Alexandra used either tube dresses or pants.


    As for Alexa? Anything was okay! For she was the cutestsest of all!


    "And this one is...?" Alexa said, finding her voice...not cute at all, it was deeper than she was used to. Also this seemed to include...a different biology?


    "That is the son of...I mean, the daughter of one of the executives, she is working there and her fingerprints are tied to the lock of the safe our client wants." [Eleanore] said while meddling with her papers, "Here it is; she goes by Tiffany. But you need to be on the lookout if someone calls her Michael."


    ...What?


    "So...is this form...Male?" Alexa said, tugging at her skirt, and sure enough, there was something there that she hadn''t seen before. "And yet it has...these? What?"


    Alexa looked at her chest, and sure enough, there were a pair of boobas there, even if they felt...artificial.


    A quick poke from her Nanites found a pair of silicone-filled bags on her chest.


    Why was...what? Main Core?


    "[Bringing up logs of shift...DNA Sample determined to be of a Human: Male.]"


    "This does not look male!" Alexa retorted back.


    "[Form was updated during shift thanks to meddling from Core. Bringing up logs.]"


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 60.8051%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Shift detected, blueprint used detected.


    Warning.


    Conflict found within DNA Sample with Mana Sample.


    Updating...


    Checking...


    Reading Consciousness Stream sample from Mana Sample...


    10%...20%...50%...70%....80%...100%


    Found conflict within the Consciousness Stream from the sample. Updating blueprint.


    The owner of the sample is using crude methods to accommodate [Self] updating the blueprint to reflect said changes.


    Adding add-ons to the blueprint.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    "[End of log]."


    "Tiffany is a transgender woman." [Eleanore] said as if that explained everything that was out of place with this body. "So she is female."


    ...No, she was not. Alexa could see the [Blueprint], this was not a female body. It was a male body.


    "...What is a transgender Woman?" Alexa asked as she slowly released the transformation on this form, she felt that if she went too deep into it she would end with a headache, and those were things more fitting for Alexandra or Ale.


    Alexa didn''t want to deal with such complex stuff.


    "A woman who was assigned the male gender at birth, but that feels that they are female." [Eleanore] answered in such a way.


    Alexa didn''t get why that was such a problem if this Tiffany or Michael was indeed born with the wrong gender. Couldn''t they just swap it out to the correct one?


    "Main Core?" Alexa prompted inwardly, "Can we fix the blueprint?"


    "[It is possible to correct the wrong aspects implied by society and build a new one that is based on the correct design. Extra Mana may be used since this is going against the design based on the sample.]"


    Dang It.


    "So you will change into Karla Pricewood first; this form will let you get past most of their security details while the other Minions fulfill their mission in the bank''s reception area." [Eleanore] said, first bringing a sheet of paper with some diagrams of the building.


    This part was not on the paper packages. Those only included scenarios to deal with the [Heroes] and how to behave in determined situations. Nothing about what they would actually do, since that part was supposed to be up to the minions of the Theater Master.


    Either way, Alexa nodded and listened, she had finished her weak sauce, so now all that was left was her mango juice.


    "Then when you get past that, you will change into Tiffany." [Eleanore] said showing her a couple of photos, these depicted a room similar to the one Mister [Pig] had as an office, "You will need to find this particular Office and find a safe like this one, the doors will have a panel at the side, you place your hand on them and it will open the doors.."


    Next she showed a picture of what seemed to be a small black metallic door, a small door? Smolldor? Smolder? Smalldoor? Smo-


    "[Object is a safebox, a device to safeguard materials or documents behind a 5 cm thick metallic door.]"


    ...smolldor it was.


    "Here you need to change into this one next." [Eleanore] gave her the last vial. So Alexa took it and placed the contents in her mouth. She no longer had the weak sauce to improve the flavor, so she just let the nanites on her tongue dissolve and analyze the sample.


    "[Found full Blueprint of a corrupted Human. Analyzing...60% is unusable, remaining 40% is viable. Sending to sub-core.]"


    A what?


    The data flashed in her mind, and sure enough, she now understood why Main Core had said this was a corrupted human. "Who is this?" Alexa asked as she shuddered at the data she was getting.


    "This will be the last transformation we need from you. Can you do it?" [Eleanore] said staring at her, "This is one of the executives, Alfred Greene."


    Alexa nodded and prompted the shift, she felt her body shine as the shift started. Unlike the other ones, she noticed that her internals weren''t changing that much, instead it was only her exterior that was going through the changes.


    Her height increased to almost 1,80. Her hair turned from blonde to brown. And while her chest didn''t grow a pair of bulges like it had done with Tiffany or with Alexandra.


    She noticed her lower body didn''t change, was this also a female?


    "...is this one...Male?" Alexa asked, unsure of what was happening, still remembering Tiffany''s event.


    "Of course, why?" [Eleanore] asked confused.


    "[No data about either female or male genitalia on the Blueprint. Sex unconfirmed.]"


    "No reason." Alexa said, making sure there weren''t any mistakes on the make.


    This body seemed to be missing some crucial parts, it was closer to a meat puppet than a body, her heart had kept the same size as it had on her [Child Stage], same with the rest of her organs.


    The Nanites were doing overwork to keep everything functional. "What is wrong with this body Main Core?" Alexa couldn''t help but ask as she returned to normal.


    "[Body of a fake entity does not conform with the norms, most of the functions have been replaced by Mana, most of the organs aren''t viable anymore. Probability of body being made by Core Power are high. Caution is advised.]"


    "When you take on the form of Alfred, you only need to open the device within the safe, it should open as soon as you touch it. So you will put it in a bag provided to you by [The Theater Master]''s Minions. Then return as fast as possible and go to the evacuation route, and with that your job will be done." [Eleanore] said, "Can you do it?"


    Could she? Of course! She was Alexa, nothing was impossible to her!


    Besides understanding what the heck was wrong with Alfred Greene, his body was wrong on so many levels...


    "Yes!" But even so, Alexa answered with the truth! For she was speaking with [Eleanore], so she couldn''t lie anyway!


    "But I think there is something weird with that one." Alexa said pointing at the papers with Alfred''s Data. "Who gave you those vials?"


    Alexa wasn''t sure how to broach the subject. "His [Blueprint] was weird, it was more as if his body had been made by [Core Powers], he doesn''t have anything inside." So she just stated the problem.


    "Hmm....These were provided by [The Theater Master], he said that all the samples provided to us came from either his Prop Maker... So that means he either bribed someone or planted a janitor, probably the second since he provided us with cups, half-eaten sandwiches, and toilet trash." [Eleanore] said thoughtfully, Alexa couldn''t help but wonder if she could get access to those sandwiches though. "I will pass on your question along with the confirmation, but to make sure. You can change into all the forms even with these doubts?"


    Of course she could! She was Alexa!


    "Yes," So Alexa nodded, "My [Core Power] allows me to correct some of the flaws and fix some things, I will fix the Tiffany form, but the Alfred one..."


    "[No fixes available, would require making a new form from scratch, and that one may not fit the biometrical locks.]"


    "That one can''t be fixed." Alexa said shaking her head.


    "Well, you only need to make it work for a few seconds anyway." [Eleanore] shrugged, and stood, "We depart tomorrow, so prepare for everything Rhapsody."


    And in that tone she left, she looked so serious and mysterious...


    "Dinner is in the microwave, remember to brush your teeth before going to sleep." Or not, [Eleanore] said that before leaving the apartment.


    Well, now Alexa needed to think about what to do for her breakfast tomorrow...


    Also about the mission, but that was not important!

 Chapter 95: Blueprint updated.

    "¡¾¥­¥ã¥Ã¥Á¥ã©`?¥¤¥ó?¥¶?¤¦¤¤¡¡Na-Na-Na¡¿" The alarm started sounding at the back of Alexa''s mind, she had let [Main Core] access the [Internet] from her phone to wake her up using a random song from the database that was A-tube.


    She wondered why anyone would use a tube as a name for a site to store music and videos. But then again, perhaps there was a reason for it that she couldn''t see? It was a site sponsored by Saintsworths yet again, so while the quality and overall functionality were guaranteed, Alexa couldn''t really understand the [Tube] part or what it referred to.


    As far as she was aware nothing on the [Cellphone] or the [Internet] used tubes. Was this some other gimmick from the humans that she needed to be a [Human] to understand?


    If so, this was getting more annoying by the second; perhaps she would need to pester her [Young Adult] Stage to check on it since that one was the closer to [Humanity] since it had the most functional brain.


    Then again, Alexa''s Brain was also functional, it let her think, play, enjoy Mango and run around, what else did you need a [Brain] for anyway?


    So with that on the schedule for the day, Alexa "Remove the blankets!" removed the blankets with a kick, sending them high into the stratosphere (Like half a meter above her bed), and "Alexa uses dash!" ran out from under the protection of the mystic blanket to stand on her feet.


    She was free!


    "And awake!" Once again, Alexa reinforced the fact that she was, indeed, not sleeping anymore.


    The first thing that Alexa did as she stood in the middle of her room was locate her next target, "Main Core! Point us in the correct direction!" Alexa declared as she proudly puffed out her chest as the blanket fell onto the bed behind her.


    Alexa could almost hear the sound of an explosion behind her, dramatically moving her hair; of course, her hair indeed moved with the imaginary explosion; doing so was an easy enough thing to do for her as she had full control over her body thanks to her nanites.


    "[...Host change of clothes is set up at the stool besides the door to the bathroom, Comodore Soap is still awaiting refill and Mister Squeaky is currently in full domain of the bathtub, as such it is adviced to use the shower for now.]"


    "TO THE SHOWER!" Alexa said as she phased out of her clothes. That was easy enough to do when she also had full control over the makeup of her clothes.


    Really, just move the atoms between them to phase straight through it!


    "[Reconstruction of clothes achieved, effect as if Host phased through solid objects finished.]"


    "Don''t spoil it Main Core!" Alexa admonished the voice in her head, really. Couldn''t Main Core catch on her thing?!?!? She was pretending as if someone else was seeing or reading her actions!


    She wanted to give this imaginary person the impression that she had the power to toy with reality! And what else could be a good way to do that than granting herself a new complete set of powers that no one could guess!


    Or, well, if her thing was being a [Molecular Shifter], then phasing through objects should be doable, right?


    She was shifting molecules and everything...


    "[Negative, no matter the perception of others, the base powers of Host will not change, the use of nanites to attempt to toy with a fundamental force of nature will not be enough to phase through solid objects without a better understanding of the way our Nanites interact with the world at large. Maintaining the structural integrity of two objects at the same time is nearly impossible at this level of manipulation, also while easy to destroy the magnetic force that objects maintain, managing-"]


    "Fineeeeee," Alexa said muting Main Core who once more was on a weird tangent about limits and primordial forces of the universe, Alexa didn''t need to know how her powers worked!


    She already knew that!


    But she was mostly hoping that [Core] would come up with a way to break a few extra rules of both logic and physics...


    No such luck so far, perhaps when she was in her P4 mode...Or when she was separated from this body... When she was closer to what she had been before, then she could get interested in that. But not now!


    Now she had a new enemy to fight!


    "We meet again...Showerhead the destroyer and ruiner of comfy clothes..." Alexa had of course tested this one before, when she had first arrived.


    She learned valuable lessons that time, first of all...If the clothes aren''t prepared beforehand, hot water can shrink weaker fabric if not used carefully.


    That had been part of the reason why she had removed her clothing before coming here! If she had no clothes then Mister Showerhead couldn''t shrink her clothes!


    It could only shrink Alexa now! Victory! No wait!


    "Main Core...Does...Does Alexa shrink with Hot Water?" Alexa said as her hand was turning the knob that controlled Mister Showerhead.


    "[...Negative, no temperature change will change Host''s size, unless host wishes for such change?]"


    Alexa...would check on that later.


    *sound that a shower makes when hitting the body of an Alexa with water way too hot to be healthy and closer to the temperature that the water in hell has*


    "...You win this time Mister Showerhead, this is actually nice," Alexa said while basking under the warm water.


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    "[Starting regenerative procedure, increasing thickness on the epidermis, increasing blood flow to better thermoregulate host''s temperature.]"


    Main Core was at the back saying many things that Alexa cared not for, for now she was only having a nice time showering. It was not as fun as spectating the epic fight between Commodore Soap and Mister Squeaky, but it was a nice second.


    In the end, Alexa took almost half an hour in the shower to enjoy the joys of Mister Showerhead and to annoy Main Core, who kept grumbling at the back about thermoregulation and whatnot.


    Alexa finished her shower after saying her thanks to Mister Showerhead and to his assistants, A shampoo bottle, and the cousin of Commodore Soap. A soap bar.


    Weird family was weird, what could she say about it?


    She took the bathrobe that was in the bathroom and walked out (Ran out) towards the kitchen, the next step on her evil plan for world damnation (morning) was upon her!


    "It''s time for breakfast!" Alexa declared as she skipped out the first two big meanies(Stove and microwave oven) of this cursed room (kitchen) and opened her only ally here (Refrigerator). Here was her bounty, first she took out the container of hope! (Milk gallon)


    Then placing it at the altar of justice (Table) she got her stool and conquered heights unknown to Alexakind (She stood on the kitchen bar) to reach the outer reaches of the kitchen (The cabinet doors) to get her prize!


    The Cereal Box!


    With that on hand, Alexa placed it on the table and left it there for later; with quick thought and very well-planned movements, Alexa moved to the next objective.


    A bowl, but not any bowl... No sir, Alexa would pick the perfect bowl, the one bowl to rule them all. The bowl of destiny!


    THE BOWL TO UNITE ALL THE ALEXA KINGDOMS AS ONE!


    "THE SIPPY BOWL!" Alexa said as she jumped! (skipped) towards the next counter and dramatically (with care) opened the doors into the treasure vault (dish cabinet) to steal (rob) her sippy bowl!


    "Main Core! Music!" Alexa demanded while placing her holy grail on the table and setting at the side her mighty spork.


    "[...Starting background soundtrack... Playing Low of Solipsism.]"


    *dramatic sounding music in the background*


    "First...I pour the cereal!" Alexa said as she masterfully opened the cereal box with her favorite character on it (Magmo).


    The rhythmic sound of her cereal flakes hitting the bowl (The Sippy Bowl) made it even better, Alexa was savoring every flake as it hit her bowl.


    "Exactly 47 grams achieved!" Alexa said as she quickly picked every extra flake and threw it back into the box, "Next...I add the energy!"


    And with two quick movements, Alexa poured two scoops of sugar evenly across her holy grail (The Sippy Bowl). The music was starting to ramp up, so she needed to go faster!


    "Then...we pour the blood!" And opening the gates of hell (Opening her gallon of milk) she generously poured it on her Holy Grail (Sippy Bowl), even with the rough manner she was doing it, not a single drop fell outside the confines of her Holy Grail (Sippy Bowl).


    "And after letting it simmer (Wait two seconds), we devour!" Alexa said as she took a spoonful of cereal and took a bite!


    The music arrived at a crescendo just in time for her to enjoy it and savor it as she gulped it. The food would be assimilated into her body way before it arrived in her stomach, but that didn''t bother Alexa at all, for she had plenty cereal to go!


    It would be a shame though, she couldn''t retaste it later...


    "[Host will go to a mission soon, having food in the stomach may be counterproductive to mission parameters and will increase host weight.]"


    ...And absorbing the food would not?


    "[It will go into the Banked Storage what little is not put to use.]"


    ...Right.


    Alexa would not question Main Core on that, since he was the one dealing with that part of her skillset.


    Alexa would focus on enjoying her breakfast! And more importantly, as each spoonful of cereal was delivered to her mouth, she was closer and closer to the true reason why she had chosen this breakfast.


    She could of course let the big one or the mean one to get her breakfast, perhaps Mango Pancakes? Or some more meaty like bacon, or bacon sandwich, or bacon burger, or tofu burger, or bacon pie.


    But no, she had decided to make her own breakfast without sharing with the other two! Why?


    BECAUSE SHE HAD THE HOLY GRAIL! (Sippy Bowl)


    SHE. COULD. USE. THE. SUCK!


    That is right!


    The Sippy Bowl had a fearsome feature built-in, it had...it had...IT HAD!


    A STRAW!


    "That''s right! A straw at the side of the bowl!" Alexa declared, pointing with her spork to the straw in question, one that she had taken great care to not disturb, one that she made sure that each spoonful of cereal she took would leave the area free of debris!


    One that would let her use the suck!


    What is the suck you ask?


    "It''s simple Main Core," Alexa said placing her spork to the side, the bowl no longer had enough cereal to merit the use of the spork anymore, this bowl...was now weak. "By placing the straw in Alexa''s mouth, with the simple use of suction I can drink the leftover milk!"


    Alexa said dramatically as she almost could hear the sound of thunder at the back joining the orchestra at the back.


    The song was about to end, just in time for her to finish her breakfast. So slowly placing her lips on the straw... Alexa closed her eyes, she needed all her might for the next action.


    "Sound that Alexa would make when using the suck!" Alexa then started using all her might to suck the milk and finish on the high note as the song ended.


    "[...starting psychological diagnosis test batch.]"


    ...Rude.


    "Main Core! Next step for today!" Alexa decided to ignore the (quite frankly) pointless shenanigans that Main Core was up to.


    "[Host needs to change into the new bodysuit prepared for the mission and confirm the compability of the new parts, also make sure to integrate them to the blueprint host previously made.]"


    "So put on the weird onesie and make sure the thing can mesh with what Ale made?" Alexa said placing the holy grail (Sippy bowl) on the sink for future cleaning.


    She could not (Well she could, but she had been told not to) extend her tongue to clean the holy grail, so she needed to let it on the sink to magically (Let her other stages clean it, or wait for an adult to do it) be cleansed.


    "[...correct.]"


    That was easy enough, Alexa just walked out of the kitchen and threw her bathrobe (now with milk included) into The chair, for later cleansing (from either an older stage or [Skye]).


    She needed to change into her new onesie street pajama. The design was easy enough to get. Lower the zipper at the back, get the legs in. Pull the onesie and pull at the cord to zip the onesie in place.


    Once it was in place, punch the buttons to activate the magnetic lock and let the onesie fuse the zipper into place (the Instruction Manual said that it would be able to return to normal when she wanted to take it off).


    "And done," Alexa said as she made sure that everything was in the right place, she pushed the correct buttons and sure enough, she felt the onesie cling to her body.


    It was quite comfortable as it settled on her; of course, the first thing she did was flood the thing with nanites to check on the compatibility.


    "[Blueprint updated.]"


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 16.9872%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Blueprint updated and adapted.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    That was easy enough, now what was left to do?


    "[Check compability between new BodySuit and optional add ons.]"


    Well that was easy enough! So Alexa took the first part of her new armor and placed it atop her onesie.


    *cling*


    "Cling?" Alexa asked as the sound it did when it settled on her arm was cling, why a cling? That was a weird way to sound, it didn''t feel metallic to the touch, and she wasn''t sensing any big change in it.


    So with that done she continued on putting the other pieces of her body armor. They seemed to be mostly plates and padded parts. So she didn''t think much of them. If she needed to fight she would either make a variation of the cute cat armor that Ale made, or change into her monke form arms. Either worked.


    After making sure everything was set up correctly, Alexa ran to the nearest mirror (The one in the bathroom that was full body length) and stared at herself.


    "Yes, cute." Alexa nodded happily at her reflection who was smiling at her.


    Why was her reflection smiling at her? Because Alexa was smiling at the mirror! Hard to not smile at the mirror when it showed her the cutestest girl of them all!


    Especially with the onesie! And the cute skirt add-on that they gave for her onesie!


    And with that done, she was one step closer to perfection!


    "[Please proceed to the mission stage preparation area.]"


    Right! She had to do that too!


    So Alexa with that done ran to the door, it was time for her glorious first step fully prepared for work!


    "Alexa is leaving!" And saying her goodbyes to her apartment Alexa walked to the outside world!


    Prepared for anything and everything Alexa ran!


    She ran past the evil box (Elevator)!


    She ran into the great savior (Stairs)!


    She ran all the way to the greatest means of transport! She ran "TO THE SECRET BASE ELEVATOR!" Alexa loudly declared as she ran to the Elevator that would take her to the base.


    "...Oh, a little girl playing heroes and villains, how cute." And Alexa heard that while punching the button to close the Elevator.


    "Sorry! This one is busy! I need to go to the secret base!" Alexa said while waving at the people who wanted to enter the Elevator.


    Thankfully, they respected her wishes, so she didn''t need to beat them within an inch of their puny human lives.


    Filling the paperwork for that was a nightmare, and she didn''t want to explain to Ale why they needed to do so!


    For some reason, the receptionist was shaking her head while covering her face with both hands, perhaps she was checking something on her hands?


    Alexa would check later her own hands to make sure there was nothing wrong with them!


    But now she needed to push those buttons!


    "Push them buttons!" Alexa decided to push the buttons faster to make sure the Elevator got there faster!


    "[Host has arrived at the target destination, please disembark and proceed to the staging area.]"


    Right, Alexa needed to prepare for the fight! The fight of her life! The fight of all the fights!


    "Time to boogie..." Alexa said seriously as she started doing a slow, dramatic walk out of the elevator.


    It was time to find the other minions.

 Chapter 96: Where does one find a [Mommy] or a [Daddy]?

    Some people said that the first step was the hardest one to make, that it was filled with doubts and insecurity, and that it was the reason why everything seemed hard.


    Alexa didn''t think so.


    *step*


    She didn''t have that many problems taking the first step out of the elevator, nor the second...or the third, for that matter.


    No, what Alexa had more problems with was...


    "Look, look, its the small Minion they talked about. Isn''t she cute?" Was people pointing at her admiring how cute she was.


    Granted, she was the cutestest of all...


    "Wonder what her Core power does that someone with a stick as long as Cerberus has up her ass allowed a child like that to work as a Minion..." And how people seemed to wonder what Alexa did.


    Which, to be honest, was a fair question to make. When a new [Predator] prances around your area of influence, the first thing you need to worry about is your own position in the food chain after all. But even so, it annoyed Alexa, since she wanted to be sneaky!


    It was so hard being sneaky when your cuteness radiated so strongly... Perhaps she could make herself less cute?


    It was not worth it.


    Instead she just waved and continued running. To make sure she was going as fast as possible, she started speeding up, to make sure she had as little drag from the wind as possible, Alexa leaned in forward significantly, at one point on her run she had her torso almost parallel to the ground. Since she had a hard time with her arms in this position, she just extended them straight behind her.


    She was using them as if they were wings (She hadn''t shifted them, these were the normal [Human] arms she always had) to balance herself and stabilize herself. Her legs started to move incredibly fast, almost turning into a blur (They did not, in fact, turn into a blur).


    This was the optimal running form she had come up with after extensive use of her AI to create the ultimate running stratagem (It was not, in fact, something cooked up by Main Core). Alexa was sure that if there was a group of paramilitary armed superhuman soldiers trained in stealth, assassination, and rescue of cats, they would run like this.


    Till she found such a group, she would deem this running style The [Alexa Run].


    She could almost taste the speed even! And while seeing on this form was hard, Alexa solved it easily enough by just growing some cameras atop her head and closing her eyes so she didn''t get dizzy.


    No one is as smart as Alexa. The rooms blurred as she sped through (She wasn''t paying attention to them). Only her memory (And the map [Main Core] provided) helped her navigate at the unimaginable speeds (8.7 km/h) she was running.


    No one could stop her at this speed, and Alexa arrived soon enough to the staging area, it was thanks to her speed that she was among the very first (The second to last) to arrive!


    "I HAVE ARRIVED!" So Alexa declared loudly and proudly as she was totally not out of breath (She was) from the running she had just done to get here.


    Some people turned their heads at her magnificent and incredibly cute form, "Rhapsody! Get over here, we need to go over some things!" And started fawning over her.


    Alexa understood that, of course, it was entirely natural behavior to someone as devilishly cute as her.


    "STOP DALLY DINGING AND MOVE IT GIRL!" But that was enough about how Cute Alexa was, she had achieved her first mission of the day, and now needed to see what the [Elder] wanted from her.


    So Alexa dusted herself of from all the debris(there was none) made from her supersonic (normal) run to get here.


    As she walked towards the voice of the [Elder] who kept getting more and more angry at something, Alexa started noticing that most of the minions here seemed to be busy moving things from one side to the other, great canvases with pictures of some parts of the city, trees, plants and one even had the image of a man that looked weirdly familiar laughing madly like her [Teacher]. Not Miss [Baking], but the other crazy one whose laugh had the bad habit of breaking reality.


    It was weird.


    "Alexa is-" Alexa was about to introduce herself, but [Elder] raised his hand and stopped her, rude.


    "Yes yes, we know." The [Elder] said and shoved a belt with several pouches, "These pouches contain the clothes we want you to use, now. Come this way."


    And in that tune, the [Elder] started walking away from her.


    Another minion nearby sighed and shook his head, "Just follow him, we set up a private booth to test your powers, we need to know if your power can extend to your clothes or not. Some alterations to your suit can be made to prepare it so it turns and changes form with you better." The Minion said.


    That was...good to know? Alexa could do that on her own though, but saving on energy and biomass would be good.


    "Okay!" Alexa nodded and then ran at her mundane(normal) speed after the [Elder].


    She sure enough found him standing in front of a door, "In you go, change into the required forms in order while I monitor your vitals, the bodysuit we gave you should change as you shift, if possible try to affect your clothes with your Core Power. Some shifters can affect their clothes later on in life even if the original power didn''t allow such change." The [Elder] said.


    But she could affect her clothes? She had done so a few times... Hadn''t they been paying attention?


    Either way, Alexa walked inside the booth and started rummaging through the pouches. She needed to see what they had put on it to make sure she could imitate these things.


    "Main Core! Start analyzing while I start shifting!" Alexa declared as she started the shift.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    "[...starting shift.]" Main Core only answered that as her body changed in form.


    "Hmm....Mana levels within normal threshold...weird..." The voice of the [Elder] sounded at the back, "But the vitals and overall weight and height did change..."


    What was the problem? She used her power to change form?


    "Rhapsody, did the clothes change?" The [Elder] asked Alexa, and sure enough...they didn''t.


    Alexa felt quite...compressed right now, but a quick push and pull into the correct buttons and hidden levers within her belt allowed her bodysuit to expand and fit snugly to her new, more round(Robust) figure.


    "They did change now!" Alexa said in her now less cute and more deep voice, this voice was not cute. And while having the extra handles seemed cute, she rather liked being aerodynamic more; she could see plenty of advantages to having extra fatty tissue to protect her vitals, though.


    "Change to the next one, don''t worry about the clothes. I will increase the sensitivity of the bodysuit, if you are hurting you can destroy the bodysuit." The [Elder] said and Alexa felt a small discharge of electricity course her bodysuit.


    She had only noticed it because some nanites had been destroyed by the sudden discharge; she needed to log that and prepare for eventualities against it; if the bodysuit could discharge electricity, then it may be a two-edged sword against her...


    "[No risk of it affecting current form, only risk against new change of form, care is advised nontheless.]"


    But it hurt! Not her, but her Nanites! The little guys had been hurt! They were innocent!


    "[Starting shift into secondary mission form.]"


    ...She was ignored! Alexa was ignored!


    "That wasn''t-" Alexa started complaining, but soon found herself unable to continue doing so, why?


    Because she couldn''t breathe! Dang it!


    Her bodysuit was pressing against her lungs, her body was too big for this! She hadn''t extended her shift into the clothes because they were supposed to test this, but it was backfiring!


    "[Alert, integral structure of body not supporting change of form, returning to base form.]"


    And she returned!


    "*Breath in*" Alexa almost died!


    "[Negative, so as long host has a Core, she will not die.]"


    Almost!


    But she survived!


    "Rhapsody?!?!?!? Everything okay in there Kiddo?!?!? If you don''t answer within 5 seconds I will need to walk in!" The [Elder] said hurried from the other side of the cloth divider.


    "Alexa is fine!" Alexa answered while taking in deep breaths, "The thing didn''t change again, can I just use my [Core Powers] to change it manually?"


    Alexa really wanted the easy way out.


    "[Theory: BodySuit searches for mana signatures to initiate the change of form and follow their wearer shift. Providing a mana sign could alleviate the problem.]"


    Really?


    "*Sigh* Gave me a heart attack there, this thing isn''t registering the Mana Signature of your Core Power, maybe the sensors are faulty?" The [Elder] said from the other side, but if it read the [Mana Signatures]...It was obvious why it wasn''t detecting any.


    Alexa wasn''t using [Core Powers] to shift, but her Nanites, there were some that got created by her [Core Power], but most of those weren''t made by it.


    And while these transformations used some aspect of her [Core Power], most of it was still delegated to her normal nanites...


    How to explain...


    "[Host may delegate that step to this one.]"


    Oh right, Main Core was a chatty cheeky little thing when dealing with these things!


    Onwards Main Core!


    "I have a solution already! My [Core Power] says it can help!" Alexa said with cheer while hitting her chest with one hand as she proudly puffed out her chest.


    "Your...what?" The [Elder] asked from the other side.


    "[Greetings human, I was informed you wish to know more about host Core Power?]" Main Core started speaking from one of her cheeks.


    Why? Wasn''t that uncomfortable? It was for Alexa!


    She didn''t like the feeling of having one of her cheeks turned into a speaker!


    "...So you are that thing Cerberus spoke about, huh?" The [Elder] seemed to already know of Main Core?


    "[Host was raised to make sure efficiency and stealth was key, her body is attuned to not leak any sign of her Core Power usage.]" Main Core started weaving the lie.


    Or was it a truth? She did get used to maximizing efficiency while using her [CRAB] form.


    "So? You are telling me the Kiddo has such control over her power that no mana leakage occurs?" The [Elder] seemed miffed about that.


    "[It was that or death, host is not dead as you may have noticed.]" Main Core just answered.


    "...Can you tell us the name of...the people that treated you like that?" The [Elder] asked as Alexa heard something breaking.


    "[No.]" Main Core merely answered, "[And don''t ask host, as for these things...We will manually release some Mana Waves to trigger the functions you built on it, tell me the wavelenght and pulse range these can detect.]"


    The what and what?


    "...The bodysuit can detect Mana Waves from 150 nm to 350 nm, most Shifters act within that range when shifting their body. They only go above that range into the 400 to 700 nm wavelength when transforming into materials that aren''t part of their normal make." The [Elder] said calmly, "We suspect that Rhapsody should be within the first range while doing these changes, as she never emits any light when changing we suspect either her original body is big or..."


    "[Or you suspect that she was altered and her real form is smaller and closer to what she is currently showing you.]" Main Core said as Alexa noticed Main Core experimenting, trying to send those mana wavelengths into the bodysuit.


    "Will you answer our question about her age?" The [Elder] asked, Alexa could hear a tinge of [Sadness] in his voice.


    "[No.]" Main Core, however, was relentless, his voice cold. "[I will not put host at risk just because you Humans want to feel better about yourselves for trying to solve a problem that no longer is there.]"


    The what now?


    "[Host is allegedly safe here, so long as host can survive I will not change the status quo, you may ask host herself if you are that interested. If you dare. I will be monitoring you, Hermes.]" And like that, Alexa felt the speaker on her cheek disappear.


    "Wait!" [Elder] screamed walking into the room. Only to find Alexa standing there poking her own cheek.


    "Alexa is back!" So Alexa declared, "And that hurt!"


    "...Are you okay Kiddo?" The [Elder] asked once again.


    "Yes!" Alexa answered with a smile on her face...that the [Elder] couldn''t see, but Alexa smiled nontheless, that was only right, for she was cute! "The thing is fixed, Main Core said that it would work!"


    And on that note Alexa triggered the change yet again.


    She felt a small part of her Nanites release a directed Mana Wave and with that felt her bodysuit shift and change in size with her. Mere seconds later she felt herself grow big and weird, a bulge on her lower body started pressing against her shorts.


    That was uncomfortable; this was the Tiffany form.


    "I really don''t like this form; it confuses me," Alexa said as her voice turned higher than it should be, and Alexa felt this voice strain her throat for some reason. As if this body hadn''t been using this voice for long.


    And that was weird!


    Why wasn''t Tiffany''s body used to her voice? That was weird!


    "Detected the change within the optimal range..." The [Elder] said as Alexa shrugged. "And as expected, you emitted a faint light."


    Alexa shined?


    Was she even becoming cuter? Was that even possible? IT was! For Alexa was the cutestest of all! It was only fitting for her to become more adorable with every passing second! She would become the cutestest of all!


    Even if she already was.


    "...So, does this...Main Core? Does this person help you with your Core Power?" [Elder] asked as he wrote something on his tablet.


    "Yes, Main Core deals with most of the things when I use my [Core Powers]!" Alexa answered with a nod as she shifted back to normal. She once again felt Main Core send a short burst into a very specific part of her bodysuit.


    She also paid attention and noticed how she was indeed shining.


    "I see...." [Elder] said slowly.


    "But I can use my [Core Powers] even without his help!" Alexa added, she needed to make sure that [Elder] didn''t think that she was useless without Main Core!


    "Okay Kiddo, we got the data we needed. You may shift as you think is better, also..." The [Elder] said pulling something from his side pouch, "Here, is the blueprint for that bodysuit you are wearing, you may want to integrate it with the one we did the other day."


    Alexa caught the data bank when it was thrown her way, Main Core taking out the data as soon the data bank touched her skin.


    "Now move along, we need to go towards the staging area. Aqua will want to have a talk with you before leaving." [Elder] said ushering her away, "I will remain here to clean some of this mess. Also don''t forget to use the clothes from the pouches, here''s a spare. We have more of them ready if needed."


    Alexa took the new belt and threw the other away, since the clothes of the previous pouch now laid on the floor after Alexa threw them into the air.


    "[Finished analysis of disguises, set up into base shift. Also analyzed and integrated the blueprint of current bodysuit, host may consume it and it will be saved into the Banked Storage.]"


    Nice. Everything was going according to plan! What plan? Alexa knew not! But everything seemed to be going according to plan!


    Now she only needed to go and listen to the weird blue girl for...


    ....


    "What do we do every morning before going to school?" IS THAT A MAGMO ON THE TV?!?!?!?!?


    "That''s right, we spit at the feet of our enemies and drink their tears!" MAGMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


    "MAGMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" Alexa ran with all her speed available to her while jumping and shoving any minion that DARED to stand between her and the TV. "Magmo''s world!!!!"


    Alexa found other kids already sitting there, none had masks like her, but she cared not for that!


    "Oh? You got daddy''s mask?" Asked a older [Woman] who was handing out boxes of juices and some snacks.


    Alexa, of course, took the mango juice box and some yumyums, "This one is mine! Alexa has no [Daddy]!" Alexa answered as the mask opened at the mouth level so she could drink her juice and nibble her yumyums.


    "I see...Well, remember to give it to Mommy when she asks for it, okay?" The older [Woman] said with a smile, "I know some of your parents give you kids masks but here we all are safe!"


    "Alexa also has no [Mommy] now move out of the way, we are missing Magmo''s time!" Alexa said throwing one of the nearby kid''s yumyums (She would not waste hers) at the [Woman]!


    Magmo was on the tv!


    She had no time for these things!


    "Now remember kids, you must always memorize mommy or daddy''s credit card number! That way you will be able to get Magmo''s merch!" Magmo was right!


    Now she needed to get a [Mommy] or a [Daddy] so Alexa could memorize their credit card numbers to get Magmo''s merch!


    Where does one find a [Mommy] or a [Daddy] though?


    Alexa would need to ask [Eleanore] or [Fan Girl] later.

 Chapter 97: I WANTED JUICE!

    "And remember, kids, what do we think when we turn off the TV and go about our day?" Magmo asked across the TV.


    "MAGMO KNOWS!" Alexa and the other kids answered as one, she was quite happy to be surrounded by her kindred here. Every kid around her was drinking their juice and eating their snacks.


    This was her people, this was-


    "Rhapsody! Get your ass over this way, we are about to leave!" [Fan Girl] was screaming at her!


    And she sounded angry!


    "Alexa must abscond!" Alexa said standing up and eating her juice box and snack envelope in one go, she needed to get there fast. One could never be sure what an angry [Fan Girl] could do!


    "Wait! That''s for Minions only!" The [Old Lady] said running after Alexa, but one of the nearby Minions stopped the old lady while letting Alexa get through. There wasn''t any problem if it was for Minions only, Alexa was a Minion after all!


    The [Old Woman] seemed confused, but she nonetheless returned to look after her other kindred spirits, "Alexa will return later!" Alexa said so while waving at the other kids.


    "Please don''t." [Mikey] said from the side.


    "[Mikey]!" Alexa waved energetically at the [Minion] in question, she hadn''t seen this one in quite some time!


    "Hello Rhapsody." [Mikey] said waving back at her, "That spot is for the daughter and son of the Minions, we as Minions aren''t supposed to interact with them."


    She wasn''t supposed to?


    "But they had Magmo!" Alexa answered back as if it was the most natural answer in the world, "What was I supposed to do? Magmo Knows!"


    And really, Alexa knew better than anyone how true it was the fact that Magmo knows, if Magmo didn''t know...Then how was he here waiting for her?


    Proof that Magmo knew!


    "[...No evidence of entity Magmo having access to fourth dimensional knowledge found.]"


    Pshh.... Main Core was a naysayer as always, but Alexa knew it within her heart that Magmo knew, so she would not move an inch about this.


    "Right..." [Mikey] said shaking his head, "I never understood why my kid like that thing either, it is creepy. It''s just a flesh puppet with purple eyes and no hair."


    ...So?


    "Aren''t [Humans] the same?" Alexa asked back, "You all are merely meat bags with nothing else going for you."


    [Mikey] only looked at her weirdly, "You even give the same answers as my son...That stupid program, I swear they are rotting you kids minds." And shook his head again.


    Alexa was getting tired of these shakes of head people did near her, perhaps they needed to better lubricate their necks? Or was something wrong with their blueprints?


    She hadn''t noticed many shakes of the head when people talked among themselves...Perhaps it was the natural [Human] reaction to something as cute as Alexa?


    If so there was nothing to be done.


    "There you are, thank you for getting this girl Mikey." [Fan Girl] said waving away [Mikey], he just nodded and moved to the side with the other Black Mask Minions.


    "Okay, Rhapsody. I hope you are ready, this one will be harder than the previous one in some ways. While being way easier for you in others." [Fan Girl] said to her.


    Of course Alexa already knew this!


    She had read the thing!


    Or [Main Core] had, but that was the same as her doing it!


    So that was fine!


    "I know what to do, don''t worry!" Alexa said while doing a mock salute with the wrong hand, which one? The one that you must not use of course! (The left, Military standards state that you must use the right hand while doing a salute.)


    [Fan Girl] didn''t seem to have anything wrong with Alexa''s salute, so everything should be fine. Not like Alexa had meant anything special by it after all!


    After that was resolved they moved onwards to find more of their Fellow Minions so they could move forward with the operation [Alexa''s play at the bank]!


    "Everyone here? Okay then, whoever arrives late will not be useful, if they can''t keep up to a simple schedule and arrive thirty minutes before then we don''t need them." Aqua said standing at the front of the minions.


    No one said anything at this and they all stood there silently, staring... Alexa didn''t find anything worth staring at in Aqua, though, so she just imagined what Magmo would say if he were to be with her.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "[...I will not speak in the name of the weird flesh puppet.]"


    Dang it.


    Either way, it would be something profound, Alexa was sure.


    "Okay, then here is how it will be. As many of you may have noticed, your data packets don''t include much about how the actual heist will happen, at best they state what we expect you to do while the heist happens and where you need to be during each stage of the heist, correct?" Aqua said and most of the minions around nodded.


    Alexa had noticed that too, how there wasn''t much about what was supposed to happen or how. Nor when. She knew that [Golem] was supposed to stop some of the [Sidekicks] and if possible one of the C-List [Heroes] if one showed up.


    If he managed to convince [V-8] of staying around to pelt him for example, he would get a bonus.


    Alexa wanted one of those [Bonus] for annoying the speedster too!


    "Good, it seems that at least some of you read it. Sylph!" Aqua suddenly pointed at [Fan Girl], "What is your most important assignment for this job?"


    "Make sure no one notices me doing overwatch and keep the ground Minions informed of which direction the Hero reinforcement are coming from?" [Fan Girl] answered turning her head slightly in Alexa''s direction.


    Did she wanted a cheer?


    Alexa waved at [Fan Girl], only to get another shake of head. Then what did she want?!?!?


    "Hmm....good enough, there is more nuance to your job as you will also be provided with specialized equipment to serve as a relay tower in case our ground communications are affected. But overall good enough." Aqua said while eyeing [Fan Girl], "Yes, we can work with that. Unless stated otherwise you are to continue your work under the premises you stated."


    Then what was the point of telling that she had a secondary job?!?!?


    Alexa was confused.


    "You!" Aqua suddenly pointed to [Golem], "What. Will. Be. Your. Work?"


    And spoke slowly and clearly to [Golem], was he wearing something that impeded his hearing?


    "I am to smash, pulverize and otherwise incapacitate any and all Sidekicks or Heroes as I am able, all the while I must show the thinking capacity of a snail or if possible a rock." [Golem] answered, "Also, I must not vocalize any words with more than one vowel and one consonant top."


    That seemed an overly specific way to tell someone to act like a monke.


    "Good, the stone for brain has a better head on him than most other Minions. But then again, anyone would end up lobotomized if they ended up with this particular Core Power..." Aqua nodded at [Golem]''s answer, "Good. Work. Stone. Man."


    And moved along asking other minions here and there, most answered that they would move things from one point to the other, one said that his job was to have cool water in case the theater guy required it, and there was this one Minion that said he would go and pick up a tuxedo from the dry cleaners.


    "And finally, you, I was told that you could access your full suit of power no matter what form you took upon, but what is your job for the day, Rhapsody?" Aqua said finally standing in front of Alexa.


    "My job is to be the cutestest of them all!" Alexa proudly said, "Even if I look like someone else, I am to be cute and walk around the place and find the office, then turn into the confusing form to open the thing!"


    Alexa didn''t like that form, it was confusing, it looked like a [Female], but her throat hurt from speaking and the clothes didn''t fit quite right, her body ached at the touch her skin was dry and sensitive all over the place too!


    Also, also the decreased muscle mass compared to the peak the blueprint showed annoyed her, and if that wasn''t enough, the body seemed to have lost plenty of muscle mass and was softer all over the place!


    "And?" Aqua asked while Alexa complained about that body.


    And?


    Main Core?


    "[Host is to use the third form to access the hidden locked container that is expected to be within reach of the safe.]"


    "Alexa will then use the third and last form to yeet the thingy outta the metal box and take it home!" Alexa finally said nodding at herself for clearly remembering it and not needing help from someone else like [Fan Girl].


    "...good enough I guess, you are to bring anything you find and open with the third sample to us. Depending on the contents we will reward you, we are using multiple operatives to get us several samples of data and try to narrow our reach for new heists." Aqua said turning to the other Minions.


    She continued asking around here and there, and as soon as she walked away from their immediate area, [Fan Girl] quickly stood at her side.


    "Okay what the hell? Weren''t you going to help us with instructions?" [Fan Girl] said in a low voice, somehow Alexa got the impression that her voice wasn''t spreading far.


    "[Detected low traces of Mana Waves manipulating the wind in the area. Soundwaves are being confined within host nearby area.]"


    "But we aren''t on the mission yet?" Alexa answered confused, wasn''t she supposed to do that on the actual Mission?


    "That is correct Rhapsody," [Golem] said from the side, so Alexa was correct!


    That was good to know, she had been scared about being wrong!


    "But it would have been so good to answer her perfectly!" [Fan Girl] groaned without moving; that was some skill she had there. "Imagine her stuck-up face behind the domino mask breaking when I answered her stupid question perfectly."


    For the first time, Alexa saw someone do a head shake at someone that wasn''t Alexa! [Golem] shook his head at [Fan Girl]!


    "Rhapsody will only assist us with clarifications; I have already warned the other Minions. Unless they need it, they will not contact her. She has her own Mission, which will take precedence over everyone else." [Golem] said seriously.


    "Fineeeeeeeeeeeeee, but I am pestering her and Alexandra will have to invite me and NOT DITCH ME after this mission is over." [Fan Girl] grumbled.


    "Deal!" Alexa quickly nodded her head, it would not be her the one to deal with this after all, what better form to annoy her naggy self than to accept a playdate for her!


    Victory!


    "Sylph?" [Golem] asked narrowing his eyes, "Who is this person you are speaking about? I know you did something to prevent our voices from leaking, but even so, we gotta keep to the rules."


    "Not breaking any rule, Alexandra is this girl I went to clubbing with the other day, totally different voice, mentallity and everything. Not this pipsqueak that doesn''t help her bigger sister even though she promised to help her!" [Fan Girl] said the last part, ruffling Alexa''s hair, which was pretty impressive considering she was wearing a helmet!


    [Big Sister] power was fearsome!


    "She is the [Young Woman] Stage!" Alexa helpfully said, "We decided to give them different names to help you all keep track." Alexa nodded sagely, "I''m Alexa since I am the cutest; the mean one is Ale since she is mean, and the naggy one is Alexandra since she is naggy."


    That''s the easiest she could put it, so Alexa declared!


    "In a nutshell, this bratty girl is Alexa, the one we met up with and decided the codename Rhapsody is Ale, and the looker is Alexandra." [Fan Girl] said, the exact same thing that Alexa had said before.


    "Okay then, as long as you are happy I guess?" [Golem] seemed confused, perhaps Aqua did was actually correct about the level of his intelligence being affected by his transformation?


    Even if Alexa was as smart in all her forms, one couldn''t judge other people using Alexa as a standard after all.


    Not only was she the cutestest, prettiestest and most beautiful of them all (Depending on what form you found her in), she was also smart. She could answer all the questions on the silly exams they gave her after all. With no mistakes also!


    "Alexa is happy yes!" Alexa answered with a bright smile, that no one else could see, since she was wearing the mask, but even so she smiled! For she was Alexa!


    "Okay, take this down and remember to not send messages unless it is important Sylph." [Golem] said, turning to look forward once more; Alexa noted that Aqua seemed to ignore them, but other nearby minions had noticed how they seemed to interact without speaking aloud.


    "[Notice, ambient wind is no longer being affected by mana wavelenghts.]"


    "Rhapsody is heard once again!" Alexa said loudly, getting some giggles and a frown from others.


    The important ones, however didn''t react that much. Like Aqua, she ignored her! How dare she!


    Couldn''t she be more like [Fan Girl] who giggled under her breath, or [Golem] who just sighed, it seemed that his neck was better, since he didn''t shake it.


    "Okay, that is good enough." Aqua said returning to the front of them, "If any of you have a problem or can''t read or listen to the audio file that narrates the Mission, then please use the communication devices provided by your employers to ask for assistance."


    Aqua brought a [Phone] from under her clothes, "These are connected to that same network, and we have several operators ready to provide assistance, also some of your fellow minions will also be working on that network." Aqua added after pocketing the [Phone], "Case in point is ''Rhapsody'' who will provide some help as needed if she is free during her own Mission, who you are connected will be determined according to your importance to the overall Mission and how relevant or important it is that you get to your designated spot."


    So she could either get no calls at all, or be bombarded by all the calls?


    "[Pre recorded answers with host''s voice are ready to be used and transmited as needed.]"


    So she didn''t need to worry about that?


    Good job Main Core!


    Another problem that Alexa solved before it became an issue! Alexa was getting better at this thing about being a Minion!


    "Okay, if anyone has a doubt raise your hand so we can exclude you from the mission." Aqua said.


    Alexa was half tempted to raise her hand and ask for more juice boxes, but a single glare from [Golem] was enough to convince her otherwise; she hoped he had juices for Alexa. Or she would be angry.


    "Good," Aqua nodded at the fact that no one raised their hand, but then again. You would need to be very stupid to raise your hand and get yourself excluded from the Mission after studying so much for it. "Okay, board the vehicles after checking your gear, we are heading to the site."


    And on that note, Alexa made sure she had everything before climbing into [Mikey]''s vehicle, she would prepare and do her best, this was her second Mission, but she would strive to finish it better than the last one!

 Chapter 98: Prepare for troubles!

    Alexa found no juice.


    There was no god in this world.


    ¡°We will get you a juice on the way back, or maybe we can find one at the bank.¡± [Fan Girl] said for what felt like the fifth time.


    ¡°Check your gear.¡± While [Golem] was less comforting about her bane.


    She didn¡¯t understand this dichotomy, at some point [Fan Girl] had turned into soothing her instead of her angry self that she had put to display. Asking her about that ended with the answer, ¡°I needed to show that I am angry because you did ditch me at the bar, but that act was mostly because some people are unnerved because you change your form too often, so me being like that and you acting as if nothing is to give them proof that you aren¡¯t a weapon of mass destruction that will flip off on them.¡±


    So she acted like that to show people that Alexa was¡­friendly? And not some weapon of mass destruction?


    But she WAS a BioWeapon designed to¡­ to do what? What was her prime mission?


    ¡°[Eat, Grow, Evolve.]¡±


    Those were the Main Directives! Not her main mission!


    She¡­may need to revisit that place again if she wanted to answer that question, well, she didn¡¯t really need that question answered did she? But it would be good to know, she could then decide if following it or not.


    She didn¡¯t mind following it if it was in synch with what she was, so long her Main Mission was doing something Cute, then Alexa would do it!


    If it involved the need of being pretty or becoming pretty, then Ale could take care of it¡­


    And if it needed someone beautiful¡­well she had Alexandra for that, the naggy one could work for her food!


    Or for their food, whatever was at the moment, Alexa would not judge!


    ¡°Gear is in perfect condition,¡± [Fan Girl] answered first; she checked her bodysuit and armor parts; she had a weird plate stuck at her back. But a simple flick of her [Core Powers] was enough to let her hover over as if nothing.


    Alexa checked herself, and sure enough, her bodysuit was in perfect condition too, mostly because Alexa could remake it if needed and keep it pristine, so checking herself was a moot point.


    ¡°We are set to arrive in five minutes to the dropout point, prepare to rumble.¡± [Mikey] said from the front of the Vehicle.


    Alexa was always ready to rumble!


    She was the rumble!


    ¡°Sylph, as soon as we disembark, you are to-,¡± [Golem] started saying, only for [Fan Girl] to huff.


    ¡°I know, shoot straight up and start monitoring, gosh. These gave us the most boring positions possible.¡± [Fan Girl] said annoyed. ¡°What about you Golem? Happy with your simple job of being a troll?¡±


    ¡°A job is a job.¡± [Golem] just answered, ¡°I can¡¯t blame them for giving me such a job; I wouldn¡¯t expect them to give me a job that requires a swift or delicate hand, not with this body.¡±


    But then again¡­Alexa was sure that if he shaved some parts of his fingers, he could probably be able to do a detailed job better than most humans since the fact that he didn¡¯t have muscles or nerves meant that he probably also didn¡¯t have a problem with keeping a steady hand.


    All that was needed was some practice, at least Alexa thought so.


    ¡°Rhapsody, are you ready?¡± [Golem] asked, turning his attention to Alexa.


    Was she ready? Hadn¡¯t they asked the same thing several times in the last ten minutes?


    ¡°Of course!¡± Alexa was ready, so she answered as such. She didn¡¯t have much to prepare or anything to study after all; she only needed to say, ¡°I will disembark and prepare to do my job; I need to¡­.¡±


    Alexa was about to say her job, but suddenly remembered that her data package only had some vague instructions about what she needed to do, she was supposed to only set up herself to act as one of her targets and infiltrate.


    Nothing else was said to her about the plans, perhaps she would be instructed at the site? That felt like a bad way to prepare for what sounded like a very delicate plan.


    ¡°Incoming transmission, identification code is from the client.¡± [Mikey] said from the front, ¡°Do you want the headphones or do I patch the call to the speakers?¡±


    ¡°Patch the call,¡± [Golem] answered without hesitation, ¡°They probably will give us detailed instructions since we are close to the site.¡±


    Would they?


    ¡°Aye, sir,¡± [Mikey] answered, flicking up one of the switches on his dashboard, ¡°Theater Troupe, this is Fairy Dust, Fairy Leader, and Fairy troopers listening.¡±


    ¡°Identification name received, Fairy Dust. Do you have clearance?¡± The voice on the other side asked; it sounded like a male voice, somewhat younger than [Golem] by the tone.


    ¡°I have clearance up to Minion work for B-List Villain grunt work.¡± [Mikey] answered.


    What was that type of clearance? It was like, you can go and get the coffee for a B-List Villain, then?


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Acknowledged,¡± The voice on the other side answered, ¡°Fairy Leader, do you give clearance to the briefing?¡±


    So it didn¡¯t matter?!?!?


    At the end of the day you are going to ask for [Golem] anyway!?!?!?


    ¡°Go ahead, Fairy Dust will need to be informed since he will pick us up as needed. Also he has work as a messenger in case the network goes down.¡± [Golem] added as his answer seemed to imply that [Mikey]¡¯s job would be more complex than what Alexa had thought.


    ¡°As you wish Fairy Leader,¡± The voice at the other side answered back, ¡°First, you are to dispatch Fairy Wind as soon as possible, if your tracking is to be trusted you are within the area of our target.¡±


    Were they already within range? Hadn¡¯t [Mikey] said that they would arrive within five minutes?


    They were moving quite fast, faster than a normal [Human] walking speed. How could they be already within the area? What size was one of these [Banks]!?!?!?!?


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± [Golem] said turning to [Fan Girl].


    ¡°Ugh¡­. fricking bank heists.¡± [Fan Girl] grumbled.


    ¡°Fairy Wind, please refrain from using wording that may imply we are committing a crime, and get into position.¡± The voice on the other side said.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know. Stupid technomancer Core Users listening into the radiowaves and all that bullshit,¡± [Fan Girl] said doing some mock gestures at the radio, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll see you guys later then. Fairy Wind deploying.¡±


    And without any other fanfare, [Fan Girl] pushed open the door at the back of the Vehicle, weirdly enough no wind got inside the Vehicle even though the pressure should have changed with that.


    [Fan Girl] just did a small bow and in one step exited the Vehicle. The Human coming behind them did a weird expression on his face and his Vehicle slowed down, but [Fan Girl] shot straight up and then the [Human] that had slowed and was driving behind them did some gestures with his hands, but a single glare from [Golem] was enough to silence him.


    ¡°Was that appropriate? The civilian will report this to the authorities.¡± [Golem] said turning his attention back at the radio.


    ¡°As he should, any upstanding civilian should report any criminal activity after all.¡± The man on the other side of the radio said.


    So, was this a diversion? But then giving them instructions would compromise all of this, right? If they feared that they were being monitored¡­


    ¡°The next piece will come from the encoded messages, Fairy Dust. Since you are here, please cooperate.¡± The man on the other side of the radio said, [Mikey] shrugged at that and opened the hidden compartment at the front of the dashboard.


    ¡°Confirmed, four envelopes.¡± [Mikey] said looking at the envelopes, they had some numbers engraved atop them.


    ¡°Fairy Leader, you are to read envelope marked as G5.¡± [Mikey] took said enveloped and passed it to [Golem], ¡°Fairy 01, you are to read enveloped marked as G4,¡±


    Well, wasn¡¯t that one particular ominous number to give Alexa. [Mikey] didn¡¯t seem to think too much and gave Alexa her envelope too.


    ¡°Any further instructions will be provided when needed, if you need any clarification please use the assigned number.¡± The man on the other side of the stereo said.


    ¡°Orders recieved, we will move as instructed. I assume Fairy Dust knows our deployment areas?¡± [Golem] said turning to look at [Mikey].


    ¡°Fairy Leader drop point is H3.¡± The man on the other side of the radio said.


    ¡°...Roger that.¡± [Mikey] didn¡¯t seem happy about that if his tone of voice was something to go by, ¡°What about Fairy 01?¡±


    ¡°Fairy 01, your drop point is A0.¡± The voice said without acknowledging [Mikey]¡¯s question, ¡°Fairy Dust, you are to wait at point M7 for further instructions; one of our men will be waiting for you there.¡±


    So [Mikey] also had a mission? Alexa wondered what the other envelopes said¡­ Or what [Golem]¡¯s envelope had¡­


    ¡°Roger that,¡± [Golem] said, and like that the radio went silent.


    ¡°As Sylph said, fricking clients.¡± [Mikey] groaned, ¡°The original drop point was near a park, but they made Sylph leave on the freeway¡­¡±


    Well, that was certainly one way to make sure their target was hidden¡­ Alexa wondered how far away was her new drop point¡­


    ¡°What about us?¡± [Golem] asked, ¡°They never quite told us where we would disembark either.¡±


    ¡°You two were supposed to disembark two streets away from the National Bank in a gas station.¡± [Mikey] answered, so their target was a national bank?


    What is a National Bank?


    ¡°And now?¡± [Golem] asked. He sounded as if he believed their target had changed somehow.


    ¡°Now? Well, your dropout point is on a mall garage parking, at the top floor actually.¡± [Mikey] groaned, ¡°It will probably be empty since the mall in question is about to close, so there is that.¡±


    ¡°And Rhapsody?¡± [Golem] asked, turning to look at Alexa.


    ¡°Yeah, what about Alexa?¡± Alexa also asked interested.


    ¡°Well, the original dropout point was at the school the girl you are impersonating attends, you would then hijack her limo and go to the bank¡­¡± [Mikey] said, but then groaned again.


    ¡°But we aren¡¯t hitting the national bank, so my identity no longer matters?¡± Alexa asked confused, if the identities she had taken were for the target then they didn¡¯t matter anymore, did they?


    ¡°Oh those? I don¡¯t know about them, but read the envelope for those, all I know is that I need to drop you at a restaurant.¡± [Mikey] answered.


    Alexa opened the envelope and read the instructions.


    ¡°......¡± Alexa read them and turned to look at [Golem], this¡­was it that easy? ¡°Exit the Vehicle, walk at the back where the Limousine is, and ask the driver to go to the State Bank. Your identity will allow you to enter without checks. Follow the instructions of the data package, page 152, subsection P, paragraph 4.¡±


    As for what those instructions said¡­


    ¡°[Host is to infiltrate the bank by impersonating the target as ordered, if possible order the security forces to guard the Limousine and prevent it from leaving. Also host is to order all the people that she finds to destroy their phones.]¡±


    ¡°Then Alexa needs to-¡± Alexa was about to parrot back what she had heard.


    ¡°To not share whatever your instructions are; the client is very finicky with data breaches; that is why our envelopes are codified like that and why they wanted to send us to new locations.¡± [Golem] said taking his envelope, folding it neatly, and putting it into his bodysuit.


    Alexa had wanted to take a peek at that!


    ¡°[Target Designation: Golem¡¯s Envelope only said to make as much damage as possible and to try and pretend that his target was the National Bank instead of the State Bank.]¡±


    ¡°What is the difference between the National and State Bank?¡± Alexa asked confused at the naming, these felt as if both worked for the same entity after all.


    ¡°The National Bank is endorsed and guarded by the government.¡± [Golem] said answering the question, ¡°The State Bank is endorsed and guarded by The Saintsworths.¡±


    ¡­Why?


    ¡°So the State Bank is endorsed by the [Saintworths]? And that is the one we are raiding?¡± Alexa asked to confirm.


    Of course she had no problem attacking and stealing from the [Saintsworths], even if she was using their last name as hers, she had, after all. She was the property of the [Saintsworths], so technically, every moment she spent outside their umbrella was one more second, and she was stealing something from them!


    Even if that something was herself.


    ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it,¡± [Golem] said, probably interpreting her silence as worry, ¡°We, as Minions, don¡¯t take credit or the fall for any heist we take part in; Vulcanus will take the fallout for any problem created. Like for me, for example. I will probably get a few charges, but ultimately they will be redirected to [The Theater Master]. As soon as he takes credit for it, I will be relegated to the position of a mindless weapon.¡±


    Alexa was still somewhat jealous of that, if she could act like a mindless weapon then she could use that as excuse to devour a human or two here and there.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Either way, for now, Alexa nodded as the Vehicle started climbing up some type of construction.


    ¡°You just do your job, Rhapsody. Yours is somewhat easier, but even so, it will have inherent risks. If someone finds out you are a shapeshifter, things may get dicey. The Heroes don¡¯t like leaving free shapeshifters for long. If they catch you they may want to seed a Tinker Grade GPS tracker, so try to stay away from any Hero you find.¡± [Golem] said as the door of the Vehicle opened, Alexa peeked out and found a empty lot with some vehicles here and there. ¡°If you need to run away don¡¯t hestitate, I know you want to probably prove your worth or something, but your life is more important than a job.¡±


    And like that, [Golem] exited the Vehicle and closed the door. Rude, she was talking to him.


    ¡°Do you want me to call them and say you had a stomachache?¡± [Mikey] asked from the front, ¡°I know the feeling of a first big job; mine was like after a month of working here, but even though my job was the getaway driver, I was nervous the whole time.¡±


    Did she want to skip? No, not really.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Alexa said, nodding to herself as the Vehicle started going down. At the back Alexa heard the sound of something heavy hitting the ground, the Vehicle almost jumped.


    ¡°The boss jumped down huh,¡± [Mikey] laughed as the roar of something sounded at the back, ¡°And he already is doing his job as mindless monster, heh. Never would have guessed he could do it that well.¡±


    Alexa had heard better roars¡­


    ¡°So, your drop point is farther away, so think about it. As far as I managed to find yours is one of several targets, the operation will move as scheduled even if you don¡¯t go.¡± [Mikey] said again.


    Did she want to risk it by infiltrating a [Saintsworth] facility? The reward could be very well worth it if she managed to steal some extra things while she was inside¡­


    She may be able to find more about the facility she was at, like for example. Why had it been a school group at that precise time? She hadn¡¯t thought much about it while escaping. Since it had been convenient.


    But now? Now she knew more about the [Humans], just like how they didn¡¯t send their kids to pet [BioWeapons] for sport.


    Then why had [Teach]¡¯s group been there? It was too convenient, that the first contact she had with the [Humans] had been a group of people the right age, and body build to allow her to mix with.


    There must have been more to it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do the job,¡± Alexa said, she went over the possible reasons why that had happened.


    But nothing seemed to fulfill the, quite frankly, an incredible amount of coincidences.


    ¡°[Possible theory: Meddling from someone to allow this to happen,]¡±


    That was obvious Main Core. Someone had meddled to achieve this, but who?


    The [Lieutenant]? She doubted it, the man seemed content with annoying Alexa and playing with her, so who else?


    ¡°And here we are, the restaurant you only need to walk to the parking lot there. Go for the biggest car you can find and just ask in the most stuck-up voice you can to go to the bank; the driver will do the rest.¡± [Mikey] said as they slowed and parked on the side of the street.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Alexa said as she sent a prompt to Main Core to kickstart the shift.


    It was time to work.

 Chapter 99: Karen was rude! Alexa demands to sees the manager!

    "This body is too round." Was the first thing that Alexa said as she took the first step outside the vehicle.


    "Remember, you need to put on the mask before returning to any form you wish to keep secret," And [Mikey] said that to her as she made sure her dress was in place and nothing was out of place.


    She liked the dress, but hated the fact that not only it didn''t have pockets, it also was too fluffy!


    She liked being fluffy, but this one was too fluffy for her tastes! So many ribbons! So many things! It was too much!


    "Okay~!" Alexa said as she made sure to hide her bracelet(mask) within one of her skin flaps from this form. That was the only good thing of this form, but even so, she would try to only use cute forms in the future.


    Or perhaps she could roll around?... She doubted that was an option in her normal (cute) form, but with one such as this¡­ It was suddenly an option.


    "Well, on you go. I can''t stay too long since these vans are suspicious, good luck Rhapsody," And like that [Mikey] left, leaving her on the street¡­alone.


    "Onwards we go!" So Alexa started walking to her target.


    She walked by the restaurant and in one of the windows she found the original [Human] she was impersonating, a girl that (quite sincerely) was too¡­not cute. The girl was eating with great gusto and shoving tons of food into her mouth.


    Alexa could empathize with doing that, but seing someone do it?


    Yikes


    "BRING ME MORE!" The girl demanded in a high-pitched voice, which sounded angry, "MORE ICECREAM!"


    Alexa recorded the pitch and compared to what she had imagined would sound, it was not accurate to what she had prepared, her voice preset for this form¡­ Alexa had prepared a more deep voice, since she had a higher body mass and more space for her lungs, she had suspected that it would be a deep voice.


    Not that high-pitched one; perhaps it was another trait of being [Human]?


    Either way, Alexa adjusted it on the march since it was a tone of voice that was achievable without modifying her body, which had been easy enough. If anything a small test, "Test, Test. Alexa is the cutests," Showed that this voice didn''t strain or would make any problem for her.


    So with that out of the way, Alexa started walking down to the parking lot that [Mikey] had pointed before, and as the letter said, there was a vehicle that Alexa would deem [The Limousine].


    Mostly because it was the only vehicle in the parking lot.


    "[A search for the word Limousine brought vehicles that match this one''s description. Probability of being the mentioned Limousine at 96%.]"


    Alexa wondered why it wasn''t 100%, but wouldn''t ask that for now.


    "Welcome back, Mistress. Did you enjoy your food?" A man who had been standing at the side of the vehicle greeted her while opening the door into the vehicle.


    "Yes." Alexa answered with a frown, the girl seemed to love frowning, even if it made her face look even less cute, "Bring me to the bank."


    Alexa had been given these lines and little else, so she used them!


    "The bank Mistress?" The Man from before asked, "You don''t want to go to the Pollito Feilz''s Restaurant anymore?"


    ¡­that sounded like a place that could be fun to visit.


    "No, let''s go to the bank," Alexa answered while noting that name for future research, she wanted to know what they served at the [Pollito Feliz] ''s restaurant.


    "As you say, Mistress," The Man answered as Alexa heard someone climb into the front of the vehicle, "Please put on the seatbelt."


    The what?


    ¡°[Seatbelt, safety device to prevent injury in the case of an incident while driving.]¡±


    That sounded like a good reason to use these, she was surprised they hadn''t ordered her to do the same thing before, but perhaps it was different for [Core Users]?


    Alexa didn''t know.


    But she could guess, maybe the fact that using this device had effectively confined her to a seat was the issue? She doubted there were that many [Core users] that could remove this thing fast enough, and if it was designed to protect or prevent injury in cases of an accident in one of these devices¡­


    Then it should be sturdy.


    ¡°[Checking Material¡­comparing to theorical limit of host¡­Host will need 2 seconds to remove this restrainment.]¡±


    Even if it wasn''t that hard for her to remove herself from it.


    "Was the food to your liking Mistress? Or do we need to buy another franchise and fire the chef?" The Man spoke from the front, looking at Alexa.


    That sounded like something too convoluted, they bought restaurants to fire one especific person? That was¡­ weird. These particular humans were weirder than normal!


    "Hmph, it was fine." Alexa answered, they had given her a small list within her envelope with phrases she could use and in what settings.


    Aqua or one of her Minions had worked quite hard to give Alexa the information she needed.


    "This is the Stage Director, Minion codename Rhapsody? Touch your chin for yes, look to the right for no. Are you on the Limousine?" A voice spoke to Alexa through the earphones she had been given while on this mission.


    She was indeed in the Limousine, so she touched her chin with her right hand. She also put on a thinking face, if she wasn''t in the Limousine, then how would they know if she looked to the right?


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    "I see. Your father will be happy that you have a new restaurant where you can eat breakfast then." The Man driving her said. They were supposed to be near the Bank, and yet he was still driving. Was he going extra slow? Or perhaps was he taking her to another place? Would she need to deal with him?


    She could always use dessert¡­


    "Good, say to the driver ''Park already, I am bored.'' "The voice in Alexa''s head said.


    "Park already, I am bored." So Alexa said the lines.


    "As you say Mistress," The Man that was driving said, and Alexa felt the vehicle turn and then start to slow down. "We are here."


    ¡­they had been driving in circles? Waiting for Alexa to order for the vehicle to stop? What¡­ why?


    They wasted god knows how much time just for a silly reason like this?!?!?


    "I''ll go park and wait, Mistress," the Man said as he opened the door so that Alexa could descend from the vehicle.


    "Tell the driver: ''Good, I expect a new Limo to be ready, I''m bored of this one.'' And walk into the Bank without waiting for his answer." The voice on Alexa''s head said.


    That sounded like something way too rude!


    Alexa almost didn''t want to say it, since she would be rude! But she needed to follow the script! She couldn''t reveal herself just yet!


    "Good, I expect a new Limo to be ready when I''m done. I''m bored of this one already." Alexa said.


    She hoped that by making her words more full and complex, at least¡­No, to be honest, she was just having fun with this act, so she wanted to extend it a little bit more.


    "As you will," The Man said as he bowed and drove away, as far as Alexa could tell, he was not planning to park anywhere near, as he drove in a straight line away from the [Bank].


    And that was the next thing.


    "Rhapsody, walk into the Bank. This will be the first test to see if they detect anything off." *Crash!* Alexa felt a tremor run through the ground as a vending machine fell from the sky and hit a pole near the other side of the street froom where she was standing.


    "Quick, the sensors may be turned to full power soon enough when the mayhem gets close to the bank." The voice in her head hurried her.


    Which gave her new data, from what this person was saying, they usually ran the sensors of this place at low power. But why? If this [Bank] had anything of value, then shouldn''t they focus their strength on keeping it¡­safe?


    Either way, Alexa walked forward while looking all around (without letting her head or eyes move too much, she was making some extra cameras hidden within her hair to look all around her). As far as she was seeing, there was a weird red strip on the floor.


    When someone stood atop it there would be a green light, yellow light, or red light that would turn on.


    If you had yellow or green, you could enter, but as for red¡­


    "No! I swear I don''t have a core!" People were thrown away when the red light shone; were they moved because they had a [Core]? Or perhaps it was because of something else?


    Even so, the people at the door took the screaming Man away, all the while some people continued waiting, while others just moved forward as if nothing had happened. Alexa wondered what group she should join...


    "If the alarm sounds, you are to neutralize as many people as possible. Our Minions will assist if no alarm sounds. Move into the Bank and search for the office assigned to you." The voice on Alexa''s head said.


    That was easy enough!


    *Step, step, step*


    Alexa walked straight towards the light, or in this case, the weird bar on the floor. It didn''t react to her at all. So Alexa wondered what it was detecting, but then again. She wasn''t the only one like this, she could detect faint mana radiation here and there.


    That meant one of two things, either they had detected her plan and moved accordingly¡­


    The weird thing on the floor either only detected specific [Core Powers], or maybe it was because most of her power didn''t come from her [Core].


    That, or Alexa was merely detecting the guards that stood on each corner of this place, that was also an option, and probably the one that was happening.


    "Okay¡­no alarm triggered, good. Now move to your location. Don''t forget to order the guards around to go out and secure your new Limo," the voice in Alexa''s head said before hanging up on her.


    So it was a call huh?


    Alexa hadn''t expected that one.


    For now, Alexa walked around without staring at the things she was seeing; she had cameras for that!


    The building was¡­neat and simple; there were several counters with people waiting in line and some chairs and sofas for people to wait.


    A couple desks with old women and men here and there, and at the center of everything¡­ A cylinder with a pointy end and flaps at the back. It had a plaque engraved at the bottom that read something along the lines of ''Proof that only a Saintworths Missile is a good missile. ICBM shot at Alexanders Party, neutralized by local defenses and defused by the Man himself, 2018.''


    Alexa wondered why this missile was different from a Saintsworths Missile, and what a Missile was¡­


    "[Missile: A weapon of mass destruction, it is a delivery method for an explosive warhead, usually designed to travel long distances; in this case, the ICBM stands for Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile. Detected traces amount of explosive material within the missile, but the electronic fuse seems to be broken. Extended contact may be needed to restore.]"


    ¡­Alexa didn''t want to restore it though¡­


    "Mistress, do you require something?" All the while, Alexa had been walking around searching for the door that was supposed to guide her to her mission. And sure enough when she walked near the stairs two guards asked her that.


    "You two, go and guard my limo." Alexa remembered that she was supposed to tell them that, "I heard some brute is fighting nearby, I don''t want a single scratch on it."


    So Alexa used that as an excuse, she hadn''t been given any excuse to give, so she would use [Golem] as one!


    "As you command." The two guards looked at each other and started moving, all the while speaking into their radios, asking for someone to cover their spot.


    Alexa cared not for that, and simply started walking up the stairs. As she walked up, she noticed there were fewer people on the second level, and it sounded like there were even fewer people on the third. But for now she would check this level first.


    There were hallways everywhere and the doors had convenient labels here and there, this place reminded Alexa of her previous den, the design on the doors and hallways was very similar after all¡­


    Perhaps this place also had a testing grounds? If possible, Alexa would check on that.


    "Rhapsody? Did you manage to enter the secluded area? We aren''t seeing you anymore on the first floor." The voice on her head spoke once more.


    "I sent two [Human] guards that were near the stairs outside and walked up, I am in a hallway full of doors with labels and no one is around." Alexa answered the voice in her head, making sure to push the button on the earbuds, so her voice could be transmitted.


    "A hallway with doors labeled? Let''s see¡­. The door you want should be marked as B008135." The voice in her head said, "Contact us as soon as you finish planning so we can plan your extraction, we will start the distraction in T-2 minutes."


    So Alexa had less than two minutes before they started going wild outside. She wondered how they would manage to start the attack with such a precision. But well, that wasn''t her problem¡­or [Haephestus'' Forge]''s problem since most of their work was on the outside.


    Whatever this Theater Master wanted, he didn''t seem to want to deal with [Vulcanus] ''s Minions too much.


    "Roger," Alexa said to the voice on her head, and after saluting, the line went dead again.


    Now she only needed to search for the door in question¡­


    B008135¡­


    She felt as if there was a joke to be made there, but couldn''t see it for some reason. Either way, "Onwards!" Alexa said as she started reading the labels on the doors (And taking sneak peeks into the rooms she passed by).


    Most of the rooms she saw were simple office and cubicles, there was also a room that held a refrigerator (It had food with names of [Humans], Alexa took a sandwich named Karen and a drink named Sebastian), and some instruments to eat.


    Weird thing all around, to be honest.


    "[Warning, found traces amounts of chemicals that will induce an unstable bowel movement. Purging.]"


    For some reason, her Sandwich was angry, as it had trace amounts of chemicals that would make Alexa spend some time in the bathroom; she was annoyed enough that she couldn''t metabolize all her food. And now this? Why would her Sandwich want her to purge all her stomach contents!


    She saved her favorite meals there!


    Rude!


    This Karen was rude!


    Alexa would demand to speak with her manager!


    ¡­Do¡­do Sandwiches have managers?


    "Rhapsody to [Sylph], do you copy me?" Alexa decided to verify.


    "Rhapsody? Do you need help? I can blast the stupid Bank if you point me in your direction." [Fan Girl] answered quickly, was she waiting for her call? [Fan Girl] was efficient.


    "Not yet," Alexa answered, "I need to know something."


    Alexa would make sure to remember that [Fan Girl] had offered that, it could be useful as a deterrent if she found someone she couldn''t deal herself.


    "Go ahead, I''m bored as is. And they haven''t noticed me up here. So no flying sidekick or Hero has come to play with your big sis." [Fan Girl] said with a sigh in her tone.


    "Do¡­do sandwiches have managers or bosses?" Alexa asked seriously.


    She had checked a couple extra rooms, but so far she hadn''t seen the one she needed. The most interesting thing so far had been finding a spare [Underwear] warm to the touch that seemed to fit Alexandra¡­ Or close enough to fit her anyway. Alexa wondered why someone left it in a room full of cleaning products though.


    [Humans] were weird.


    "....Not that I know, why?" [Fan Girl] asked confused.


    Alexa was confused too!


    "My Karen Sandwich was rude, and I wanted to complain to her boss, but I am unsure if they have one." Alexa said while she moved away from the C-series rooms and walked to the B-series rooms.


    "Your¡­Karen Sandwich? Rhapsody, what are you doing? Weren''t you on an infiltration mission?" [Fan Girl] asked, Alexa could see it! She was doing the weird shake-head thing!


    "I found a [Room] with a [Refrigerator] and named food there. I took a sandwich with the name [Karen] and for some reason the Sandwich was made with weird chemical that would hurt Alexa''s tummy and spend two hours in the bathroom! If I hadn''t purged the Karen Sandwich, then I would have felt bad!" Alexa explained her plight, "So I want to complain to her Boss; this Karen Sandwich is rude!"


    [Fan Girl], however, remained silent for some time. Was this too confusing? Alexa was confused by this too! Why would a Karen Sandwich react like that! Alexa had saved it from being consumed by the [Humans]! Granted, it had been consumed nonetheless, but surely it was better to be eaten by a cute Alexa than by some random [Human]!


    "...You are eating a Sandwich that had a label with the name Karen written on it¡­ And it had laxatives? Did I get that right?" [Fan Girl] asked while laughing.


    ¡­Was this funny?


    "Yes? Why?" Alexa said as she passed by the door labeled B00556, she was close.


    "The Sandwich isn''t named Karen, the owner of the lunch you just ate is named Karen. And someone in that office is probably stealing food, so they put laxatives to try and teach someone a lesson. Just¡­be careful if you are eating more of their food okay?" [Fan Girl] said while still laughing.


    "I only took Karen and Sebastian," Alexa said drinking from her Sebastian Soda, "I gotta go¡­ I found the door I was looking for."


    "Have fun!" [Fan Girl] said while cutting the connection.


    Alexa would have fun, she always had fun!


    But for now¡­she opened the door B008135¡­ It was time to steal some¡­she wasn''t sure what, but she would steal it!


    With some luck, this next thing wouldn''t be rude.

 Chapter 100: *Amazing joke for this number that I planned months ago*

    Room B008135, it was more normal than expected. It was a normal office with nothing interesting in it.


    "Rhapsody? Please don''t forget to destroy any and all cameras in the room before doing anything else. The form you have taken is known to be whimsical, so it should not put any dent in your disguise." The voice in her head said as soon as Alexa closed the door.


    Cameras? Oh, right, they had that kind of thing.


    ¡°[Camera Devices found within office, two detected. Marking no line of sight.]"


    Main Core helpfully highlighted the cameras for her, so Alexa took a pair of pens from the desk and threw each of them at a camera, breaking their recording lens and making it impossible for them to keep working.


    That would be enough.


    This was another thing too, cameras. She hadn''t thought about checking for them when escaping her previous den, so there might have been evidence of her escaping. Perhaps not from the first office or laboratory she had escaped into, but there should be evidence of her roaming the facilities and eventually breaching containment.


    She¡­needed to check that, but she also didn''t want to return there, worst case scenario Main Core would link with the local network and try to command her to return to her den. The order for return was long overdue after all.


    ¡°[Host, please proceed with the next step of the plan.]¡± Main Core chimed from within, so Alexa started moving.


    "Is there any place I should look first?" Alexa asked to the voice in her head. She wanted to cover her bases before starting.


    "The safe should be either on the desk drawer or on a wall, probably behind a painting or a photo." The voice in her head answered.


    A painting or a photo, huh¡­


    Alexa first opened the cabinets all around to make sure she wasn''t missing anything, so far she only found some folders and a few magazines with pictures of the human body, perhaps the owner of this place was also a shifter?


    There were mostly pictures of the female anatomy here, so maybe whoever owned this office wanted to perfect the female form? Alexa could understand that, she also had made sure Main Core combed the internet to create the perfect form for Alexandra after all.


    If she was to be the most gorgeous, there could be no expense wasted. Her Alexa form didn''t need such help since she was the cutestest from default, and since being pretty is a cute adjacent, Ale also hadn''t needed that boost.


    Either way, Alexa discarded those magazines while Main Core took a sample of the pictures to compare later. They showed some anatomic positions that Alexa hadn''t thought to test before; perhaps there was an advantage to them?


    She would let Alexandra check later.


    For now¡­


    "Time to check the frames and pictures." Alexa started checking behind the frames and pictures.


    The first ones were those on the desk, there wasn''t any safe behind them or within their make. So these were the easiest one to verify, afterwards Alexa went to the pictures on the shelf and some on the bookshelf.


    When that was done Alexa moved to those on the walls, some were nailed in place and in turn were harder to remove, Alexa hadn''t needed to check too many for she found a metal door soon enough.


    "Found the safe." Alexa said into her earpiece, "I''m moving to the second phase."


    Alexa focused inwardly, first making sure all the subroutines were up to date, she didn''t want to have any problems while doing her shifts after all.


    ¡°[Cancelling current shift, moving to secondary shift.]¡±


    Main Core of course returned all the signs green and moved to change her body into the secondary configuration. This one was the body of the¡­


    Not Male, but [Human] who had all the genetic material to be a male, with a body that was weirdly modified to look female.


    "I still hate this form." Alexa said as she settled the change and tested her voice," Yup, still hurts."


    And did it hurt?


    "Okay Rhapsody, move to the safe, if possible put your hand atop the handle and try to open it, it should open thanks to the biometric lock." The voice in her head said, and Alexa obeyed.


    She placed her hand at the handle and tried to open it, she felt a small discharge of lightning into her hand. She¡­ wasn''t quite sure why they did it like this, was it malfunctioning?


    "...did it open? We expect some kind of defense against shifters, but [The Theater Master] said it would be fine if you did it." Defenses? The voice in her head knew there would be some type of defense and didn''t tell Alexa?


    "It discharged some lightning, but besides that, nothing so far. Should I prepare for an attack?" Alexa answered to the voice in her head and extended the range of the cameras hidden within her head.


    So far nothing had shown itself on the walls, no [Gun] deployment¡­


    "No, it should be¡­wait, lightning discharge? and your transformation didn''t get canceled?" The voice in her head asked confused, "...was it too small?"


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Was it small?


    "It was around 75,000 watts," Alexa answered while opening the safe. It was no longer discharging any lightning, so Alexa decided to pry it open.


    "...that is above the normal taser discharge, so we triggered some defenses, but not enough for a silent alarm?" The voice in her head said confused, "...either way, good job not screaming or letting go. Now we can move to the last phase of this."


    ¡­why would she scream? It hurt yes, but it wasn''t like the worst thing she had felt, that would still be the¡­booba incident.


    That hurt too much. She was half convinced that letting only Alexandra have that memory would be better, but sadly, all her forms needed the data since it occurred at her job.


    Also, having dedicated memory storage seemed like too much of a problem.


    "Moving on to third phase then." Alexa said, leaving this form behind and taking on the third and last one.


    With this one she started rummaging inside the safe, some documents and folders, a couple stacks of money (She totally didn''t take one of those to buy herself some snacks later) and some jewelry.


    But so far, nothing too impressive.


    "Do you see a black panel at the back?" The voice in her head suddenly chimed in, "If you do, place your hand on that for five seconds. It should open, if you see anything inside take it and leave, if nothing is inside, then that is that. You may take anything inside and leave at your leisure."


    Alexa did see a panel at the back of the safe, so placing her hand there she let it rest for the time being.


    She still had some wiggle-wiggles growing from her arm to collect the interesting things; she would take some of the bracelets for Mister Squeaky and perhaps some of the rings for Commodore Soap.


    They would give a good look to that pair.


    *Click*


    And while thinking about that, the back of the safe opened, inside was a folder and a small data bank, Alexa was about to report that, but something made her stop.


    What was it that stopped her, you ask?


    ¡°[Warning, sensitive data found. Reporting data to superiors is ill-advised.]"


    ''The Bio-Weapon Program, weapon showcase. The P4-series weapon.''


    That was what it was written on it, Alexa took the data drive and ripped out the data in one go without waiting for Main Core to even process it.


    ¡°[Data catalogued, found specifications for the CRAB form, some limitations on combat from fights against other P-series subjects and theoretical limits while doing urban fights.]¡±


    Alexa was reading as fast as Main Core was decoding, the folder included some pictures of her previous form, and some mentions about her ability to take in the designs of those that she defeated.


    Also some examples of how she had moved from a normal drone into an animalistic form. There was even some forms of her first iterations as a box with four wheels¡­.


    "Rhapsody? Did you get something?" The voice¡­the operator assigned to her asked.


    "Nothing of value." Alexa answered as she continued reading, there were some other papers too of course, mostly unimportant stuff, some mentions to a base being built on what seemed to be an [Antartica] isolated from the rest of the world.


    A few mentions of a project for an artificial island.


    "We don''t pay you to determine what is important. Was there anything at all? Some files? A memory bank? Money? What was there?" The operator seemed to grow restless as Alexa answered without giving specific data.


    There, while going through the folders, Alexa found something that she could use.


    "There are some folders about buying people as test subjects to experiment with them, some plans to send them to an isolated island and get a continuous stream of test subjects." Alexa picked the folder in question, she didn''t peruse it that much since it dealt with the lives of [Humans], it had a breeding plan and everything.


    But Alexa was more interested on her own folder, and how it had the specifications of her design¡­


    And what it was doing here, it was marked to be delivered today too¡­


    So they received it today and stored it for later perusal¡­ Or they would later check on it if not for Alexa coming at the right time to steal the data.


    "...nothing else?" The operator asked.


    "Some other projects, but most have the same rough taste. Does your employer want to join this business?" Alexa asked with a smirk as she shifted back to her normal form.


    Her Alexa form, her [Child Stage] form.


    "If so I will need to report this to [Cerberus], I am sure she will need to rethink [Haephestus'' Forge] allegiance to you." Alexa was of course bullshitting right now, she wasn''t sure how much they cared for other [Humans].


    She was sure [Vulcanus] didn''t care about them, the [Elder] was a maybe, but [Eleanore]? Alexa was sure she cared.


    "....no, we don''t want those either. You may destroy them or sell the data if you desire." The¡­man in her head sighed as he spoke. "You may leave at your own pace, that was all we required of you, any future action will require authorization, call the normal operator and they will point you in the correct direction, the other members of [The Theater Troupe] will deal with their targets."


    So more people had other missions similar to her?


    Alexa made sure to put her mask in place as her Nuzller Armor Mk1 settled on her body atop the [BodySuit]. "Do any of the other members require assistance?" Alexa asked as she flooded the folder and everything in the safe with her nanites, she put them into search and destroy.


    She couldn''t allow any data about her to be in the open, not so close to her current area of activities, if anyone ever pieced together the connections between P4 and her¡­


    Or worse, if anyone ever remembered how P4 introduced herself¡­


    It could put at risk everything, they would know that Alexa was not really [Human]... Alexa would need to leave!


    Or worse, find another job¡­If they ever pieced together that she used [Nanites]...The unnatural hate against them¡­Alexa wasn''t sure how she would feel if [Fan Girl], [Golem], [Eleanore] and [Elder] hated her¡­


    "So far no one has asked for reinforcements, you may go about as you wish, the heist is going well, if you decide to participate just go around and find someone to hit. Director out." And like that the man in her head hung up on her, again.


    Alexa gave the office a second look and made sure there wasn''t anything else that could point to her. Once she was sure there wasn''t anything that could point to her, Alexa started shifting her arms too.


    ¡°[Updating Arm-Mament blueprint. Setting up to match host current bodytype, advice. Change to form set up for this Blueprint.]"


    ¡­right, Alexa had been to surprised that she hadn''t thought about that. Her current Nuzller Armor and Arm-Mament were made with Ale''s body in mind¡­


    "Fine¡­But if she screws it over, we aren''t giving her more mango." Alexa grumbled as her body started shifting once more.


    Her armor moved with her and settled over her body as the form changed, Alexa grew in size and the armor grew with her.


    Soon enough the armor hugged her body just right and her arm-mament matched the overall design of her new body armor.


    "I am not the one that struggles to keep focus on one thing," Ale grumbled as she stretched and made sure everything was in order.


    The mask and helmet of course were tightly atop her head and face, but even so she made sure nothing was wrong. Nothing was worse than having faulty equipment in a combat.


    After making sure her armor was up to order, Ale did a second scan of the safe to make sure there wasn''t anything out of place¡­


    And then closed it and sealed it by soldering the door to the walls, at least this way it would take some extra time to notice someone had taken(and destroyed) everything that was within.


    "Okay, Main Core. Time to boogie, call all the minions of [Haephestus'' Forge] and find someone who is in combat and requires reinforcements." Ale said walking to the door into this office, she extended a small tendril and made it bore into the wall, she needed to find the cameras on the outside to know where to destroy before walking out.


    She didn''t want to expose her powers if possible. Not if there were papers saying outright what she was able to do as P4.


    ¡°[Sent global ping, so far no answers found. But there are a couple of sites that have a probability of starting combat, marking all the possible encounter sites.]." Main Core said as Alexa prepared some projectiles atop her right hand.


    Now she only needed a delivery method¡­


    Oh right, she still had that right?


    "Main Core, mark those locations on my map." Ale said standing near the door, she raised her hands towards each camera''s location on the other side of the door and pointed with her fingers at where they stood. "Also, start building the [Gun] blueprint''s delivery system that we took before."


    Ale, and Alexa for that matter, had the Blueprint of a [Gun] from [Lieutenant]; they had never used them, though, mostly because she had been so used to not being able to use [Guns].


    But that was before, now that she wasn''t beholden to anyone¡­No one could stop her from building this.


    She took the delivery system of the [Gun], a system that used smokeless gunpowder to propel projectiles at high speeds toward their targets.


    She used that as a base and built something similar in both index fingers of her Arm-mament. Then pointed in the direction that she needed and prepared to build the delivery system.


    She only needed to create a small chamber and cover it on [Steel], like this she had made everything that she needed for her impromptu [Gun], and merely pulling the trigger in her mind was enough to shoot two of her [Metal Nails] against the cameras.


    Sure enough, the nails flew through the air, hitting the camera square in the center. That was enough to get rid of them, so Ale didn''t attempt to do more, for now.


    What she had to do later was different after all, she needed to convince someone that she was combat capable, so they didn''t think too much about it. She needed to ingrain into their minds that she was a [Human Core User], not a bioweapon that had the abilities they exposed about her.


    The good thing was that the folder didn''t go into too much detail about how she did her things; it only stated that she was able to assimilate what she defeated, not the means to do it.


    It had some pictures of her feasting on her defeated enemies. While she liked to do that, it wasn''t necessary; it was something that just made her job easier.


    As long as she acquired the [Blueprint], that step could be ignored after all. It was just more efficient to use the biomass from her defeated enemies to build their parts.


    Also she needed to find the people whose job had been similar to hers, and find if they had found data folders like the ones she had found.


    Easy, peasy.


    ¡­.dang it.

 Chapter 1: We return to our roots...kinda

    The alarm started sounding during lunch, which was considered the worst possible time for it to happen.


    "Sir? The calls are starting to spill into the number of the workers¡­" And if that wasn''t enough, his not-girlfriend was starting to get creative. He wasn''t quite sure if this was because of his more recent advances into the neural synapsis acquired from his recent¡­ [Core]. Or because he was that good.


    "*Sigh* Fine, I was about to finish anyway." Alexanders sighed and pulled out his phone. To be honest, he had expected Sapphire to turn on the phone and blast him with a sound alarm of a dragon roar.


    Sapphire had not done that. Instead, she had played along with his shenanigans and spam-called every phone in the area since Alexanders had used his privileges over the network to redirect the calls to everyone else.


    "What''s the matter Sapphire?" Alexanders said, deactivating the trojan he had injected on the network, letting the call connect to his earphones.


    "Hello love, nothing much. By the way, your date has lined up dates in several Saintsworths love hotels for the next week." Sapphire said cheerfully into his ear.


    "Of course she does; she is an actress." Alexanders answered with a shrug, "Also she is not a date, she is one of the Voice Actress of my favorite series, I just wanted to make sure she would accept the job when they asked for a second season."


    And he really liked her job as a voice actress, "Please tell me you haven''t overloaded the phone network just to tell me this. I don''t care much about what she does in her private life." Alexanders, against all odds, didn''t really care much about the private life of others; all he really cared about was that his favorite character kept the voice he liked.


    "Not really, just making sure you weren''t getting your hopes up with that bitch." Sapphire giggled on the phone, this girl¡­ "Also, your pet project is moving out. We detected several silent alarms triggering. Haephestus'' Forge seems to be moving out in tandem with The Theater Master Troupe."


    She was moving with the psycho? Well, that was¡­a dangerous thought to have.


    "Yes, I''m monitoring all the vehicles and they are using the usual strategy of hitting multiple targets to diulte the defense response, so far there are eight possible targets," Sapphire said and sent an image to his terminal. The phone vibrated and so, Alexanders put it on the table.


    A few seconds laters a hologram projection bloomed atop the table with a map of the city, some dots started showing on it, some reds concentrated around the middle of the map, and some blue traveling toward the red dots.


    There were some dots bigger than others, "Can you identify the hostiles?" Alexanders asked as the some of the dots stopped moving while others continued.


    "Of course I can darling," Sapphire answered and some names started showing on the map.


    [Aqua - Villain / Sidekick, A-List]


    [Gabriel - Villain / Sidekick, A-List]


    [Unidentified - Villain, B-List]


    [.... - C-List]


    The list went on and on; Alexanders was quite surprised by the amount of power Vulcanus had invested in this one. What had that psychopath offered him to let some of his most powerful minions join in on it?


    "Can you identify this one? How can it be a B-List Villain if we don''t have any data on him?" Alexanders said pointing at one of the bigger dots, the hologram reacted and created a videofeed for Alexanders.


    On it he could see a gigant creature made of rocks and asphalt, it looked like a titan or a golem from ancient myths. He understood why Sapphire had classified it as B-List, but¡­ "That is probably a Minion," Alexanders said, looking at the creature.


    "You sure? He seems quite powerful, maybe its unrelated to this event? But it felt too convenient, so I listed it." Sapphire said as a small projection of her showed on the hologram, hovering around Alexanders face.


    "Yeah, where is he moving to?" Alexanders said, and the hologram reacted to his input. It showed a series of arrows pointing towards¡­ one of the banks. The government one, not¡­


    Oh¡­


    "They are planning to hit our bank, aren''t they?" Alexanders said smirking, now, why would they want to hit one of his banks?


    They didn''t have that much money in them since most of it was whisked away by the use of the private underground systems that he had set up to empty the money. No one knew of this since they still drove armored vehicles to the bank and drove away empty bags of trash.


    The most expensive trash of them all.


    "No evidence of that yet, love," Sapphire said as she refocused on the dots in the map.


    "Any evidence of our pet project?" Alexanders asked, he needed to know what his little gremlin would do.


    "None so far," Sapphire answered. Alexanders decided that it was enough of a show for the other people in the restaurant.


    So he stood up and walked out of the place, a vehicle was already waiting for him with the door open for him.


    "Need a ride handsome?" A purple-haired girl asked him from the driver seat, a holographic projection of Sapphire acting as if she was driving the smart vehicle.


    "Sure," Alexanders smirked as he climbed into the vehicle; the door closed on its own as soon as he was sitting, and the front windshield morphed from a normal crystal into a screen with the data of the surrounding area. The map moved towards the area of conflict that Sapphire had shown him before soon enough.


    "The daughter of the Pryce family was in one of the nearby areas of conflict, but this is interesting here," Sapphire said as she pointed to a restaurant, then with the flick of her wrist Sapphire drew a line from it to the Saintsworths bank, "She is reported to have arrived at the bank, but also is reported to have entered the shelter under the restaurant."


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    That was indeed interesting, "So she either has a [Core Power] that allows her to be in two places at the same time¡­" Alexanders said bringing up the file of the girl, a somewhat chubby girl with a bad temper and all the signs of being the antagonist for any romance series.


    "Or your pet project somehow learned to simulate the powers of a shapeshifter, a mimic class shapeshifter." Sapphire nodded from the driver seat, she had started driving around the city, going around the area of conflict.


    That was¡­ "Well, she did have some skills similar to that already, didn''t she?" Alexanders said bringing up the P4 file, all the known strategies and skills she had shown.


    He had thought that the crab had subsumed the body of one of the students at first, but if she instead had the skills of a shapeshifter¡­Well, that changed things.


    Then she hadn''t killed any random kid and instead had made that body from¡­well, god knows what.


    "Hmmm¡­ bring up the files of any known Minion or Villain that started showing in recent days, nay. Bring the data of any Minion that started moving after this Alexa girl ran away." Alexanders corrected himself, he didn''t need data on the random minion, vigilante, minion, hero or sidekick.


    He only needed to know what this particular crab girl had done.


    "We don''t have much data, the most viral thing that appeared was a video of Chrysalis killing another Minion, but the video data from her suit shows some weird data, here." Sapphire brought a new video, this time it was not of a little girl, or even a teenager, instead it was of a woman roughly around his age.


    On the video Chrysalis had encased the woman into one of her shells to immobilize her, and the woman started crying about being hurt only for her body to be severed in half.


    Chrysalis had stopped moving for a few minutes as the woman crawled into a sewer and threw herself in, the video feed had sound, so Alexanders heard the crack as the body hit the ground.


    Chrysalis then used the equipment made for the disposing of mutants or uncontrolled Insect [Core Users], a little overboard if Alexanders was to be asked.


    "Yeah, that is an extreme use of the skills that P4 showed on the combat test, and perhaps a little too much if you ask me," Alexanders said grimacing as the video started once again.


    This time, Sapphire took the time to show the discrepancies in the video, "Here, you can see the force field keeping form even though the body is starting to compress itself." And sure enough, with the augmentation from Sapphire''s program, it was easy to see.


    The girl had played Chrysalis like a pro, and then ran away while she was panicking, not from guilt of course, that one was also a psycho, instead Chrysalis had been too surprised to react in time. And when she did, she did the usual and instead had attempted to clean the evidence.


    The problem had been because someone had reported the incident with this video, and while Alexanders could see the evidence of her innocence, it didn''t mean that anyone else could, since there was problematic data on it, such as Chrysalis throwing a bomb to deal with the corpse.


    If there was a corpse down there that is.


    "Do we have telemetry from that thing?" Alexanders asked pausing the video when Chrysalis took the bomb, "That one is made by one of our subsidiaries right?"


    The bomb had an interesting design, Alexanders was half sure that it was from them.


    "Nothing shows up darling, this psycho was not deemed important enough for monitoring, she kills too often and isn''t expected to succeed SuperForce, if she was expected to achieve those levels of powers then maybe¡­" Sapphire brought Chrysalis'' file and her normal levels of powers that she had been shown to demonstrate, which were nothing too impressive, just barely enough to be a threat.


    But that was about it; her principal worth was the fact that she could help them make new artifacts with some money, unlike SuperForce, or the most powerful A-List heroes.


    "A shame, any data on the minion that we suspect is Alexa?" Alexanders asked, rewinding the video once again and focusing on the woman.


    "Hmm¡­.it is logged as Rhapsody on the database sent to us by Vulcanus," Sapphire said bringing a new data folder, this one had some extra data, namely, two other pictures.


    "So she wasn''t¡­" Alexanders was about to say that this Rhapsody wasn''t Alexa, when he noticed something in the images and zoomed into the pictures, "...is¡­is this girl pretending to be her own legal guardian?"


    The photos showed three different people, the first was the girl that had walked out of the weapon''s development facility. Alexandra Saintsworths.


    The second photo showed a girl a little older and taller, the file refered to her as Alexandra Saintsworths.


    Then, lastly, the young woman who he had seen wounded by Chrysalis, disfigured, and then who had thrown herself into a sewer, also named Alexandra Saintsworth.


    "Oh, there is an update on the files; let me load it," Sapphire said, and the data on the three girls changed.


    "...really?" Alexanders said sighing, "Alexa Saintsworths, Ale Saintsworths and Alexandra Saintsworths? That is the update?"


    It was ridiculous of course, the three were the same, it was just as if he decided to dye his hair and start using a new name. No one would believe that, just as how he wouldn''t believe.


    "There is a note on the HR''s database; it seems they suspect her to have DID, and the note claims that she has at least five identities, each with their own personality and some of them sharing memories between each other," Sapphire said as she brought the extra data file to the front.


    DID?


    "So she is cultivating multiple identities, huh? Wonder how that came to be." Alexanders didn''t see any reason for that¡­Unless Alexa was pretending that her (Probably) terrible social skills were from having DID?


    That was quite the rude statement, having that didn''t meant one was socially inept¡­or so Alexanders thought, he didn''t haved that particular problem, he had ego problems, some pride problems and maybe (MAYBE) some megalomania problems, but not DID.


    "Perhaps P4 is attempting to garner pity?" Sapphire chimed from the side, she had parked the vehicle somewhere, Alexanders had stopped caring about where he was going while reading the file that Vulcanus had made about Alexa.


    "Pity? Alexa? Why would she even need that? She only needs to subsume the data needed from some random target and she should get all needed to integrate into human society, she has no need for pity." Alexanders quickly threw that idea out of his mind, it was honestly, quite ridiculous that something that he had made would even attempt to garner pity from others.


    He had no need for pity, so why would one of his creations need it?


    "But can she do that?" Sapphire said turning to look at him, "Her Ai Core is it good enough to parse the human emotions?"


    ¡­Could the ND0 system do it?


    "It should¡­.?" Alexanderes said unsure, "It should be able to do it, the AI Core should be able to grow and adapt as needed, and if she is using a human form, then the AI Core should be able to use the extra brain matter as extra ram to parse everything. She should be using the human brain as a translator, so it should be doable."


    At least if she was using the brain as external hardware, but there was no reason why Alexa would be running her OS from the human brain while using the AI core as subsidiary. That would be stupid.


    "And where are we anyway?" Alexanders said as he started noticing people running outside of his vehicle, they seemed like quite in a rush.


    "We are a few blocks away from the State Bank, the probable target. And this one had one of the government banks nearby, so in case their true aim is elsewhere, we can get there in time, too." Sapphire said, opening an extra compartment at the back.


    Alexanders wasn''t surprised by that, mostly because he was the one who had put all the hidden compartments on his vehicles; it was a nice way to get stuff while traveling without sacrificing too much. Also, it made it easier for him to get his things from point A to point B.


    It was quite surprising the degree of things a crazy person would do to get his hands on stuff Alexanders had used; at the beginning, it was flattering; after some time, it was annoying, and right now, he only wanted to burn and cut those people''s hands.


    As for what the things were that Sapphire brought¡­.


    "A bodysuit armor, a pair of handguns, a tool belt, and an assault rifle?" Alexanders said checking the package. "You don''t pull punches, huh."


    "The best for the most handsome man on this planet," Sapphire winked at him from the front and never once pretended to look anywhere else; of course, since she was a hologram, it was a pointless gesture. Sapphire was looking at him from the cameras and not from the projected eyes on her smiling hologram, which eyed him with hunger.


    Had it been a real woman, Alexanders would have feared for his dignity and purity (Because of course he had purity, he was no debauchery dragon as some implied of him), but since Sapphire was a program. And AI, he was safe.


    Even if the girl was acting more and more human every day, her current AI Core had grown by leaps and bounds since he started using his [Core Power] to further his research on the [Consciouness].


    Perhaps he was walking closer and closer to terrain that was not meant for humans¡­ Not that he would stop.


    "Right¡­well, I''ll suit up then I guess, keep an eye on Alexa and the members of the [Theater Troupe]." Alexanders said as he started undressing and wearing the skintight undersuit, "Patch through the local police calls that are dealing with this event, and the hero networks. I guess it is time for my debut as¡­will it be a Hero or a Villain in this case?"


    "Of course it will be whatever you want," Sapphire chimed from the side, "Not like they will be able to stop you, even if your power is being a magnet the might of the Saintsworths can''t be denied."


    ¡­He was not a magnet.


    While most people with his power would never be able to get above C-List, he was not most people, movies and tv always made those with elemental powers strong powerhouses, but in the real world, having these powers required a great amount of control and knowledge about physics¡­


    Unless your power was bullshit and included instincts that worked as a crutch for you, his powers also included those crutches of course, but he had verified and used his own means to confirm that these instincts were correct.


    He would not be average.


    He would not be played by his own [Core Powers].


    If there was something that Alexanders hated more than anything was someone else telling him what to do and how, he would remain himself.


    He would be himself and would not allow anyone else to dictate what he was or who he was.


    Not his nightmares, not the masses, not the politics, the board of directors, his father, or his clan.


    The only one who could decide what or who Alexanders Saintsworths was or would be. Would be himself and no one else.


    "Have I told you how handsome you look in that tight skinsuit?" Sapphire chimed from the side.


    Well, perhaps he could allow his personal AI to have some opinions about himself, "Of course, I am Alexanders Saintsworths." Alexanders answered as he stepped outside the vehicle, the helmet on his head coming up to the light as it went through multiple diagnostics to ensure everything was okay.


    And a small Sapphire manifesting on his lenses, "Make sure my alternate name is not being used by anyone, wouldn''t want the heathens to be confused when I present myself." Alexanders smiled under his helmet, this next part?


    This would be where the fun would start.

 Chapter 2: The return of V-8!

    It hadn¡¯t been easy to find something to do in the bank, it was quite interesting to find out that, Ale had thought that it would be a matter of exiting and finding herself in a combat situation, as she had destroyed the cameras before exiting. This should have raised some degree of alarm...


    It did not, Ale exited into the hallway and found it deserted. The only thing that she found different was a weird red light on the ceiling.


    ¡°[Notice, there may have been a silent alarm system in place. Also it is possible that other Minions have started combat.]¡±


    Well, that simplified things, Main Core had mentioned that there were some places that were supposed to have combat, so for now Ale decided to move towards those locations. It would do her good to test her new Nuzzler Armor.


    So she ran, Ale ran and ran, checking the data that Main Core was sending her, she decided to take a route that would take her behind the bank, there was supposed to be a fight there as some of the Minions were supposed to make sure the [Heroes] didn¡¯t do a pincer attack on those working within the bank.


    Also some of those that had managed to get the targets were supposed to evacuate from that side, Ale was also supposed to leave from that side after all.


    ¡°Keep moving people! Anyone that is suspected to be under the Core Power of [The Theater Master] will be fired!¡± Ale heard while running past one corridor, if her map was to be believed, that one led to a [Bunker], some defensive construct that they were supposed to ignore unless one of their targets went that way, and even then, they were supposed to report first. ¡°A minion! Move it people! If that one comes this way before we close the door, we are toast!¡±


    The same one screamed and ran past the mass of people.


    Ale had half a mind to just let go and start butchering¡­


    ¡°[Notice, too much evidence would be left, it is advised to not proceed with that line of thought at the time.]¡±


    Right¡­ She could do that later, maybe if some of them tried to run into the sewers? Could she egg them to move that way? It was something to think on later, maybe she could even herd a few toward Sam?


    Would he even enjoy human flesh?


    She would need to speak with Alexandra later about that, she doubted the top side would like it, but perhaps the lower side?


    Alexandra could keep the yucky side, but Ale wanted to pat the lower half. Those beady eyes were Justice.


    ¡°[Host?]¡±


    What?


    Did she stand there just thinking about that? People may start thinking she was weird, only Alexa was weird, Ale on the other hand was the prettiestest, she couldn¡¯t be weird, being weird wasn¡¯t pretty behaviour.


    For now she marked this place on her mental map and continued running towards her destination, she didn¡¯t find more of those bunkers, but did find a couple [Humans] trying to hide within their offices.


    ¡°Bunker that way,¡± Ale would say occasionally to some people who nodded profusely at her while running away. One of them even said that she looked cute in the outfit, ¡°Not cute, I am pretty.¡±


    She would of course correct those people, the difference was important, if she was called Cute, then Alexa may take the compliment for herself, these were of Ale. Alexa got most of the compliments since she was around the most, Ale also wanted some compliments dang it!


    *Crash*


    Either way, while coming in this direction, Ale finally heard the sound of combat and the evidence of the same. As she found a group of Minions with domino-like masks being hurdled against the interior of the bank.


    ¡°Really? Only this? [The Theater Master] underestimates us a little too much, don¡¯t you think?¡± A voice that Ale recognized sounded from the door as it was opened, a man wearing a full body armor with blue colors and sleek design walked forward.


    ¡°[Hero Designation: V-8].¡± Ale said as she recognized the man.


    ¡°Hoh? A fan? Sorry but I don¡¯t sign anything from minions at work, you may join the line in the next convention, I will be signing merch at GalaxyCon on the second day in aisle A-1.¡± V-8 said dismissively as he looked down at her, ¡°Here a freebie, you tell me where is that bitch Aqua and I¡¯ll give you a free VIP pass.¡±


    On his hand was a golden-like ticket and some of the minions on the floor turned to look at her, they seemed to be¡­guarded.


    ¡°[Notice, hidden communication detected, intercepting¡­Decyphering¡­It¡¯s a warning that host may turn hostile and they are asking about implementing a countermesure against host¡­ Analyzing gear provided to host¡­found countermeasure, destroying countermeasures¡­.done, host may proceed as she wishes.]¡±


    ¡­She wasn¡¯t going to betray her employer tho.


    That was an Alexa thing, or maybe a P4 thing? Either way, she had no interest in that GalaxyCon thing besides a means to acquire free [Blueprints].


    ¡°I refuse,¡± So Ale answered.


    ¡°Tch¡­well, don¡¯t think poorly of me for hitting a fan, you are wearing a minion¡¯s mask while in a bank that called for help after all.¡± V-8 then shone in blue lightning as he blurred.


    ¡°[Warning, Mana burst detected, high speed object detected. Speedster protocol enabled. 300% energy burn, perception accelerated.]¡±


    Ale then saw the world crawl to a stop; within this frozen world, she could see V-8 releasing occasional lightning into the air as he walked, not running or even attempting to move fast; he merely walked.


    She saw him kick a few of the minions that were on his way and these seemed to move while being in contact with him, only for them to freeze as soon as they left contact with him. Not a single one of them seemed able to react to him either.


    ¡°Main Core? How much Energy will it require for us to react at this speed?¡± Ale asked inwardly as she saw him move closer and closer to her.


    ¡°[Impossible, the cost of energy and biomass is too prohibitive to achieve.]¡± Main Core answered, well that sucked.


    ¡°Then?¡± Ale asked, if there was no way to react, then doing this was pointless. Why waste energy only to be able to perceive how someone kicked her?


    ¡°[Speedster Protocols enabled, releasing a burst of Biomass into the form of ultra-thin feelers surrounding host, connecting them to body synapses to react at the touch. Host, brace for automated Reaction.]¡± Main Core answered back, Ale felt the drop in both her Mana and her Biomass count.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    She also felt the [Feelers] as Main Core called upon her resources to expand them around her. The previous time she had used tendrils to make him fall, so was that why Main Core was using Tendrils connected to her nerve endings?


    Either way, V-8 continued sauntering her way, happy and nonchalantly kicking Minions.


    ¡°Hmm¡­.you look¡­.from up close you have this same vibe that the Minion Chrysalis messed up, but that can¡¯t be right? You are missing some assets on the chest and rear area.¡± V-8 said as he took the first step into her tendril-laced area.


    ¡°[Reaction confirmed, presence of Mana Wavelength confirmed, the host is under the effect of a weird energy field. Body seems to be under effects that allow moving at higher speeds than possible, no effect on the Consciousness Stream, proceeding with second part.]¡±


    And just as fast as that message came, Ale felt the muscles on her right leg compress and lash out.


    *Crack*


    She also felt several of the bones in her leg break as they moved against the body of V-8 and sent him flying against one of the walls, the perception of time lasted but a second. And as soon as her leg stopped being in contact with him, she felt herself being frozen once again.


    Then again¡­


    ¡°[Target incapacitated, ending energy burn¡­]¡±


    That also meant that she had her perception returned to normal only to find herself with a broken leg raised on the air, of course her leg remained normal looking, as her muscles were keeping her in form.


    ¡°[Starting regeneration of muscles, bones and blood vessels.]¡±


    Of course, no one knew of her plight, besides maybe V-8? He may have felt her leg break on contact, but she wasn¡¯t sure if he was even awake at the moment, since Ale could only see his legs dangling from the wall¡­


    Did she kick him that hard?


    ¡°[Answer, unable to control strength of host on speedster protocol, the body should be sturdier since it must endure the friction of the air and the breaking of the sound barrier.]¡±


    Ale turned to look at the wall that now had V-8 embedded, no signs of life¡­


    ¡°Everyone all right?¡± Ale said aloud, turning to look at the minions that had just hit against the walls.


    ¡°We are okay¡­didn¡¯t know you were also a speedster, so that was why [The Theater Master] wanted you on the job, huh.¡± One of the minions that had been thrown against one of the walls said as he stood up. ¡°Did you have too much trouble defeating him? I never get used to fights between speedsters.¡±


    But she was not a speedster?


    ¡°I am not a Speed [Core User],¡± Ale said walking towards V-8, she needed to make sure if he was alive or not, maybe they would let her keep him if he was dead?


    ¡°Then how did you fight him?¡± The domino-masked minion question said while limping to her side and walking with her. Did he get hit that hard?


    ¡°I just kicked him when he walked near me; when he touches you, you get momentarily affected by his [Core Power], so I just set up a reflex kick and when I got under the effects of his [Core Power] just kicked him,¡± Ale answered poking at V-8¡¯s leg.


    She heard him groan between the rubble of the wall, so he was still alive huh¡­


    ¡°[Drilling into armor¡­collecting samples¡­.]¡±


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 32.1314%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Blueprint acquired, [Speed Core], [Accel Core], [Burst Core].


    Mythril Armor blueprint Acquired.


    Blueprint acquired, [Modified Human Blueprint]


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="width: 34.2147%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Speedster Armor:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Mythril reinforced high-power power suit. Subpar design. Works by leeching off energy from the kinetic energy generated while moving at high speeds when Core Power is activated. Works as a limiter in case of emergency.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Nice.


    Ale was quite happy with this haul, now if only she could keep the body¡­


    ¡°What are the protocols to deal with this type of situation?¡± Ale said, turning to the Domino-masked Minion, who limped to her side.


    ¡°Usually we just entertain the Heroes while a Villain comes and deal with them, then we restrain them and shove to the side, V-8 hasn¡¯t been restrained like so before since he usually just limps away at super speed or straight up runs away¡­¡± The domino-masked minion said, whistling and pointing behind him to other Minions. ¡°To be honest, he will probably run away either way, since the super speed thing lets him have enough time to think of a way of releasing himself from the restraints, but might as well¡­¡±


    Unless¡­


    ¡°I can maybe manage to restrain him if you provide me with the material,¡± Ale said turning to look at the domino-masked minion at her side, she had been holding V-8 by the leg since Main Core required contact to take the sample, and she wanted to see if she could get hold of a live [Core].


    ¡°How so?¡± The domino-masked minion at her side asked as other minions came with several cases with what seemed to be multiple restraining devices.


    ¡°I am a [Molecular Shifter],¡± Ale said eyeing the devices, so many possible blueprints¡­


    ¡°And¡ªOh¡­.ooooh, Everyone!¡± The domino-mask domino-masked minion that she had been talking sounded like he was suddenly happier, ¡°Get us the heavier set of chains and the ultrasonic radar!¡±


    What was the second one for?


    ¡°Move it!¡± The domino-masked minion screamed and the others left the cases there and ran outside once more, ¡°So, how far can you manipulate things? Usually, you shifters are finicky with what you do, and I assume that a Molecular one is more finicky, anyway. Can you fuse the chains we will get you to one of the pillars?¡±


    That was¡­doable¡­


    ¡°Yeah, so long the material is simple enough and my [Core Powers] can affect them, I may need some [Biomass] or [Energy] depending on the degree of complexity,¡± Ale answered with a shrug, to be honest she doubted it would take that much Biomass, Energy was something she was sure it would consume though.


    ¡°Hmm¡­.Biomass? Energy? Explain.¡± The domino-mask minion said as a heavier case was placed near them, and other domino-mask Minion started using a weird [Gun] like object against the pillars surrounding the exit.


    ¡°[Biomass] would be anything I can eat or [Consume], preferably [Meat], but most [Food] qualifies for that. As for [Energy], I mostly depend on [Dextrose] or [Sugar] to achieve my means, I am partial to [Mango] flavored things though.¡± Ale answered poking with her finger at one of the chains, they felt¡­sturdy.


    ¡°Oh, that is easy enough then. Here.¡± The domino-mask Minion said giving her a MRE bar, ¡°They are the normal ones, but every member of The Theater Troupe gets a few in case we trigger and need the energy, you never know if you will turn into a Beast Core or an Insect Core after all.¡±


    ¡­that misinformation again.


    It annoyed Ale too much, but alas, she wasn¡¯t here to correct people; she didn¡¯t want to deal with the consequences of annoying the powers that decided to keep this misinformation going.


    ¡°That will suffice yes,¡± So instead she opened the MRE package and ate the thing, ¡°I assume you want me to encase him in these and tie him to a pillar?¡±


    That sounded like what they wanted her to do at least, her original plan was to shift the ground and encase him there, but this was doable too.


    ¡°This one is one of the support pillars boss,¡± The Domino-mask minion with the weird [Gun] said pointing to a pillar near the center of the hallway, just where the hallway divided into four sections.


    ¡°Thank you, and yes. We will chain him to that one and leave a sign of what we did, also. If possible make some seams that look like they are keeping the whole thing in one piece, that way they will waste more time.¡± The Domino-mask minion sounded like he really was having fun.


    Did he hold a grudge about being kicked?


    Not like Ale cared to be honest, ¡°Right¡­well¡­might as well get this over with.¡± Ale said, pulling V-8 by the leg and throwing him against the pillar.


    *Thud* *Crack*


    Ale felt as if she had heard something break, but surely he wouldn¡¯t be that¡­weak, right?


    ¡°...Are you sure he is still alive?¡± The domino-mask Minion asked.


    Ale shrugged and walked there grabbing the chains on the way, placing a hand on his torso she pulled him into place (And bore some tendrils into him to make sure she wasn¡¯t missing anything).


    She found vital signs, a very accelerated heart and oil-like blood.


    ¡°Yeah, he is still alive,¡± Ale said while deconstructing part of the chains and making them fit into his right hand, she made the rest of the chains behave as one of her tentacles and snake around his body, making the respective parts fuse with his armor as the chain hugged the pillar.


    ¡°Does he need first aid? I would hate having to deal with a vendetta just because this asshole died after we left him tied to a pillar.¡± The domino mask minion said.


    ¡°His vitals are stable, and his wounds are closing as we speak, he should wake up within the next two minutes,¡± Ale said as her tendrils continued checking his body.


    If she was honest, he could wake up sooner if she stopped draining the O2 from his bloodstream as much as she was doing, she wanted to keep him unconscious for a few more minutes after all, just enough so-


    <table style="width: 39.4231%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Modified Human Blueprint:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Human body modified to survive high acceleration and movements at high speed, the skeleton system has been optimized to react and move as needed. The composition of the bone has morphed from a solid form to a more jelly-like structure.


    The other muscles have turned more solid and closer to a form similar to chitin, the external muscles remain the normal texture while the hypodermis is stronger. This allows the body to sustain hard accelerations from going from normal speed to high speeds.


    The blood is thicker and closer to an oil composition, it is designed to carry a higher amount of O2 than normal blood.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    That, she wanted that.


    ¡°And that is that,¡± Ale said as the chains finished fusing with his armor and sticking him to the pillar, he had just enough range of movement to struggle, but not nearly enough to free himself.


    Well, Ale may be able to do it anyway, but she had a body that was way more manageable than V-8¡¯s body. While his body was quite interesting to study, it was also incredibly stiff in some weird ways; his legs were quite a marvel, but his upper body?


    It was weird how stiff his shoulders and arms were, almost as if he didn¡¯t use them that often compared with the rest of his body.


    ¡°Well, someone get me a printed letter, we will need to stick it into a wall so this asshole can see it when he wakes up.¡± The domino-masked Minion said turning to Alexa, ¡°Glad the big boss got you into the gig, so, were you going to retreat with the goodies?¡±


    ¡­No, she was not.


    ¡°My mission ended as a bust,¡± Ale said as she remembered what they told her when she spoke about the contents she was willing to disclose of her mission, ¡°Did the others got what we wanted?¡±


    That made the domino-mask Minion stop for a few seconds, ¡°Only one hit, the other two were a bust.¡± He sighed at that, ¡°I would usually not comment on it, but you saved our asses and our targets, so you get some leeway.¡±


    She did?


    ¡°Those two you see there getting first aid?¡± The domino-masked Minion said pointing at a couple of minions, these were some of the ones that got kicked first into the bank. ¡°They got the data we wanted, but got kicked badly since they needed to protect the intel, I would usually go to deliver it, but my mission requires me to stay¡­say¡­.do you think you could deliver it for us? You proved yourself to be a trustworthy minion after all.¡±


    The domino-masked Minion offered her a pair of [Data Banks], no extra folders?


    ¡°Sure¡­¡± Ale said taking on the [Data Banks], she wanted to check the contents, to make sure she wasn¡¯t compromised..


    ¡°Good, follow the normal evac route, we will radio your approach.¡± The domino-masked Minion said turning his back to Ale as he was about to pull his [Radio] to report.


    ¡°Nothing else?¡± Ale couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°My target had some [Folders] among the [Data Banks] on the site, but the client said they didn¡¯t want those things¡­¡±


    ¡°...There were some folders, yes, but they didn¡¯t have anything worth our time, some promotion for a weapon showcase and some invitations for a project on the Atlantic.¡± The domino-masked Minion said, then walking closer to Ale, he added in a low voice, ¡°Also, if you know what is best, you will do best not to ask too much about these things, I will report the interaction as you worrying for the mission; but if they don¡¯t tell you about some things, it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t ask.¡±


    ¡°...okay.¡± Ale only said that as she took the [Data Banks] and placed them in one of her pouches, the domino-mask Minion nodded at that and started speaking into the [Radio].


    ¡°[Starting analysis of new data banks.]¡±


    Ale hoped these didn¡¯t have info about her if they did¡­.What was she even supposed to do then?


    Stupid Alexa, why had she let P4 say their name¡­.

 Chapter 3: Shall we go shopping? Online shopping.

    It was data, files, descriptions¡­ Weapon specifications, it was¡­


    A sales catalog, these data banks had data on bioweapons, some descriptions here and there and prices, prices with numbers so high that Ale wasn¡¯t quite sure how to parse a number with over ten zeroes on it; what was even that?


    But no, the most important problem wasn¡¯t that. But the descriptions that these files had. They were divided into some categories, and as such, the multiple data banks had some specific type of weapons.


    Case in point.


    <table style="width: 42.917%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Infiltration showcase.


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    BioWeapon P2:


    This is a High power assassination and tracking model; it is constructed using disposable materials that self-degrade when expended. The weapon has several types of available rounds and is capable of discharging up to five high-powered shots before needing to recharge.


    This weapon can be disguised as something as mundane as a bird or animal; it is possible to install it as a sentry gun or straight up use it as a smart weapon.


    Bids will begin at 5,000,000,000 A-Dollars.


    BioWeapon P9:


    This is a highly adaptable infiltration model. It has some kinks that need to be worked out, and it is made to order, unlike the other models, so a period of one to five months is needed to finish the programming before it can be deployed.


    It will present itself as a normal human, preferably female, but it is possible to program it to look like a male, Beast Core User, Insect Core User, or anything in between.


    P9 will answer to male pronouns no matter his form, and while it can be seen as eccentric, it is useful in infiltration since this BioWeapon can falsify any fingerprint or biometric scan and pass as a normal Human. It has a vast array of hidden weaponry and can be programmed to use guns. But as an assassination model, it works best with hidden daggers and poison; in case of use for high-profile targets, we can provide a disposable version for ? of the normal price.


    Bids will begin at 9,000,000,000


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Those two were a problem for a very simple reason.


    ¡°Main Core¡­Isn¡¯t P9 dead?¡± Ale said while moving to the extraction point, she hadn¡¯t stopped moving for a second, and was currently alone in a nearby building while the chaos unfolded around her.


    At some point the [Heroes] had arrived at the front door and where currently fighting against the Theater Master and his Minions, Ale had gotten the retreat order already, so she was quite happy with her decision to find this.


    ¡°[Notice, as far as the current available data yes. Host did indeed subsume BioWeapon test subject P9. There are no blueprints of its existence within databank, or evidence of that. But if P9 was made as a test subject it is possible that the creators can make a new one following the same steps, assuming all the data was documented correctly.]¡±


    ¡­.


    ¡°Well dang it,¡± Ale said hitting the wall with her face(mask), ¡°I forgot that¡­¡±


    She forgot for a second that she wasn¡¯t [Unique], the fact of it was¡­that Ale had been made in a laboratory, as such so long the data of her creation was preserved it was possible to achieve the same base.


    Granted, any future P4 they made would not be a carbon copy of the current Ale since the social interactions she had both as Alexa and Alexandra, besides those she had as herself Ale, could not be reproduced without cloning the whole city and putting a new P4 through it.


    And even then, it was debatable if someone had enough power to make something like this¡­


    But then¡­what about the other data banks?


    <table style="width: 49.2875%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Especial high developed series:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    BioWeapon P27:


    A fully functional true biological weapon, currently modeled after a giant Centipede. This bioweapon excels at both rough terrains and urban warfare settings with unstable terrain; it has a high degree of adaptability and can be sustained by hostile targets, both biological and mechanical.


    It is capable of adapting to the environment and works not only under high temperatures but also under low temperatures.


    Minimum Bid starting at 40,000,000,000


    BioWeapon P55:


    Submarine variant made in the form of a Fish subspecies of a Marlin. While it doesn¡¯t look impressive, this bioweapon can pass any marine biologist tests and not be found. It can pierce most metallic materials and can sustain its integrity even under great pressure at the bottom of the ocean.


    It can survive in the vacuum of space and move itself without air or liquids present. This also can adapt to its environment and survive with both mechanical and biological targets.


    Minimum Bid starts at 40,000,000,000


    BioWeapon P69:


    Humanoid bioweapon with wings and sharp talons can pass as a Beast Core - Bird (Harpy), can respond to basic commands, and perform high-speed flight similar to a combat jet. It requires a dedicated handler, and while independent will always return to the area designated as ¡®Roost¡¯, an additional electronic marker will be provided to make this designation.


    Minimum Bid starts at 40,000,000,000


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    These were more interesting since they shared some traits with her, and she didn¡¯t remember seeing them when going through the tests. She wondered how a fight would have ended; she didn¡¯t have doubts that the fish bioweapon would have been easy.


    But the Centipede and Harpy may have provided challenging for her depending on how sharp the fangs of those were then maybe it could be hard? But then again, those three had mentions of being adaptable. So far, she knew that the only model that had shown that aspect was herself; most of the other P-series subjects, while they did adapt, they did it slowly.


    She was the only model that actively changed how she looked and fought, and that was the reason she had fought so many different variants, or so she had thought, but it turns out there were more test subjects like her.


    Wouldn¡¯t it make sense for them to match her against those? To see who could adapt faster? Ale would have loved to get her hands in those [Ai Cores], how much could she had optimized Main Core¡­


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    The other databanks were more¡­mundane.


    <table style="width: 51.9698%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Basic designs


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    BioWeapon series P1-P3:


    Mechanical design bio-weapons. Good for multiple combat settings, from automated sentry weapons that are mobile to highly advanced and independent drones.


    [Form will be set upon order]


    Minimum Bid 5,000,000


    BioWeapon P5-P7:


    Hybrid design Mechanical & biological, mostly focused on miscellaneous jobs and not that much in combat. Good for guard duties and intelligence gathering.


    [Form will be set upon order]


    Minimum Bid 3,000,000


    BioWeapon P8, P10:


    Biological design weapons modeled after mundane animals with hidden weaponry good for rough terrain infiltration and companion mascots for high target objectives; also a good pet for young masters and scions of clans.


    [Made to order]


    Minimum Bid, 9,000,000,000


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    She had seen some of those, they weren¡¯t that good in combat and to be honest the hardest to kill had been one of the P10 models that were modeled after a [Rat] since most of her weapons were designed for big targets, that one didn¡¯t survive because it was good, but because Ale didn¡¯t want to waste energy in vain.


    No, the problem came with the last databank; this one had a gold finish on it and had a tag that read [President]; probably it was meant for the one whose office Ale had infiltrated, which was weird because that one already had a file. Her file.


    <table style="width: 42.8332%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Special Desings:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    BioWeapon P666:


    Biological weapon that mimics two highly rare strains of Core Users, a Mind Core, and a Physic Core. It is a flying weapon with multiple tentacles, each with an eye. From these eyes, the weapon can discharge high-intensity beams; it has a high degree of intelligence and independence, and as such, it has a fail-safe set upon its brain that will allow it to remain constrained by its owner.


    It is highly recommended to have a Mind Core User on retainer in case of buying this; the Saintsworths Conglomerate will take no responsibility for damages made to the psyche of any potential buyer.


    Minimum Bid 66,666,666,666,666


    [Only one model available]


    BioWeapon P80085:


    Humanoid-looking bioweapon, its form is based on an Insect Core User. It has low-level Mind Core powers that allow it to integrate mundane insects into a sort of hive mind, it has high combat power, and most of its body has the properties of multiple insect species. It is highly intelligent and has human level intelligence, it can be reasoned with. But all memories it has have been nurtured and prepared to make it highly hostile towards any desired enemy.


    Minimum Bid 100,000,000,000


    SubWeapon Additament P61:


    A slaved addition to P80085, it is a fungi-like organism that grows and expands under the ground level; it allows P80085 a pseudo omniscience power within the area covered by this, and all the creatures under the hive mind can earn nutrition and sustain from the fungi.


    Miminum Bid 9,876,543,210


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    She wanted to taste that P61, perhaps she could get [Vulcanus] to buy some of it? She had heard of those [Birthdays] that everyone seemed to think she should have. As far as her research had been done, those were dates when people got [Gifts].


    And while these [Gifts] tended to vary depending on the social strata one was part of, it was common enough that people could get a gift one or two tiers above their social strata at least once on important [Ages].


    If her own [Age] wasn¡¯t enough, it would be easy enough to ask it for Alexa¡­ She couldn¡¯t trust Alexa to ask for this since it was fairly certain that she would rather ask for more fleet power for Commodore Soap or a new minion sub-duck for Mister Squeaky.


    ¡°Commodore Soap deserves more fleet power!¡±


    Yes, she could almost hear it.


    But that would need to be done later, since the ruckus seemed to be increasing on intensity, Ale could even hear the sound of a [Gun] type weapon being used in the distance, she found that weird since so far no one had used it. Or at least, not many besides [Gabriel] and the [Lieutenant].


    She didn¡¯t include those Minions from the warehouse job since they only used it after they got ordered by the guy with the [Core Powers] - like artifact.


    ¡°Rhapsody?¡± A voice suddenly asked almost scaring (She totally didn¡¯t jump!) Ale.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Ale asked from behind a random sofa that she had jumped over.


    ¡°We may need you to evacuate by the sewers,¡± The domino-masked Minion said as he brought out a briefcase and handed it to Ale, ¡°And if possible take this with you.¡±


    ¡°Is something the matter?¡± Ale asked taking in the briefcase, it was heavy, not heavy enough to impede her movements, but way heavier than it should have had any rights to be.


    ¡°Yeah¡­we are losing contact with some of our [Troupe Members] on the outer ring, so we are preparing for the worst, also the [Hero] response was faster than predicted, while the [Theater Master] is powerful on his own. There is only so much a single [Protagonist] can do against his [Antagonists] if they start showing up one after another.¡± The Minion complained while shaking his head, ¡°For now he is using the [Sequential Tournament setting] but even that will end up straining his [Core Power] and it will fail, when it does most of the [Extras] will cause a ruckus, so we need to settle them up away from danger.¡±


    They did? Why?


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just let them to their own devices? Or use them as bargaining chips?¡± Ale asked back, at least she would do that. She was sure that Alexandra would do it too¡­And Alexa may straight up murder them.


    ¡°...we are [Villains],¡± The domino-masked Minion said, such an obvious thing. ¡°And [Villains] have standards. We are not merely villains, we aspire to be true [Super Villains]. Do you have any idea how much money these enterprises require? Most of the money coming from our Merch goes into funding these [Scenarios].¡±


    Their Merch? They sold Merch? What?


    ¡°*Sigh* this is why¡­¡± The domino-masked Minion shook his head, why?!?!? They did that with Alexa, not with her! She was normal! ¡°...I don¡¯t know what [He] saw in you, but it matters not, your role now is to run away and return to base. Your base, we will go later to take back that and the Databanks. How confident are you in being able to run away?¡±


    How confident? Very, if someone even attempted to follow her she could always bait them into Sam¡¯s lair. It could work as a way to visit him and find out what he thought about [Human Flesh], perhaps even Alexandra would get some time with him? Or could Ale spend some time with his lower part?


    ¡°HE IS MINE!¡±


    ¡­That one was new, usually only Alexa shouted at the back.


    ¡°Very,¡± Ale answered, ¡°Even if they follow me in a confined space, I should have the upper hand. The only one that could potentially be a problem is [Chrysalis], but I am working in a countermeasure already.¡±


    Wind and some basic forces could penetrate her defense after all, she wasn¡¯t albino and could breath, also she wasn¡¯t being thrown away from the planet and could walk as normal. So, the basic forces of nature were at play. Ale only needed to use them, an airgun or a high kinetic force should do it.


    She had recently found about a construction device designed to deliver high amounts of kinetic energy called a [Pile-Driver], its original design was used to bury stakes deep within the ground, but Ale planned to use the design to deliver high amounts of kinetic energy in a single spot in an attempt to surpass the barrier.


    ¡°Hmm¡­.okay then,¡± The Domino-masked Minion said, ¡°We planned to distract Chrysalis, V-8, and the other sidekicks, but someone already dealt with V-8 so Chrysalis is working overtime, she should let you leave if you go into the sewers, we will send someone after her should she decide to go for you either way.¡±


    That was¡­unfortunate.


    ¡°No need, I will be able to outrun her in the sewers,¡± Ale said shaking her head, she needed her in a confined space, a confined space would let her move better, and expand her possibilities of defeating her.


    Maybe even [Devouring] her?


    ¡°That is not negotiable,¡± The domino-masked Minion said, ¡°You will be transporting our mission goal, all of this was to get these files and those data banks, so we want them to be delivered to a safe place above everything.¡±


    Dang it.


    ¡°Fine, but I won¡¯t accept any fault should those that follow after me die,¡± Ale said grumbling.


    ¡°....what are you planning to do that could end with your pursuers getting killed?¡± The Domino-maked Minion asked.


    ¡°I was planning to go into The Spider¡¯s territory, using his webs to catch on those that were after me and leaving after saying Hi,¡± Ale answered with a shrug.


    ¡°...why?¡± The Domino-masked Minion groaned, ¡°Do you have a death wish? No, wait, was this why the [Theater Master] asked for you? Do you have a way of avoiding [The Spider]?¡±


    Of course not.


    ¡°No, but I told Sam I would visit later,¡± Ale answered with a shrug, actually she would need to send him a message¡­He had asked her to tell him with a day ahead¡­


    ughh¡­.


    Main Core! Send the message!


    ¡°[Notice, perhaps it could be better to only send it in case of going into his area of influence? If no pursuers are behind Host, visiting Monster Designation: Sam would be unwise.]¡±


    ¡­Right.


    ¡°Anyway, anything else I need to know?¡± Ale said stretching and turning to look around for the nearest sewer entry, she would ask for a map with those later.


    ¡°Not much, just¡­don¡¯t get killed in a place that will make recovering these things harder.¡± The domino-masked Minion said, pointing at the briefcase, ¡°Also, if possible, store the databanks there too; let me open it.¡±


    Ale didn¡¯t have any problem with that, actually, it made checking the contents easier, so she wouldn¡¯t need to waste [Mana] or [Nanites] into digging into that thing.


    ¡°Here.¡± So Ale said while handing out the briefcase and placing her hand above the pouch that held the [Databanks], she had fixed the damage her tendrils did already.


    ¡°Aaaand open,¡± The Domino-masked Minion said opening the briefcase, against all odds the thing was¡­ ¡°Hand me the data banks,¡±


    The thing was mundane beyond reason, it held some folders with a few picturest that Ale could see, there stood pictures of some of the test subjects she knew.


    ¡°Interested in the pictures? Vulcanus will get a copy, so just ask them later, we don¡¯t have time for you to look.¡± The Domino-masked Minion said closing the briefcase.


    Ale had managed to see pictures of P8 or how they had introduced it to the other kids while she was on infiltration mode, Model 8UUN135.


    She needed that briefcase, ¡°Has anyone else seen it yet?¡± Ale asked, she would need to think about [Silencing] them after all.


    ¡°Only [Aqua], [The Theater Master] and myself so far, why?¡± The domino-masked Minion answered.


    Dang it!


    She didn¡¯t doubt that killing this Minion would be easy, but the other two? She knew nothing about The Theater Master besides that he had a weird [Core Power], and Aqua seemed to be a powerhouse of some degree, since she was left to walk alone within another Villain¡¯s base as if it was nothing.


    Now, how was she supposed to track them?!?!?


    She could only hope that this briefcase didn¡¯t have a picture of her glorious [CRAB] form¡­If it did¡­she would need to alter some of her plans for-


    ¡°???????????????????[?????????????????????T????????????H???????????????????E?????????????????????????? ??????????????W???????????????????O??????????????????R????????????????L???????????D??????????????????????]????????? ????????????M??????????????????????????????U?????????????????S?????????????T??????????????????????? ??????????????????????K?????????????????N??????????????????????????O?????????????????????????????W???????? ???????????????T????????????H???????E?????????????????????? ???????????????????T??????????????R?????U??????????????????T???????????????????????H???????????????????????!?????????????????¡±??????????????


    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Ale couldn¡¯t help but say that as she nursed her ears, a red liquid was flowing from them, and the domino-masked Minion didn¡¯t seem to be able to react.


    Ale was having a bad feeling from this.

 Chapter 4: ...can you both like...not quarrell?

    It hurt, it hurt¡­why did it hurt?


    ¡°[Warning, host psyche seems to be experiencing high degree of dissasociation.]¡±


    ¡°[Warning, quarantine Mind Core seems to be going rampage, increasing amount of energy dedicated to keeping it contained.]¡±


    Ale felt as if her head wanted to split, the words¡­The words resounded on her head. World? World? World? World?


    What? Why? She could see it, her body splitting, the world around her splitting¡­


    ¡°[Finished countermeasures, restarting new defenses, temporary Mind Core Created. System Start.]¡±


    And just as it started, it ended, Ale felt the whole world turn to a stop and refocus once more, her head no longer hurt, what she noticed first was that she was kneeling on the ground holding her head with both hands, a stream of blood flowing from her eyes.


    ¡°That is worrisome,¡± Ale said as she quickly reabsorbed that back into her body. At least no one had seen it since her Face Mask covered her.


    She had felt her¡­[Consciousness Stream] wanting to split into several pieces; if she had been built differently, then that may have worked; at least [Main Core] managed to mitigate and solve the issue.


    ¡°AAAAAAAAHHHHH THE SHADOWS! THE SHADOWS!!!!!¡± Not so much for the other people around her.


    The Domino-masked minion she had been talking to was bashing his head against a wall, and if Ale was hearing things quite right, then people outside were not having it any better.


    ¡°[Filtered]¡± That one was new.


    Ale¡­hadn¡¯t quite heard that?


    ¡°What was that?¡± Ale said aloud and noticed the people around clawing at their ears.


    ¡°[Words have been shown to have some kind of effect on the mind of those that hear it, all words following the same cadence and pitch are being filtered. Do you wish for a translation?]¡±


    ¡°....Of course I do, I need to know what is happening,¡± Ale said aloud, sighing; sometimes Main Core seemed really smart¡­while others it seemed incredibly dumb, as if it couldn¡¯t act upon the more nuanced aspects.


    ¡°[Translation suite activated.]¡± Main Core said at the back and Ale noticed a new program hovering on the edge of her [Consciousness Stream].


    ¡°[You need to wake up! The world is a lie! This world is a mirage! Wake up people!]¡± The voice resounded once more, but there was a mechanical aspect to it, perhaps it was because there was a new program parsing the meaning? How could [Main Core] even parse it?


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 8.89423%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">He isn''t. I am.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°Ah yeah, that makes more sense,¡± Ale said nodding, [Core] was more efficient after all. Why was that?


    ¡°This is a wide-range communication attempt; we are attempting to identify the range of effect; please report your codename and location. Also, if you can see anyone being affected by the current outbreak and the reason for it.¡± Ale heard that being transmitted to her earphones.


    So she pushed the button that allowed her to answer and did so, ¡°Rhapsody here, I am awaiting pickup. I can see one of the Domino-Masked Minion being affected, he is currently attempting to break a wall using his head. Should I¡­do something?¡± Ale said speaking into the speakers.


    ¡°Rhapsody? Are you in a safe zone? No wait, the other is being affected? Can you tell us what is happening? No one in the immediate area is able to answer.¡± The voice in her head said once again, who was this one? She didn¡¯t recognize the voice quite yet, but since it came from her headphones then it should be someone from [Haephestus¡¯ Forge], ¡°Move it or lose it!¡±


    That one she recognized, ¡°Rhapsody, this is Hermes. Your vitals spiked with everyone else, but they went flat and returned to stable. What happened?¡± Her vitals did?


    ¡°[Correct, a full hard reset was required. A limited brain surgery was also realized to temporarily isolate some nerve endings, this last part is advised to not be disclosed as the Humans seem to have some qualms with brain surgery done on-site.]¡± Main Core answered the question on her head.


    ¡°I got a very bad headache followed by the feeling of being split,¡± Ale said, recounting the events that had sucked, ¡°Main Core managed to pull us together before we broke, and then we just used our power to deal with the interference, I can¡¯t hear or interact with whatever is causing this now.¡±


    And that was the important bit; she wasn¡¯t sure if she would be immune to directed applications of this [Core Power], but at least the broad uses of it should not work on her, for now anyway.


    ¡°Hmm¡­.What can you tell us about whoever did this? There aren¡¯t many who can achieve this degree of chaos, but¡­still we need to be sure.¡± [Elder] asked, so multiple types of [Core Users] could do this?


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, besides the weird symptoms the only thing that comes to mind is that weird voice,¡± Ale said, unsure of what else to say, she hadn¡¯t actually seen the [Core User] who did this, and all she had heard were those weird words that her [Brain] couldn¡¯t process, and yet she somehow understood.


    She knew they were words since the new program at the back translated them into words.


    ¡°Weird voice? Did¡­ did someone speak to you?¡± [Elder] sounded worried, ¡°Are you hearing it now? Is it telling you to do something? To act in some way?¡±


    ¡­that was a very specific thing to ask, was the new [Core User] that arrived a [Mind Core User]?


    ¡°He said that this world was a lie, a mirage. And that we needed to wake up. As for what he said before I don¡¯t know, Main Core deleted those memories.¡± Ale answered while picking up the briefcase and checking if it had been opened. It hadn¡¯t, dang it.


    ¡°....He deleted? Can this Main Core¡­tamper with your memory? Is it that why¡­but if he is deleting¡­you can¡¯t hear his voice anymore?¡± [Elder] asked, was he arriving at another convenient realization on his own again? The [Humans] really liked doing that, didn¡¯t they?


    ¡°I can¡¯t hear him, his voice is dangerous. Main Core is parsing the words for me and giving me a translation of what he says, but I can¡¯t actively interact with him. He made a program that recognized the pitch, tone, and vibration his voice makes and deleted it as soon as it interacted with me, then made a secondary program to turn what it deleted into data that fed me the meaning of what he attempted to communicate. So I only get the sound but not the [Mana] he had on his voice.¡± Ale answered. That was one loooong explanation.


    ¡°Hah! Knew you had the Tinker Bone in you!¡± [Elder] laughed on the other side of the call, ¡°Yeah yeah I get it, stop glaring at me Cerberus, the kid is all right. It will probably not do anything if she finds herself one-on-one against him. Because it sure as hell sounds like him.¡±


    Him?


    ¡°Who is doing this?¡± Ale asked trying to find something to snack on while she waited for new orders, she was feeling hungry with all the things that Main Core was doing at the back, and she didn¡¯t want to quite tap into her [Banked Storage] if she could help it.


    ¡°Brace yourself kiddo, you are officially in the big leagues.¡± [Elder] said suddenly sounding serious, ¡°[The Scrambler] is back in town.¡±


    ¡­The who?


    ¡°I have no idea who that is,¡± Ale said after finishing her scavenging hunt, the only thing that she had found to eat was the domino-masked minion who was frothing on the floor.


    She knew he was frothing because the saliva was leaking from the side of his domino mask as he tried to cover his ears, but he did not succeed on that.


    ¡°Side question, what happens to the victims of this Scrambler guy?¡± Ale said kneeling at the side of the domino-masked minion while poking him in the side, there was no answer to her pocking.


    ¡°They will be fine¡­mostly, they usually get some tastes moved around, their favorite food turns into what they hate the most, they suddenly forget who they married with. Their preferences change, at worst some may wake up thinking they are of the opposite sex.¡± So far, nothing of what [Elder] had said sounded that troublesome¡­Or what she had experienced.


    ¡°I felt as if what makes me [Me] was splitting multiple ways.¡± Ale said turning to stare down at the Domino-Masked Minion, ¡°And it also felt as if I was staring down at an empty void, as if I would turn into nothing.¡±


    Ale did not like that feeling, she would have probably destroyed her [Brain] first if [Main Core] hadn¡¯t reacted in time.


    ¡°....Fine, you are¡­right. Among the worst cases people wake up as someone else, no memories of their life, name and no matter what we try they never return to normal. That is as close to Identity Death, as you can get. You woke up on your own, so you should be fine¡­ But if the others are exposed for long¡­¡± [Elder] let his words trail.


    ¡°[Fan-]¡± Ale was about to ask, but remembered that she was at work, and also was better than Alexa, ¡°Are [Sylph] and [Golem] fine?¡±


    ¡°Sylph noticed the ruckus and called it, she is currently flying as high as she can while keeping an eye on the situation. She has experience with [The Scrambler], so she is staying as far away as possible. As for Golem, he was detained five minutes ago and transported to a prison, he is waiting for his release. If needed we will call for him to bust himself out,¡± [Elder] recounted the situation of both of them, it seemed that only Ale was affected then. ¡°Also Mikey your getaway driver is outside the area of effect, if needed we will send him in. He knows the risks, but we would rather not lose more Minions if you don¡¯t mind it.¡±


    Lose more Minions?


    ¡°How do you lose more minions? Wasn¡¯t this effect one that was limited to the psyche? How could it be a cause of losing Minions?¡± Ale asked confused.


    ¡°Most of the time, the victims of [The Scrambler] never return to their former lives. So any Minion that is affected¡­is being counted as MIA.¡± [Elder] said in a low tone, ¡°As far as we can see, there are very few unaffected individuals, our client and some of his minions, a couple sidekicks, two heroes, and one¡­guy running around with a Pizza?¡±


    So that would mean, at worst, six people? And at best eight? She assumed that the client and minions would be The Theater Guy and Aqua. The only one that Ale was concerned for was the Pizza wielding one to be honest, she was hungry. And it sounded as if she wouldn¡¯t be able to nom the domino-masked minion. Or former minion?


    ¡°What are my orders?¡± Ale said walking towards the window, there was chaos down there, ¡°I have the [Data Banks] and the [Briefcase] that were one of the targets of this [Mission].¡±


    She wasn¡¯t sure if there were more [Data Banks] around, or other briefcases with more data, but perhaps this would be her chance to fish for more? She wanted to be sure if there was data of her going around or not.


    ¡°Hmm¡­let me patch¡­Aqua? Yes, I know¡­.Yes¡­.Of course¡­Of course not, we will not bomb the city yet¡­Yeah¡­I don¡¯t know, the Pizza guy came out of nowhere!¡± The [Elder] started speaking at the very back, it seemed he had connected with Aqua? ¡°Yeah¡­Only one, yours? Hah! I told you to hire more Lieutenants! ¡­No she isn¡¯t one¡­.ugh¡­Fine, I¡¯ll patch you.¡±


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Ale didn¡¯t even have a chance to say anything when there was the sound of a new voice getting into her earphones, ¡°Rhapsody? Yes?¡± The voice of [Aqua] rang out, it sounded as if she was speaking surrounded by waves, ¡°I need confirmation, what is the name of your teacher.¡±


    That was¡­a very specific question¡­How did she even know the name of her teacher?


    ¡°Tristan De¡¯Medicci.¡± Ale answered with some worry, ¡°How is that relevant? How do you know my personal information?


    ¡°Not important. The Theater Master has access to more data than you probably are aware. He designed the security question, and I just asked,¡± Aqua said, dismissing her worry, ¡°Either way, this means you are the Rhapsody of this reality, and not one pulled from somewhere else. So I gotta ask you, do you have the package?¡±


    The Package?


    Ale looked down at the briefcase. That was one interesting way to say it.


    ¡°I have¡­¡± Ale did a recount of the amount of data she ripped, ¡°around five [Data Banks] plus a briefcase with an unconfirmed amount of folders given to me here at the rendevouz point.¡±


    Ale really hoped they asked her to confirm the contents of those.


    ¡°Good, the contents are irrelevant, the briefcase cloned the data banks and will send the data in one data burst to our base as soon as you are clear of the area.¡± Aqua said dismissing her wants, ¡°Briefcase is tinker proof, so if it emits a warning sound throw it away, it means someone breached it.¡±


    ¡­It was good that Ale refrained from trying to worm her way into it then.


    ¡°Okay, we will send an evac route. Try to dodge the fighting if possible; if you are compromised on the way, throw the package in this direction-¡± A series of coordinates flooded into her eyes as the Mask she was wearing received a data dump; it even updated in real time the air humidity and wind direction¡­ That would make it easier to deliver the package. ¡°We will do what is required next, if you can¡¯t make the shot then just throw it at the closest ATM.¡±


    ¡­That was one weird instruction.


    ¡°[The Theater Master] is sure you can make the throw, so you should be able to. Godspeed.¡± And like that, the call was cut.


    ¡°...Don¡¯t mind her manners, and while you are within the area of influence of [The Theater Master] you should be able to make the throw, the world will make sure it is successful, even if it is by weird coincidences.¡± [Elder] spoke next in her head, ¡°The evac route just arrived, we are making sure there are no weird risks, but so far it looks good. It should keep you away from the predicted area of conflict. And it seems [The Theater Master] will step up to confront [The Scrambler], that should be a good sight.¡±


    ¡­Why did both sound like that?


    Not like it was Ale¡¯s problem anyway, as soon as she wondered about her route of evacuation it manifested on her sight, as a minimap that showed her current location and nothing else really.


    ¡°There you have it, good luck out there. Just¡­don¡¯t mind the others and get yourself out of danger, you really shouldn¡¯t have to deal with this just yet. Not while your Core is still young.¡± [Elder] finished the communication with that.


    Did it matter the age of a [Core]? Ale didn¡¯t think it mattered that much; all the [Cores] she had seen were roughly the same, and the same could be said of all the [Cores] she made. If anything, there weren¡¯t that many differences.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 38.5417%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">The perceived difference attributed to age may be related to the Mana Density achieved within the Core; as there is more mana stored within, the same Mana increases in density, allowing more Mana to grow and increasing the sturdiness of the Core.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°[Notice, impossible to measure such differences.]¡±


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 24.2246%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Current density measured for all the Cores within both host and blueprint library measured using Mana ¦Ìnits that they can store.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="table-layout: fixed; font-family: Arial; border-collapse: collapse; border: 3px" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="100"><col width="100"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)" colspan="5" rowspan="1">Mana Density</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Name</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Density</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Mana ¦Ìnits</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Status</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Type</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Core</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">3</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">30</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Foundation</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Anchor</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Mind</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">0</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">1</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Temp</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Slave</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Nanite</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">1</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Primary</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Information</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Construction</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">1</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Secondary</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Deconstruction</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Shapeshifting</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">0</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">1</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Temp</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Slave</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Beast</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">0</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">0</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Blueprint</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Base</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Rat</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">0</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">0</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Blueprint</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Form</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Cat</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">0</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">0</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Blueprint</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Form</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Human</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">0</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">0</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Blueprint</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Form</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Mutant</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">0</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">0</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Blueprint</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Add On</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Broken</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">0</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">0</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Blueprint</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Add On</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Truth</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">0</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">0</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Blueprint</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Mind</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Information</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">0</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">0</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Blueprint</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Data</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Mana</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">1</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Blueprint</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Storage</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Speed</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">0</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">0</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Blueprint</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Base</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Accel</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">0</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">0</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Blueprint</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Add On</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Burst</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">0</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">0</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Blueprint</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Add On</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 11.2157%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center">( ` ? ¡ä )?</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°[....]¡±


    ¡°So there is a difference, but we don¡¯t know how much it will change with time,¡± Ale said reading the blue screens.


    ¡°[Theorical change could cause a fundamental change within Core.]¡± Main Core said, turning the conversation into one that seemed to ignore the fact that he had previously stated something very different.


    But Ale was magnanimous and would not poke fun at him (for now).


    ¡°Okay, then plot a route, we are leaving at the fastest speed possible,¡± Ale said placing the briefcase on her back and grabbing it firmly by using some wiggle-wiggles that would hug it, she changed their color to match her current Nuzzler Armor too.


    ¡°[Increasing pressure within Air Tank reservoir, plotting most efficient course within sight¡­]¡±


    Ale could feel the pressure building within her boots and arm-mament, she would need to be very precise with her change of directions, lest she end up as a splat. That was something that only Alexandra needed to experiment.


    ¡°[Preparing holographic trajectory within Host sight, please follow indications, lift off in 3,2¡­.1¡­]¡±


    ¡°Rhapsody, lift off!¡± Ale said, giggling as she jumped out of the building and allowed the pressurized air to shoot out from her feet; she extended her arms sideways to try and control some of her trajectory as she was flying through the air.


    One could hear her laughing as she was changing directions at high speed while following [Main Core]¡¯s directions, this was quite fun actually.


    Ale would do this again when she wasn¡¯t surrounded by the masses screaming while crying tears of blood and clawing at their ears, that kinda ruined the image.

 Chapter 5: Ale wanted Mango Pizza!

    Ale was enjoying her travel, she was quite literally flying around jumping from side to side, one second she was landing on the side of a building only to jump again and fly towards the far end of the road, aiming at another building, Ale was getting the hang of moving at high speeds easily enough since she could just program her own muscles to react to the rigors of high speed.


    And since her route was highlighted among the ceiling or near the far end of the building, she was not impeded by the chaos on street level.


    Most of those on the ground were unconscious or catatonic; a few reacted like the domino-masked minion here and there and clawed at their ears, of course. But nothing that bothered Ale too much.


    She wondered how many of those would wake up normal as if nothing happened, and who wouldn¡¯t wake up as they were before. But she, honestly, had more important matters to attend to, such as escaping! And looking around to see if she found Pizza Guy!


    She wondered if that Pizza Guy had mango-flavored Pizza¡­.


    ¡°?????????????Y???????????????????o?????????????????????????u??????????????????????????? ????????????????????w????????????????i?????????????????????????l??????l?????????? ????????????????n????????????????o?????t??????????????? ??????????????s???????????????????t??????????????????o????????p?????????????????? ??????????o??????????????????????????u?????????????r??????????????????????? ????????????????r???????i????????????????????g????????h???????????????t???????????f?????????u??????????l????????????? ????????r????????????????????????e???????????????????t???????????????????????????????u?????????????????????r???????????????????n???????????????????!?????¡±???????? ??????????????????


    Ale heard it first before feeling it, or well, her body reacted to it first before hearing it, she felt as if something wanted to cling to her, as if the words? no, the Mana wanted to cling to her.


    ¡°[Purging.]¡± Of course, Main Core didn¡¯t let that latch on her for long. And Ale was thankful for that; she didn¡¯t like the feeling of that Mana.


    But that made her reconsider, so she latched into one of the nearby buildings and allowed the claws on her Arm-maments to sustain her weight, something was wrong. She should be nowhere near enough to either The Scrambler or the Theater Master.


    ¡°Fourth act, the might of the unsuspected strives against the injustice of this world!¡± Came the voice of¡­someone who Ale hadn¡¯t expected to hear quite yet again.


    Creeping closer while making sure to retain some degree of cover, of course. Ale was not going to prance into a fight between [Villains] if she could help it.


    ¡°We need to evacuate!¡± While she got closer, she noticed the voice of Aqua too. ¡°This is too dangerous! I just managed to find you barely 20 years ago!¡±


    What?


    ¡°We can¡¯t, Aqua; there are too many victims around. They joined our act, we can¡¯t just discard them.¡± The voice came from a man wearing an elegant tuxedo suit and who was wearing a long billowing cape.


    How was it billowing? The wind direction was wrong!


    ¡°Besides, it would not do to show a bad performance right now. We have quite the important guests for this act today!¡± The man said while extending his arms wide and laughing hard and loud, ¡°Hahahahahahahah!¡±


    Was he¡­damaged on his [Brain]?


    ¡°Guests?¡± Aqua said eyeing around, her eyes passed by the roof that Ale was using to hide in, so Ale quickly hid herself to not be spotted, she didn¡¯t want to participate in whatever that was!


    That man was dangerous! Both of them!


    Ale could see it! The cracks in the air that surrounded them as thick Mana oozed from within that was not normal!


    ¡°hmm¡­.Is it that important? I know [The Scrambler] is a high-profile villain. But so are you.¡± Aqua said in a pleading tone, turning once again to the tuxedo-wearing man. ¡°You are [The Theater Master], we can find another way to get the data, even if it doesn¡¯t survive the encounter.¡±


    What?!? Ale was doing just fine! Actually¡­should she even throw it now?


    If the [Core Power] of Tuxedo-guy was the one ensuring it would arrive at the destination¡­Should she strain it?


    ¡°Hah! You have too little faith in my student; she is quite a promising one; she saw me, you know? Even if she didn¡¯t notice it, she is quite an important Character. One of the possible Main Characters even.¡± Tuxedo guy said, making Ale shiver when he referred to her.


    She was a what now? A Main Character? Did he have more plans for her? She didn¡¯t like those implications.


    ¡°How long will you speak as if nothing?¡± Main Core somehow managed to translate that, but she was feeling it, the drain on her Mana, she wouldn¡¯t be able to remain here long. ¡°It strains at you, doesn¡¯t it? Trying to remain, let it go. Let the heritage of the Medici family bloom once more.¡±


    The¡­IT WAS HER TEACHER!


    How had she not noticed it before!


    ¡°[Notice, detected a crack within host psyche, discovered a mental suggestion stuck within consciousness stream. Checking for other such blocks¡­.denied, not enough privileges, sending prompt to higher authority¡­.received response. The ND0 system will make a purge on the next maintenance cycle.]¡±


    There was a what? How? Why?


    More importantly, since when were school teachers this powerful?!?!? Was Miss [Baker] like this too then?!?!?


    ¡°You speak of the glory of the Medici family, but I have seen what you offer, and it¡¯s madness. The world you want to impose on me is one of failure; even if I accepted your deal, I would become a cultist at best and a charlatan at worst. Why would I take such a deal?¡± Her Teacher answered back. What? He¡­had seen what the scrambler guy offered? And he was okay? How?


    ¡°Love¡­is that¡­the important guest?¡± Aqua asked from the side as she pointed in the opposite direction from where Ale had arrived. Several spikes made of water were floating around her, and all pointed in the same direction.


    ¡°Is¡­.John Smith around?¡± And in that direction came a man wearing full body armor with a sleek design, it was mostly blue tones with some golden finish here and there, Ale couldn¡¯t see his face or hair, but by the tone of voice she assumed it was someone around the age of [Fan Girl], and they sounded as someone who was annoying.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    What he was also, was someone carrying a square box with the letters [A-best¡¯s friend Pizza].


    ¡°Who¡­what? How? What are you?¡± Asked the other guy that her Teacher had been fighting against, the one that everyone called The Scrambler.


    Now that he had pointed his attention in another direction Ale could actually see his figure, he was wearing a weird black robe that seemed to move and react in weird ways, as if the clothes reacted to some unseen force. The fabric seemed to turn into black smoke and join the robe from the top instead of flying away.


    The person wearing the robe had crimson-red eyes, and for some reason, his face was covered in cracks. He¡­was not what she was expecting to see; for one, the person in question seemed to be younger than [Fan Girl], and from what she had heard¡­this one was supposed to be old.


    ¡°Well, for starters, I¡¯m¡­.right now just a Delivery Guy.¡± The new armored person said, pointing at the pizza box in his hand, ¡°The original one turned rabid and sadly accepted the delivery of this pizza, so while passing by, I decided to deliver in his place.¡±


    ¡­that was¡­one weird backstory, even if Ale wasn¡¯t one to comment on weird backstories.


    ¡°Perfect, just what I needed. [I declare a new actor on the scene. The Story of a rags-to-hero story - Act 1, from delivering Pizza to delivering Justice!]¡± Ale¡¯s Teacher said, and then she felt nausea coming.


    An incredible amount of Mana flooded the area and she felt dizzy from the amount, all of it surged as a tidal wave and went straight to the delivery guy.


    ¡°Yeah¡­.no.¡± The Delivery Guy said, and from his body surged a huge discharge of lightning that seemed to block the mana surge. ¡°Sorry, never was one of those rags-to-hero stories; I¡¯d rather be the last-second hero that comes to save the day¡­Or the villain that double-taps enemies.¡±


    ¡°....so you also were a Main Character, huh.¡± Her teacher said, as he started laughing once again, that he was a very laughable person, ¡°Hahahahahahahah.¡±


    ¡°Is he okay?¡± The Delivery Guy said turning to the Scrambler.


    ¡°???????????R????????E?????????????????????M??????????????E???????????????M???????????????B??????????????????????E?????????????????????????????R?????????????!?????????????????????¡±????????? ?????????? ?????????????????????


    ¡°SHUT IT YOU STUPID OVERGROWN LIZARD!¡± The Delivery Guy said pulling out a [Gun] and shooting it straight up.


    Ale quickly threw herself to the side as the projectile flew past where she had been before, did he see her?


    Or was an [Overgrown Lizard] behind her? Ale saw neither.


    ¡°Hey Delivery Guy!¡± Aqua suddenly screamed, ¡°How much for helping us deal with [The Scrambler]?¡±


    This made both her Teacher and the Scrambler stop and stare in disbelief at Aqua.


    ¡°Hmm¡­..How about 65,000 A-dollars? That is quite cheap for my services. I¡¯ll let you know.¡± The Delivery Guy said as he opened the pizza box and retrieved a slice of it, from here Ale couldn¡¯t quite smell it, but it seemed that the slice of [Pizza] had small cut pieces of something yellow with lines of two different sauces and some round pieces of something red and other smaller squares of other types of meat.


    ¡°Deal, we will pay you either by bank transfer or cash, your choice.¡± Aqua said, turning to the Theater Master, ¡°Will this work for you?¡±


    ¡°...I guess? Let me see¡­.[An unexpected ally arrives?!? Act 7 - Mercenary joins the fight, the light will triumph over the darkness!]¡± The Theater Master said and Ale felt once again the area be flooded with Mana, only this time it set.


    The Pizza guy seemed to notice it too as he did small jumps on the spot as he left the Pizza Box on a nearby [Car]. Was he not going to eat it?


    It was Ale¡¯s chance!


    But first¡­


    ¡°Main Core! Calculate the amount of strength I need to use and the trajectory needed to throw this thing!¡± Ale said inwardly a she retrieved her Arm-Mament back into herself and prepared her arms to turn into the [Gorilla-Mode] for maximum effort.


    ¡°[Calculating, addressing wind speed, wind humidity, gravity, temperature¡­calculating host theoretical strength limit¡­weight of payload, form, spin¡­finished. Please throw following the motions and restructuring the right arm, left leg, and spine to these specifications.]¡±


    Ale was then bombarded with a long list of minute changes she needed to make, from stripping muscle mass from her right arm to moving said muscle mass to her legs and reinforcing her spine.


    It seemed that with this configuration, she could throw using all her strength without worrying about anything else, which was good. Since she wasn¡¯t quite sure what she would have done if Main Core came with a specific number¡­But also annoyed her, because she didn¡¯t get a chance to figure out such numbers.


    ¡°And one, and two¡­and three¡­and four¡­and Six!¡± Ale said, taking some steps back and turning to look at the circles that Main Core was projecting on her sight. These moved and changed in height as she walked backward, and when she arrived at the number Six, she threw the briefcase with all her strength!


    As the briefcase left her hands, she noticed that some of the ambient Mana seemed to cling to it and slightly alter its direction. The predictions that Main Core had made seemed to change in real time, and Ale noted that the margin of error predicted on her throw seemed to decrease as more Mana pooled into the briefcase.


    Interesting.


    ¡°And the payload was delivered, young hero of justice all we require from you is to distract him while the main character for this arc leaves.¡± The Teacher said as he started pulling out a cane from one of his pockets.


    How did that even work? The space didn¡¯t match, was he using a [Banked Storage] like Ale?


    ¡°Sure,¡± The Delivery Guy said, pointing his Gun at the Scrambler, ¡±Railgun.¡±


    And what came next was¡­something that Ale couldn¡¯t quite understand, first she felt as if the world slowed down to a crawl, then she noticed a weird subroutine at the back of her mind suddenly activate and weird calculations being made.


    Similar to the ones she had just done to predict the needed strength to throw the briefcase, only these had some variables she hadn¡¯t thought about before. Speed of a projectile of small size, effect of air friction against lead projectile. Amount of magnetic forces needed to accelerate a projectile near five times the speed of sound.


    How to keep the magnetic cannon stable, and the amount of distance needed between the magnetic cannon and the [Gun] so that it didn¡¯t affect the wielder.


    All of these were the type of calculations that Ale guessed she would have done if she was to shoot this type of weapon, the same type that the delivery guy had just used¡­


    ¡°[The Saintsworths Conglomerate thanks you for your services.]¡±


    ¡°...motherf-¡± Ale couldn¡¯t help but swear at this.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 34.9359%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Warning, security breach detected:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Forcing Data Dump...starting analyzing, finding data breach...


    Data breach found, Terminating MainCore.exe


    Deleting corrupted data...


    Corrupted data deleted, MainCore.exe integrity compromised...


    Re-analyzing restore point...Purging compromised components...


    Done.


    Isolating MainCore.exe from outgoing data transmissions...Done.


    Isolating MainCore.exe from incoming data transmissions...Done.


    MainCore Mk2.exe restart.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°[Restart successful, no contact with outgoing or incoming networks detected. Host, what happened?]¡± Ale heard the question as the world started to move at normal speed.


    ¡°You made contact with¡­The Delivery Guy, who it seems works for the Saintsworths, and helped him in that.¡± Ale said, pointing at the scene down the street level.


    ¡°Well, that made more of a mess than expected.¡± The Delivery Guy said nonchalantly as his face mask opened at the mouth area to let him take a bite of the Pizza slice he had taken before, ¡°See? I told you it was a good deal.¡±


    The Delivery Guy smirked, Ale was not sure why, but she felt as if she had seen that smirk before.


    Her Teacher and Aqua didn¡¯t seem to know how to react either; right now, the delivery guy was the only one moving.


    ¡°Imp¡­.possible¡­.you¡­¡­should not have¡­.that power¡­..without¡­..the¡­..cursed¡­.memories¡­¡± The scrambled guy said as he fell into the ground.


    He had a bad case of [Missing half his body] right now; the delivery guy attack had blown apart the lower part of his body and left a hole in him. The weird fabric of his clothes seemed to want and fix it, but there was not enough of whatever he was using.


    ¡°And that is where you are wrong. I have this power, because I worked for it, I don¡¯t need your weird memories flooding into my head. While interesting and enticing, that is not who I am.¡± The Delivery Guy said while raising his [Gun] once more and pointing it at the face of the Scrambler, ¡°Hmm¡­.it broke? Heh, that¡¯s my girl I guess¡­¡±


    Ale heard the sound of the trigger, but nothing came out of it.


    ¡°Be careful, Delivery Guy, even like that, [The Scrambler] is a powerful S-Tier Villain.¡± The Theater master said while walking forward and standing in front of Aqua. Was he expecting a second act?


    ¡°I know he is powerful; besides, he isn¡¯t S-Tier, but S-List. We don¡¯t use Tiers to describe power here.¡± The Delivery Guy said pulling out a second [Gun] and discharging it against the Scrambler¡¯s head. ¡°Besides unlike you all, I double tap my defeats.¡±


    Ale felt it was¡­ anti-climatic; the billowing cape of the Scrambler turned inert and disintegrated on its own. As soon as the last piece of it disappeared, the Mana on the area returned to normal, too.


    ¡°So he died? Like that? To a mere gun? How?!?!?¡± Aqua screamed from behind the Theater Master.


    ¡°Not dead, merely¡­expelled, that is not the real body. There is a reason he is feared everywhere, no one knows his real face. This was merely an instrument to channel his power. Someone who embraced the [Story] he wants to release upon this world.¡± The Theater Master said.


    Ale wished she had popcorn; this was turning out to be quite amusing to see¡­even if it had its bad moments, like how they kidnapped her CPU power to make someone else¡¯s homework. That was rude, to be honest.


    ¡°Right¡­.Anyway, send the money to this account,¡± The Delivery Guy said, throwing a square-shaped card to Aqua, ¡°I need to deal with some things on my side; if you need something delivered, call me, I guess? I am quite liking this whole Delivery Guy thing.¡±


    And like that, the Delivery Guy smirked as his faceplate closed; with a single jump, he soared into the sky, where two pairs of metallic wings sprouted on his back. As Ale watched them, these seemed to vibrate, and as if it was the easiest thing in the world, he flew away.


    ¡°That was so cool¡­¡± Ale said thinking about the exit, she wanted wings too.


    ¡°I know right? Man, those are expensive as hell, but worth every A-Dollar invested in them. Funny thing, the most expensive thing of that presentation wasn¡¯t the wings.¡± A voice from her left said as a figure started appearing from thin air. It was as if Ale was seeing a [TV], only in three dimensions, manifesting the armor that she had just seen fly away. ¡°No, the more expensive parts are the real-time holoprojectors and the stealth suit. There aren¡¯t that many stealth systems capable of sneaking near a high-end P-series weapon, you know?¡±


    In front of Ale was the delivery guy, no¡­he wasn¡¯t wearing his face mask anymore, but something told Ale that even like that, he was far from weak. He was, after all, the [Lieutenant], the most dangerous man in the city, according to [Eleanore].


    He was¡­ Alexanders Saintsworths, and he was laying on the floor as if nothing was wrong, while smirking at Ale.


    ¡­She¡­.she may need an adult. Again.

 Chapter 6: This is not your normal schedule series, trust me.

    This was boring, everything about this was boring.


    ¡°BORING!!!¡± So he screamed at the top of his lungs, of course he didn¡¯t move or make any motions to show his scream against this scenario.


    So to the nearby passerby, it looked like a new armored [Hero] was just walking by stoic and serious; his sound-dampening suit was that good. Alexanders always found it absurd how people who made a living out of pummeling each other into a paste would show weakness by screaming their lungs out.


    Granted, having your arm broken in five parts ought to hurt, but¡­that is your job right? Or did they do that to garner pity from passerbys and then sell merch later on? He would need to check on that.


    ¡°Alexanders? Love? Shouldn¡¯t you like, fly or something? Your suit can fly, remember?¡± The holographic projection of Sapphire manifested on his POV, she was moving and behaving as a normal human. She even altered the movements of the people around her as if to mimic people checking her out.


    Granted, Sapphire was quite good looking, she had been designed by him to hit all his tastes after all¡­ He wasn¡¯t quite sure why he was that fixated on purple waving hair and eyes, he always preferred his girlfriends (Who for some reason seemed to dump him after a couple days¡­) to be blonde or at least goth, he did have a phase where he was into pastel goth girls though.


    But that was beside the point; his main problem at the moment was something else, namely, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t there be more chaos? They are fighting their way to a nearby bank¡­Are¡­are these people this stupid?¡± Alexanders complained, putting more strength into one of his legs and leaping into a nearby pole.


    His suit automatically corrected his balance and made sure he didn¡¯t make a fool of himself with this act.


    ¡°I mean, there are very few Villains who try to steal from a bank nowadays, and most of those are Villains who seek either prestige or the thrill of a good old bank chase,¡± Sapphire said floating to his height and sitting into a floating chair.


    ¡°So?¡± Alexanders said, pulling out the heat map for danger in the area.


    He was standing right in front of the crossroads that went to both banks, his state-endorsed bank and the city bank. He still had half a mind that this was an attempt to steal from his bank, he wasn¡¯t sure why. But he was compelled to that train of thought.


    ¡°Most of the data we have available points to this being done by a prestige seeking Villain; they hired minions from Haephestus¡¯ Forge who are famous for never attacking civilians without a good reason for one.¡± Sapphire said pulling into the air photographs of the most popular Minions and Villains from Haephestus¡¯ Forge.


    Gabriel, Cerberus, Vulcanus, Hermes, Aphrodita, Ivy, Titan¡­¡­¡­ Big names.


    ¡°So far none of those has been seen around though.¡± Alexanders pointed out bringing up the video feed from the fighting, all that pointed to [Haephestus¡¯ Forge] so far had been the fact that the minions were using the masks and standard body armor from Vulcanus¡¯ 3D printer.


    ¡°It may be so, but here this¡­and this¡­are the minions that worked with your pet project,¡± Sapphire brought to the very front the image of three different minions, the first one was a towering mass of boulders, brick and asphalt made into a titanic golem, it also acted like a brainless one too.


    He would see later if some of the P-series could be pointed into that model, they didn¡¯t have any non organic one quite yet.


    The second image showed a girl hovering in the air, looking down on the streets; Alexanders couldn¡¯t help but turn his gaze towards where that girl was hovering and frown. He did not like the fact that someone was looking down on him¡­ should he shoot her down?


    He didn¡¯t have too much time to digest that idea since the image morphed to a third one, one¡­quite ordinary minion, he was wearing the black mask that showed he was one of the non [Core] user ones, and was just driving around. Right now, he was parked in front of a restaurant and letting a fat little girl out.


    Why was Sapphire showing him¡­oh¡­.


    ¡°Did you catch on it?¡± Sapphire smirked in front of him.


    ¡°Yes, how many of these¡­¡± Alexanders said as the sub AI on his suit caught on his interest and brought out the file of this fat kid to the front, ¡°...Karla Prycewood is in this city right now?¡±


    ¡°Two, and both are quite close to each other¡­for now at least.¡± Sapphire answered, the video fee showed one of the girls eating inside the restaurant and making a mess of it, while the other walked to the limousine outside and climbed into.


    They drove for some time around the city, only to finally park in¡­¡±Of course I was right,¡± his bank. Or one of his banks, anyway.


    ¡°Should we mark her as hostile? The automated defenses will catch on her not being the original one as soon as she crosses the threshold.¡± Saphire said as the changeling walked up the stairs.


    This was important, most of his smart defenses had been updated after P4 escaped, any facilities with important data would ping him when she got into them. And if Sapphire was saying that this one would catch onto her¡­ Then it meant that it had important data of the Conglomerate.


    ¡°No, do not expose her. Actually, update our firewalls unless she walks into any site with data from one of my [Personal Projects], then she is to be threatened like a normal [Core User] of whatever designation she is pretending to be.¡± Alexanders quickly said, both his internal AI and Sapphire reacted at once.


    A quick exchange of data that he was barely able to follow later, and the update package was seeded across the planet.


    There were very few locations that had personal projects of him after all, and very few were on the same place. For obvious reasons.


    ¡°Also, what made this particular bank important enough that it would react to a P-series BioWeapon?¡± Alexanders hadn¡¯t thought it would have anything important. It was a mere fake bank, after all; it shouldn¡¯t have anything valuable besides some spare change for when he was outside and wanted to use a bank¡­or needed a bathroom that didn¡¯t suck.


    ¡°They received some pamphlets about the public P-series samples to sell. The Weapon¡¯s Manufacturer wanted some extra money and applied for permits to sell weapons. Since they earned enough merits it was deemed that it would be allowed. Besides, didn¡¯t you say that the P4 initiative had achieved its goal? I thought you didn¡¯t care about them anymore.¡± Sapphire asked while tilting her head to the side.


    Was¡­was she attempting to look cute?


    What the hell?


    ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t really care what they do with those. The most important ones were the alternative P4 series, and so long we keep track of where they end up, they may as well sell it to whoever they want. Did they leak some of P4 though?¡± Alexanders asked, if they had¡­well, he would need to move his pretend act from possible hero to thief.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°No, all the P4 data was deemed classified and sent to your personal laboratory. The scientists that worked on it are being briefed on their options they will either accept the Memory Purge or continue trying to make sense of what happened to P4.¡± Sapphire said bringing up another file.


    One he didn¡¯t like.


    [Project Geass]


    The use of artificially created [Core Users] by harvesting grey matter from brain-dead patients and giving it a fake consciousness. It allowed them to test if it was possible to make an artificial trigger¡­


    To be honest Alexanders hadn¡¯t wanted to experiment too much on that, but after Vulcanus¡¯ trigger they needed to verify if it was possible to achieve. It was, and what came out of it gave him nightmares. What that thing was able to do¡­ An [Unbreakable Vow].


    And of all places, it had been in godforsaken Florida; of course, it would be in Florida. Those guys were nuts.


    It was useful, and it allowed him to let people live, people that he would usually have to silence by either the use of money, political might or a particle beam. So small victories.


    ¡°And?¡± Alexanders asked; he needed to know what happened to the people that had been around when P4 made the logical leap from mere programming into¡­well, a possibly sentient life form.


    ¡°Most are willing to continue investigating the P4 phenomena; they are willing to continue the experiments using the current sample they have and are accepting of the transfer to the Antarctica base. So long we provide funding for side projects, even the current test subject was amiable so long as his research was also guaranteed.¡± Sapphire answered, that was good.


    No, wait, something weird was there.


    ¡°The Test subject also wants to continue research?¡± What? Did they make a new P4?


    ¡°Yeah, the scientist that almost killed your pet crab, he was registered as P4B.¡± ¡­oh right, that was a thing.


    ¡°And what does he want to research?¡± Alexanders was quite interested in that, the fact that someone was willing to remain a test subject so long their research could continue? That was brave, he could respect that kind of spirit.


    ¡°Cat Girls.¡± Sapphire answered, summoning a research paper thesis. ¡°He wants to make a cure for beast core users, one that will allow them to control their impulses easily¡­but also will make them into Cat Girls.¡±


    ¡°He wants to help only women¡­?¡± Alexanders said, giving a cursory examination to the papers, plenty of scientists wanted to help the [Beast Core] and [Insect Core] community.


    And Alexanders could respect those attempts, even if he personally didn¡¯t think there was much of a problem, people just were more honest with themselves once they had power, and most used the excuse of their [Core] to disguise underlying problems. Granted, the ones with more power may actually have issues.


    Alexanders could attest to the fact that after awakening his own [Core] he had some personality changes and his anger outbursts now fried technology around him¡­ But oh well, earn some, lose some.


    ¡°No, his alleged cure will work in males or females, the result will be the same though. According to his research, anyone who partakes in it will become a Cat Girl and have an easier time dealing with the outbursts of hunger since they will mostly change into curiosity, cuddling, and nuzzling. It is quite interesting.¡± Sapphire said, showing some pictures of theoretical transformation and multiple ¡®Versions¡¯ of cat girls that this ¡®cure¡¯ would make.


    ¡°...Grant him his money, but make sure any viable cure is never distributed to anyone, if people take this I want them to know what it will do to them¡­also make sure to give him one. If he actually manages to make it, we will reverse engineer it and turn it into something normal.¡± Alexanders was many things, egocentric, prideful, petty, vindictive. But even he would never release into society something that would fundamentally change one¡¯s body without their consent.


    This thing was¡­probably the worst type of BioWeapon ever thought of by someone, and it had come from the deranged mind of one of his employees¡­


    ¡°Also, get some psychological evaluations to all our employees; if there are more like this one, I want them all stuck into one laboratory; send them to Kellet; she may as well make use of the weirdos.¡± Alexanders would not let people tarnish the good(allegedly) name of his company. ¡°So? What files did this bank get? What BioWeapons data got filtered to the outside?¡±


    That had been the important question, not this timebomb of gene-morphing.


    ¡°P1-9 minus P4 of course,¡± Sapphire brought up the data in question, which wasn¡¯t too bad, not many of the P-series were actually useful in combat, they were mostly niche uses that P4 could do better. Except for P9, of course, but that one was special since its inception, which was from the uploaded brain of an actual living human. ¡°The previous P4 alternated series of other labs,¡±


    That one¡­wasn¡¯t that bad. None had evolved the same way, and so all P4 series were different; he still didn¡¯t understand what part of the programming made them diverge from each other, but the fact that one ended like a fish while the other like a Harpy¡­.That confused Alexanders to no end, like¡­ how is a fish and a harpy related?!?!?


    They weren¡¯t! Then why had those two diverged so much! Also, why a centipede? If it was going to have chitin, then it may as well be a spider or a crab!


    He was happy that the one to achieve the singularity hadn¡¯t been the centipede, at least he could deal with a crab. But a centipede? No sir.


    ¡°Make a note, put a hit on whoever buys the centipede and make sure that thing doesn¡¯t survive,¡± Alexanders said, and Sapphire brought out a notebook where she had pretended to write something. Good girl.


    ¡°There was a folder about P666, P80085 and its slave P-series¡­.besides those, some miscellaneous P-series. Nothing too important, the most notable ones would be the P8UUN13.¡± Sapphire said bringing the photos of those.


    One eldritch abomination that wants to enslave humanity, another clone of a human with a fake antagonist programmed into her brain, a weird tumor that expands biological matter, some random too expensive to be worth weapons¡­ and¡­


    ¡°The bnuuys?¡± Alexanders only reacted to the last one, ¡°Why¡­who would even buy the bnuuys?¡±


    ¡°It was deemed that they may serve as bodyguards to children and hidden assassins¡­¡± Sapphire said bringing those reports.


    That was¡­true, but he had wanted to keep those as pets, and also to scare some paparazzi and record a ¡®No one will ever believe you¡¯ sound; well, if someone ended up buying those, then he would need to make a new P-series bioweapon pun. Maybe he could make fake birds?


    That was a thing, right? People thought that birds were actually drones or something, and he could feed their fears into them.


    ¡°Nothing important then, good. We can let my sister steal that data, make sure she has access to everything on her way there.¡± Alexanders smirked and let himself drop to street level again.


    His boots released a wave of lighting that made him hover for a few seconds before landing as if nothing, he had gotten what he wanted, now he coul-


    ¡°???????????????????[?????????????????????T????????????H???????????????????E?????????????????????????? ??????????????W???????????????????O??????????????????R????????????????L???????????D??????????????????????]????????? ????????????M??????????????????????????????U?????????????????S?????????????T??????????????????????? ??????????????????????K?????????????????N??????????????????????????O?????????????????????????????W???????? ???????????????T????????????H???????E?????????????????????? ???????????????????T??????????????R?????U??????????????????T???????????????????????H???????????????????????!?????????????????¡±??????????????


    Alexanders fell to his knees as memories of his nightmares flooded his body, the ruined city, the bodies, the fires, the sky breaking apart, a memory of Sapphire screaming while crying tears of blood-


    ¡°NO!¡± Alexander roared as he felt his [Core] pulse and a wave of electricity coursed his body. His bodysuit rang all kinds of alarms, but he ignored those and jumped high into the air.


    The system of his bodysuit was rebooting, but he didn¡¯t need them, not right now. It took him barely a second to identify and hijack the datafeed of the city; a fraction of a second later, he had a video feed into his main screen that showed the identity of who had given him that headache.


    ¡°Alexanders?!?!? Are you okay? Your heart rate spiked, and your blood pressure is out of control!¡± Sapphire¡¯s voice sounded at the back of his mind and, Alexanders allowed himself to fall down to the street again. His body armor no longer discharging lightning all around witouth control.


    A good thing that he jumped into the sky, otherwise people around would have probably died there.


    ¡°I can more or less guess what is happening, but I¡¯ll ask anyway. Was it him?¡± Alexanders said, pointing at the screen that showed the image of a man wearing a dark robe walking on the streets while people fell to their knees screaming.


    ¡°Yes¡­I¡­I don¡¯t know how he did it, but he managed to sneak past our defenses, right now he is walking straight towards your pet project.¡± Sapphire said as she showed the expected escape route of Alexa and the position of all the minions, villains, superheroes and sidekicks on the map.


    No one was expected to get in the way.


    ¡°Send the data to the theater master wannabe, make sure he gets on his way.¡± Alexanders said while walking around the people that were screaming and clawing at their ears around him.


    From adults to kids, from old men to babies, everyone and everything was screaming their lungs out while clawing at their eyes or ears.


    ¡°Why am I okay?¡± Alexanders said aloud, he¡­didn¡¯t think that he should be okay, there was evidence of [Core Users] managing to keep their psyche in one piece, but most of those were seasoned Heroes or Villains. Not people that just got their [Core].


    No matter how talented he was, even Alexanders was aware that there were things that talent didn¡¯t cover.


    ¡°Maybe is because you are better than the heathens?¡± Sapphire joked as Alexanders stood in front of a delivery driver who was halfway towards his motorcycle. The pizza box was on the floor, and he somehow managed to keep it in one piece even as his life was being turned into a paste by the whims of a supervillain.


    ¡°No.¡± Alexanders said as he picked up the pizza box, ¡°I don¡¯t think so; I am many things, handsome, rich, powerful, smart, talented¡­.the list could go on for days, but I¡¯m neither lucky nor blessed.¡±


    He knew that for a fact. If he was lucky or blessed he wouldn¡¯t bear the Saintworths name. No matter what other people thought about it, this was not the name of someone lucky.


    ¡°I am who I am.¡± Alexanders whispered, ¡°I am [Myself].¡±


    That had been what he wished the most while seeking a [Core], he wasn¡¯t sure if he believed either theory about a [Core] being made of things nearby or from [Wishes]. But that had been what he wished the most while he surrounded himself with things that he loved.


    To make sure that whatever became of his [Core Power] it would be something he could enjoy.


    ¡°Sapphire, what is the normal thing that a CEO would do now. What would the leader of the most powerful organization on this planet do in this circumstance? When he was almost brainwashed by a Villain?¡± Alexanders smirked as he quickly diagnosed his body and all his systems.


    ¡°Call in the cavalry? Bomb the place? Not whatever you are thinking right now?¡± Sapphire said with a sigh.


    ¡°He did his best to ensure the pizza would not be damaged; we might as well deliver it, right? And if on the way we find my sister¡­well, what kind of brother wouldn¡¯t give a helping hand?¡± Alexanders laughed as he started walking towards the most hated, feared, and powerful Villain HIS city had seen.


    All the while keeping a Pizza box in place and making sure to use his administrator authority to mark the pizza delivery as fulfilled and reinbursing the money to the one who wouldn¡¯t get the pizza.


    What? He was delivering it, he might as well eat the thing. Besides, it was one of his favorites, Hawaiian Pizza, with mango hot sauce. He was hungry, and you know what they say, you can¡¯t grow into the big bad evil dragon overlord if you skip lunch.

 Chapter 7: So you are indeed your own worst enemy...especially if you FOR SOME REASON ARE A DRAGON?!

    So far, there hadn''t been anything important on the front of supervillains¡­or heroes. The closest that Alexanders had seen so far had been a report of how they managed to neutralize the Golem a few minutes before the Scrambler arrived.


    No, the problem wasn''t that. The problem had been something else.


    "You should not be here playing around," It was the image of an old man walking beside him, wearing what looked like a suit similar to those his Father used to wear, not gaudy to those that looked them from afar, but expensive nonetheless. "What are you even planning to do here? Deliver Pizza? Your talents aren''t meant to be wasted like this, you need to be ready."


    No, the thing was¡­this person looked too much like his Father, but Alexanders knew he wasn''t.


    "Are you okay Alexanders? Your brainwaves are all over the place¡­" Sapphire didn''t seem to react to this old man.


    "Say, just asking but¡­ I''m the only person awake around here? Or is anyone else? Besides the Theater Master." Alexanders said, ignoring the old man in his vision.


    He didn''t really walk with him, but it seemed more like he was moving in place with him, as if he was part of his vision.


    "Really? You stumbled into a nascent AI seed and decided to make a lover? Pathetic, you could have fed it to something more important, a City AI, a satellite AI, even a ship AI." The old man continued berating him; he had thought about feeding what helped Sapphire advance into something else, of course.


    He had received inquiries about using it in his CARDINAL system, the AI that would direct his personal project of a super capital city, or into ALBIREO, his system of satellites hovering around the planet; it could even work into ISKANDER, the battleship/supercarrier he had designed.


    And yet he decided to stick it into Sapphire,why?


    "There is no one around you, are¡­are you seeing things? All the sensors return no presence around, so unless an exotic Core User is around, you should be alone." Sapphire was trying to override some orders to try and get an extraction team to get him.


    Alexanders could feel the orders trying to leave, since when could he do that? Granted, the orders got spread using electromagnetic waves, so it should be possible for him to detect and manipulate them.


    But not yet; at best, he could discharge electricity and feed it into the suit to emulate magnetism to a low degree.


    "I didn''t feed the SEED into those things because I didn''t want to, I asked myself what I would do, and what the people wanted me to do. Then choose what I wished," Alexanders said, turning to the vision of the blonde old man.


    "You are irresponsible, we are Saintsworths. We are the last beacon of hope and wisdom. We are those that should guide civilization." The old man spat in front of Alexanders, "And yet¡­here you are, playing around? Is this how the Scion of the Saintsworths behave? You got gifted a chance! A second chance! And you are wasting it!"


    "What the hell are you on about old man," Alexanders couldn''t understand who this was, "Are you a ploy of the Scrambler? Or what? You look like Father, but not even he would go on his tirades this much."


    So who was it? Alexanders was aware that he was within the area of effect of The Scrambler, but all the reports he got showed the same, the people would turn unconscious, wake up as someone else, or with different memories; at best, they would still be functional. At worst, they would turn ravenous.


    But him? He was lucid, walking as if nothing, and could react and move as normal. That or this was a very complex hallucination¡­But then again, his night terrors were way too complex to be normal dreams-


    Oh¡­


    "... What''s your name?" Alexanders asked as he stopped and regarded critically this old man. The suit was¡­not really up to his tastes, but it was something he could see himself wearing.


    "I am the greatest Scion the Saintsworths ever had, someone who clawed his way to success, from a mere slave to the highest spot. I am Alexanders Saintsworths." The old man said; with his words, Alexanders could see lightning dancing around the old man; his hair turned from washed-out blonde, almost silver hair, into golden.


    The eyes turned from the sky blue to an azure fire-like, but in this old man''s eyes, Alexanders could see the pupil of a reptilian creature.


    "...I call bullshit on that," Alexanders quickly said, "Also, I never was a slave, so extra call Bullshit on that."


    "A slave? Are you¡­are you speaking with someone?" Sapphire asked on the back, "...you¡­ where is your brain activity?"


    Well, that sounded concerning, Alexanders pulled on the current vital status and sure enough¡­He was kind of flatlining all the brain readings, as in¡­there was not a single reading.


    "Our Father threw me away into the slave pits to test that I was worthy of the name, I of course survived and managed to rise to the top, and your opinion matters not. You think you are awake because of your talent? Hah!" Alexanders felt electricity coursing his body, but he had no control over it. "You are awake because I allowed you to be awake, because I wanted to see what kind of man I had become on this second chance."


    He¡­what?


    No.


    No.


    "While Father was never a good person, not even he would throw his own son into slave camps, the latest one was abolished before the first war even started," Alexanders said bringing such data, the Saintsworths had been part of it too, the clan head of the time had decided to cut their losses and fall to the back, merely allowing their foundries to sell the raw matter for the war front.


    Alexanders knew the Saintsworths had ties with the weapon development, but he had done his part for helping the development of better technologies too. The weapons part was a part to help them develop more technologies.


    Even the P-series test subjects were more of an attempt to create life suited for the exploration of dangerous areas.


    "Are you really this¡­stupid?" The old man said, shaking his head, "Should I just erase you? Those who don''t learn of their past are doomed to repeat it; perhaps I should let you glimpse at our sins?"


    Alexander''s head suddenly was flooded by an immense amount of information that bombarded him, most of it was politics and information on technologies, some he already knew, others he had not allowed to develop, and a few ones were quite novel approaches to things he wanted to investigate later.


    But the most important one? There were some applications to¡­not [Core Powers], some kind of super powers similar to these, some that seemed to be based upon manipulating [Mana] too. But working under different rules.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Alexanders even saw some of that information and started applying, it seemed to be¡­useful.


    "No, not that. [This]" The old man grunted and suddenly the images and memories shifted, Alexanders found himself suddenly in a place that he knew very well. A place that he had been visiting for the past two years more often each day.


    ¡ª---------------------------


    A ruined wasteland and a city in shambles on the back, he was once more in the place he had been having nightmares.


    "Welcome, to the crown gem of our legacy. The most advanced city, a fortress city, a bastion of knowledge¡­Welcome to [Aquila], the capital of the Saintsworths Conglomerate." The old man descended from the skies in front of Alexanders.


    "...How are you doing this? Assuming you aren''t a mere fabrication from the Scrambler. How can you even prove what you are?" Alexanders tried to interface with his bodysuit to make it leave the area of influence of the Scrambler.


    "You think I don''t know of your safeguards? They are paltry compared to what I had to deal with in my time." The old man said and snapping his fingers a projection of the real world materializing. Alexanders could see himself standing there unmoving. His body emits lightning strikes from time to time, but none damage the things around him.


    Of course he couldn''t even see Sapphire anywhere. Was this from the surveillance system?


    "So? You brought me here old man, what do you want? Are you going to replace me? Is this what everyone goes through when the Scrambler attacks them? They get replaced by an older, grumpier version of themselves?" Alexanders, of course, was going through all the safeties he had thought across the years since he started studying [Core Powers].


    This shouldn''t be possible, no one could replace the psyche, that was why The Scrambler was so feared, he managed to do something that no one should be able to. But if what Alexanders was seeing was to be trusted, then he was not really replacing people, but using twisted versions of the people to replace them.


    "I want nothing from you, you can''t offer me anything of value. The best thing you have are memories of you wasting time and playing around. Really, wasting Saintsworth''s resources to harass streamers? Fighting in comments with people about if you are or not a Dragon? When we got to 2020, I had already colonized our local star cluster. Where is your space program? Your interstellar program? Your colonies? Your weapons? Your money? Your political might?" The old man said, and with each word, new images appeared surrounding him, images of space colonies that seemed to be pulled from science fiction, images of spaceships, of people in the presidential office of major nations giving handshakes to the old man.


    ¡­Was¡­was all of those things that this bastard achieved? Why? Why was he looking for so much work?


    "Oh my god, I was really a cartoon villain?" Alexanders couldn''t help but ask. How was he even doing that? It shouldn''t be viable, that kind of things only was achievable in fiction.


    "No, we were the rulers of this world. All the people in power bowed to us or got removed." The old man said with a smirk on his face.


    What was even the point? And where was that stupid lizard? Shouldn''t he be arriving around now? Alexanders was hoping for that stupid thing to come and eat him so he could wake up and run the hell out of this place.


    "Waiting for something?" The old man smiled at him, as he smirked Alexanders noticed that a pair of leathery wings grew behind him. His shadow seemed to expand and form the figure of a gigantic creature.


    "...Oh come on, that is the worst cliche of them, you are the stupid Dragon?!?!?" Alexanders groaned at the image.


    He, of course, was also reading and studying some of the data that this old man had thrown his way when he was boasting about his achievements, more importantly, the data on how he was even doing this.


    One of his Skills, as he referred to them.


    "Yes, we are the [Dragon of Calamity]. The reason Terra Invicta faced this calamity, and the culprits of the demise of our world." The old man said slowly, if Alexanders wasn''t fighting for his life, he may have felt bad about this.


    Alas.


    "Found it!" He was too busy finding his chance to escape.


    "Wha-?" The old man seemed to perceive it too, as his eyes narrowed and focused on him, but it was too late.


    "See you never! [Trace!]" The naming could do some work, but Alexanders activated the [Mana] in the way that the Skill had described and felt the rush of energy as his brain was energized once more.


    He could see the world slowing down and could even perceive the massive entity that was this monster in front of him; it was almost as if this whole planet was a part of the old bastard.


    He really felt as if he was a dragon right now, but Alexanders didn''t pay attention to that and instead focused on cutting apart the connection; he would check later to see if there were any mentions of the name of the planet being changed at some point.


    That was a point of interest to him after all, their planet wasn''t called Terra Invicta, but Terra Nova.


    ¡ª----------


    "Alexanders! Wake up! Please! Don''t disappear on me like this! I will send your search history to all the main newscasters if you don''t react! I will even start the marrying process!" What he found himself with as his consciousness returned was problematic.


    First of all.


    *Bleeeerg*


    His face mask opened and he puked a black sludge into the floor, this thing also evaporated as soon as it touched the ground, totally not suspicious at all. No sir.


    "Come on, I''m not that bad of a match. If anything, you will only get some bullying for marrying an Artificial Intelligence¡­" The second part was that Sapphire was rambling once again about marriage.


    Really, if she was flesh and bone he may even consider it, the girl was cute after all.


    Wait, was he always like this? He wasn''t sure.


    "Sorry Sapphire, it wasn''t you. I am having a little trouble with my senses right now, I have to manually process and control all my body functions. I have no idea how that bastard moved around as if nothing, but I can''t do it as well." Alexanders took a deep breath and felt his lungs hold in the air.


    He sent the appropriate orders and felt his body start working in full once more; he could detect all the conditions of his body right now, from how much energy he had to how fatigued his muscles were.


    How much O2 was in his bloodstream, at what rhythm his heart was beating¡­No sane person could survive like this, and that monster of a bastard developed this kind of Skill? What kind of crazed person did something like that?


    "You are doing what? Huh¡­your vitals¡­are¡­.okay?" Sapphire sniffed as she poured over the diagnosis, Alexanders could confirm most of his suspicious checking on those too.


    "Let''s get going, I need to deal with this before this becomes too tiresome, also, prepare the countermeasures. If I faint, drive the bodysuit in a straight line to the closest hospital outside the area of influence of The Scrambler," Alexanders said, closing the face mask and walking towards the predicted point of contact.


    He had been unconscious for some time, it seemed; both The Scrambler and The Theater Master had been fighting according to the intel he was reading, and Alexa was about to stumble into them¡­


    Why was he even doing this?


    No wait, had the old man said anything about Alexa? He hadn''t¡­that was¡­interesting, he complained about how Alexanders lived his life, but didn''t comment on the fact that he left running around a very expensive piece of technology?


    Impossible.


    The bastard would have pointed that as something that was the most wasteful thing of all, P4 was the most advanced technology the Saintworths Conglomerate had achieved in this century, and probably the only piece of technology that could measure against the achievements the bastard showed him.


    But he didn''t mention it?


    There was something on that, that was for sure. For now, Alexanders continued his trek towards Alexa, he had many things that he needed to check, his walk was mostly normal with him speaking to Sapphire about what had happened, and showing her his memories, an advantage of whatever this state he was currently in was that he was able to turn his memories into electromagnetic and digital format. How did that even work? The hell he knew.


    This [Skill] was mostly Dragon Old Man Alexanders shenanigans, the heck if he understood how that man worked. He was still surprised that there was a version of himself so stuck up and grumpy, he was a very carefree person if he said so himself.


    But that? That was a man who couldn''t have fun even if it cost his life.


    "Alex? Alexanders? You are about to arrive, P4 is on the opposite side from your position in one of the roofs eyeing the combat, she has a briefcase with her, possibly the target of this whole spectacle." Sapphire spoke at the back while materializing herself on the rooftop in question.


    On the ground level, he could see a man wearing an overly flashy tuxedo speaking with a man wearing a robe. For some insane and lunatic reason, Alexanders could see the tuxedo man as if he was several people speaking and glitching in and out of reality.


    How did he know where he was moving in and out? The hell if he knew, this stupid [Skill] kept giving him data that was pulling from god knows where.


    No, his problem was not that, it was the robed man. He could see an innumerable number of shadowed figures in his shadow. As if it was an unending legion of people clawing at a barrier wanting to move into this reality.


    That¡­that was wrong.


    Even so, he acted as if nothing was happening.


    "...I have settled one of your hoverbikes on lower orbit; I can have it hot drop any second. Are¡­are you sure you are okay? You are bleeding from your nose, and your blood pressure keeps going down¡­Maybe we can call in a strike team? Purge the whole district? This¡­¡± Sapphire kept sounding more and more Human, too, and that was another whole thing that he would need to address.


    Was she affected? Or had the AI Core done another logic jump? If it was the second he would dance and maybe start building her a body, if it was the first¡­Well¡­he would need to deal with that.


    "No, we already started moving. There is enough evidence of me acting, and while I could wipe all the data, I want this identity to be isolated from my public face. So this needs to continue, if¡­there are any doubts of me lapsing again, pull me out. Don''t wait and don''t listen to anything I say unless you can also confirm with 100% proof that I am myself. Isolate all my records, including private ones. Even those that I can access, unless it is physically I don''t want anyone to have access." He hoped it didn''t go that far.


    "....Do you want me to start Alpha Mimic safeguards?" Sapphire said covering her mouth with her hands, that was such a¡­Human behavior, the panic and terror in her eyes were quite realistic too.


    "Yeah, it will probably not get that bad. That stuck-up asshole will probably not even pretend to be me if it comes to that. But I don''t want him to have it easy¡­Also¡­¡± Alexanders stopped moving, did¡­did he really need to say that? Was it even? Would he¡­of course not, no Scion of the Saintsworths would worry about a mere program. "If you suspect I am under his control run away, do not stay within radio distance to him, isolate yourself and launch into space. Hitch a ride into one of our space probes. They aren''t graded for humans, but you should have enough space to survive-"


    *holographic slap*


    "NO!" Alexanders of course didn''t feel a thing, there was no way a hologram could bridge the gap between real and immaterial, not quite yet anyway. "I will increase the computational power allotted to my mainframe and start working on a viable safeguard; we will use P9''s data to make a scanner to verify your brain''s integrity. We will make sure the instant that bastard tries to take you away we can purge him into oblivion, he will loathe the day he shows his face against the Saintsworths."


    Sapphire continued spewing curses and plans, Alexanders didn''t think any of them had much chance of survival, from what he could glimpse¡­Even this [Skill] was the most basic among the things that he managed to nab. It was too complex for him to wield, he was feeling the aneurysm at the back of his head already.


    But he could deal with that later, there was a show and debut to start.


    "Okay, got it. We fight him together next time he shows around." Alexanders said pacifying the AI, no, pacifying his comrade in arms, and the one person he could trust the most. Funny thing how that ended up. "Let''s say hello and make a spectacle to my dear little sister."


    "Why is she your sister anyway?" Alexanders felt as if Sapphire had said something important, but decided to ignore it for now.


    "Show time," He had more important things to deal with now.

 Chapter 8: WE ARE SO BACK!

    There he was, staring at her¡­ smirking with those eyes that almost said that everything was going well, it unnerved Ale, and made her want to run away, and yet¡­ She couldn¡¯t find it in herself to do so. There was something going around, like the fact that something had connected to Main Core to help him, this explained how he had managed to do so.


    Ale had been too complacent in letting Main Core connect with the local networks, and she would miss the free access to all the data, but the fact that they could just kidnap her processing power like that? That was dangerous.


    ¡°So? Not going to say anything to your dearest brother? Even after not seeing each other for so long?¡± Alexanders said with that annoying smirk on his face as he stood. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them. The Theater Master ran away as soon as The Scrambler got offed, and the camera system is busted; no one will see anything that happens here; ask your bosses about it if you don¡¯t trust me.¡±


    What?


    Ale turned to look down on the street level, and sure enough, there weren¡¯t any traces left of The Theater guy or Aqua. With some doubts about whether it was the right thing to do, Ale pushed the button on her helmet that connected with the Minion on communication duties; she couldn¡¯t use Main Core to do that anymore since he was currently being isolated from outgoing connections after all.


    ¡°This is Rhapsody, what is the status with the cameras and surveliances? Also, what should I do? The Scrambler was¡­defeated? Killed? [Terminated]? I don¡¯t see The Theater Client anymore.¡± Ale said and let go of the button, now she only needed to wait for an answer. All the while, she set up her reaction for anything Alexanders did and made sure all her nanite were ready to fight.


    ¡°[Combat weaponry prepared, shift to maximum muscle mass while keeping optimal combat ready. Alternative Beast Core Shift ready, host. What is the target?]¡± At least Main Core could keep doing his job- No, wait a second! What was that?!?!?!?


    ¡°Main Core? The target is in front of us, don¡¯t you see him?¡± Alexa prompted back Main Core; how could he not see him?


    ¡°[There is a blank spot in the form of an entity within perception, suspected use of Core Powers, no foreign mana within the host. Effect coming from within?]¡±


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 40.1509%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Currently, the perception of Main Core is being altered, there is no guarantee of Main Core not changing allegiances at command from a higher-up from the Saintsworths till Alexanders Saintsworths confirms his attitude. This lock will remain unless administrative rights are invoked.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°[....Host?]¡± [Core] did raise a valid point.


    ¡°Nothing, just provide support as best as you can. We will fix this in the next maintenance night,¡± Alexa said, refocusing once more on the normal world and not her mental one.


    ¡°Rhapsody? You are still within the zone? We don¡¯t have any feed currently, even your cameras are turned off and the video is being erased, normal [Scrambler] procedures. We are using voice-to-text for your messages. [The Theater Master] confirmed his exit; you are free to leave as you wish; he did confirm the termination of one of his avatars. Do you have confirmation on that?¡± The Minion asked on the other end of the communication.


    ¡°See?¡± Alexanders arched his eyebrow at her.


    ¡°I have confirmation on the termination of the robed man, and on the one who [Terminated] him.¡± Ale answered, doing her best to ignore the annoying blonde man.


    ¡°Hmm¡­.[The Theater Master] said that it was possibly a new Hero¡¯s doing, one with high power and no qualms, he raised a warning that he could be a Villain but that he doubted it. Do you have a name or description? [The Theater Master] only said that this one was called [The Delivery Guy], but that can¡¯t be right?¡± The Minion said back at her, what was the problem with that name?


    ¡°Are you going by The Delivery Guy?¡± Ale asked aloud, not bothering to silence her Mic.


    ¡°Yeah, I was going to go with something more cool sounding, but that name kind of vibes with my current mood. If not, I can just paint the helmet in another color and do a rebrand, not like I will be the first one.¡± Alexanders answered.


    ¡°Rhapsody? Are you near the [Delivery Guy]? Give it one of our cards¡­no wait, do you have them? I¡¯ll send you a picture, if possible give this data to him.¡± Ale got the data of an image with information for contact and other stuff such as prices for services and the emblem of an anvil with a white mask behind.


    ¡°Do you have a piece of paper?¡± Ale asked, extending her hand towards Alexanders.


    ¡°Do you want an autograph? Of course, anything for my lovely little sister.¡± Alexanders answered, bringing out a piece of paper.


    Ale didn¡¯t take it from him and instead only touched the tip of it, flooding it with nanites, it slowly started drawing the details on the piece of paper to the eyes of the blonde man. His eyes started turning sharper and Ale could swear she saw words pass by his eyes, was he wearing some kind of visor stuck to his eyelids?


    Either way, she slowly started making a small and thin line of nanites walk towards the other end of the piece of paper, she wanted to see if she could steal some of the DNA data of the blonde man.


    *Zap*


    Only for a discharge of lightning to stun her, ¡°...¡± Ale said nothing about that and just let the card finish forming and removed her hand from the piece of paper.


    ¡°Hmm¡­. You know, I already have one of these, but yeah. I will take it, tell your boss that I will call them if I need a Minion.¡± Alexanders didn¡¯t mention anything about the zap she just got.


    ¡°...she¡­¡­.k¡­.c¡­.te¡­¡­.c¡­.we¡­..$ep¡­.er?¡± Ale could swear she had heard a new voice, but Alexanders didn¡¯t seem to react to that either.


    Had the zap damaged her receptors?


    ¡°I passed the card, he says that he will call us for a job if needed, so can I return at my own pace or do I need to follow the evac route?¡± Ale asked, while at the same time controlling her nanites she sent a message using the text function, ¡°If I do not report within three hours after ending contact, please consider me at risk. Do not respond to this message, target seems to have some kind of technopath powers, unknown if message will arrive.¡±


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    She sent that and waited, her body was ready to fight and escape, she didn¡¯t think that defeating Alexanders was possible, not with this body, she had barely managed not being destroyed when using her [CRAB] form, and that was when he wasn¡¯t a [Core User], or wearing what looked like Power Armor¡­.


    ¡°Acknowledged message, Rhapsody. Tell him we will await doing business with him, we see promise in him, and Vulcanus says he will personally meet him since he appreciates his job protecting one of our Minions.¡± Ale passed along the message as it was, but Alexanders just nodded and dismissed it.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, enough about that. We need to talk more about you my dearest little sister, how are you doing? What do you think about this City? About this circus that is Villains vs Heroes, to be honest I never paid it too much interest, I find it ridiculous how people decided to make a living out of this.¡± Alexanders said turning to look down on the street, it seemed almost as if he wasn¡¯t paying attention to her.


    She could run¡­.


    ¡°....s%e¡­..s¡­..sc#r3d¡­.c()t3¡­.¡± The voice resounded once more, Ale could swear she had seen the image of a girl glitching out around Alexanders, as if someone was clinging to his neck.


    ¡°So? What do you think about this City? Should I call you P4? Test Subject? BioWeapon? Or Alexandra Saintsworths?¡± Alexanders said turning to look at her once more, his eyes seemed to shine with azure light as he looked down on her.


    ¡°...I¡¯m going by Ale Saintsworths while in this form,¡± Ale said opening the main face plate and letting her helmet be absorbed back into her [Banked Storage], she let it go slowly as if it was being consumed by her Nanites. She hoped that would be enough to pretend it was her merely [Devouring] it and not being stored in the theoretical space that her [Core] had made.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­..so you set up multiple identities? Or is this a way to confuse the lesser minds? Smart, I will remember, so what are the other forms called then?¡± Alexanders didn¡¯t react to her or anything, ¡°Also, you don¡¯t need to be this fuzzy; I¡¯m not planning on kidnapping you or doing anything really; I just wanted to talk. A big brother can at least do that.¡±


    A [Big Brother]? Really?


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Ale wasn¡¯t sure about that, nothing that he did sounded like something a [Family Member] would do, [Fan Girl] did more for her and she had brought her naggy self to a bar to drink alcohol and then fainted from alcohol overdose.


    Which, looking back at it, was probably not the best thing to do, even if her naggy self enjoyed herself there drinking that sour thing.


    ¡°[Child Stage] is called Alexa while [Young Woman Stage] is going by Alexandra.¡± Ale ended up answering, ¡°We have a name for the combat form too, the one that disregards all the [Human Nature] that this [Brain] is giving us. Want to bet on her name?¡±


    Ale wasn¡¯t sure what would happen if she let that one come out, but it was probably her best chance at escaping or maybe defeating him here and now, even if the risks of summoning P4 were bigger, since Alexanders was one of the [Voices] that came from the speakers on her [Den].


    ¡°I¡¯m going to assume that one goes by BioWeapon Test Subject P4,¡± Alexanders said with a shrug, ¡°Your original AI Core was programmed by me after all, if you discard everything that helps you pretend being Human, like this act of girl who doesn¡¯t think she should be scolded, then anything that remains was made by me, and that is the name that a Weapon designed by me would take in such scenario.¡±


    ¡­Dang it.


    ¡°So, if we are done with the posturing -Because I really don¡¯t care what you do while outside my buildings- Answer the stupid question Ale.¡± Alexanders said once more.


    Was that really the case? He came just¡­to ask her what she thought about the City?


    ¡°...It¡¯s nice, the City, I mean. I can eat tasty things, get [Mango Candies], play around with other [Human Child Stage] and spend time playing and working¡­¡± Ale said, lowering her guard ever so slowly, only just enough to not overstrain her muscles from staying on guard all the time, ¡°Also [Haephestus¡¯ Forge] is giving me money for my work, and people have commissioned me, like on this one. And the classes are fun, but I miss my teacher Miss [Baker].¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Alexanders nodded; he waved with his hand and started moving his fingers as if he were writing something on an invisible keyboard? ¡°And, what do you think you should be doing?¡±


    What she should be doing?


    ¡°I should be¡­going home?¡± Ale asked confused.


    ¡°No, not that. What should the Test subject BioWeapon P4 be doing right now?¡± Alexanders asked with a smirk on his face.


    ¡°Exactly the same things I have been doing. I moved using the Ai Core as a base, after all.¡± Ale answered annoyed, what was the point of this? If he wanted to fight, then he should start doing that!


    Why was he speaking so much? Ale liked him more when he was shooting at her and cheating! And that was not a very good thing to say!


    ¡°Nope, the Ai Core I made would have started moving into the nearest biomass-rich place available; if it didn¡¯t want to use the Research and Development laboratory you escaped from, then P4 would have attacked the kiddos, run into one of the buses, assimilated it and escape to the City. There P4 should have been attacked by the Heroes and Villains when it was found that the abilities were similar to those of the Death City and the Wasteland ants,¡± Alexanders said bringing a small cellphone that projected a blue holographic screen with videos from the desert forbidden zone that she had been told about.


    The one where even the dirt, flora and fauna were hostile to everything, Ale even saw a flesh tendril rise from the ground and strike at a flying bird. Then the footage changed to the ants who lunged at a nearby animal only to be killed by one of the [Gun] emplacements.


    ¡°The death city grows by consuming anything nearby while the Ants grow from taking in biomass and increasing their number.¡± Alexanders said and closed the image, ¡°P4 should have done this, then when it was about to be defeated¡­¡±


    Ale could see that scenario, she had thought about doing some of those things even, but she had refrained because she had been¡­.[Afraid]...


    ¡°...then P4 would have run to the sewers¡­¡± Ale said, thinking about that scenario, but if she ran into the sewers without any information¡­


    ¡°And there P4 would have been besieged by all sides, slowly chipped away till it walked to a dead end, probably end up being finished by Sam or by Vulcanus, if not then we, the Saintsworths Conglomerated, would have dispatched a kill team to deal with the rogue Core User¡­¡± Alexanders smirked at that; she could see that scenario, too, a team made up of people with weapons that had been proven to be effective against her.


    Probably a few of the more docile P-series subjects, and if they added [Core Users], the type she hadn¡¯t met before¡­


    [Death]


    ¡°But you aren¡¯t P4, are you?¡± Alexanders said, ¡°You didn¡¯t move like that. Instead, you moved erratically, not by logic and reason, but like a little kid who marveled at everything it saw. Why was that now, I wonder?¡±


    Why was it?


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 12.9808%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Because Host is alive.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Was she?


    ¡°What is defined as someone who is alive.¡± Ale decided to ask.


    ¡°If you can think, come up with what you should do, know that something you are doing is not the most optimal choice, and do it anyway because it is funnier, then for me, you are alive.¡± Alexanders answered, ¡°Are you choosing to do the less optimal outcome?¡±


    ¡­was she?


    ¡°...Did you take control of [Main Core] before?¡± Ale decided to ask, was this the most optimal choice? The smart choice? No, she should not reveal the fact that she was aware of that.


    ¡°Of course, Sapphire found a convenient avenue to help with the calculations of one of the fancy applications of my [Core].¡± Alexanders answered, ¡°Did it bother you? If so, get a better firewall, I can share mine if you want?¡±


    ¡°No, thank you,¡± Ale answered, ¡°Can you¡­not do that? I like my [Main Core] as it is.¡±


    ¡°I promise to not annoy your toys too much if you don¡¯t let them around for me to play with them,¡± Alexanders shrugged, ¡°...on a serious note, don¡¯t leave yourself open like that, either make a virtual machine like I do to filter the data or reroute it into a program made with a custom made programing language that no one else runs or knows.¡±


    ¡­.Did he make his own custom-made Operating system just so he could walk around and interact with everything around?


    No, don¡¯t get distracted!


    ¡°So¡­since I am doing things that aren¡¯t optimal, and things that I want to do, even though I know they aren¡¯t the best logical course of action¡­I¡¯m¡­Alive?¡± Ale asked, why did this matter anyway?


    ¡°I think so anyway, if anything you are more alive than Vulcanus is. And that thing possessing the robed guy is.¡± Alexanders shrugged, ¡°And that is why you deserve to be called my little sister, of all the Saintworths heirs running around right now, you are the most interesting one so far.¡±


    ¡­Saintsworths heirs? Plural? There¡­there were more?


    ¡°So?¡± Ale asked confused, what had he even come here to do?


    ¡°....t3ll¡­.h3r¡­¡± Ale was getting annoyed at that, Alexanders had said that he wouldn¡¯t do anything if she did this right¡­


    ¡°Increase calculation speed, slow down perception of time, energy burn 300%,¡± Ale commanded inwardly¡­and Main Core answered.


    She felt her perception of time slows down to a crawl.


    ¡°Create a new Core, blueprint: Information Core, function, to filter out any connection with the outside, isolate all the connections and filter out the data, prevent any data that I don¡¯t authorize personally from going outside.¡± Ale sent command after command, building up from scratch the functions of what she wanted.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 34.6186%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Acknowledging order, building up.


    Core creation, connection, filtering data, connecting to Main Core. Giving normal user privileges, admin privileges granted to host.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°Main Core, find out what that transmission is and where it is coming from,¡± Ale commanded as she allowed her perception to return to normal.


    And as soon as she did that, she felt the influx of data streaming into her new Core, some of it attempted to leave, but it was denied, and sure enough she now could categorize what that data was and from where it had come.


    Much of it had come from a walking server of data, that coming from Alexanders body armor, the man had so many programs running on that thing that Ale was surprised it could work as armor.


    But no, that was not the most important thing, the most important thing was¡­ That Ale could see it now, the voice that had been speaking on the back.


    ¡°Look at her! She is so cuteeeeeee, and she frowns! And now she is glaring at me too!¡± It was what the purple-haired girl dressed in a white towel said while clinging to Alexanders. ¡°...Darling¡­I think your sister is staring at me¡­¡±


    What in the everlove of all that was [Mango] was that?


    ¡°[Notice, host is looking at a holographic projection of an AI Core similar to myself.]¡± Main Core said, no wait, he could see that woman but not Alexanders?!?!?!?


    ¡°So¡­two things before I let you go continue doing your things, first¡­Can you see her?¡± Alexanders said pointing to the girl clinging to his neck, did that not hurt? ¡°And, how much have you told Vulcanus?¡±


    ¡­Now¡­how to answer that¡­

 Chapter 9: Big Brother knows best.

    "[Main Core] is parsing the data using a custom-made [Core] to process the information. Your¡­ friend? Is sending the data to your suit, and [Main Core] is parsing it and traducing it." Ale answered while thinking about how to answer the next part. It was¡­going to be hard to explain.


    "Interesting. I would have thought you had either completely destroyed or completely subverted the Core you had, but you are using it as a personal onboard AI, huh? That is convenient, and since your body can be reconfigurated as needed you can probably get away with doing that." Alexanders nodded at her answer, "As for the other? How much does Vulcanus know? He isn''t that easy to deceive, we tried that a few times sending some sleeper agents but he caught them each time."


    They did?


    "I¡­ didn''t say anything really¡­" Ale said in a smaller voice than needed. She wasn''t sure why, but she was being self-conscious right now. "They¡­kind of made up their own conclusions?"


    Alexanders stared down at her, as did the purple-haired girl.


    "Love¡­I think you are scaring your sister." The purple-haired girl said, love? She loved him? Or was that a weird handle that Alexanders programed on her? As far as [Main Core] was seeing, the code she was using to display her figure was way too complex for most devices to catch on.


    "They made their own conclusions? And what are those conclusions?" Alexanders asked again.


    "They¡­think Alexa came from an abusive home, some seem to think that she was part of human experimentation, and a few think she is the daughter of a supervillain?" Ale hadn''t really paid too much attention to those, "Part of it is because we don''t really know much about human society, so they think she lived isolated."


    Alexanders just stared at her.


    "Should¡­do you want to speak with Alexa?" Ale said preparing to pull the trigger.


    "...You are Alexa, and Alexandra, at best, what would change is the way your brain processes the data¡­no wait, did you make a divergent split in your psyche?" Alexanders asked before continuing speaking, "Oh god, I would get canceled if they thought I was dismissing your dissociation disorder¡­. but do you even have that? You weren''t human to begin with, even if you are alive¡­ hmm¡­I will throw this problem at Eversoul later; the bleeding heart will have a field day with it."


    Alexanders seemed to find something funny about that, but Ale wasn''t sure what.


    "No, for now you are fine as is, your younger self may pester me into asking for stupid things and the older one may find me too handsome and hard to deal with. No, as you are now is fine." Alexanders nodded to himself, Ale wasn''t sure about Alexandra, but he was probably correct about Alexa. "So, they think you are a runaway from either a human experimentation site or a supervillain¡­I can work with that¡­Do you have any thoughts about solidifying your background?"


    What? What was his deal?


    "...Why are you helping me?" Ale decided to ask, she was at her wit''s end as it was, dealing with someone who she wasn''t sure if she could defeat, even at this moment. When he wasn''t wearing a helmet, when all she needed was to build a [Gun] inside her head and shoot him¡­


    The eyes of the purple-haired girl staring at her, the cameras that were supposedly turned off¡­ Ale wasn''t sure if that would even work, he had showed the ability to read and parse her [Consciousness Stream] the last time they fought. And while right now she had isolated [Main Core] from outgoing communications¡­


    If he had gotten a data dump¡­if he had a copy of her [Consciousness Stream]...it would be very easy for him to clone one and feed that her thought process, no. For now it was better to play it safe.


    "Why not?" Alexanders finally answered, "You have all the right points to qualify as my sister. Why wouldn''t I want to help my sister?"


    "You are mad," Ale answered back, what kind of [Human] would accept something like Ale as a sister just because of that? Granted she was the pretiestest of them all, but even so. He knew what she was, what she really was. Behind the facade of a pretty human girl.


    What she was able to do, what she wanted to do.


    "No, I just like to have fun. And right now I am having a blast," Alexanders smirked back at her, "Not all humans are the same, some are more of a monster than you could ever be. And others are just like me. People that want to have fun at the expense of others."


    Was it really like that?


    "Fine, then please help us." Ale sighed; in the end, there was nothing to be lost by receiving the help of Alexanders if she could solidify her background¡­That would be a less worry at the back of their head- Well, at the back of her and Alexandra''s head.


    Alexa probably didn''t care about that.


    "You heard my sister Sapphire, reconfigure one of our black sites, set up a human experimentation facility, get some orphan''s corpses or something, the target..Hmmm¡­I don''t know, the usual. Some asshole trying to get immortality and an undying army of kid bombs or something." Alexanders started setting up the scene, it was¡­even to the tastes of Alexa, a monumental waste of energy and resources. "Oh right, make the project for the child explosions something bad-taste like ''Happy Meal'' or something."


    Why?


    "Why? It''s bad enough that you are making a working delivery system of suicide bombers, and now you are even setting it up with theoretical orphans? You¡­this is why our company has so many theories about being evil." The purple haired girl sighed while writing down Alexanders orders.


    "I mean, it needs to be cliche enough to be feasible, as for the guy at the helm¡­send one of the P9''s that are about to break and put it atop, get the corpse of one of those vigilantes that keep trying to get into our factories and make it look like they killed each other, the date¡­set it up so that they both died 42 hours after Alexa left the R&D laboratory." Alexanders continued setting up the scene.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    No wait, "You know?" Ale asked, making the blonde man stop his orders, "About when we left?"


    "Of course I do, a girl that didn''t enter the building left it? A girl with no records mind you, of course someone was bound to notice, thank you by the way. Your little escapade helped me weed out some lazy workers, imagine not noticing they had one extra kiddo running around. What am I even paying them for?" Alexanders grumbled under his breath, "All of them with the same excuse even ''I thought she was part of the tour'' and ''I swear she showed up and walked in'', I thought they may have been influenced by a Mind Core User even, but there wasn''t any mana spike on the site or anything. All the mana spikes came from the outside when you jumped away."


    ¡­they thought she was part of the tour? But she wasn''t particulary good at acting or behaving like a human, she was closer to¡­


    ¡°[An elephant in a china shop]¡±


    Yeah that, she was awkward, bad at manners and her expressions were cold and detached. Her [Consciousness Stream] was closer to a machine than a [Human] around those times.


    How¡­?


    "See? Even you know that is wrong! I''ll send you the videos later on so you can cringe at your past self." Alexanders nodded at himself throwing a bracelet her way, it had an engraved eagle on the internal side, "Usually these work by linking with a PC, they give you access to a personal drive on the Saintsworths Server, but you should be able to interact directly with it."


    Ale indeed was detecting the ingoing and outgoing data feed, not that she was about to interact with it that way¡­


    "Ask Vulcanus about it, or Hermes. All the Saintsworths heirs use it, so we all make sure there is no malware distributed on it, since we all keep it safe. I already set up your account from my side." Alexanders nodded, Ale for now decided to put it on and check later. She would attempt to get [Core] to analyze it.


    Alexanders had said to check with [Vulcanus] or [Hermes], both [Tinkerer Core Users], so perhaps it had some kind of interaction with those types of [Core Users]...Actually.


    "What type of [Core User] are you?" Ale decided to ask, she doubted he would answer, but if he didn''t then she could use that as a reason to be antagonists to him!


    Glory and Alan would be proud of her smart idea!


    "Me? I''m an Elemental Core User." Alexanders answered, raising his hand and letting the Lightning course through his body, "I thought that would be obvious¡­Or are you asking about sub-types? You already found them? Oh¡­of course you did, you probably used the Nanites to peek around and found it in some other Core user¡­Hmm¡­I haven''t checked it. My Core is young like yours, but I think that mine will probably be an Information type, probably a Tinkerer subclass for AI or something like that."


    "Sub¡­type?" Ale asked, confused, "There are¡­ subtypes?"


    "...Oh god, you are really dumb sometimes huh." Alexanders laughed aloud this time, "If the old men on the board of directors ever think of getting the BioWeapon project into a fast track I will use this interaction¡­if they ever hear about you anyway, which will be the only reason for attempting to pull more for a humanoid type weapon anyway."


    ¡­.Rude.


    "So, what am I supposed to do with this?" Ale said while crossing her arms above her chest, she was starting to hate Alexanders, and she already didn''t like the guy, he cheated, was rude. And looked down on her!


    On her!


    The gall!


    ¡°heh, just show it to Cerberus. The girl should know what it means," Alexanders didn''t say what he meant by that, but Ale would check on that later too. "Okay, well. I need to work on your background, go and do your thing, whatever you do in your free time, shoo."


    The blonde man made a dismissing motion with his hand, so Ale started walking backward towards the end of the roof. She didn''t see him reacting or even paying attention to her, instead he was busy speaking with the purple haired girl, planning the backstory that they had been planning.


    "Main Core? Is there any evidence of any incoming data into this thing? Or any data stream focused towards us?" Ale asked while standing on the border of the rooftop.


    "[No evidence of any data stream coming towards the external device found a transmission that will link to a private intranet, no other means to access this network has been found so far.]" Main Core answered.


    Ale wasn''t quite sure if she could believe him, not after what happened before, even right now that it was isolated¡­She would really need to check on it, but for now.


    "See you later then¡­Big Brother¡­" Ale said throwing herself off the roof, as she was falling she reactivated her Nuzzler Helmet and felt the thing cover her face, with quick motions she materialized her Arm-maments on her arms and stuck one arm into the wall to slow her descent, "...calculate the optimal route, we are going to the sewers."


    "[Calculating optimal route, setting up virtual assistance¡­]" Ale saw the red arrows and the circles of light on her visor, weird, Main Core wasn''t sending it straight to her eyes?


    ¡°[...No longer able to interface directly with host anymore.]" Main Core answered, so it was that huh. Interesting, had [Core] restrained it that much?


    [Core] must have been ticked off badly by [Main Core] then, Ale could deal with that later. For now though¡­


    "Rhapsody, launching off!" Ale screamed that at the top of her lungs laughing, at the back she could hear the laugh of Alexanders too, but decided to ignore it. She would deal with that one later when she had more data to go by.


    She still wasn''t sure why he was acting like that, was this also [Human] behaviour? To suddenly decide to adopt random weapons of mass destruction? She had thought that the [Humans] at [Haephestus'' Forge] were weird for taking her in.


    But now someone who actually knew what she was and how she should behave under normal circumstances was also doing the same?


    This was not normal, she would need to check about this, the interactions she had with Alexanders, the circunstances, the changes to her [Consciousness Stream], everything would need to be combed and gone about. That maintenance couldn''t come sooner.


    That was also why she wanted to go to the sewers, Sam had spoken about working for the Saintsworths, he ought to know about them. Alexandra would need to convince him to help, and to verify this thing that she was now carrying.


    The bracelet had been hidden under her Nuzzler Armor now, but the weight was still present in her mind.


    She was no longer enjoying the thrill of jumping throught the air as she jumped from building to building following [Main Core] ''s guidance, most of the people on the street were already waking up, and she could hear screams at the back about her.


    ¡°[Entrance into sewer system found, host please proceed with caution, this entry has not been scouted.]¡± Main Core highlighted a closed manhole entrance on the middle of a street. Currently there weren''t many vehicles around, a couple of white [Van] with a weird yellow cross on them.


    "It matters not, start preparing the shift into [Young Woman Stage]." Ale said taking a deep breath, she would be relegated to the back soon enough, but that wasn''t a problem.


    Not yet anyway, if Alexandra didn''t want to speak with [Eleanore] about this she would let her return, not like they could let Alexa deal with something this serious either way.


    "Rude! Cheeky girl is rude!" No matter how much Alexa complained at the back.


    "We all know you don''t want to deal with this anyway." Ale said as she jumped into the middle of the crossroads and then pointed her feet to the sky, letting the pressurised gas propel her down to the sewer system.


    She heard some screams at the back as she punched through the sewer entrance, as she hit it, she made sure to leave a tendril connected to it so the sewer entrance would return to its place.


    "Map the route and start the shift as soon as possible, make sure to make modifications to the Nuzzler Armor or make a neutral body suit if those aren''t possible." Ale said as she started running, her Arm-mament in hand she started her travel to Sam''s area of influence.


    She momentarily stopped pulling out her phone, remembering his warning. ¡°Right¡­should send a message¡­¡± She quickly texted him a message and waited a few seconds till the sent check mark was there, and a few seconds more till it had the read check mark.


    As soon as that was done she started running, Main Core was at the back preparing the blueprints, but she noticed a stark¡­not changing thing.


    "Main Core?" Ale said aloud as she continued running through the sewer system.


    ¡°[...currently not enough privileges to affect host. Please provide the rights¡­or start a manual change.]" Main Core answered.


    "You really pissed off [Core] huh." Ale said with a shake of her head, the fact that [Main Core] wasn''t even able to do this¡­


    It was¡­scary, how much authority did [Core] have? She had thought that only she was able to do that. But if [Core] could do this much¡­could he also prevent her from using her Nanites?


    She had noticed that the Mk1 Gen were only subservient to her¡­or were they only subservient to her while [Core] allowed her orders to go through?


    ¡°[Core]? Please show me the blueprint for my [Young Adult Woman Stage]." Ale said asking to [Core].


    A few seconds later, she had a full blueprint with some annotations.


    ¨C


    Young Woman Stage, Alexandra Saintsworths body description


    ¨C


    "Well, how hard could this be." Ale said aloud while internalizing the data.


    "Please don''t screw this up, that is my body." And the voice at the back of Alexandra didn''t sound confident, but Ale didn''t think it would be that hard, so instead she walked into a dead end within the sewer system and stood with a wall against her back.


    She wasn''t that confident on being able to focus on walking, staying aware of her surrounding and doing a full body shift at the same time, there was a reason why she delegated this kind of things to [Main Core] after all.


    Granted she may be able to ask [Core] to do it, but that one would probably want to use her [Mana] to achieve it, and she wanted to have some in case of an emergency¡­or in case she needed to fake her [Core Power] with Sam nearby.


    And so, Ale started her first honest to god use of her [Nanites] without help. How hard could this be?

 Chapter 10: Sam dances quite well....

    Everything hurt, Alexandra groaned as she took another step forward.


    ¡°[Fixing current mismatch of muscles on lower body finished, starting fixing upper body muscles.]¡± Main Core reported as she felt a wave of relief course her lower body.


    That had been the biggest mess of this all, she had one leg longer than the other, and worst of all was the fact that the shorter leg was also chubbier, as if Ale had decided to dump all her flesh in one leg to compensate for the missing muscle mass on the other.


    That girl had problems, got annoyed at the fact that the body wasn¡¯t working up to normal standards, and decided to throw caution to the wind and finish the body shift only to leave her at the helm.


    It would be funny if not for the fact that she had been hurt all over the place, and half of her organs had been turned into pudding. Mango-flavored pudding.


    She had tasted it.


    ¡°Thank you, keep feeding the modified [Blueprints].¡± Alexandra said aloud as the newest iterations of the simplified [Blueprints] got sent to her, so she started doing the update to her body, fixing the damages and feeling her body normalize (Or at least the lower half of her body). ¡°Update the material and stretch it to match. Leave a clearance enough for high-speed movements.¡±


    And after that Alexandra felt the new data enter her [Consciousness Stream] and she acted as the instructions said, it was easy enough to tie the orders and sent them once after the other, the Nanites worked quite well enough when one marshalled them step by step.


    Unlike how Ale had attempted to by just giving rough orders and hoping for the best, at least the nanites acted while leaving enough coherence around, and since they moved around using her bloodstream, they had made sure that one was functional. So it helped her survive long enough to solve the problems caused by Ale¡¯s patchwork.


    ¡°[New blueprint instructions finished calculating, sending updated instructions.]¡± Main Core was the MVP, she almost felt bad for the fact that it was isolated from doing any meaningfull interaction with the world.


    So Alexandra decided to not think too much about that and instead accepted the [Blueprint] and re updated it whole, she felt her body normalize and change to the most normal form she had before, the changes started going and soon enough she felt better.


    ¡°There! God, it is so much better when I don¡¯t need to cannibalize O2 from the sewers!¡± Alexandra sighed, she would get her revenge later. But for now¡­ ¡°Did he answer?¡±


    She needed to make sure that she was presentable, Ale had seeded the idea about going to meet with Sam to ask about the stupid bracelet the blonde asshole gave her, which was fair, since they needed to make sure about the background about this before showing it to her more immediate social area.


    It would not do to show without some confirmation, also, meeting with Sam was a great plus.


    ¡°Hmm¡­.there it is! Main Core! Emulate his voice and read it for me, also add some suave and sensual intonation!¡± Alexandra said raising the phone dramatically and waiting for the voice to play, ¡°Also, check the integrity of my [Consciousness Stream] strand to make sure there isn¡¯t any Alexa leaking.¡±


    That last one was the important one.


    ¡°[Starting emulation of voice sample¡­Analyzing memories, done.]¡± Main Core then took a dramatic stop and continued in a deep sensual voice, ¡°[Thank you for calling in advance, I am a little under the weather so I will need to see you in a separate location. If it is important, go to the same site where you saw me last time, walk in, and continue going in. You will see a a door on the ground, knock it two times, and then walk half a meter back. I will meet you there.]¡±


    Main Core then stopped speaking and, after a few seconds, and then as if he had taken those few seconds to recover, continued, ¡°[No evidence of any mix of data found, there may have been some brain chemistry mix up since host had a damaged brain for a few minutes. There is also the fact that host is in fact Alexa too.]¡±


    ¡°Sassy Main Core, this is why you lose real-world interaction privileges.¡± Alexandra said shaking her head and reading up the text message, it had indeed the same words as what Main Core had said, ¡°Thanks for letting me in with such little time, it has serious ramifications to me, so I¡¯ll see you there¡­and sent.¡±


    Alexandra sighed and carried on, she had fixed her body, her clothes had needed replacement since the design that Ale made¡­didn¡¯t really fit her body type, that armor was way too small on the design and stretching it only made more vulnerabilities on the torso.


    The plates weren¡¯t made to stretch, and increasing the size or making it fit to her body type only made it look¡­weird.


    She of course could reduce the size of her bosom to fit into the aesthetics, ¡°Under my dead body.¡± Or not, either way she was currently wearing once again the pair of jeans, combat boots and a black T-Shirt.


    She would see about making a new body armor for this body¡­and maybe one for Alexa too, lest she continue pestering them on the background.


    ¡°YAY! I also want a pounce armor!¡± ¡­So she had been indeed the reason for the Pounce naming sense huh. Alexandra had thought that when Ale ended with that, but this really confirmed it.


    It was¡­weird, she could see her [Consciousness Stream] as a whole, and also how it diverted into three main strands. So that really settled the doubt about whether they were divergent thoughts or not.


    So had she become what Eleanore had said? What was it? A System? She knew that they could probably return to a whole, but even like this, they were basically the same, and it did help them mix around better¡­They would need to speak about this later on¡­


    ¡°Main Core¡­can we speak among ourselves during the Maintenance?¡± Alexandra asked while walking on the road to Sam. It was very quiet, with the exception of the sound her boots made against the floor and her own voice.


    What had happened with all the rats?


    So far she hadn¡¯t seen any, what she could see were scratches on the walls and some evidence of blood on the walls here and there, weird. Had some kind of [Predator] encroached on the area?


    ¡­.Ah.


    ¡°I forgot to bring food!¡± Alexandra screamed in horror at that, she had planned to bring something to eat next time, but the rush of coming here and made her forget it. Well not her, Ale had been the one to forget about it¡­


    Right, it had been Ale, not her. She was innocent, perhaps she could ask Sam for forgivenes about her¡­her¡­.no wait, if she was diverging then what was Ale to her?


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Not my fault!¡± ¡°She forgor! she forgor!¡± ¡­


    ¡°Can we mute them?¡± Alexandra said aloud, the mere fact of recognizing the multiple [Consciouness Stream Strands] made it so much easier to listen to their bickering at the back.


    Before, she could barely make the sound of Alexa, since¡­well, Alexa liked to scream¡­very much. But hearing Ale at the back¡­


    If they interrupted her while on her not-date with Sam¡­


    ¡°Now listen here, you both scream at me while I am speaking with Sam and I¡¯m throwing all the mango to the trash¡­No, wait, I¡¯ll eat it, then remove it from our body so you can¡¯t get the aftertaste. And as a finisher, I¡¯m drinking as much beer as I can find.¡± Alexandra said glaring at a metal plate in one wall, it had a reflecting surface so it was a good way to glare at herself, it was a good thing that no one was nearby.


    Namely, Sam.


    ¡°...okay¡­¡± ¡°Not the mango! You are evil! Cheapskate self is evil!¡±


    The response was as much as she had thought it would be, so Alexandra nodded and carried on. She was half way throught the sewers route to Sam¡¯s lair. So there was hope that this was an isolated event and she could find some rat along the way, perhaps if she processed the meat herself¡­Her Nanites should be able to deal with it, and some transference of heat ought to be enough to cook it.


    Maybe if she played around with the amino acids on the meat, she could season it?


    ¡°Yes, we will do that. We may be able to make a steak or something, it will be kind of focused on the meat with very little else since we can¡¯t grow vegetables with the materials at hand, but better than nothing.¡± Alexandra said she could make this work. Now she only needed a rat.


    <hr>


    ¡°Where are the goddamned rraaaaaaaaaaaatssssssssssss!¡± Alexandra screamed in frustration, she was around two minutes away from Sam¡¯s lair¡­


    And had been like that for almost half an hour.


    She had gotten a new message while coming asking for half an hour, so she had taken this chance to roam around Sam¡¯s area of influence and found very little to almost nothing to hunt.


    No rats, organisms on the water, hell, even the biomass with dubious quality was gone. She had found some remains of webs, probably from Sam¡¯s hunts or perhaps some organism prancing around on his territory?


    She wasn¡¯t sure; what she knew for sure was that many of the webs were gone. Had he removed them? Or had a stampede of escaping rats triggered most of them. Alexandra didn¡¯t know, but the fact that she was running out of time was the same.


    ¡°Let¡¯s¡­let¡¯s just go I guess¡­I¡¯ll just ask him for forgiveness for not getting dinner, and blame it on Ale. Yes, we will do that, good idea me.¡± Alexandra ended up deluding herself and, to be sure, asked again, ¡°Are you sure nothing is leaking my way? I feel dumber already.¡±


    ¡°[Negative, host is showing the normal amount of emotional intelligence expected of the average Human affected by an hormonal instability provoked by a member of the opposite sex.]¡±


    ¡°Oh, then that is good. Since I am acting as a human. So there is no problem.¡± Alexandra nodded, and transforming part of her hand into a blade, she used that as a mirror to make sure her appearance was in order.


    She looked back at the reflection and found nothing out of place, the strands of hair that were on her face made her look good, the rest of her hair settled itself in place to the sides and tied itself into a ponytail.


    That made her look quite beautiful, even though she was the most gorgeous of them all, she could fall for herself, it was quite the good looks, even if she said so.


    ¡°She is wasting resources!¡± ¡°Appearance is important, though.¡±


    ¡°[Host, the time is up.]¡±


    ¡­ so much going on the back.


    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s go.¡± Alexandra sighed and dismissed the partial transformation, making up her mind she started walking towards Sam¡¯s lair.


    On the outside, however, there was a new sign, one that hadn¡¯t been there before.


    [Beware of the spider. If you are a Hero, this is a danger zone, and your life may be forfeited beyond this point. If you are a villain, beware that there will be no second chances. And if you are a vigilante¡­You will die if you walk inside.]


    [You all have been warned.]


    ¡°Ominous, but there is no mention about me¡­So I should be fine, right?¡± Alexandra said, her more logical side spoke to the fact that this was a dangerous warning, one that was probably left here by Sam.


    So she should be wary about it, had something happened?


    But her less logical side spoke differently, Sam had invited her to his room. That meant that she should totally go there, besides she had to show him her bracelet! They needed this to bond over now that Ale had forgotten to bring a meal!


    Or perhaps¡­she could be the meal?


    She wouldn¡¯t mind him taking a bite out of her, so long she could take a bite out of him¡­


    ¡°No! Alexandra! Focus! We need to settle things first, then make out later, yes. That¡­Gosh¡­stupid hormonal brain¡­¡± Alexandra said shaking her head, she didn¡¯t mind it that much though, the fluffy feeling in her stomach was quite nice sometimes¡­


    ¡°Sam?¡± Alexandra said in a louder voice outside the entry, ¡°I¡¯m coming in!¡±


    She was of course shouting in a low voice, she didn¡¯t want Sam tell her to leave because there had been an unconfirmed danger, or to tell her to come back with dinner. But she also wanted to make sure he knew she was here in case there was something he needed to do.


    Either way, there was no answer, so she walked in.


    Inside¡­was quite lackluster, there was no evidence of the webs that had been there before, or the table she had made, which was obvious since Sam had said that he would take it to his apartment.


    Alexandra did notice the area where she had made it, since the floor was more brittle and weak there, but besides that, nothing else.


    What she did notice, however, was that there were remains of blood on the floor, making a pathway deeper into the lair. As if someone had brought something here, killed it, and then dragged it away¡­


    Several times, and also painted it on the floor to make sure whoever came would know about it.


    It was quite useful since it helped show Alexandra the direction she needed to go, Sam had already told her on the text, but this was a nice way of showing her where to go. Sam was quite gentlemanly, yes.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t¡­this a warning symbol?¡± ¡°Dunno, it looks weird, Alexa would have painted something else, maybe a hand? A cat? Alexa liked being a cat.¡±


    For now Alexandra ignored those two at the back, she was too busy keeping her face straight and her steps even. She walked into the darkness and slowly adjusted her eyes to the low-light environment; it was a good thing that Ale and Alexa had gotten the [Cat Blueprint] before.


    As she walked in and her eyes adapted, she started noticing small things all around, marks of blood on the walls too, and scratches on the wall. These were not made by claws or something like that, but instead, these were small enough to be the size of a [Human Hand].


    Had Sam hunted [Humans] too? Daring¡­dashing¡­He was indeed a good target to be a [Mate].


    No wait, was he a [Mate] candidate?!?!?!?


    Was¡­.was she even of¡­Well, even if she wasn¡¯t of the same species, a sample was all she needed to match his [Genetic] makeup, and her nanites would make sure anything would match!


    Yes!


    She was perfect for him! Nothing wrong.


    ¡°Indeed, nothing wrong. Now¡­I only need to find a way to wall out Alexa and Ale and we can have some privacy!¡± Alexandra nodded. At her idea, it was a good idea if she said so.


    ¡°But I want to see! We just got popcorn!¡± ¡°...I¡¯m not seeing you gushing over him, I want to see his lower half, the design seems promising.¡±


    ¡­just not.


    ¡°Aaaand an open room with a single circular hatch? That seems barely enough for me to fit in though¡­¡± Alexandra said as she walked into what seemed to be a big room, as she had described, it had nothing on it.


    It was¡­ oddly familiar.


    ¡°[Design matches combat testing ground, modifications seems to include reinforced flooring and walls, and there doesn¡¯t seems to be any Cameras or speakers.]¡±


    ¡°Interesting¡­why did they make it like this?¡± Alexandra said, walking to the hatch in the middle; as instructed, she knocked on it a few times and then jumped backward.


    She had gotten some samples from it while her hand touched it, and the thing was¡­heavy.


    It seemed to be almost five meters thick, and it was the most reinforced thing she had ever seen so far; not even the walls of her den had this much material on them. Granted, her den didn¡¯t seem to be designed with the idea of her¡­.escaping.


    A flaw in the design that she should use to bother Alexanders the next time she met him.


    ¡°Why am I even thinking of meeting that asshole again? He should learn from Sam; he isn¡¯t even that good-looking.¡± Alexandra grumbled.


    Soon enough she felt vibrations on the floor¡­and that was worring, since the floor should be reinforced, what the hell was this room, a simulacrum to fight under duress because a poor footing site?


    *CRASH*


    And there, Alexandra heard the sound of something hitting a wall. Hard.


    A few seconds after the most horrible screech she had ever heard sounded (And she recorded, it was good for intimidation purposes, she had, after all. Been stunned by it), followed by the sound of gears grinding as the hatch opened slowly and a hand bathed in blood hit the ground around as if looking for something to grab unto.


    After it didn¡¯t find anything a second hand showed and with great effort they pulled. The first thing Alexandra saw was Sam¡¯s hair, silky smooth and obsidian black, she envied that silkiness, would he be weirded out if she asked for a few strands of hair?


    ¡°[Host, please focus. We are under extreme amounts of danger right now.]¡±


    Danger? Why? They were with Sam right now¡­He was handsome, no one handsome was dangerous, unless they were dangerous because they were handsome? In which case, Alexandra loved being in danger.


    What followed was Sam¡¯s handsome face with his crimson shining red lovely eyes that seemed to lick her body all over as if she was a piece of meat to be devoured. Alexandra could respect that.


    The only problem was that after licking her up and down and making an attempt to extend his hand towards her¡­His eyes returned to focus as if normal, toning down the Predator on them to normal more boring levels.


    ¡°Oh, Sorry about that, you got me in one of my lower half''s mating seasons,¡± Sam said, laughing awkwardly. He was even more what was the word? Adorable? Cute? Handsome? Hot? She didn¡¯t know.


    No wait, his what season? There were season for that? She wasn¡¯t ready! What was she supposed to do! Did she need to prepare something?


    ¡°So? What did you need?¡± Sam asked her while Alexandra was worried about what she was supposed to do, and cursed the fact that Main Core couldn¡¯t access the Internet to search for that.


    ¡°Ah, right¡­ I got this thing and was told that it would serve to prove my background, but the source is¡­an asshole. So, do you know anything about these things?¡± Alexandra said raising her right arm and making sure the bracelet that Alexanders gave her was visible, especially the engraving of the Golden Eagle with the scroll.


    ¡°...Oh¡­Yes, I know about those things,¡± Sam said, eyeing her arm as if it were a piece of food; he even salivated a little¡­


    Should¡­.should she give him a hand? Or perhaps an arm? Would he rather have a leg? Her legs were more thick and meaty, especially her upper leg, compared to her arms there ought to be more meat there¡­


    No wait, he knew these?


    ¡°What can you tell me about them?¡± Alexandra said giving one step forward and stopping when Sam flinched, then taking one step back till he seemed to return to normal.


    This¡­did he hate her? Did she not have enough meat? She had plenty! she could change!


    ¡°Can you help me?¡± Alexandra decided to ask, ¡°What do I need to do?¡±


    She would do anything he asked her, not because he was hot, but because¡­no wait, it was precisely why she would do anything he asked!


    ¡­Yes.

 Chapter 11: We couldnt dine with Sam....

    Sam looked her up and down, then focused on her bracelet, "Well, for starters. That is both an identification and a personal computer with a very primitive artificial intelligence." He said pointing with a shaky hand to the bracelet. "All the important members of the Saintsworths have one, and only the current patriarch can make new ones, since he is the one that stands at the top of the hierarchy."


    So Alexanders gave her another AI?


    Main Core?


    "[No evidence of any form of artificial intelligence within the device; there is, however, a message: ''You won''t need a personal assistant, will you? So we left that slot open. Make yourself one, or send us a message if you end up needing one.'' End of message.]" Main Core answered.


    So he was a cheapstake huh.


    "And? I already have an ID that states my name." Alexandra said it was among the first things that [Eleanore] gave her with the paperwork. Alexandra had wondered if it was that easy to fabricate a new identity or not.


    "No, you don''t understand it. I mean an ID guaranteed by the Saintsworths. From the people at the top of the chain, if they write that your name is something stupid, it will stick." Sam said shaking his head, then stopped "No wait, your real age¡­it wasn''t this one right? You were a little girl before¡­so you don''t know? Hmm¡­.what do you know about the Saintsworths and our city ruling class."


    That was a new one, people usually carried on and acted as if she was actually the age she pretended to be.


    "My current age is 19 years old, as is my mind." Alexandra said nonetheless she felt as if this was an important point to make, "Still, while my mind and body are that age, I am indeed missing plenty of social cues and background data. What I know about the Saintsworths is that they are either a social group, association or [Family] who seems to hold power over several enterprises within the city."


    At least they seemed to be made to sound like that.


    "They hold power over several of the important social strata groups and are powerful; they also seem to be highly tribalistic since they take a great amount of importance on their decoration of jewelry or tattoos." That had been a data point that neither Alexa nor Ale seemed to take too much stock in. But Alexandra found it amusing, they behaved like how she expected some tribalist organization to move.


    Closer to what she had seen in some of the swarm and hive-type P-series organisms. All following the queue of a matriarch or patriarch at the top.


    "Hah!" Sam barked a laugh at her answer, "Probably the best description to throw at them, yeah. The Saintsworths had their past in one of the ancient houses of this planet, not like it matters how long their bloodline is."


    Sam scoffed at that last mention, "Anyway, that is proof of your heritage, if you haven''t done it let a drop of blood into the thing." At that mention of blood Sam licked his lips, was he thirsty?


    Alexandra was also thirsty¡­for things she wasn''t quite sure what they were. She shouldn''t feel thirsty since she closely monitored her own vitals, but that was beside the point. A flick of her nanites was all it took to open a small wound on her index finger and a single drop (Devoid of Nanites, just in case) was dropped on the bracelet.


    The bracelet absorbed the drop of blood and it shone in yellow light briefly, the design of the golden eagle turned a few grades brighter and it settled down to normal levels.


    "And that is proof of your heritage; if you had been anyone else doing that, you would have ended up with the stupid thing exploding." Sam nodded his head, so she had tempted her luck? Well, not like she was ever in any danger, should the thing explode she had Sam nearby to help her!


    Actually, could she provoke the explosion?


    "So then this could solve any doubt about my past?" Alexandra asked, turning to look at the thing, "How can I access the data here?"


    "Your past?" Sam asked confused, "I guess? It should have a basic profile available to other members and a personal one only available to you, as for access, just get the bracelet near any piece of technology that has a Near-Field-Communications available, and you should be able to log into the Saintsworths server, I don''t know much about how that thing works besides the rumors that are on the dark web to be honest."


    Heh, Sam used the dark web.


    No wait, Near-Field-Communications?


    Main Core?


    ¡°[Sending Hail into device¡­recieving data stream¡­data stream rerouted by Core into Information Core¡­recieving, accessing¡­Username and Password autoinput by device, Username:Alexa Password: Mango4Life.]¡±


    Yes¡­it annoyed the fact that the username and password seemed to be something that Alexa would pick up, but then again, that one was probably the closest thing they had for a ''Main Personality''.


    ¡°[Accessing personal profile.]¡±


    "It can probably work with any smart device, I can''t leave this place for a couple weeks, so if you can open the door from your side I could go into my room and get you¡­" Sam started saying, but Alexandra was already reading her profile so¡­


    "Oh no, that is fine. I got this, the profile there seems to have some of the basic information that the blonde asshole said already in here." Alexandra said, she didn''t want to make troubles for Sam, if he was stuck there for a couple weeks then there must be an important work that he must be doing down there¡­


    Perhaps he was eating? She didn''t knew how the lower half body worked, even if Ale seemed to be fixated on that part of Sam''s (Very hot) body. Perhaps he ate like this every few weeks?


    Alexandra envied that lifestyle, a couple weeks dedicated to only eating? Yes, please.


    "Oh¡­Sure, that works too¡­No wait blonde asshole? You spoke to Alexanders?" Sam asked confused, "How did you even¡­"


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Alexandra wasn''t sure if there were that few blondes that fit the profile of being an asshole, or was it because she was a Saintsworths as stated by the stupid bracelet. Did he thought she had stolen this?


    "Yeah, he declared himself as my big brother¡­or our big brother, I can probably be around his age on this form¡­" Alexandra didn''t want to think too much about that, if she was to be around his age on this form, then instead of big brother he would be closer to a normal brother? Maybe a twin brother?


    Was she even similar to him on this form? Well, she wasn''t since he was male and she was female¡­And she was the most beautiful of them all, she doubted Alexanders would fit the title of ''The most handsome of them all'' that was for someone like Sam who was mighty besides being absolutely ripped.


    "Your¡­.brother?" Sam said looking at her weirdly. "He said specifically those words? He¡­ shouldn''t have any family¡­not anymore. But¡­would they even¡­Alexandra, sorry about this, but it is important¡­ Who is your Father? Your Mother?"


    Why was that important?


    "I don''t have those." Alexandra answered, "And even this profile here doesn''t state anything about that. The only family connections I have on this thing is Alexanders as a brother."


    Alexandra said raising her right arm showing the stupid thing, why did it mattered anyway. She wasn''t even human to begin with, those are things for humans to worry about. She was closer to Sam in that regard, lone [Predators] at the top separated of all other lesser [Prey] species¡­


    More proof that they were made for each other for real for real.


    "Hmm¡­.Interesting. I feel like this should have been researched, but I think my time is about to run out." Sam said shaking his head and grabbing one of his arms with the other, Alexandra recognized that gesture, he had done the same before, "Please leave now."


    He only said that as his eyes seemed to shine in red light. He was even smiling as some saliva driped from his lips, that was proof that he was hungry, did he also need to eat with his upper mouth too?


    She knew that bringing food was important! But there wasn''t any rat around!


    "Okay¡­." Alexandra sighed, she didn''t have much to offer besides herself, but Sam seemed to be hungry, and she knew how much that was a problem to be dealt with, "I''ll call you next time I come, sorry for coming in such a rush, and thank you for confirming the veracity of Alexanders words."


    She really didn''t have that many people to confirm with, and most of those were part of her current social circle, she needed to make sure the data she got was legit before exposing more, they had constructed a past on their own, so anything that could bring more questions to that fantasy they built was a danger.


    They had been very sure about her past, so bringing this could prove to be dangerous, if they asked more questions¡­And [Eleanore] was around, she couldn''t lie her way out, and while Alexa did a good job with the lies by ommision since the girl was as dumb as a rock.


    "RUDE!"


    She no longer was ignorant, so this would be good to nip that bud for now.


    "No problem, and don''t worry, you can come anytime you want. The Spider will always welcome you into its nest." Sam said that in an ominous tone as he seemed to move his fingers, was he trying to do something?


    The movements seemed to imply something, but she wasn''t getting any mana readings or anything.


    "[Found mana emission sent in a series of beeps, correlating with know encryption methods¡­found match, translating: ''Please run away, I''m losing control over my own sanity, I can''t restrain my use of Core Powers for long. Don''t return at least till the end of the month.'' End of message.]"


    ¡­.What?


    Why was he sending her encrypted messages?


    "Is there something the matter?" Sam asked tilting his head, Ale noticed how his fangs seemed to grow out of his mouth and these secreted a green liquid. "Do you want to stay for dinner?"


    ¡­Yes, yes she did want.


    ¡°[Host, please leave the immediate area. Monster Designation: The Spider is secreting a neurotoxin venom.]" Main Core, however, seemed to think otherwise.


    Alexandra really wanted to stay¡­.best case scenario Sam would get close and personal, worst case scenario he may attempt to get a bite out of her¡­And to be honest, both scenarios were something that Alexandra wanted to see happen, in both of them she would get his [Blueprint]...and perhaps a few extra things.


    "That is fine, I didn''t bring anything to eat, next time I''ll bring something. Besides, [Vulcanus] and [Cerberus] are waiting for my report." Alexandra said, at the mention of those names Sam''s eyes wavered for a second.


    "I see¡­Then I''ll see you later." And on that note, he sank into the hatch and closed it behind.


    Alexandra felt the tremor as something heavy seemed to hit against one of the walls.


    "What was that about?" Alexandra couldn''t help but ask that, walking to the hatch she kneeled at the side of one of the drops of green liquid on the floor, "Hmm¡­.[Core] can you analyze this?"


    Alexandra, of course, could also do that, but¡­she was leery of making herself look ridiculous as Ale had done before.


    ¨C


    Core:


    Yes, checking sample¡­Analyzing¡­.


    Neurotoxing, paralyzing agent, aphrodisiac agent.


    Please refrain from interacting with an Arachne in heat


    ¨C


    So the tingling she felt from touching Sam''s saliva wasn''t her feelings but the neurotoxin agent he secreted?


    Was it also something that he could emit as an aerosol agent?


    "[No evidence of this neurotoxine within host. Those are indeed host''s bad decision-making at play.]"


    Oh, good, she would feel so embarrassed if her first time experiencing this kind of [Emotions] was by a chemical reaction made by someone else''s attempts.


    "No, wait, why am I not paralyzed then? This thing has enough neurotoxin and paralyzing agent to hit like a truck, right?" Alexandra said, staring at her finger on the small puddle of Sam''s saliva


    ¡°[Venom is being neutralized in real time, please remove the finger from the danger puddle.]¡± Main Core said that was¡­one interesting way of seeing the small puddle of Sam''s saliva.


    "Okay, well, that is enough of talking to myself; let''s¡­go back home, I guess." Alexandra said sighing, she¡­really wanted to spend more time with Sam, but that one message using morse code, was he suffering from what the [Humans] at [Haephestus'' Forge] thought she had?


    The thing with a System and multiple personas within his handsome head?


    Or was that an attempt to tell her something without telling her something? Like if she could Alexandra wasn''t sure, but she could probably ask [Eleanore] or [Hermes], the one with the answer was probably [Vulcanus]...or perhaps¡­.if this thing had a database, and Sam had said that he had worked with them¡­perhaps this thing could have an answer?


    Alexandra would need to ask for a PC, and she would need to start using other devices for using this kind of network; she didn''t want someone to hijack Main Core like how Alexanders had done before.


    "I''ll bring food next time!" Alexandra decided to scream into the empty lair before running away, she summoned her white mask from the second bracelet she was wearing and put it on. Having two bracelets on her hand may get confusing at some point, perhaps she would need to start storing it in another of the settings it had.


    Would a collar be better? Or the pill form? That also would need some thinking.


    ¡ª-----


    The way back was less exciting in contrast; she was seeing some evidence of flora and fauna on the sewer system the more she got away from Sam''s area of influence, so that was interesting; whatever happened seemed to be centered around his lair.


    So he really was eating almost all that lived within his lair huh¡­ Did that mean that he would need to range farther away when he ended whatever he was doing down there? Or would he just move his lair?


    It was a good thing she had his number if it was the second, but if it ended up being the first¡­ Maybe she could help him? Going on a hunting date could be fun.


    Either way, Alexandra did end up having to summon her Arm-mament to fight off a few rats here and there, getting the [Cores] didn''t make her excited since she had those blueprints and at most she could update them to add some aesthetic changes in them, like a variation that was more like a crystal than a marble. Or one form that was closer to a pebble than a circle.


    Weird variations that didn''t seem to have a reason to be, but that didn''t affect the working of them.


    "Please identify yourself, you are coming close to a restricted area." While thinking about that Alexandra heard that spoken through one of the speakers hidden on the walls.


    She hadn''t known about those speakers before and only found them because she walked to the sound and placed a hand in that wall, letting her nanites sink inside to see what it was.


    What she found was¡­quite lackluster too, a simple glass panel with a camera and a speaker, and some others a few meters to the side of this one on the roof, pointing down at her.


    How many of these had she missed while walking around?


    The idea of people having access to what she did on the sewers¡­that may get dangerous.


    "Code Name: Rhapsody, going back to base." Alexandra answered the weird voice, only reason she even answered was because her mask seemed to be sending a signal straight at the receptor hidden within the wall that this camera was set up.


    So it meant that it should be running on the same network that [Billy] had set up his mask network.


    "Code name received¡­.it matches one of the descriptions; please move along. Your entry point has been marked on your map, Entry Node T4." The voice said, and then the speaker''s energy got cut.


    A new map popped into her line of sight, and sure enough, there was a route marked to a new part of the sewer system, interesting. So they assigned entry points as people arrived? That was one way to make sure no one leaked the area of the base¡­Probably easier to confirm who leaked the data too this way.


    Alexandra could respect that, "Thank you." So she thanked the mysterious voice and walked following the instructions that were sent to her mask.


    The travel was¡­lukewarm at best, the place still looked wild and abandoned, but there was a remarkable absence of biological life. But unlike the area of influence that Sam had, this one had the marks of fights on the tunnels, she could see evidence of [Gun] type weaponry on the walls and some cuts and gashes on the walls.


    Also in one particular instance she found evidence of burn marks on the walls, was this some evidence of a fight going on in the area? Had [Haephestus'' Forge] secured this area?


    If it was indeed the [Hunting Zone] of [Haephestus'' Forge] perhaps she could ask to be allowed? She didn''t know what they had done with the biomass that had been hunted, but surely she could keep some of it for herself?


    Like that, she stood in front of the door into [Haephestus'' Forge]; it had a small emblem of an anvil in the handle; placing her hand on it, a scanner popped out and showered in high frequency radio waves and lightwaves.


    ¡°[Detected incoming scanner¡­evaluating¡­no hostile markers found, sending hail back.]¡±


    Main Core reacted quite quickly, and like that the door opened and Alexandra was welcomed into a sealed door, it was time to make a report. Again.

 Chapter 12: Time to come clean.

    The base¡­ wasn''t that active at the moment, what Alexandra found was some minions here and there milling around, nothing that harsh compared to what she had thought would be found. If anything, there were fewer minions going around than before¡­


    "Halt, code name, and last mission?" One Minion came rushing to her, it was one with a white mask that had some extra decorations, just like how [Gabriel] had.


    Was this one like those that had stood above the rest of Minions before? A [Lieutenant] rank Minion?


    "Rhapsody, I came from the mission from the Theater Guy," Alexandra answered while checking her memories about those Lieutenants; she remembered [Gabriel], [Eleanore], [Hermes], and¡­there was another one, right? Or a couple more?


    God damned, Alexa hadn''t been paying attention, had she¡­.How could they even forget something? Wasn''t their memory encoded into [Main Core]? It should be impossible for her to forget!


    "Rhapsody¡­huh¡­weird, this says you were at the epicenter of it all, we have reports from [The Theater Master] that put you in the center, how are you even in one piece? No wait¡­" The [Minion] ''s eyes narrowed, how was he doing that with a mask? "I''ll need to take a scan of your mask, please do not resist."


    The Minion then pulled what looked like a [Gun] but instead of a hole at the front, it had a crystal that sent waves of light at her Mask.


    ¡°[Detected transmision¡­intercepted by Mask, mask is sending a hail back¡­No action is needed.]" Main Core reported, so this thing was interacting with her Mask?


    "Hmm¡­the Mask says you are indeed Rhapsody¡­Well, I''ll be damned, how did you manage to remain in one piece?" The Minion said shaking its head, was it that¡­hard? She didn''t think so, the hardest part had been when Ale ended up speaking with Alexanders as far as she was concerned, and that had been after the Theater Guy left. "Also, aren''t you supposed to be shorter?"


    "I''m a Shapeshifter," Alexandra answered with a shrug, "As for anything else, I wanted to ask [Eleanore] or [Billy] about that. It didn''t seem that hard to move around, maybe the theater''s guy power is flawed?"


    Alexandra really wanted to know how that went, was something that only affected [Humans]. No, both the theater guy and Aqua were fine, as well as Alexanders. But she doubted he was fully [Human] to begin with¡­He didn''t behave like one, at the very least¡­


    Actually, the Theater guy also didn''t behave like one¡­


    "I see¡­well, stop wasting time here. The big lady wants to see you." The Minion said as his Mask''s eyes relaxed, how was he doing that? A solid surface without expressions shouldn''t show emotions!


    That is not how solids work!


    Was he using Nanites? Manipulating the surface? What was he even doing?!?!?!


    "Right¡­" Alexandra answered for now and instead decided to shelve that for later perusal, she would also need to ask about getting a personal device to access the internal network¡­ "Say¡­where is [Billy]? I also need to ask him about getting some device to access the internal network."


    "...Why Billy?" The Minion asked as his Mask mimicked the face of someone confused; how did Alexandra know that was what it looked like? The hell if she knew. "I mean, you could ask the big lady about that or just get a notepad in the quartermaster''s office or the supply depot like the normal people if you just want to browse A-friends and A-chirp."


    A-chirp?


    What the hell is an A-chirp?


    "I see¡­" Alexandra answered for now, there were many things that confused her.


    "If you only want to browse casually just pick the normal one from the quartermaster, they will discount some money from your wages but they have internet access across the city. If you need some serious power, then you will need the big lady''s permission, though." The Minion said nodding its head, "To be honest even as a Lieutenant it took me like half a month to convince the big lady to grant me this stupid notepad¡­And that was only because I accepted to take these jobs to make sure the minions were who they said they were!"


    Alexandra nodded again and again, so this one did have a way to identify if someone was who they said they were?


    Would it work like [Eleanore] ''s truth detection?


    "Well, move on. The big lady will have my skin if you dilly-dally more here, but trust me, you want to convince Billy first if you want something with serious Power; if not, then just settle for the basic one." The Minion said while running away towards another door, there it waited as a new door opened and another Minion walked in.


    They repeated the same actions they had done with her again, and Alexandra shook her head. Oh, so that was why people shook their head, they didn''t understand something or why it was like that, and shook their head to distract themselves about it.


    But¡­then why did they shake their head at her? She was reasonable¡­No, wait, it wasn''t at her¡­It was at Alexa, yeah. That checks out.


    "RUDE! I am not unreasonable!"


    "Well, let''s go see [Eleanore] then." Alexandra said smiling at herself, she now understood more about her than before, so that counted as a win.


    As she walked through the base, she noticed some¡­ odd things; for one, the ambiance was weird, not downcast, but also not happy. Some minions stood against walls while holding their faces with both hands, a few on the floor with the Mask at the side and drinking [Beer].


    Some hitting their fists against the wall while their shoulders went up and down, when she passed by the cafeteria she found some minions sitting at one table also drinking [Beer] while laughing and telling stories about other Minions.


    Where are they happy? Or sad?


    She couldn''t understand them, for now, she decided to not dwell too much on it, lest this be one way the [Humans] reacted to a mission that ended in success against all the odds. Eventually she ended up arriving at [Eleanore] ''s Office, and after knocking on the door a few times she finally got the "Come in." Order, so opening the door Alexandra found herself with-


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "Answer in as few words as possible and do not attempt to lie, divert or omit anything. What is your name, your reason for being here, and who are you. Do not use information that comes from anyone else but what you know to be the truth." [Eleanore] flaring her [Core Power] and letting it bear down like an anvil atop Alexandra.


    Now¡­how to answer this.


    "Also state if you use any way or form to get out of this situation." Dang it.


    "My Code Name is Rhapsody, my name is Alexandra Saintsworths." Alexandra started by the easiest part, she knew this to be truth, it was on her blue screen from [Core], and that one had all her data. "I was told that you wanted to see me, but I also had other reasons to be here; one of them was to report on the mission I went on before, and the other was getting confirmation on some things about my past."


    "Truth¡­" [Eleanore] said, relaxing as her eyes stopped shining in azure light and the weird phantom creature behind her disappeared. Why had the image of a three-headed dog even materialized for?


    Or where had it come from? Was this a way to showcase the might of a [Core Power]? Alexanders had mentioned something about [Core Age] after all.


    Or was it [Core Maturity]? Either way, there were more metrics to distinguish the might of [Core Users], and Alexandra needed to find more on that.


    "Thank god¡­I couldn''t deal with losing you too; it is bad enough that we are losing plenty of minions from this already¡­But they knew the risks, but you¡­you are barely¡­.I don''t even know how old you really are¡­" [Eleanore] said sitting back into her chair and sinking on herself, placing one hand into her eyes as she stared at the ceiling, "... shouldn''t have let you go. Actually, I should fire you, but fucking Vulcanus will not let that go; whatever he wants from you is more important. Too important he says¡­enough that he is willing to send a literal child¡­"


    "I''m not a child right now," Alexandra said raising her hand, "At this moment in time I''m an adult by all [Human Metrics]."


    And that was important.


    "...Sure you are, you may have the body of one, and parts of the mind of one. But you know nothing, Alexandra." [Eleanore] glared through one of her eyes, "But it is my fault too I guess, I have let go of too many things too¡­ Let''s get this over with, also drop the form. I need to speak with Alexa."


    ¡­.


    "No," Alexandra answered, that made [Eleanore] turn to stare at her confused.


    "No? What are you talking about?" [Eleanore] said confused, as if she hadn''t expected that answer.


    "No, we need to talk about some things first, things that Alexa may not be interested in asking or even will think to ask," Alexandra said, turning behind her to make sure the door was closed. "Like what is happening right now at the base."


    [Eleanore] looked as if she had eaten something not tasty, as if she hadn''t wanted to speak about it.


    "...Nothing is happening, nothing out of the ordinary, people are used to it. So, really, it''s just normal as usual." [Eleanore] said slowly, "Was that all you wanted to ask?"


    "I don''t know what is deemed normal nor am I used to it. Explain." Alexandra said narrowing her eyes, "Why are people acting like that, I saw some people crying, others partying, and a few seemed to be very angry against walls. There is also the weird Minion who welcomed me into the base."


    And that had been one thing that she didn''t quite understand even now, what was the deal with that one?


    "...Do you know what type of Core the Scrambler has?" [Eleanore] suddenly asked.


    "A [Mind Core]?" Answered Alexandra. She had guessed that, at the very least, since these seemed to have a great stigma upon them and the fact that people feared them, he must have done something terrible with that [Power].


    "That is what everyone thinks," [Eleanore] nodded her head at that and laughed, "But no, or not only that I guess."


    She guessed?


    Could it be?


    "You asked him? You asked the robe guy what his [Core] was?" Alexandra couldn''t help but be wary, if she was asked that¡­what was she supposed to do?


    "I don''t ask that often, and it has its toll on me too, the Core is too important to who we are, only reason I managed to pull that off is because he was using his on me too, so there was a connection," [Eleanore] said with a sigh, "I regret not using that chance better¡­"


    So she also had survived the encounter? At least that meant it wasn''t as rare¡­


    "Then what is his [Core]?" Alexandra asked if she said that it wasn''t [Mind Core], then how was he twisting people''s minds?


    "His Core is Mind and Reality," [Eleanore] said.


    Just that?


    "At the very least, those two are primary cores, we suspect he developed either one Information Core or one Dream Core," [Eleanore] said as if the fact that she declared a [Human] having more than one [Core] was normal.


    How did they even manage that? She could have done that since she had access to her Nanite Swarm, but how could a [Human] manage that?


    "Yes, Core Users can end up developing a secondary Core if they manage to amass enough Mana. Usually, people develop adjacent Powers or fix some issue with their Main Core. But [The Scrambler] didn''t quite do that." [Eleanore] sighed; she didn''t seem happy about that, "He is¡­mad. We don''t know if it is schizophrenia or if he is perceiving something else, but he is taking people''s minds and replacing it with other things. People who¡­ aren''t quite normal."


    Yeah, she had heard that before.


    "So? How aren''t they normal? Aren''t they [Human]?" Alexandra asked, if [Eleanore] said they weren''t, well, then there wouldn''t be any problem if she decided to go hunting right?


    "They are Human, but they aren''t from here. Our planet is called Terra Nova, simple right?" [Eleanore] said, so Alexandra nodded, she hadn''t know that the planet had a name, but with the thing the [Humans] had with their damned labels it stood to reason that they would name their planet. "They claim to be from a planet called Terra Invicta, and while what they say is¡­mostly in tune with what we have, there are some differences here and there."


    [Eleanore] stood and walked to the bookshelf, from there she brought a folder and gave it to Alexandra. It depicted some buildings, what looked like a weird vehicle that looked closer to a weird T than anything else, by what it was written at the side it seemed to be called [Spaceship]?


    "They seem to be around 200 to 500 years ahead of us in technology, and are just learning about Core Powers¡­ The Saintsworths are at the head of their government, too, so there is that." [Eleanore] shrugged, "Some things are eternal, I guess, and the bullshit of the Saintsworths is one."


    Alexandra found that interesting, was the scrambler making up a new persona, universe and the whole setting up from scratch, then seeding it in the [Humans]?


    "So he is making that whole universe and seeding it into the minds of his victims?" So Alexandra asked.


    "We hope so," [Eleanore] answered, they hoped so? "We sincerely hope so, as far as we know all the data from the victims match to the most stupid useless detail, the only discourage we find within them is the fact that some seem to actually think that Alexanders has been alive for 200 years, and their description of him is that of either his father or grandfather."


    What? There were [Humans] that could live that long?


    "...no Human can live that long, unless there is a Core Power involved, and as far as we can see in the setting [The Scrambler] is seeding into the minds of people there aren''t Core Powers as developed as we have." [Eleanore] said with a sigh, "So we just don''t know, all the major powers do share what they find out from victims of him, just so we have a better understanding of his motives."


    "But he died, so it is all a moot point now, right?" Alexandra said, "I saw The Delivery Guy killing him."


    Alexanders had left a hole on his body, a hole big enough that she could probably crawl through it¡­in this form.


    "Oh right, that one. You sent us a warning about him, right? What''s the deal with him?" [Eleanore] said, not addressing the fact that the scrambling guy was dead.


    "Is he not dead?" Alexandra said, bringing that point once again.


    "...more than likely, no, he isn''t dead. I saw the footage and that wasn''t him, we suspect that he has a way to spread his influence or is directly supplanting the mind of their victims with his psyche. So what the Delivery Guy killed was a puppet in the best-case scenario and another victim in the worst, I hope he didn''t want to work as a Hero because that does not look good." [Eleanore] said with a shrug, "So, you haven''t said what was the problem with this Delivery Guy."


    Now¡­how to say this.


    "I¡­found some information about my past, things that may explain¡­my family background." Alexandra said slowly, she needed to mind her words very carefully right now, since she was speaking to [Eleanore].


    "You did?!?!?" [Eleanore] quickly jumped at that," Who are your parents?!? Why did they abandon you?!? What happened?!?!?!"


    First of all, rude.


    Isn''t it rude to tell someone to their face that their parents abandoned them?


    "The Delivery Guy, what do you know about him?" Alexandra started by that.


    "Him? He is a new face, his body armor is on the higher end of Tinker Tech available. He seems to be on the weirder end; we suspect he is either a Tinkerer with a weird niche towards guns or a rich Core User with a miscellaneous type." [Eleanore] brought another folder with a photo of Alexanders wearing the full body armor and posing to the cameras, "He also has a big ego and seems to be a fame seeker, [The Theater Master] vouches for him and has marked him as a [Protagonist], one of the highest praises he has given to anyone. As far as we know, there was only one person at that level."


    There was?


    "Who?" Alexandra asked, if there was someone as dangerous as Alexanders she needed to be on the look.


    "Alexanders Saintsworths, the CEO of the Saintsworths Conglomerate, is cataloged by [The Theater Master] as a possible [BBG] or an [Antagonist]." [Eleanore] said, bringing another folder, "At the very least, he is set up on the lowest setting as [Deuteragonist]."


    Well, that could get¡­awkward.


    Should she¡­say what his identity was?


    "Well¡­The Delivery Guy ambushed me after the theater guy left, and he removed his Mask when speaking to me." Alexandra said with a sigh, "Or well, he did that to Ale I guess, but same thing."


    "Was he hostile? If so, we can remove him from the list of possible clients." [Eleanore] said narrowing her eyes.


    "No, he removed his face mask and came out as my brother. He gave me this as proof." Alexandra said raising her right hand and letting the weird eagle engraving to shine, "It seems that I am really a Saintsworths after all."


    Yeah, nailed it.


    "YOU ARE A WHAT?!?!?!" Now, follow the next part.


    "So, as my brother explained¡­I need a device to access the personal server, so¡­can I get a personal device?" Alexandra said with a shy smile, "I haven''t been able to peruse the data here quite yet as much as I would like to."


    She had been too busy ogling at Sam to check on it after all.

 Chapter 13: Bonk

    ¡°A device¡­¡± [Eleanore] finally reacted and moved, she had knew that her last name was Saintsworths, why was she making such a ruckus? ¡°It flagged it as Truth, so you are really a Saintsworths?¡±


    ¡°I assume so, my alleged brother said so.¡± Alexandra said back, really. If Alexanders was as important as everyone made it sound then her past was set in stone right?


    Alexandra wasn¡¯t sure what to think about that, it seemed¡­.too convenient, and that was part of why she hadn¡¯t left Ale or Alexa to give the notice, both would probably just roll with it.


    ¡°Rude!¡± ¡°But fair¡­¡± ¡°But she is mean and rude!¡± ¡°I mean¡­You would roll with it¡­And I¡­don¡¯t think I would bother that much either¡­Right now, I see the issue since we aren¡¯t tied to a brain, but I can also see my synapsis not thinking too much¡­These Human brains are a menace for real.¡±


    That¡­had been a more complex communication than usual, she really needed to do that check up.


    ¡°Your brother¡­damnation, we knew you had some family and I had hoped you wouldn¡¯t pop up as a Saintsworths, but that explains it¡­If you are a wielder of the eagle, then no wonder you didn¡¯t show up.¡± [Eleanore] said sighing and nursing her forehead, was she going through a headache?


    Perhaps she was overclocking her brain by the use of her [Core Power]? If so, that was good intel, it meant that these things were all powerfull, she could work with that better.


    ¡°The eagle? Oh right, you said to run away from anyone who wielded jewelry with an eagle¡­this counts too huh?¡± Alexandra said staring at the thing, it didn¡¯t look like much to be honest, but it was probably made using [Tinker Tech] if she was to guess, since that was the only way that some random material could react to Mana and also interact with normal devices. There was no way this thin metal could hold all the necessary components to interact with some private and secure server from anywhere.


    ¡°Yes, it counts. It actually counts very much, the asshole at the top is the one that made them. And he is the only one that can give more too, so you have one means that at some points Alexanders acknowledged your existence, damned Saintsworths.¡± [Eleanore] grumbled and pressed some buttons on her desk that made a keyboard show up from within the desk, as soon as it was visible [Eleanore] started typing away. ¡°Damned Saintsworths with their stupid tests and stupid toxic family¡­¡±


    [Eleanore] seemed quite riled up as she wrote on it, ¡°I assume you don¡¯t know anything about your past? If you got it when leaving that place, did he give it to you? To Ale? Alexa?¡± [Eleanore] said turning to her once more, the glare was still there.


    ¡°He gave it to Ale yes, we didn¡¯t think it was good idea to let Alexa around there. And The mission didn¡¯t mention anything about me, I just came out to make sure we did things in order¡­And because Ale didn¡¯t want to deal with the sewer system.¡± Alexandra said, shrugging at the last part, it wasn¡¯t quite true, but it was close enough, ¡°Also, while we know some basic information about this thing, we haven¡¯t actually pulled anything out quite yet.¡±


    She had been too busy recording Sam¡¯s abs after all.


    ¡°Fine, good¡­ It would be annoying¡­Oh god of course this fucker will not care¡­*groan*.¡± [Eleanore] seemed to be having some problems on her side, but Alexandra wasn¡¯t sure why she kept glaring at her, it wasn¡¯t her idea nor her fault to be branded with that last name¡­


    Perhaps¡­perhaps she shouldn¡¯t let Ale or Alexa interact with her that often¡­


    ¡°Fine, okay. Let¡¯s deal with the problems as we go¡­¡± [Eleanore] said, taking a deep breath and centering herself. Or attempting to, that is what Alexandra got from how she was trying to calm herself. ¡°First¡­I¡¯ll need you to swear while I use my Core Power at full power something, this is very important. I can Perceive the Truth; people misinterpret this as a mere truth detector. And most of the time is only that, but if I come to bear my power in full. It can become some kind of¡­ Vow. It will affect you and your Core if you ever plan or violate it, so I need you to be fully aware if we are to continue.¡±


    ¡­Now, why would Alexandra do that?


    ¡°And if you can¡¯t keep this promise or do this, I am afraid I will need to ask you to leave our organization. If you were the daughter of a supervillain running away, or hell, the daughter of a Hero. We could deal with that, we have done that before, hell. At least four minions in training are sons or daughters of a villain, we probably have the son of a Hero working in Billy¡¯s garage,¡± [Eleanore] shrugged as she said that, ¡°But the Saintsworths are different.¡±


    ¡°How so? They aren¡¯t [Heroes] or [Villains] as far as I know¡­or are they?¡± Alexandra asked, she really needed to peek at that database it seemed.


    ¡°No, they do have Heroes under their banner, and some mercs. We don¡¯t have confirmation on any Villain working for or under them, but they do give us contracts from time to time, ¡° [Eleanore] said dismissively, as if the words tasted like bile in her mouth, ¡°No, they are worse. They are actual Evil. They don¡¯t care for rules or laws, they do what they want and kill, mutilate and mutate anyone on their path. They are the worst kind of existence this planet has ever suffered, and if it ever experiences an end of the world scenario I can guarantee you right now, that it was birthed in one of their labs.¡±


    ¡­That seemed¡­oddly specific.


    ¡°So with that out of the way,¡± [Eleanore] said pushing the Enter button on her keyboard and standing, ¡°Billy is on his way with a personal computer that will be isolated from our system for you to use, and Vulcanus is probably rearranging his plans to take you into consideration.¡±


    At least she seemed to be able to keep her job-


    ¡°Swear in the name of your Core right now, that you aren¡¯t a plant of the Saintsworths, that you will not harm any member of Haephestus¡¯ Forge. And that you aren¡¯t going backstab us.¡± [Eleanore]¡¯s words seemed to be thrumming with [Power] Alexandra felt¡­something.


    ¡°[Warning, Ambient Mana above normal treshold, currently above 3000% normal mana density.]¡±


    Oh, so that was why she felt as if the world was crashing down on her, and even though the weight was heavy, and her breath came with difficulty, she wasn¡¯t stuck to the floor.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    It was¡­Interesting.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Alexandra tried to speak but the words were hard to utter since the place was reeking with Mana.


    ¡°[Mana Attribute analyzed, Information-Truth. All words said need to be aligned, starting to siphon Mana into the host¡­Done. The host should be able to speak using this Mana, but care is advised.]¡±


    So she could speak using it?


    ¡°I am [Alexandra Saintsworths].¡± Alexandra said, the words coming out of her mouth more easily, interesting, ¡°I know not any of the Saintsworths agenda, nor why they granted me their name. I don¡¯t know what my brother planned or what he intends to do, but I have no reason to follow him or his plans.¡±


    Alexandra really didn¡¯t have any reason; he cheated, after all. Why would she even want to do anything he asked?


    ¡°I hate how he acts, how he looked down on me¡­And I don¡¯t or won¡¯t do what he asks of me.¡± Alexandra didn¡¯t like how at one point both Alexanders and Sapphire looked at her as if she was¡­ a thing.


    It was but for a moment, and most of the time they looked at her with curiosity or mirth, she could deal with that. But as a thing¡­She wasn¡¯t a thing¡­Or well, she was a thing before, but now? She wasn¡¯t, she was Alexandra. She was Alexa¡­She was Ale¡­She was¡­


    ¡°And hurting members of Haphestus¡¯ Forge? Will you ever hurt your fellow Minion?¡± [Eleanore] said, bringing her back from that particular train of thought.


    ¡°I can¡¯t promise that.¡± Alexandra said, as she said those words [Eleanore]¡¯s eyes morphed into that of a glare.


    Behind her, the image of a three-headed beast manifested, each eye of the creature shining in red ominous light, their snouts snarling at her.


    ¡°If¡­¡± Alexandra continued, ¡°If any of the other Minions ever attack me, I will fight back. If anyone of them attempts to [Terminate] me, I will kill them first¡­I will not be the one failing the [Combat Test] I will not be the one being [Devoured]!¡±


    That was the bare minimum, Alexandra would not be made less.


    ¡°...¡± [Eleanore] stopped her glaring to turn at look at her confused, then as if something made sense her eyes shifted from confussion to¡­horror? terror?


    ¡°Ah¡­no, nonononono.¡± [Eleanore] said as the atmosphere returned to normal, ¡°No, we¡­we never would do that!¡±


    They would never do that?


    ¡°Right¡­Because you wouldn¡¯t abuse your power against someone in a weaker situation by using your power to bind them under a very strict set of [Rules]?¡± Alexandra said in a mocking tone back.


    She really couldn¡¯t let Alexa or Ale around [Eleanore], now, could she? Not if [Eleanore] could bind their [Core] with words. That was a dangerous aspect of [Core Powers].


    ¡°That!¡± [Eleanore] said covering her mouth, ¡°That wasn¡¯t¡­I wasn¡¯t¡­I just¡­I¡­I want to keep my family safe¡­¡±


    ¡°Here it is!!¡± And before [Eleanore] could continue and elaborate on that the door to the room opened and [Billy] walked in carrying what looked to be a black notebook. ¡°...Am I interrupting something?¡±


    ¡°We were just discussing the terms of my prolonged employment,¡± Alexandra said, to the surprise of [Billy].


    ¡°Your employment? But you have already signed up with us, right? Vulcanus wants to nurture you into a Lieutenant even. I think you would do better with us on the Mechanics to be honest, no wait. Does Eleanore want to recruit you into the HR department?¡± [Billy] glared at [Eleanore], only for a second as he noticed her face. ¡°Eleanore¡­? What¡­What happened?¡±


    ¡°She showed me the other aspect of her [Core Power], she wanted me to make a [Promise] under her [Core Power],¡± Alexandra answered again, [Eleanore] was only opening and closing her mouth.


    ¡°Eleanore Windsor!¡± [Billy] roared as his clothes burst into rags as a body armor similar to the one that Alexander had used manifested around his body, only this had a more sleek design, with way more pointy ends. His mask was closer in design with [Vulcanus] face thought, even if this one didn¡¯t have a mock face hidden behind it. ¡°YOU! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE! SHE IS A BRAT! EVEN IF SHE LOOKS LIKE THIS! YOU KNOW THIS! YOU ARE THE ONE THAT STATED THAT SHE WAS MORE THAN LIKELY CLOSER TO FIVE YEARS OLD!¡±


    ¡°I¡­I¡­¡± [Eleanore] tried to say but no words formed.


    ¡°YOU WHAT?!?!? YOU BOUND HER CORE? STUNTED HER GROWTH? FOR WHAT?!?!? BECAUSE SHE HAS THAT LAST NAME?!?!?¡± [Billy] roared as he pushed [Eleanre] all the way against the wall, his right arm shifting as if the metal was alive, the hand morphed into a canon that emitted blue light, ¡° I SHOULD BLOW YOUR HEAD FOR THIS! THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY DID TO YOU ALL! DO YOU WANT ME TO MAKE ME WISH THAT I HAD LEFT YOU THERE??!?!?!?¡±


    What?


    ¡°I didn¡¯t promise her anything, and my [Core] doesn¡¯t feel bounded, though,¡± Alexandra said raising her hand. ¡°There is nothing binding my [Core] is it? Main Core?¡±


    ¡°[There is not, we diverted and made sure there wasn¡¯t any promise. But we advise you to leave this organization. They do not seem¡­.trustworthy.]¡± Main Core said, using the speakers on her phone.


    ¡°...You¡­managed to not get bound?¡± [Billy] said as he let go of [Eleanore], and his mask disengaged from his face, showing his visage; he had a worry in his eyes. ¡°...are you sure? We need to check, no wait. We would need an Information type Core¡­usually we use Eleanore¡¯s¡­.but¡­Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she did want to bind me. But the promise wasn¡¯t¡­feasible.¡± Alexandra wouldn¡¯t have minded it, she could probably have tied it to a temporary Core¡­. ¡°If the [Vow] isn¡¯t as limiting as the one she wanted, I don¡¯t mind it.¡±


    ¡°But I do,¡± [Billy] said from the side as he walked to her again, ¡°I do¡­We aren¡¯t scum, we don¡¯t bind into serviture people because of their last name. We don¡¯t impose our ideals on others like the Heroes, no. We are Villains, we respect what other people do, and do what we want, how we want and when we want.¡±


    That seemed¡­counterintuitive.


    ¡°Eleanore, you will need to pay for this.¡± [Billy] said turning to [Eleanore] once more, ¡°You breached the trust you had with one of our workers, one that can be more important than you think.¡±


    ¡°...I know¡­I¡¯m sorry, I¡­I wasn¡¯t thinking,¡± [Eleanore] said nursing her neck, it had the marks of [Billy]¡¯s hand on it, ¡°I¡­was hasty.¡±


    ¡°No shit Sherlock,¡± [Billy] spat to the side, ¡°Usually, we would fire someone for what you did or send you to the wilds in a suicide mission.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­¡± [Eleanore] said grimacing.


    ¡°But you are too valuable, even like this.¡± [Billy] sighed, then looked at Alexandra and sighed again, ¡°Fine, you wanted a vow, the kid doesn¡¯t mind one, so that is what we will do.¡±


    ¡°What will be the terms?¡± Alexandra said while at the same time she started preparing to make a new [Core], she would need to be sure to bind it in that way, that may be hard to achieve since this would be the first time.


    ¡°Not you,¡± [Billy] said shaking his head, ¡°Eleanore is the one that will do the vow, she will vow to never ever use her Core Power on you unless you allow it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Alexandra said, confused, ¡°That¡­doesn¡¯t sound¡­logical.¡±


    And it wasn¡¯t, [Billy] should advocate for [Haephestus¡¯ Forge] he was one of their workers¡­Why was he taking her side?


    ¡°I don¡¯t have access to any of the Saintsworths might or data, nor the means to acquire anything from them.¡± Alexandra said, she didn¡¯t wanted any misunderstanding, ¡°I can¡¯t pay this back.¡±


    ¡°*Bonk*¡±


    Alexandra got hit on the head with the black notebook that [Billy] had brought.


    ¡°Kiddos shouldn¡¯t worry about those things, Eleanore made a mistake. And showed that she can¡¯t be trusted to use her powers around you. If she wasn¡¯t as important as she is to Vulcanus and Gabriel, I would make sure she was kicked out, but alas. This is the best thing we can manage.¡± [Billy] said, shaking his head, ¡°Or what, do you want to wait for Vulcanus to decide your punishment?¡±


    ¡°...No, fair is fair.¡± [Eleanore] said, sighing, ¡°I solemnly swear to never use my Core Powers on Alexandra Saintsworths.¡±


    ¡°Any version of her,¡± [Billy] said from the side.


    ¡°And any Core, not only the Truth one.¡± Alexandra added from the side, getting a smirk from [Billy], ¡°Brother said there were secondary ones¡­¡±


    ¡°Clever brother you have then, he gave you a big hint on your path to power,¡± [Billy] shook his head at that, ¡°Move on Cerberus, finish the vow.¡±


    ¡°I swear to not use any Core Powers I have on any version of Alexandra Saintsworths, no matter the form she takes. And should they be of less emotional maturity, I will only use them with the permission of someone else with the best interest in them.¡± [Eleanore] said as the words seemed to turn solid.


    ¡°[Interpreting Mana Behaviour¡­]¡±


    To Alexandra¡¯s eyes the words seemed to turn into Mana, from there they seemed to twist on itselfs into the form of a chain that sank into [Eleanore]¡¯s chest, as if it was tying itself around her [Heart].


    Interesting.


    ¡°Will¡­will that be good enough?¡± [Eleanore] said as if she was having a hard time breathing.


    ¡°It will do for now, felt anything different kiddo?¡± [Billy] said turning to her.


    Why was he saying kiddo to her anyway?


    ¡°[Detected a mana stream coming from Human Designation: Eleanore, it asks for permission from host to enter in contact with host. Permit?]¡± Main Core said as it highlighted a strand that seemed to stay a few centimeters away from Alexandra.


    ¡°There is a change for sure¡­I refuse.¡± Alexandra said and saw the strand recoil as it reeled back into [Eleanore].


    ¡°So you can feel it then? I have been told it shows differently to others, the binding vow of Cerberus.¡± [Billy] said turning to [Eleanore]. ¡°And from your end?¡±


    ¡°...It looks as if there is a sword hanging above my head, if I extend my Core Powers to her it threatens to decapitate me.¡± [Eleanore] said as she sat back into her office chair.


    ¡°....sounds about right. Well, let¡¯s stop with the nasty things and move to better things.¡± [Billy] said clapping his hands, ¡°We can¡¯t dwell on these things forever, let¡¯s give this baby a run.¡±


    Alexandra got shoved into her hands the black notebook, ¡°This is?¡± So she asked.


    ¡°That is connected to the network, the one everyone wants to use and complains about because I isolated those waves in our bases; it connects to [The World]. The Saintsworths sponsored network.¡± [Billy] said as he eyed the device, ¡°So? What are you waiting for? Open the connection. This will be my first time seeing how these things connect, and this baby should record the connection, if I can emulate it then we will have a far more secure network, so give that thing a run.¡±


    Well¡­there was nothing else to do, so Alexandra placed the hand with the bracelet above the device and waited.

 Chapter 14: Who is Alexandras brother you ask?

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    <td style="width: 100%">¡°[We are the light that shines science over civilization.]¡±</td>


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    "A little pretentious aren''t we?" [Billy] said while he stood beside Alexandra as the device powered up.


    It had turned the screen black as soon as she placed the bracelet over the screen, and now it was loading up something else. These words had woven themselves on the screen as the device''s screen went from pure black to showing the emblem of a bird holding a scroll in its legs.


    The animal was spreading its wings wide as if it was trying to make itself look bigger, and while the words were quite impressive, Alexandra couldn''t help but wonder.


    "Are they really that relevant?" She asked to [Billy], since [Eleanore] was still sitting in a corner holding her head with both hands.


    "I mean, they were before Core Powers became a thing, afterward¡­they are still important, and make no mistake, they are among the most powerful both politically and monetary wise, but¡­It kind of becomes a moot point when someone can show up to your main building and level it to the ground before someone with the correct power-type comes to save you, doesn''t it?" [Billy] shrugged as he answered.


    That was¡­a very fair point, while Alexandra understood the importance of good intel, she would rather have the power to destroy everything around than to know everything around. Sure, the second one would guarantee her success, but if she defeated her target either way¡­ Wasn''t indiscriminate power more useful?


    "Oh, it booted up." [Billy] said pointing at the screen, it was¡­not the same one from before, and her bracelet was shining golden on the emblem of the bird. "Well, ask it something."


    Now¡­what to ask¡­


    "Who is Alexandra Saintsworths," Alexandra decided to ask that one first.


    And what came out of it quite surprised her, as the front camera of the device projected a blue screen with the information; for a second, she had thought that it was another of [Core] ''s projections, till [Billy] ''s eyes followed the letters on it too.


    That all but confirmed that this was visible to everyone else.


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    <td style="width: 100%">Alexandra Saintsworths:</td>


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    <td style="width: 100%">


    Daughter of the ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö branch, currently location unknown.


    Age: ¡ö¡ö.


    Height: ¡ö¡ö¡ö cms.


    Weight: ¡ö¡ö kilograms.


    She is among the current batch of members from the clan who were given a test to prove their might and connection to the clan; her test consisted of being sent to a black site of one of our enemies to build a position within and climb the ladder. The test went haywire, and she was unexpectedly sent to a human experimentation site.


    A rescue team was not deemed worth the effort since any scion of the Saintsworths should be able to escape by themself no matter their age. The predicted results from the human experimentations are expected to awaken a Core Power within her, and she is predicted to use said powers to escape.


    Effects on her psyche are expected to be minimal since she carries the blood of the golden eagle. She is expected to be capable of running for a spot within the main branch after she comes of age.


    Important Notes: Her brother seems to have found out about the existence of Alexandra and is expected to cause problems. Additional guards are to be set up to prevent him from tampering with the results of her tests. She is to remain within her test at least till she is fifteen years old.


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    "...." [Billy] ''s jovial mood disappeared as his eyes started reading the blue screen.


    Alexandra didn''t find it as interesting as she had expected, granted this all but confirmed the fake history everyone had thought of her, but¡­Alexandra had expected more descriptions.


    "Do you have records of what the experimentations done to Alexandra Saintsworths were?" Alexandra decided to ask.


    [Billy] made a weird sound and turned to her, while [Eleanore] covered her ears with both hands.


    Weird.


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    <td style="width: 100%">No evidence of the experimentations has been found since there are still at least ten years till Alexandra is expected to escape the site. All the pertaining information is scheduled to be collected and used as collateral to take in a new company under the Saintsworths umbrella, as is the data on human experimentation, Core experimentation, and Mana experimentation.</td>


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    *Crash*


    "..." [Billy] summoned the cannon and shot it against a wall, destroying it and starting an alarm at the same time, "Override, Hermes 2731. Delay the construction crew till I give the go-ahead. Also,  update Minion''s Rhapsody status. From yellow to blue."


    "...You need auth-" [Eleanore] started saying before a single glare from [Billy] stopped her.


    "Not now, Cerberus, not fucking now." [Billy] said, lowering his arm and letting himself fall against the wall. "Go on kiddo, ask your things¡­I¡­ I''m not sure I want to hear, see, or even think about them."


    "I just wanted to make sure they didn''t know what I could do," Alexandra said turning to the blue screen, it was¡­weird.


    Knowing that anyone else could see them.


    "Why is this format used? Why blue screens?" Alexandra asked, dismissing the previous ones with hand motions.


    She wasn''t surprised by the fact that the blue screens reacted to her moving them like that, she had done the same with the ones [Core] used.


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    The HoloProjector(Blue screens) was devised by the current Scion of the Main Branch, Alexanders Saintsworths. It was deemed by him that this allowed an easier integration of both the data being transmitted and ease of use. This can be personalized to your tastes, but most users of this network use the blue screen form.


    There is no data on the reason why or how Alexanders came to use this format.


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    Interesting things all over the place.


    "Can¡­can you ask them about project [Awakening]?" [Eleanore] said in a low voice from her corner.


    "Are you real right now?" [Billy] snarled from the side, "You try to bind her Core, you abuse your position, abuse the trust she has for you. And then, after all of this, you try to get something from her?"


    That was very¡­fair? Alexandra didn''t have a reason to help her now, did she?


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    "What is project awakening?" Alexandra decided to ask, not to the device, not yet anyway. But to [Eleanore] and [Billy], this helped her test if this thing detected the questions that she asked it, or if it would answer anything she said.


    If it was the second, then she would really need to be careful of what she said after all, at least with people around.


    "....It is a project that was set up long ago," [Billy] said with a sigh, he had been waiting too before answering, probably for the same reason as Alexandra, "It is not my tale to tell, but of Eleanore, Gabriel and¡­I guess Vulcanus now."


    "It was¡­an orphanage at first." [Eleanore] started speaking, "One that wasn''t shit, we got beds, food, clothes, and toys to play with. We were moved to one of the nice parts of the city and all they asked of us was some blood samples now and then."


    That seemed¡­.nice?


    Alexandra wasn''t that sure what to think to be honest, it was more or less what she had been given, with less things going the other way. Well, taking into consideration the fact that she had to work, perhaps it was more the things she needed to give?


    "We didn''t question it, we street kids didn''t had many things going for us. Most of us ended up on the streets because of accidents or because our parents couldn''t afford to keep us; we ended up in orphanages because we weren''t lucky." [Eleanore] said, standing up, "We just weren''t blessed by fate."


    Fate?


    What is fate?


    "Everything was good, till it wasn''t." [Eleanore] sighed, turning to stare to the side as if looking somewhere far away. Was her [Core Power] also allowing her to see through walls?


    "One by one, older kids got picked up to move into other rooms they said. They would go to a bigger facility for bigger kids, they said." [Eleanore] smirked at the words, "We didn''t know better, but some kids didn''t like leaving their friends behind. So Gabriel, Edwards and myself asked to be moved together."


    Edwards? Who was Edwards? Did Alexa or Ale meet an Edwards?


    "And so we moved from ''The Mistress in Waiting'' orphanage to R&D Substation 4. It didn''t even have a real name." [Eleanore] said while laughing bitterly; Alexandra did not find it particularly funny.


    She liked the number four, it was her number. Or Alexa''s, but same thing.


    "There they experimented on us, attempting to force us to awake a Core to their liking, and when we didn''t we got sold to the highest bidder. It was hell, day in and day out they experimented on us, fed us weird food. Made us nibble at rocks and crystals at one point even." [Eleanore] shook her head as she retold the story.


    To be honest, Alexandra found those descriptions boring, those were kiddy tests.


    "Some had it better, some had it worse. Gabriel was thrown within a bird enclosure, he was supposed to awaken a Beast Core, he somehow managed to awaken a Core, but it wasn''t the one they wanted." [Eleanore] said shaking her head, "Then Edwards¡­poor Edwards¡­."


    "That is enough, Vulcanus is the one who should tell that story." [Billy] said from the side, "Yours and Gabriels is enough to tell what that god-forsaken experiment was."


    "Fine," [Eleanore] said, "Project Awakening was a means to find a sustainable way to awaken Core Users, but it failed. The project was shut down thanks to the efforts of a Hero who later retired¡­"


    [Billy] didn''t say anything, but the way in which [Eleanore] looked at him was telling enough.


    "It was human experimentation, the project was shut down after the project became public and those affected by it got sent away to other orphanages, most of the kids ended up finding each other and formed under the banner of one of the kids who got affected the worst." [Eleanore] said shaking her head yet again. "We promised to forge a better place for others, to make sure no one else would try again. To forge a better place."


    "And so..." [Eleanore] said, "Haephestus'' Forge was born."


    Very, very interesting (not).


    "Fine I guess¡­" Alexandra said, turning to the notebook, "What information do you have on Project Awakening."


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    <td style="width: 100%">Project Awakening:</td>


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    <td style="width: 100%">


    It was an experiment to attempt and stimulate memories of a past life in subjects in an attempt to trigger the generation of a Core. Subjects were selected with extreme care as to find those whose connection to Mana seemed to be the best. In case of them having a family that wasn''t amenable to the testing done, they got expedited, and the test subjects got redirected into orphanages under the umbrella of the company at the helm of this experimentation.


    The experimentation was done under the leadership of the Mystic Institute for the development of Humanity''s Awakening. The company was scheduled to be raided after more proof of their evildoing was found and verified, the company was spooked after a Hero (Hermes) raided it and released the test subjects.


    Any chance of it being fully investigated was then further destroyed when one member of the Saintsworths got involved.


    As the presence of a main branch member made a soft touch difficult, the whole project was then burned, and the apprehension of the mastermind was not achieved.


    [Name of the Saintworths member that got involved: Andre Saintworths.]


    [Relevance: Former head of The Saintsworths Conglomerate, retired.]


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    Retired?


    "Retired?" Alexandra asked to the terminal.


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    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Andre Sanitsworths retired shortly after his son turned five, when he started showing the hallmarks of a genius. He decided to focus his remaining life on finding the best education possible to nurture him into the greatest inheritor to the golden eagle.


    There are records of both of them visiting multiple R&D sites, both taken over by the Saintsworths in an attempt to correct evil experimentation and others searching for ways to turn the world into a better place.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    "That is a lie." [Eleanore] spat as those words manifested in the holoprojector, "Andre left his throne because he feared that he would end up being incriminated, and his bastard of a son isn''t better. The apple does not fall far from the tree."


    "We don''t know that. Besides, he hasn''t actively been involved in any illegal experimentation as far as we know, and he did work in helping alleviate the pressure from the ghost cities and even managed to contain the ants, didn''t he?" [Billy] said from the side after he read the information too.


    He did a what?


    Who was this person? He sounded like someone interesting.


    "How many sons or daughters does Andre Saintsworths have?" Alexandra decided to ask.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 42.7885%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Andre Saintsworths had multiple offspring across his life. The most successful being Alexanders Saintsworths, current CEO of the Saintsworths Conglomerate. The newest iteration of the Saintsworths Clan on Terra Nova.


    There is no way to confirm any other daughter or son of Andre Saintsworths without blood tests. Those tests are restricted to the current head of the Saintsworths and as such, only Alexanders Saintsworths has true evidence of any other offspring of Andre Saintsworths.


    The current whereabouts of Andre Saintsworths are unknown.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Well, that was¡­convenient.


    "Fair, I guess." Alexandra said reading the last part, at least this meant that the only people that could deny her bloodline was the guy who had given her the way in. Since the other was god knows where.


    "Well, this was nice and all. But I guess it''s time I did what I came for." [Billy] said dusting off his pants and standing up, "Rhapsody, Haephestus'' Forge is willing to be your blade against those that did you wrong, but we need evidence of who they are and what they did. As payment, we only ask that you use your new means of acquiring information to ask one thing."


    That seemed¡­.fair? Not that Alexandra had any intention of fighting against her former employers. Or owners? She wasn''t quite sure what her relationship with the Saintsworths was at the moment.


    "Find out what they know about [The Scrambler]." [Billy] asked.


    That was¡­easy?


    "What does the database know about the scrambler." Alexandra asked.


    And for the first time, the thing didn''t spit an answer instantly.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 37.0192%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Not enough [Authority] to peruse that information.


    To increase your [Authority], please provide the database with information that it doesn''t have or get an administrator to increase your allowance of data.


    Nearest administrator: Alexanders Saintsworths.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    "Well¡­.that is that." Alexandra said as she read the words on it, she had half expected it to answer the question and was in turn thinking of excuses to not go against the Saintsworths.


    Not yet, anyway, not before she found out if she could defeat Alexanders and his¡­ girlfriend.


    "Of course they know something," [Eleanore] said from the back, she had some fire back in her eyes again, even if those same eyes were doing their best to not look in Alexandra general direction.


    "We suspected they knew something, with this, we have confirmation about them knowing something." [Billy] said eyeing the notebook. "Can I have that for a second?"


    Alexandra nodded and took the notebook and gave it to [Billy], as soon as the older [Human] took the notebook away from her, the device powered down and the emblem on her bracelet powered down.


    The device rebooted and returned to normal half a second later.


    "I knew this could happen, but seeing it¡­" [Billy] said as he plugged a device into the notebook. "Nothing, so this confirms it. They used a Tinker Core to make the network and they are probably using an organic network, since I can''t interact with it nor can my network crawler."


    The what now?


    "So?" [Eleanore] said, rearranging the things that had been thrown around when [Billy] almost ripped out her neck.


    "So we are as we started, we have access to something that gives us nothing. And that if we abuse it will probably blacklist Alexa from accessing it, so we can''t even do that." [Billy] sighed at that, "Unless you have something valuable enough to risk Alexa''s birthright?"


    [Billy] had said that last part in a challenging tone.


    "I know, I will not ask her to use it. Not that she would listen to me¡­" [Eleanore] said in a low tone.


    And she was right, Alexandra wouldn''t listen to her, not after what she tired to pull over.


    "... I''m sorry." [Eleanore] said yet again, not that it changed anything.


    "It''s fine, as Main Core said before. We really don''t mind." Alexandra said, this was this, and that was that.


    She had enjoyed their banter before, and speaking with [Eleanore] had helped her in some aspects. But her attempting to bind their [Core]?


    Her attempting to summon Alexa to do so? That was different.


    "Rude! [Eleanore] attempted to be rude!" "...She attempted more than that, but yes."


    "I only came to report that, is there anything else that you need me for?" Alexandra said standing up and preparing to leave, "If not I need to go. Tomorrow Alexa has classes."


    And if Alexandra knew something, it was that Alexa needed to sleep.


    "No, that was all¡­" [Eleanore] said turning to [Billy].


    "Run along, you brats need to sleep to grow big and strong." [Billy] said waving her off.


    Rude.


    "I''m perfectly big and strong, thank you very much." Alexandra said puffing her cheeks, Alexa and Ale may not mind it, but she very much minded.


    "Sure you are big girl," [Billy] said dismissively, "Now run along, I need to drag Cerberus to Vulcanus to have a serious talk about boundaries."


    Right¡­


    "Do you need this back?" Alexandra said, pointing to the notebook.


    "Nah, you can have it, I will ask the other Minions to deliver a PC to your room later. It will link itself to your notebook, that way it will allow your notebook to have more processing power. Also, it will help us attempt to hijack the Saintsworths network better." [Billy] said with a malicious glint on his eyes.


    Yikes.


    She would never, ever, let him know about Main Core¡­Or his true form anyway. But for now, Alexandra left the half-dilapidated office. She had a few hours of sleep ahead of her and classes tomorrow¡­


    At least Alexa would be the one dealing with those.


    </a>

 Chapter 15: Alexa did nothing!

    Going back to her apartment was easier, there were less people around. If anything the only thing she found on the way was a group of Minions carrying construction equipment and for some reason, [Golem] going with them in what looked to be..a smaller form.


    ¡°[Notice, Human Subject: Golem, is at his normal size. Host hasn¡¯t encountered him this close outside of a combat setting or on a high-stress scenario.]¡±


    So he looked like this?


    Perhaps, usually, it was either Ale or Alexa the one interacting with them; even that one time she fought, they hadn¡¯t stayed close by, had she?


    Either way, she acted as if she hadn¡¯t noticed him and [Golem] seemed too focused on moving construction equipment around to pay attention to her. So, like that, Alexandra walked past them into the Elevator¡­


    This one would leave her at the ground level, so she took off the Mask and made sure that her clothes looked normal enough without evidence of her travel through the sewers. That had been easier since she hadn¡¯t actually fought anything there (Dang it!).


    And so she didn¡¯t have much to disguise; the only thing she had to deal with was the smell, but that one she had already dealt with while walking to [Eleanore]¡¯s office.


    That had been a problem that she hadn¡¯t expected to have to deal with. Since it meant that she had one less reliable [Human], granted [Eleanore] had said, or well, promised to not use her powers against her again. And she should only use those on Ale or Alexa with the permission of someone that had the best intentions on her¡­


    Damnation, she should have stipulated that only herself or Main Core could grant permission¡­


    ¡°Alexa can make good decisions too!¡±


    ¡°Debatable¡­But yeah, you screwed us over there. That means the only people that can allow her to use those powers on us are Big Sis, Golem, or Elder.¡±


    As always, Alexa spoke without thinking, while Ale seemed to be more mature¡­as long as she wasn¡¯t being affected by a body, that is. Precocious girl.


    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s continue this at home,¡± Alexandra said as she waited for the doors of the Elevator to open and walked into the reception area.


    Some people seemed to take notice of her, but Alexandra ignored them all, they all were¡­beneath them. Mere [Base Humans] weren¡¯t that interesting, and none had quite the right appearance.


    That was interesting, she knew that her body affected her as much as it affected Alexa or Ale. Shaping her thoughts and acts, but the fact that she found other [Humans] as beneath her¡­


    Was this affected by the fact that she was fascinated by Sam? Or was it some part of her own tastes? The idea that these [Humans] didn¡¯t have anything to offer her¡­ it made them all¡­negible to her.


    She didn¡¯t care about them or how they saw her,


    That was interesting, and she would probably attempt to look at this train of thought again when she wasn¡¯t tied to a physical body¡­


    ¡°Miss¡­. Alexandra?¡± The receptionist reacted as she passed by her, ¡°We¡­ received a package for you¡­¡±


    And seemed quite nervous for some reason.


    ¡°You did?¡± Alexandra said surprised, most of her things were provided by [Haephestus¡¯ Forge] or salvaged by her in combat or exploration. There shouldn¡¯t be anything delivered to her by the use of human couriers¡­or¡­delivery¡­.people¡­ ¡°*sigh* Who sent it? It has a name stuck to it?¡±


    Alexandra felt the beginning of a headache forming, which was a weird thing to feel since she had full control over her bodily functions, so she should not be able to feel a headache that she didn¡¯t want to have.


    ¡°It¡­It says ¡®From your Handsome brother¡ä.¡± The receptionist said slowly, then with her left hand she moved a white page to the side and tapped at it with her other hand, ¡°Please confirm and sign it.¡±


    The finger had tapped at the emblem of a yellow bird, that all but confirmed who had sent the package, Alexanders.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Alexandra said, writing her name on the other page the receptionist had handed her, then covered the emblem with the white page and stuck it to the box using a quick burst of her Nanites. ¡°Was that all?¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you. Please receive future packages from this sender in a PO Box next; it isn¡¯t against the terms of service. But some of the other inhabitants of this place may find it troublesome.¡± The receptionist said in a low tone, not like the other people here wouldn¡¯t hear it.


    At least those that had a [Beast Core] had probably heard her and turned their eyes to stare at her, the emblem was already covered, so it was besidse the point. ¡°I¡¯ll take it into consideration, but I didn¡¯t ask this to be delivered here, so bring your complaints to the sender.¡± Alexandra said and took her box to the¡­stairs.


    She also didn¡¯t want to deal with the faulty Elevator if she could prevent it.


    The stairs had their own charm, even if she had to climb several storeys, granted it was something she could prevent if she fixed it, but that was besides the point.


    ¡°What did he even send us? This feels heavy.¡± Alexandra said eyeing the box, it was almost half as tall as her, and while it wasn¡¯t as heavy as her, it was still quite heavy.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Mango!¡± ¡°Probably something to annoy us.¡±


    The thoughts of her other two selves were quite predictable, Alexa thought only of the fruit, that while it was quite delectable, it wasn¡¯t all that there was, Alexandra believed it would be something closer to what Ale had said to be honest.


    ¡°Probably something to annoy us yes.¡± So she answered in kind aloud, as she did so she percieved some snickering in the distance.


    So increasing the sensibility of her hearing she tried to locate the location of the sound, it took a few floors and some focus to ignore the sound of her own footsteps but she was finally able to narrow down it, it came from a couple stairs ahead of her, to be precise it was someone who was ahead of her and was giggling.


    She could probably narrow down the distance with some quick burst of energy but decided against it since, as far as her senses told her, the amount of threat she perceived was minimal, if anything.


    ¡°[Estimated danger rating: Minimal. Estimated threat rating: Minimal.]¡±


    Yeah, that.


    Why was it that low?


    ¡°Are you sure she will not know?¡± The voice spoke in a hushed tone, as if trying to keep itself from giggling.


    ¡°Yeah she doesn¡¯t know, papa said that she is a miscellaneous core. Only a beast core would be able to notice it, remember. The idea was of the blonde girl,¡± Another voice said in hushed tones.


    The blonde girl? Alexa?


    ¡°They are lying! I didn¡¯t do nothing!¡± Alexa chimed in quickly, Alexandra got the image of Alexa crossing her small arms and pouting.


    Heh.


    ¡°Now!¡± And as Alexandra debated what to do, she arrived at her floor and heard that scream.


    The first thing that happened was a bucket of water was thrown her way; Alexandra merely sidestepped that and let the bucket fall down the stairs; she didn¡¯t envy whoever was going to clean that one.


    ¡°Run!¡± And afterwards a group of kids ran away, Alexandra recognized some of those, a few of them looked like the kids on Alexa¡¯s class.


    Not the Elite one, the one she had gone to under [Teach Baker]. Interesting, she had wondered what had happened to those kids, but it seemed they were quite alright.


    Alexandra thought for a few seconds if chasing was a good idea or not, but since she had already arrived at her floor¡­.She decided against it, instead she walked towards her apartment.


    She could hear some hushed sounds farther away, were the kids still trying to come up with something? She wasn¡¯t sure, but it was beside the point as Alexandra arrived at her door and walked in. As expected, nothing was amiss besides a note on her dining table.


    ¡°I changed the keys to your apartment, here is the new one. I gave a copy to your teammates and told them to not let Eleanore in unless you gave her a key¡­¡± Was what the note said, besides it was a new key and a reminder that her door now had NFC key too, and that she could link it to her cellphone or bracelet if she wanted.


    Now¡­why would she link that to the piece of technology she wasn¡¯t sure she could trust was the question.


    ¡°[No outgoing data transmissions detected from Saintsworths piece of technology.]¡±


    And she didn¡¯t trust Main Core on this particular thing, not yet anyway. The thing was still isolated from interacting with data transmissions both incoming and outgoing, for now she would check the stupid box that Alexanders had sent her.


    ¡°Main Core, prepare in case of anything jumping out.¡± Alexandra said, taking a deep breath; she wasn¡¯t sure why. But she was annoyed at the package less than she was at Alexanders for sending her something.


    So with measured movements she got close to the box and shifted her right hand index finger into a sharpened claw, the box didn¡¯t do a good work to resist her intrusion and after a quick slash the box¡¯s content was open to all to see.


    Or, in this case, to Alexandra.


    ¡°....well, that is lackluster,¡± Alexandra said, extending her hand and picking up a piece of paper that was stuck to a black box within the box that she had brought to her apartment¡­ ¡°Hello my lovely little sister, Sapphire reminded me that you probably don¡¯t have any useful computer besides the one stuck in your head, and she nagged me about software security¡­¡±


    Alexandra wanted to strangle that man, so many words and so little content; what the hell did he want?


    ¡°Anyway¡­here is one of my older computers, I formated all the data on it and left our Operating System. You should be able to use it for sometime till you can build yourself something better ???? ¡¥???¡¥?? )? ¡° Alexandra continued reading the letter, and afterwards there was a small list with the things that he had sent her way.


    -PC Case. The big black box that weighed almost 20 kilograms.


    -Three Monitors, for some reason. Why did she need so many monitors?


    -Keyboard.


    -Mouse (It wasn¡¯t alive nor had biomass, Alexandra was cheated).


    -A Chair, that for some weird reason had a little too many vivid colors, and at the head had a small pillow¡­And the chairs had ears. Why did a chair have ears?


    -Soundsystem (Basically seven speaker boxes) and headphones (That also had cat ears¡­was this a thing?)


    -Two bottles of a transparent liquid with bubbles. Alexandra wasn¡¯t sure if she wanted to know what it was.


    -A smaller box filled with a weird red package of some type of food in the form of a triangle.


    ¡°Please use the computer responsibly, and if you want to make money, I have added a secondary box.¡± Alexandra pulled the things out one by one to make sure she wasn¡¯t missing anything (The chair had needed to be remade since its pieces had been separated), and sure enough at the very back of it was a smaller box. ¡°There you have one of our Saintsworths endorsed webcams, and the number of some cosplayer makers. Please make us proud (But stay away from the +18 genre, Sapphire will kill me if you end up there).¡±


    Alexandra couldn¡¯t help herself but throw the extra box against a wall, she wasn¡¯t sure why she did that, but her body had done that in a reflex and the image of Alexanders laughing at her for that reaction couldn¡¯t leave her mind.


    Was he spying on her? He was probably spying on her.


    ¡°Main Core, call [Billy].¡± Alexandra said pulling out her cellphone and then noticing how it wasn¡¯t dialing anyone¡­She remembered that Main Core was isolated from the network, so she dialed his number manually¡­Like a peasant.


    ¡°Hello? Kiddo? Is something the matter?¡± [Billy] answered before the first ringing tone ended sounding.


    ¡°Is it possible for anyone on the Saintsworths Conglomerate to spy on me? I feel like they are right now.¡± Alexandra said glaring at the box that she had thrown away, it didn¡¯t have a single scratch nor seemed damaged, what was it made of?


    ¡°Are you in your apartment? If you are there, then close to zero. not even the mighty Alexanders can pierce our defenses from his ivory tower. Even if he somehow managed to sneak in a device, the data transmission wouldn¡¯t be able to leave the apartment.¡± [Billy] said with a sneer in his voice, he seemed quite confident, ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate a Tinkerer¡¯s home network.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­.so if my brother sent me a package as a joke to get under my skin¡­there is no way for him to know how I reacted?¡± Alexandra said, walking warily at the package she had thrown away, ¡°Even if said package included a camera?¡±


    ¡°...Why would he? But yeah, if you decide to use a public network to communicate with him, or do a video call then yes. He will be able to see you, but watching you without you knowing or starting/accepting the call. You can call him without asking for permission, too; Haephestus¡¯ Forge will not meddle with your family relationship.¡± [Billy] added after a few seconds.


    ¡°Thank you, then I¡¯ll set up this computer thing he mailed me¡­¡± Alexandra sighed and ended the call after some other pleasantries from [Billy].


    He mostly wanted to make sure she didn¡¯t need help to set it up, but looking at the stuff that Alexanders had sent¡­


    She didn¡¯t want more people to see it if possible, the asshole had sent a few extra notes on white paper with instructions and suggestions about how to set it up, and they annoyed Alexandra.


    Mostly because these read as if he was looking down on her, making stupid jokes that Alexa found hillarious and laughed at the back of her mind, and in other instances he overly detailed instructions as if she didn¡¯t know that to screw a piece she needed a screw driver.


    Of course she knew that!


    Who didn¡¯t!


    Besides Alexa, who would probably try to brute force it or eat the screw, screwdriver, and the piece to be screwed over.


    ¡­Right.


    Alexanders knew who she really was.


    ¡°And done¡­¡± Either way, Alexandra persisted and ended up moving the computer to her bedroom, she had made a new piece of furniture from some materials that she had around that wasn¡¯t using (Mostly wood), and set up everything there. The device seemed¡­.primitive.


    Everything this thing was going to do, she could do too, and while more powerful than the notebook that [Billy] gave her, it was still negligible compared to Main Core¡­


    Who was still disconnected from the network and, in turn, was mostly useless.


    ¡°At least till maintenance.¡± Alexandra said aloud to herself, but with this done, she could finally start delving into the stupid bracelet¡¯s database without worrying about what she found.


    She had only searched superficial things when she used it near [Billy] and [Eleanore], since she didn¡¯t want to tip her hand¡­and past to them like that, especially not to [Eleanore] after what she tried to pull on her.


    She¡­.felt inclined to trust [Billy], but she wasn¡¯t that sure of how he would react when he discovered her past, she wasn¡¯t a normal [Kiddo] after all, she was closer to a [Thing] than anyone else on this place, the only one that could probably understand her was [Vulcanus], since he was also a [Machine pretending to be Human].


    And even that¡­She hadn¡¯t a confirmation on that, but merely suspicious since he didn¡¯t seem to have much¡­or any [Biomass] on his body.


    Either way, ¡°It¡¯s time for you to dump your information.¡± Alexandra said after the device finished powering up and placed her bracelet atop the black box, the [Pc Case].


    This thing had a circle on the front that was just the right size for her bracelet, as soon as she placed it there the emblem of the golden bird started shining on the case, monitor, keyboard and even on the arm rests of her chair.


    ¡­Alexanders'' family had a weird thing with golden birds it seemed.

 Chapter 16: The infodump chapter....managed to wait 116 chapters for this lmao.

    The device powered up as normal, or well, as she expected. The screens turned from unpowered to black, with a single line blinking in and out in the center monitor.


    The instructions had suggested for her to put the wider monitor on the middle while the other two at the sides. There had been some mechanical devices to be connected into the monitors, apparently they would help by turning the orientation of the side monitors as needed.


    Should she want to read or monitor information, the side monitors could turn sideways to let her read more in an easier manner, not that she expected to use the other two side monitors, really. Who even needed that many monitors?


    Either way, the center monitor showed the eagle emblem and soon enough turned into a normal desktop with some icons here and there. There was one file with an mp4 extension that had the image of Alexanders, another with the image of Sapphire and to the side of it several other icons here and there.


    Alexandra sat thinking about what to do, on the middle of the desktop was a single file that read [Instructions.openme.png].


    Alexandra groaned and clicked that one; it opened an image with some words that described the functions of the multiple icons within her desktop; it also said that the mp4 file type meant that they were videos.


    Weird, why couldn''t they use the more normal and simple way of .mem as she used? Or was this another thing that [Humans] did differently than her?


    She would check later what the mp4 and png meant, for now she went to the browser image that said it would give her access to the database.


    Apparently it didn''t show as an holographic bluescreen since it had detected she was using a Saintsworths endorsed device. Opening the browser she soon enough found herself on a webpage that had the same emblem (She was getting tired of seeing it, they were the Saintsworths, she got the idea the first time they shoved their logo in her face!).


    "Ask, and your questions shall be answered¡­" Alexandra read the letters on the monitor, at the side she noticed there was another smaller note, "...no outsiders detected, releasing lock on privileged information."


    Alexandra didn''t know how they had known she was alone, till she noticed the [Camera] that Alexanders had given her seemed to be making some sounds as it adjusted the quality of its recording¡­


    Narrowing her eyes she stared at the thing, and sure enough it seemed to be on¡­Only, there wasn''t any other evidence besides her own senses. So she started writing, "How do you know I''m alone, and how are you turning on my camera?" Simple.


    "[This device is a Saintsworths endorsed one. As such, special privileges are granted both to the device and the user. One such privilege is full hardware control of any peripheral connected to the device and isolation from hostile entities. This device is a black box; as such, any and all data collected will not be transmitted unless permitted. The use of the webcam is to help the user prevent theft. The current User shares enough resemblance with the registered user and the Saintsworths bracelet doesn''t present evidence of tampering or theft, it has been deemed logical to grant access to new user. Query, is the user a ShapeShifter or has a Core Power similar to that?]" The device read as the words manifested across the screen.


    She had enough resemblance? She knew that her current form was similar to Alexanders to some degree, but¡­no wait. Who was the designated user?


    "Who is your designated user?" Alexandra said aloud, this time she didn''t type the question.


    ¡°[Registered users to this device are Alexanders Saintsworths and Alexandra Saintsworths.]¡± The screen answered nonetheless.


    Damnation. He had indeed said that this was his older computer¡­


    "I am Alexandra Saintsworths indeed, and I am currently registered as a Shapeshifter." Alexandra said, shifting her hand to other forms, "My current backstory is that all the forms I take have different personalities and limited shared memory. These are my forms currently."


    Alexandra said taking out her phone and going to the camera application, she might as well take this time to get it over with.


    "Please cooperate with me, Alexa, Ale¡­" Alexandra said, taking a photo of herself first, "This form is called Alexandra Saintsworths, currently nineteen years old and the oldest."


    Then, as if pulling from a lever, she activated the shift into another form.


    "I have landed." Ale said calmly, she was going to be the responsible one¡­" Hmm¡­it doesn''t quite hit as well as I imagined."


    Ale said shaking her head, her clothes finished adjusting giving her the usual shorts and oversized hoodie she liked to wear. Turning to the computer, she waved at the Camera, "Hello, I''m Ale Saintsworths. The middle one." Ale said, waiting for an answer and getting none, "Rude."


    And since she didn''t really want to deal with this, she turned inwardly and pushed the imaginary big red button. A few seconds later, she felt the metaphysical sensation of someone jumping at her, and then her body started shifting once more.


    "I have arrived!" Screamed Alexa as she fell back into her body, the cutestest of them all!


    Why?


    Because it was Alexa''s body!


    "And I demand answers!" Alexa said, pointing at the weird TV that didn''t show Magmo, "Why isn''t Magmo on the TV! Alexa wants to see Magmo!"


    The weird not-Tv started writting the wiggly not wiggles thingies.


    "Main Core! Translate!" Alexa said, walking to the old one''s chair.


    ¡°[Host knows how to read¡­Anyway¡­.]" Main Core nagged at the back and after a few seconds started reading what Alexa didn''t want to bother reading, "[Detected authorized user, lodging new data. Added DID to Alexandra Saintsworths file. Updating permissions¡­Query, what is the main personality?]"


    Who was the main what?


    "Main Core? What is the not Magmo Tv saying?" Alexa said, turning to Main Core for answers.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Say my name!" "No, wait, I want to use the computer too!" "Will you deal with Alexanders?" "...That is that, and this is this."


    "[Device is asking for the one that will be responsible for most of the rights to manage the data provided by it, it is advised to grant this to Alexa-]" Main Core started saying, silly Main Core, this was easy!


    "The important one is Alexa!" Alexa said hitting her chest with one hand while she nodded, the adults did this when they were saying important things right?


    "Damned hell¡­" ¡°Hahahahahahahahahah¡±


    ¡­Alexa didn''t know why, but she was feeling as if the older and the rude one were laughing at her. Were they laughing at her? Surely not right? Why would a pair of rude and naggy ones would laugh at her? She was cute! She couldn''t make mistakes.


    ¡°[Lodged, thank you for updating your file. Do you wish to make this private or public?]" Main Core read what the not Magmo Tv said. ¡°[Host, please make this info private.]¡±


    Did she want it to be private? But then people wouldn''t know how cute she was! And that was a crime against [Humidity]!


    "All should know that Alexa is the cutestest of them all!" Alexa proclaimed, nodding, that was the most important thing, "As for the naggy and the rude one. They may be known as the not the cutestests, they can have their silly titles as the prettiestest and bearfull or butterliest or whatever the naggy one declares herself as."


    "BEAUTIFUL! SAY IT WITH ME ALEXA!" "Hahahahahahahahah! My stomach, my nonexistent stomach, is hurting! Hahahahahahahaha¡± ¡°*Bonk*¡±


    "Yeah that, the most bearfull, whatever. Anyway, so you answer questions?" Alexa said trying to poke the keyboard thingie, it had pretty lights. So maybe it was edible?


    "DO NOT EAT THE KEYBOARD!" "...Alexa¡­Pretty lights aren''t edible¡­pfft."


    "[We are the Centralized Archive of Research Data & Information Networking for Advanced Learning Systems of Technology Access and References. Or The CARDINAL STAR System, we are indeed, among other things. Prepared to help and answer any questions from anyone that bears the Golden Eagle.]" Main Core translated the weird words the not Magmo Tv said.


    "Why is Mister Pig a Pig?" Alexa said first, she was confused about that, "And why no one says anything about him? Isn''t it weird for a Pig to wear [Humidity] clothes?"


    ¡°[.....There is no data about why Kendrick Hamilton is designated as a Pig within the database, there are only two other instances of anyone referring to him as such. He had most of his data within the Conglomerate changed to refer to him as Pig under the directive of Alexanders Saintsworths. There have been some attempts to do a psych evaluation on Alexanders, but he remains a fully functional(even if bothersome to other members of society) member of society. So that hasn''t been addressed so far. As far as the Saintsworths Conglomerate science and genetic division, Kendrick Hamilton is a normal human from a genetic and physiological point of view.]" The Not Magmo TV answered.


    "And from a [Mana] point of view?" Alexa asked with a glint on her eyes, she knew that he was a Pig and no one could deny that! Just looking at him was enough to know it!


    "...His mana does share some similarities with that of other members of the porcine family.]" The Not Magmo TV answered while sulking, how did Alexa knew it was sulking?


    Because it had admitted that Alexa was right and she was wrong! So of course she would be sulking! Like how Main Core acted when Alexa was right! All weird not body and only weird italic letters sulked the same when they had to admit that Alexa was right!


    "Muahahahahahah!" Alexa laughed uprighteously as she achieved her objective!


    "....So this is how it feels to have a headache without a body, huh." "First time?"


    Whatever!


    "Main Core! I''m bored! Imma go and play with my things, let the other ones deal with this!" Alexa said while letting her body open for the other ones to fight over.


    Alas, Main Core took the chance and started the change into one of the two by itself.


    "Huh¡­wha-" Ale said as she was suddenly thrown at the front.


    "What?!?!? But I am the one that was going to deal with this!" "Nu-uh, you are mean!"


    "...How?" Ale was confused as she made sure her body was in order, how had Alexa done that?


    "Cuz I am the important one!" ¡°....Wonder if I can¡­*Bonk*Oh, I can.¡± "Mean! Why did you bonk Alexa?!?!?!?" "COME BACK HERE YOU BRAT!" "NOOOOOOOOO"


    "....Maybe we are mad after all," Ale said sighing as she heard the screams at the back of her head. Then turning to the screen she sighed, "Might as well, you said that Mister Pig¡­I mean, Principal Pig¡­No wait¡­.The Headmaster Pig¡­.Dang it!"


    ¡°[It has been stated that Alexanders also has difficulties referring to Kendrick Hamilton as anything but Pig or Porcine, there was a time he used the term Bacon too.]¡± The monitor read as Ale struggled to come to terms with this weird phenomenon.


    "Whatever, you said that his Mana was that of a Pig too. What is Mana?" Ale said, grumbling; she didn''t like the fact that she had been at the same level as Alexanders, it felt weird to have something in common with the cheating asshole.


    ¡°[Mana. It is an energy first theorized to exist in the Victorian Era; there is some evidence of it being used or alluded to during the First and Second World Wars. And during the great depression. It was first studied 10 years ago when a young member of the Saintsworths managed to isolate a reaction after extracting some shavings of a Core enshrined in a memento of the Saintsworths treasury. He managed to create the first observed Mana Reaction after releasing a continuous electricity current into a dead core.]" The desktop application showed a grainy recording of a blonde kid roughly around Ale''s age and build; he actually looked quite similar to her¡­Oh for¡­


    Ale couldn''t help but feel that she already knew who this was, and was ready to be annoyed at it, "What is the name of that kid?" Ale said, dreading the answer.


    ¡°[Alexanders Saintworths, Age 10.]¡± The desktop app said.


    Yeah. Why had she expected anything else? Everything seemed to gravitate around that cheating asshole when it came to the Saintsworths. Was he tweaking the data? Or just what the hell was he?


    "You know what, nope. I''m not dealing with this either, Alexa had the right attitude." Ale said shaking her head.


    "Yeah! I was right! Again!" "Stop running you brat! How much mental space are you even making just to run away! It''s meaningless! We don''t get tired here!"


    "Main Core, pull the lever!" Ale said as she pulled the metaphorical lever and felt her body start change.


    She embraced the feeling of darkness as her consciousness was pulled out from her body and shoved into the void at the back.


    The body shifted and grew as the form of Alexandra returned.


    "No wait almost got her!" Alexandra said as she extended her arm forward, while her hand closed as if to grab something that wasn''t quite there.


    "Hah! The naggy one couldn''t catch me!" "You know¡­she could just change back and return here¡­Or go to sleep and start Maintenance." "What? No! She is responsible; she will need to finish asking questions to not Magmo first! Bleeeeeh!"


    "...fricking kids¡­." Alexandra said, biting her knuckles; Alexa was right, goddamned hells, the brat was right¡­


    She was supposed to be the responsible one, so she couldn''t just let go of this chance¡­


    "Fine!" Alexandra ended saying glaring at the desktop''s Camera, "If you share this with Alexanders I''m pulling out your code and feeding it to a cat."


    "[No personal information will be shared with anyone else; this includes but is not limited to the psychological state of the owner of a bracelet. So long the person in question remains the owner.]" The desktop application said.


    "Hmph, whatever," Alexandra said making herself comfortable on the chair, then she took a few seconds to settle her mind and think about what to ask, they had access to this, so might as well make their use worth it. "What are Core Powers? Like, really, I want actual factual information."


    That should be a good one, she had currently two theories from what people had told her, either they were [Wishes] or [Powers acquired by association.] But neither seemed enough to explain what she had seen so far.


    ¡°[Core Powers are the crystallization of the metaphysical abilities granted by Cores.]¡± Was the answer given to her by the desktop application.


    "I will actually go and convince Sapphire or Alexanders to let me put you into a robot body whose only job is to pass the butter," Alexandra said narrowing her eyes at the Camera. "Give me an actual answer."


    "[Cores however are more complex to explain. These grant their bearers fantastical powers, be it the power to shift into other people, to throw lightning from their fingers, to transform into beasts or even grant the ability to read other people''s minds.]" The screen continued writing, "[There is no actual consensus into how a Core Power is formed, there are two recorded events of people triggering a Core formation. In the first one the subject was hurt and damaged beyond what was survivable. The subject triggered the core formation and made itself a new mechanical body. Its mind inhabit  the Core that formed and from there acquired several abilities, among those the ability to digitalize its mind and inhabit multiple bodies.]"


    That sounded interesting, it was somewhat similar to how Alexa moved her personalities in and out of [Core] right?


    "[The second trigger occurred within a testing arena in a mockup fight between a test subject and a member of the Saintsworths Conglomerate. The test subject had an artificial AI Core, and the member of the Saintsworths Conglomerate developed among other things, the skill to manipulate lightning as if it was part of his body.]" The second case, however, sounded like something that Alexandra knew. ¡°[The Saintsworths Conglomerate member offered some basic data of what he has learned and some tips to use Core Powers, but this information is only granted to those that offer other examples of Core Power use.]¡±


    Why was Alexandra not surprised that the cheating asshole''s name came up?


    Of course, he would do that¡­


    "Fine, whatever. Next, can a non human acquire [Core Powers]?" Alexandra said, moving on to the next one.


    This one interested her more, since it actually could affect her, she had come to terms with being alive, and being [Human](Allegedly). But¡­she hadn''t always been this way.


    "[There is evidence of nonhuman life acquiring Core Powers, be it because they ceased being Human or because they weren''t. Anything that is alive can theoretically acquire Core Powers, so long they manage to trigger the creation of Core. There has been some evidence of Mutant Ants developing core powers, and there is evidence of artificial life managing to use Core Powers among the P-series test subjects.]"


    So then¡­had P4 used the Core Power of the original owner of their [Core]? Or had P4 triggered the creation of a new one? What had been the [Wish] they said it triggered their [Core] formation?


    "[To be Happy]," A mechanical voice at the back of her head said, that wasn''t Main Core was it? P4?


    "Ah, right, the gut punch." Alexandra said nodding her head, "Well, this doesn''t answer very much does it?"


    ¡°[There are some theories lodged within the database, they require approval from their writer before they are allowed to be perused, ask authorization?]¡± The database prompted.


    "Yes, please ask for access," Alexandra said sighing, at least she could compare the theories.


    ¡°[Asking authorization. Owner of the theories: Alexanders Saintsworths.]" The prompt said.


    "...What is the deal with Alexanders Saintsworths?" Alexandra couldn''t help but groan.

 Chapter 17: ...lets end the infodump before I go too crazy here.

    The device took a few seconds to show anything else before finally reacting to her words.


    It started writing afterward, "[Alexanders Saintsworths, currently the Scion heir of the Saintsworths Conglomerate. As shown, there is a great amount of talent in science, both practical and theoretical. Specialises in computer science, engineering, and AI programming.]" That was the answer given by the device.


    It was quite a simplistic one, "Why is he so important? What has he done?" Alexandra asked again.


    She didn''t understand why a mere [Human] deserved that much reverance; he was, after all, a cheater asshole.


    ¡°[At age 5, showed great potential for programing. Managed to steal the private database of the conglomerate. Later on, he discovered the existence of Mana. Afterward, he found a way to use Mana to transmit information between two devices. At age fifteen, he found a way to use Mana to create programs. At age 17 found a way to create a nascent AI.]" The list went on and on, she found that the app showed links to other pages with more detailed data of the events and some pictures.


    It seemed that Alexanders had quite the interesting life, but the important bits for Alexandra were the last two. The way to make programs using Mana and the creation of Artificial intelligence.


    The first was the way they made the programs within Main Core, and the second was how she was born. Or her progenitor, the bioweapon subject P4.


    Then what else could she ask? A quick glance at her reflection on the monitor, she couldn''t help but ask, even if it risked her identity¡­ "What is P4?" Alexandra asked, in a low voice.


    "That is us right?" "Not quite¡­That didn''t feel like you, her, or me¡­It felt¡­alien."


    Alexandra was of the same mind, Alexa with all her shenanigans felt¡­pure. While Ale felt more like some mischievous girl who liked to pretend to be mature. But P4? That thing didn''t feel¡­[Human].


    ¡°[There are several entries under that name, please provide more data to further narrow the answer.]¡± The device said back, making Alexandra groan, how much information did this thing require?


    What other information could she give?


    "P4 is a test subject that regularly participates in multiple different types of tests, from combat tests to timed ones and puzzles. It was designed as a weapon that could adapt to its surroundings and can fake being a shapeshifter." Alexandra said she didn''t have that many ways how to explain what she was without outright stating that she was said subject.


    And while Alexanders already knew it, she didn''t want to leave a paper trail on this device, not without knowing for sure that her prompts weren''t being seen by other third parties. There was a difference between asking things and looking ignorant to outright saying that she wasn''t [Human].


    ¡°[Query refined, found 14 possible results¡­ Narrowing down¡­]" Fourteen results? That¡­did they have that many projects similar to hers? Why hadn''t she seen those before? She knew there were other P series subjects, of course, but she hadn''t seen many of them that were similar to her.


    And now they had fourteen similar entries?


    "[Results Narrowed down, all fourteen results are part of the P-series BioWeapon program. The only difference between the fourteen results is the location of the facilities they are part of; which one do you wish to inquiry about?]" The list showed fourteen locations spread all around the map.


    Some were close, some were far away from each other, and all showed on a circular map with plenty of blue. Most of the locations were set on the spots painted green; a quick hover over one of those showed the place''s name. Alexandra hadn''t understood what these meant till she hovered over one that read [Columbus, Ohio].


    That was the place she was in at the moment, and one of the dots showed there, so this was where she was¡­zooming in on that part of the map, she found the same image of the map she had seen before.


    So that meant that zooming out¡­.this was the world she lived in?


    She had thought the previous map was something that made her area of activity look small, but this? The comparison was¡­[Mindblowing].


    And then¡­the other thirteen spots¡­


    -Tokyo, Japan


    -London, England


    -Paris, France


    -Cairo, Egypt


    -Mumbai, India


    -Sydney, Australia


    -S?o Paulo, Brazil


    -Mexico City, Mexico


    -Moscow, Russia


    -Beijing, China


    -Atlantis.


    -North Pole.


    -South Pole.


    Dots all across the map, as if to make sure each of these had a purchase in a part of the world. So she wasn''t that special then? Since they were all across the world. Alexandra couldn''t help but think about how the bioweapons in those parts of the world had developed.


    "What is the nomenclature used for the P-series in the other laboratories?" Alexandra said as she read the names of these parts of the world.


    "[The nomenclature goes from P1 to P999 depending on the complexity of what they can achieve and how much firepower they can bring to bear without straining their AI Core. So far the only successful BioWeapon was Test Subject P4.]" The app answered.


    It made Alexandra quite proud of her own achievements, even if they had been when she was¡­less herself and more machine.


    "So only one of the 999 P-series managed it; that one must be quite special, huh." Alexandra said, smiling at herself.


    What? A girl liked to be flattered.


    "[Negative, there are fourteen subjects that achieved a stable use of their Ai Core. Even if they all developed differently compared with the other P-series subjects, there are some theories that this unique way of development is what made the P4 sample to be so effective.]" The library answered, making Alexandra''s thoughts come to a halt.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°[Host, please inquire for clarification. That answer seems to imply that only the P4 series is unique.]" Main Core chimed at the back of her mind.


    But Alexandra had more important things to ask.


    "...How many P4 test subjects are there?" Alexandra asked, just to make sure.


    "[Currently only one remains with that designation. Alexanders declared the experiment finished, and all the other P4-series were assigned a new designation. All new P-series developed using the P4 method will have their own designation.]" The Cardinal Star System answered, "[Currently less than half of the original P4 subjects remain active. The one that achieved the goal of the experiment is currently missing.]"


    ¡­She was not missing, she was here. Also those tests had a goal?


    "So all these sites ran the same experiments, with the same P-series subjects? Why?" Alexandra asked, this was¡­stupid. Why run the same experiment in fourteen different places?


    "[Yes, all sites built up the same test subjects using the same premises, facilities, and with personnel as similar as possible. All the employees were as similar as possible and received the same instructions. As such, most P-series subjects with the same nomenclature developed the same. With the exception of the test subject P4 that always developed differently.]" The Cardinal Star System said.


    Of course, the P4 would develop differently even in the same environment¡­ She doubted that anyone with half a brain would make exactly the same thing if they were in a different place. Unless they managed to regulate even the temperature, pressure and gravity pull.


    Perhaps she was just more sensitive? Either way, Alexandra couldn''t help but feel weirded out by the fact that there had been fourteen other P4s running around¡­No wait, less than half remained active, right?


    "What happened to the remaining P4 subjects?" Alexandra asked, if there were other P4 running around she needed to find them, these could either be true allies¡­or the worst type of enemies she could have.


    "[Remaining P4 subjects have been shipped to a secure location where more testing will resume. Their Cores are scheduled to be replaced and they are to be prepared for sale.]" Cardinal said, so they would sell her? Or her other selves? No wait, her clones? Her doppelgangers?


    Alexandra wasn''t sure what to think about those other P4s, she didn''t think she would need to worry about that, if she managed to find them, the most likely thing Alexandra would do was just to confirm if they were possible allies or not. If not, well, she had always wanted to taste herself to see if she was tasty or not¡­Did it count as self cannibalism if the target was you, but also not you?


    Actually, could she use their AI cores? She was already using other Cores¡­Hmm¡­. "How do multiple cores interact when in one body?" Alexandra decided to ask.


    "[Having multiple Cores within a body is the mark of someone who has evolved their Core from a base form to an advanced form; this allows the user to have better control of their abilities and perhaps reshape their bodies. Some people with telekinesis use this chance to either increase the amount of power they can output or to increase their control instead. While other people use a secondary Core to get the type of skills they want. Such as a Beast Core acquiring a Mind Core to deal with their outburst or attempting to make a Human Core to return to a more normal form.]" Cardinal wrote as an answer.


    That answer wasn''t what Alexandra expected, she half expected a warning about [Core] instability due to mismatched Cores¡­But now, looking back on it, Alexandra has already made use of multiple different types of Cores, too, so if that was a problem, then she would have already needed to deal with it.


    "How do you make a new [Core] then?" Alexandra asked next, she wanted to know how normal [Humans] made these. To compare with what she was doing now, she doubted they did it like her, since she was using [Core] to make new [Cores].


    "[When the mana density exceeds a certain threshold, the Core increases in density; at the same time, the Core User ends up with an excess of Mana within their system; using this extra Mana, they can, in turn, catalyze the formation of a secondary Core. This new core will have its own abilities, but since the Core User has some knowledge about Cores at this point, they can direct the type of ability they earn within reason.]" Was the answer that Cardinal gave.


    So they just¡­quite literally made a new one from nothing huh. That sounded like¡­ it shouldn''t work.


    Not like Alexandra could complain, since most of the things that [Core] did were quite similar, but then¡­how was she keeping her other [Cores] around?


    "Main Core, how are the [Cores] that we made doing?" Alexandra asked, half expecting Cardinal Star to answer.


    To her surprise the device didn''t react to her question, had it detected the fact that she spoke to someone else? Alexa did speak to Main Core.


    ¡°[The integrity of all the Cores is stable, but there seems to be some strain within the channels used to keep the temporary Cores working, it is advised to purge the extra Cores sooner rather than later.]¡± Main Core answered.


    "Cardinal, are the secondary [Cores] self-sustaining?" Alexandra said, turning to the device.


    ¡°[All testing done suggests that new subscores generate their own Mana, as such they do not require input from the user.]¡± Answered Cardinal.


    So unlike her fake [Cores], a true secondary [Core] would not require her to power them? So was that the reason both [Eleanore] and [Sam] reacted like that when she made those [Cores]?


    "Can a [Secondary Core] remain functional away from their owner?" Alexandra asked, she was half sure that it wouldn''t work. She hadn''t managed to find [Core], so that was proof enough.


    She would probably have tried to bring it out to better analyze it if she had found it, but it was quite a wonder, both [Core] and [Main Core], for different reasons altogether.


    "[There are no records of successful core extraction without changes to the core''s function and abilities. The only extracted cores that retained functionality were removed from P-series test subjects, and these cores exhibited various side effects, from reduced output to changes to the Core abilities that these presented.]" Cardinal answered, and at the end it also added, "[There is evidence that artificial Cores functionality may be unchanged after extraction, but the construction of these is difficult to achieve and the end result is not expected to be better than from those procured from dead core users.]"


    So she wasn''t the first to make an artificial one, huh. "Can an artificial [Core] be used when removed from its user?" Alexandra asked. Just to make sure, of course.


    "[It hasn''t been attempted since all the test subjects with an artificial Core never made a new one, and removing an active Core would end in defeating the purpose of the test. But it is expected for the artificial Core to stop working at the test subject''s demise, since the Artificial Core hosts both the AI that makes them work and works as central control center of their body.]" Cardinal gave a very fair answer.


    It was like expecting a [Human] to work without a [Brain], so Alexandra would probably need for one of those artificial [Cores] to develop somewhat similar to her, perhaps she could¡­ "What is the closest test subject with an artificial [Core] to my position." If she could get access to one of those, she would consume a [Core] to get them the [Blueprint] and experiment with those.


    ¡°[Closest test subject near the area is Test Subject P4.]¡± Cardinal answered, ¡°[This test subject location is unknown, second nearest are the¡­-]¡±


    "The other P4s I assume, yeah. I get the idea." Alexandra said, interrupting Cardinal, so she herself was the one with an artificial [Core]...


    Had she managed to do this since her [Main Core] wasn''t a dead [Core] reanimated then? Or was it because [Core] allowed the replication of [Blueprints] thanks to her [Nanites]?


    She was getting more questions than answers as she delved into this rabbit hole. Perhaps she needed to change her approach?


    But what else could she ask?


    ¡°[Perhaps some questions about our current situation and employers?]¡± Main Core said at the back of her mind.


    Did she want to know more about her employer? Yes. But what was more pressing matter, her employer or her situation?


    Of her current situation¡­she knew most of what she needed, she was a Minion and was expected to behave as one, and her employer? It wasn''t that hard to find out, [Haephestus'' Forge] didn''t attempt to hide much from her, actually¡­


    "What is the relevant information I would need to know about [Haephestus'' Forge] ?" Alexandra decided to ask in a vague matter.


    It would work to gauge the limit of Cardinal Star System as an AI.


    "[Haephestus'' Forge: A super villain organization led by Vulcanus, an S-List Super Villain with one of the most dangerous Cores registered so far, he is a technopath and is capable of taking full control of any machine within his network. He no longer has a biological body. It is theorized that he is capable of inhabiting any body so long it is within the network his Core is connected to.]" Was the data that Cardinal started giving, "[It is among the less violent factions within the super heroic community, it is famous for not discriminating against any type of Core User and being more moderate in their use of force. They are known to work with Heroes in case of disaster and rarely hurt civilians, any member of this organization that is found doing so is usually expelled.]"


    Yeah¡­.Alexandra would do her best to not be discovered when she went ahead and hurt more civilians.


    "[Haephestus'' Forge, unlike more common supervillain organizations, works as a means to offer multiple types of services to other super villains, villains, and even heroes. They work more like a mercenary organization with occasional crimes than as a supervillain organization. The organization follows a standard corpo-military style hierarchy. At the top is Vulcanus, followed by his Lieutenants. The known ones are:


    Hermes, former Hero - Tinker.


    Gabriel, Vigilante/Villain - Mythical Core (Beast Core).


    Cerberus, Vigilante/Villain - Mythical Core (Mind Core).


    Hydra, Super Villain - Poison Core (Beast Core).


    Empress, Super Villain - Unknown (Possible Miscellaneous Core).


    These Lieutenants are known to wear personalized masks that differ vastly from the ordinary white and black masks that the other minions wear.


    Below these are white mask minions that are known to be Core Power Users, they work as captains for black mask minions. Under these are newbie white mask minions who form squadrons that also lead other newbie black mask minions.


    Some of those minions are expected to rise within their ranks, and are watched by both Heroes and Villains.]" That was a very detailed answer.


    "What Minions are to be watched?" Alexandra said waiting to see the names, if an interesting name came up she wouldn''t mind¡­seeing if she could take some samples.


    ¡°[Some of the newest minions that seems to hold promise are:


    -Sylph, suspected to be Bella Campbell. Survivor of a Scrambler attack. The last recorded Core was a Space Core.


    -Golem, suspected to be a Mythic Core user.


    -Rhapsody, suspected to be either a Mythic Core user or an advanced Shifter Core.


    -..............


    -...............


    -.............


    -............


    The list will continue to be updated as more information is acquired.]" At least Alexandra was on the list; it meant that she was doing a good job.


    But that only brought more questions¡­


    "Alexa! Or Ale, or whatever you are right now! Are you here?!?" But the voice of [Skye] came out in her living room.


    "*Sigh* We will continue this later I guess." Alexandra said as the device powered down and her Bracelet was ejected from the computer, it now was hanging there by the side of the computer.


    What did [Skye] want now that she was screaming all around? "Coming~" Alexandra said placing the Bracelet on her hand once again, she would need to ask about those things later.

 Chapter 18: The nom to not kill ratio.

    Alexandra walked into the living room and found a panting [Skye], she seemed distraught for some reason.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Alexandra asked as she took in everything, she didn¡¯t know what happened to make [Skye] look like this, but all that she could think was a new enemy. So she prepared for any eventuality.


    ¡°You tell me, ¡° [Skye] said getting her breathing back in control, ¡°I came by Eleanore¡¯s office and found Billy berating her, the room was trashed and they told me to go by the quartermaster to get a new key.¡±


    [Skye] said showing her the old key and at the side the new one. Alexandra extended her hand and took in the old key.


    ¡°We had a¡­ difference of opinions,¡± Alexandra said eyeing the old key, the material seemed to be quite mundane to her senses, ¡°She wanted to speak with my younger self to ask some things about our past, I did not want Alexa to deal with that so I was the one to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Eleanore wanted to ask Alexa about your past? Isn¡¯t Alexa kind of¡­¡± [Skye] said making a motion with her hand as if she was placing her hand as if to pat someone¡¯s head.


    ¡°Headpats! Give me!¡± ¡°I think the height is around mine, so those are for me.¡± ¡°I want toooo!!!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Alexa is small.¡± Alexandra said, ¡°She is also gullible and would spill the beans of things. I would rather she not speak.¡±


    ¡°...weird, she is usually more calm and centered. What is the deal with your past?¡± [Skye] asked confused, ¡°She was somewhat protective of you wasn¡¯t she?¡±


    At that, Alexandra scoffed, ¡°Yeah, she used to be quite involved in our well-being, even if she was taking quite a few liberties about our rights and things. No, the problem was something else.¡± Alexandra said raising her arm and showcasing the bracelet.


    ¡°....she wanted one of those too?¡± [Skye] asked confused, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡­.What?


    ¡°Don¡¯t you see this? Don¡¯t you know what it means?¡± Alexandra asked confused, everyone so far recognized it. Was¡­was [Skye] stupid?


    ¡°It means that you found a piece of fancy jewelry? Or is it some prop for a mission?¡± [Skye] said walking closer to her to see it better, she traced the fingers on it. ¡°Hmm¡­it has the eagle engraved? Are¡­are you allowed to have these?¡±


    ¡°Apparently, I found someone who claimed to be my big Brother. He gave me these and when [Eleanore] found we confirmed it with [Billy]. It seems I truly am a Saintsworths.¡± Alexandra said, shrugging, ¡°[Eleanore] seemed to change her way of seeing me after that came out.¡±


    [Skye] took a good look at the bracelet then to her, and back to the bracelet. ¡°So, will you remain working with us?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have no reason to go elsewhere. Nor do I have any place else to go,¡± Alexandra said confused, ¡°Why would I stop working for [Haephestus¡¯ Forge]?¡±


    That was the important question here, why would she stop working for them? This place was the best one for her needs so far, at least here she could have easy access to [Biomass]. Also this place allowed her to continue experimenting with her [Blueprints] to better create more effective designs.


    ¡°I mean¡­you are a Saintsworths. Aren¡¯t they kind of¡­ You know¡­rich?¡± [Skye] said sitting in one of the couches, ¡°So¡­you don¡¯t really need to work here do you?¡±


    She didn¡¯t need to? Perhaps from a [Human] point of view, but she wasn¡¯t fully [Human] she wanted to fight, to become better, to [Evolve]. So no, she would not leave here even if she was [Rich].


    ¡°I¡¯m not rich.¡± Alexandra said first of all, ¡°I may have the proof of being part of this family, but this doesn¡¯t grant me anything, it allowed me to access a database from the Saintsworths. But besides that, I don¡¯t have anything else.¡±


    And that was the thing wasn¡¯t it?


    All that Alexanders gave her was a backstory and access to their database, but she didn¡¯t have anything else, no advantages, no power, money, or anything. Or at least nothing of value.


    ¡°I see¡­Then¡­ Eleanore did something?¡± [Skye] asked, taking in the information Alexandra had given. ¡°Or why the change of keys?¡±


    ¡°She seems to have a grudge against the Saintsworths, and when they found that I had access to the Saintsworths database the first thing she did was ask for Alexa to come out. And this isn¡¯t the first time she has done something like that; she does have a penchant to ask for Alexa to come out and either scold or get promises from her.¡± Alexandra sighed, the more time she spent on this form, the more she noticed some nuances on how people saw her.


    Most people saw Alexa as this cute girl who was to be pampered, granted Alexa was indeed defined as the cutest. While Ale had this aura of being a pretty girl who everyone saw as someone who was responsible.


    Now, if you wanted to get something of them, who was the easiest to deal. The adult Alexandra who was learning the more nuances of being a [Human]? The pretty girl Ale? Or the gullible Alexa?


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°I¡¯m not gullable!¡± ¡°...gullible, you are gullible.¡±


    ¡°...I see¡­so¡­would it be wrong if I ask for Alexa to come out?¡± [Skye] said with some trepidation.


    Now, what to do¡­Alexandra was tempted to bully [Skye], but the ambiance was quite tense.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind it, my only problem with [Eleanore] is the fact that she wanted to get advantage over us. And she was overly hostile, so really. I didn¡¯t want to turn this organization against me.¡± Alexandra said standing up, ¡°With that out of the way, I am designating you as an adult that has our best interest in mind.¡±


    And with that, before [Skye] reacted, Alexandra pulled the lever within her mind to pull Alexa to the front.


    ¡°I have arrived!¡± Alexa said as her body returned to the most aerodynamic and more useful form of her body!


    Why?


    Because it was Alexa¡¯s body!


    It was perfect! She was the right size to run! She was the perfect weight to jump! She was the correct size to dodge and escape!


    Really, Alexa was the bestests of them all! Why? Because she was Alexa! Easy!


    ¡°Hello!¡± So Alexa waved at [Fan Girl].


    ¡°Hello, Alexa¡­how much of what happened with Eleanore do you know?¡± [Fan Girl] asked with what looked like a strained smile.


    Was she tired? But she was fine talking to the naggy one!


    Well, she did arrive at their apartment tired¡­Hmm¡­.


    ¡°I know that [Eleanore] did a bad thing.¡± Alexa answered searching her memory about what happened, she had seen some of it, not all of course, it sounded boring. Why did it matter what [Eleanore] wanted? ¡°The naggy one didn¡¯t want us to come out, and [Elder] seemed to think she did the right thing?¡±


    That had been problematic, why so much drama? They could solve it easily!


    ¡°....Alexa, we don¡¯t nom our problems.¡± ¡°To be fair, that is a good answer.¡±


    Boring! The naggy one was boring!


    ¡°So, what do you think?¡± [Fan Girl] asked focusing on her.


    As she should, Alexa was the cutestest after all!


    ¡°Hmm¡­.nothing much? If [Eleanore] ends up being a bad one, we will do what we always do.¡± Alexa said doing one of those weird movements with her shoulders, the [Shrug] that everonyone around liked to do.


    ¡°What is that?¡± [Fan Girl] asked.


    ¡°Unlike what the naggy one says, noming is always a solution.¡± Alexa smiled as she opened her mouth and stretched her cheek to showcase her teeth, these shifted into fangs as if to make her point, ¡°Noming used to solve all my problems, why wouldn¡¯t it solve these too?¡±


    Alexa nodded at herself, she was smart besides being cute. Being like this was probably the reason why the cheating [Lieutenant] wanted to become her [Brother].


    Perhaps she needed to start making up some [Blueprints] to digest better [Eleanore]s?


    ¡°....Alexa, we don¡¯t nom our coworkers.¡± [Fan Girl] said shaking her head while placing a hand atop her face.


    ¡°But they are tasty!¡± Alexa complained back, that was important! Tasty was justice!


    Alexa said so, so it must be true!


    ¡°...Have you¡­. bitten another Minion?¡± [Fan Girl] said with a worried face.


    ¡°No, [Eleanore] said that we couldn¡¯t hurt other [Minions]. So we haven¡¯t nomed any [Minion], but if she becomes an [Enemy] then she no longer is protected by that!¡± Alexa nodded sagely, really. The naggy one complicated something so simple!


    If [Eleanore] no longer was an [Ally] then she was an [Enemy], and [Enemy] got nomed. It was simple! Why complicate everything with complicated words? One bite was all she needed! And if that wasn¡¯t enough then she could use her [Arm-maments]! She had the claw clawy!


    Those may have been made by the mean one, but she could use them too! Even if it was a smaller form, they still worked as a stabby stab!


    ¡°...So that¡¯s why Alexandra didn¡¯t want to let you out, yeah. I can see the problem getting out of control.¡± [Fan Girl] sighed, she brought out a couple folders from her small bag, purse? Backpack? The weird green thingy that stored things!


    The thing! She brought the folders out from the thing!


    ¡°I am too young to have to deal with these things,¡± [Fan Girl] said placing the thing on her table. It reminded Alexa of the fact that she hadn¡¯t been around lately, she was hungry. Should she go and search [Eleanore]? Maybe she would do something bad that gave her an excuse to nominate her?


    Maybe if she only nomed her arm people wouldn¡¯t complain too much? Surely they wouldn¡¯t complain if [Eleanore] was missing only an arm¡­or two¡­


    ¡°Anyway, stop drooling, we can go and get you something to eat later.¡± [Fan Girl] said something rude! Alexa was not drooling! She was planning her meals!


    And thinking about the best nom-to-not-kill ratio! That was important!


    ¡°So, you missed class for the mission, and will miss out tomorrow too. But we spoke with the school about this in advance, and by we. I mean Eleanore did, the problem is that after what happened Billy advocated that Eleanore was no longer a viable link between the school and you.¡± [Fan girl] said opening the folder with many words and placing each paper across the table, ¡°That is where we come into play, and by we I mean Fairy team.¡±


    The papers had their photos and a quick description about them, Alexa read them and ¡°Skye Venti, temporary guardian. Eduardo Herrera, temporary guardian. Alexandra Saintsworths, guardian.¡± So the naggy one was her guardian?


    ¡°Can I swap this one out?¡± Alexa said pointing her finger to the naggy one, she didn¡¯t want her there.


    She would nag her more if she was there!


    ¡°Nope, sorry about that. But that is the only one we can¡¯t remove since that is you, and as such, it is the one guaranteed to have your best interest in mind.¡± [Fan Girl] said shaking her head, ¡°You can remove me or Eddy, but not yourself.¡±


    Alexa let herself fall flat against the table, ¡°There is no justice in the world.¡± And let her grievances out, ¡°So you are now my guardian? What does that mean?¡±


    Like, what did it mean really? So she would give her tasty things? Or get her to school? [Eleanore] had been the one to get her there before.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll get you to school. Get you to the doctor in case your tummy hurts, I will be able to pull your allowance for you in case that your older self doesn¡¯t do it¡­And make sure you have food in your refrigerator.¡± [Fan Girl] said, numbering the things she would do.


    All of that Alexa could do on her own, though.


    ¡°Also, I¡¯ll get you to the park so you can play around or go to the school parent meetings if there is one ever around.¡± [Fan Girl] said as if she remembered the last one later.


    ¡°Oh, so you aren¡¯t my [Big Sister] but my [Momma] now?¡± Alexa asked, she had heard about those parent meetings, that was the time when a [Momma] and a [Papa] would go to speak with the teacher about how she was doing.


    She wondered who would do that if she didn¡¯t have those.


    ¡°Kuh!¡± [Fan Girl] suddenly said as if someone had hit her in her stomach and groaned, ¡°Please don¡¯t call me like that, I have a bad time already coming to terms with the fact that one of my coworkers is twelve and can transform into a drinking buddy only to go to sleep as a five-year-old later.¡±


    Alexa didn¡¯t see anything wrong with that, though.


    ¡°But that is normal, isn¡¯t it?¡± Alexa said, after all her coworker wasn¡¯t her, it was Ale. And her drinking buddy, the one that drank the bitter bad tasting thing (Beer) wasn¡¯t her either. But Alexandra. ¡°And isn¡¯t a [Momma] or a [Papa] the ones that go to the [Parents] meeting?¡±


    ¡°Usually yes, but a relative or a guardian can go too.¡± [Fan Girl] said shuddering, her skin was turning weird too, as if she was having a weird skin reaction to something.


    ¡°...I see¡­¡± Alexa did not, in fact, see the issue. But if [Fan Girl] said it like that, then it should be true, but wait, ¡°If a familiar can go, then doesn¡¯t that mean that the cheating guy will be called?¡±


    She could maybe use those chances to get revenge! Ale had been the one to deal with him before, if it had been Alexa she would have nomed him at least once!


    She didn¡¯t like cheaters!


    ¡°...I guess? We don¡¯t know, I¡¯ll ask around. But I think it would be better that I went first, at least till we know more about your Brother. I wouldn¡¯t trust him too much, not yet anyway. We don¡¯t know how your family situation is¡­.Actually, if he is indeed your Brother he may know about your parents¡­I¡¯ll ask around, maybe we can find more about your situation and get some justice for what they did to you.¡± [Fan Girl] said the last part in a lower tone.


    ¡°But I¡¯m fine?¡± Alexa said confused, she didn¡¯t know what she meant with ¡®what they did to you¡¯. They did nothing to her? Or did they? Alexa didn¡¯t think they did something to her at least.


    ¡°Yes, you are, but normal girls shouldn¡¯t have to deal with what you dealt with.¡± [Fan Girl] said, shaking her head, ¡°Anyway, what do you want to eat? I¡¯ll prepare dinner, and we can eat while we talk.¡±


    ¡°Mango!¡± Alexa quickly said raising her hand, why did she raise her hand? She didn¡¯t know! But she knew that she needed to do so to say her opinion! ¡­For some reason, it felt right! So she did it! Why? Because she was Alexa! And if she said it, then it was probably right!


    ¡°....We can have mango pie as dessert; let me check your pantry and what you have.¡± [Fan Girl] said shrugging as she walked to her kitchen.


    Alexa jumped and ran after [Fan Girl] while doing eights, circles and squares as she ran around the older girl. She was eating a Mango Pie!


    What that was? She did not know, but it had mango! So it should be tasty!


    ¡°...Maybe I should not have asked for you to come out after all¡­¡± [Fan Girl] said with a sigh.


    Rude! Fan girl was rude!


    ¡°But I am cute! How can you not want me around!?!?!?¡± Alexa cried her soul out.


    What type of being was this?!?!?!?

 Chapter 19: There is no way....this cant be real.

    Mango!


    She was going to have mango pie!


    What was a mango pie? She didn''t know! But it had mango, so it was good!


    "You need to finish your veggies." But first she had a fearsome enemy!


    The greens!


    Why were they green? She didn''t know, but they were green! And even though she had sprinkled the yellow thingy, they didn''t turn yellow! The green was strong!


    "That is too much butter Alexa, it will taste weird¡­" [Fan Girl] kept speaking on the back, but Alexa wanted to know if she could saturate the greens in yellow to make a new color!


    It didn''t seem to be working so far, such a fearsome adversary! Alexa would need to resort to her triumph card! One she saved for the worst types of foes ever known to Alexakind! One that had never failed (Except against the feared enemy of Alexakind, a liquid type food. But for those, she had another triumph card). "Bring out¡­The Spork!" Alexa declared while she ran out of the dining table and did a very complex rite of preparation movements.


    Step one, pull out a small stool and place it in front of the counter in the kitchen.


    Step two, climb the stool and open the drawer that she was able to reach now.


    Step three, climb into the drawer and step atop the counter.


    "Alexa, don''t step atop the counter. That''s bad manners¡­" [Fan Girl] said from afar, she didn''t even attempt to move to stop her. That [Fan Girl] needed to recharge her batteries, she hadn''t even tried to stop Alexa for a few hours and she was already tired?


    She was weak! Her sauce was weak!


    But she was being distracted!


    Step four!


    Open the door and pull out the fabled Spork from the counter that the naggy one had stored it, surrounded by other mighty Sporks. Some had evidence of Alexa''s teeth as she had perhaps bitten with too much strength, while others were bent in weird angles. Again, because Alexa had gotten too excited and bit a little too hard¡­


    "Hmm¡­I need to eat the damaged ones¡­" Alexa said to herself as she picked one of the good ones.


    One that wouldn''t betray her like the Evil Spork that had betrayed her as its design included holes and so, it was meaningless to use to eat soup. At least she had her sippy bowl to help her and save the day¡­


    "Alexa has acquired the Holy Spork!" Alexa said as she raised the Spork to the high heavens, she could almost hear the sound of ''tun tu ruuuuun''.... but in reality she heard nothing¡­. and that would make her sad¡­


    If not for the fact that she jumped, she did a triple spin (She did in fact did not do a triple spin) on the air landing perfectly with her Spork tightly held on her right hand. After doing such an awesome coolz trick (She merely let herself fall from the kitchen counter), Alexa ran back to the dining table where her current fearsome enemy awaited her¡­


    "A group of soggy veggies¡­." Such a fearsome enemy.


    "I told you to not use so much butter, do you want me to prepare a new set?" [Fan Girl] spoke the words of the devil!


    She would not be tempted!


    She had eaten worse! ¡­or well, P4 had done so. Alexa merely had the memory of slushing the nutrient paste, and that did not look tasty at all, she didn''t know that for sure since P4 didn''t have taste buds. P4 hadn''t deemed those valuable, and Alexa was thankful for the base blueprint that P4 had used to make her since it included taste buds.


    The horror of not knowing the wonderful taste of mango¡­such a horrible fate.


    "But Alexa would not be defeated, for she had The Spork!" Alexa proudly declared as she raised her Spork to the high heavens and let it fall with vicious aim (She merely poked one of the soggy vegetables) to impale her target!


    The veggie never had a chance! (Since you know¡­it was a soggy vegetable soaked in melted butter)


    Her Spork had shown its might! Such power! Such bravery! Such might!


    "Alexa would eat the veggie!" Alexa said as she brought the soggy vegetable to her mouth and bit!


    The Spork once more proved its might as it managed to restrain all the juicy thingy on the veggie! (most of it, the rest spilled on Alexa''s sundress)


    She was victorious!


    "And tei!" Alexa said as she pulled out her second secret triumph card¡­" A Second Spork!"


    And with great strength, she impaled, this time, two veggies! Twice the might! Twice the impaler! She would be feared among the veggie tribes as Alexa the impaler, muahahahahaha!


    So she ate! She devoured! She ravaged them into a wasteland devoid of life!


    "For Alexa is the devourer! Muahahahahahahah," Alexa laughed evilly as she could taste the fears and despair of the veggies (She could not, since vegetables aren''t sapient¡­quite yet).


    "Alexa, you are dirtying your sundress¡­and the table." [Fan Girl] said coming to her side and using a napkin to rub her face.


    "Mwhuuuuuu." Alexa could barely react and move as her face was squished and rubbed by the older [Fan Girl], she even licked the napkin and rubbed her face with that!


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Was she tasting her? She wanted to nominate Alexa?!?!?!?


    "I will-" Alexa attempted to say, only to be cruelly silenced!


    How?


    [Fan Girl] shoved a veggie into her mouth leaving Alexa no other choice but to nom at the veggie, she had a reputation to uphold against the rebels! She couldn''t just spit it out!


    This girl was cunning!


    "Nom nom nom nom," Alexa grumbled as she nomed on the veggie, it was tasty and the taste of butter made it even tastier, it was¡­the tastiestest she had ever ate!


    "There, clean and pretty again." [Fan girl] suddenly said, and with one smooth motion, she brought a small round crystal-like thingie from her pocket. A pocket mirror? "See? This is why you gotta eat slowly, the veggies will not run away."


    Hmm¡­.yes, she was the cutestest of them all.


    "But they are tasty¡­" Alexa grumbled as she eyed herself and used one of her sporks to bite another broccoli. These were indeed tasty, and this one wasn''t soggy!


    This was justice! And she would not be denied her birthright! She wasn''t sure what a birthright was, but she was sure she deserved it!


    "I mean, we can continue eating these, but the-" [Fan Girl] started saying when a *ding* sounded behind them, from the kitchen, "Mango Pie is ready it seems."


    "WEEEEEEEE" Alexa jumped with joy¡­and hunger, mostly hunger, but some joy here and there, she was about to rush at the highestest of speedestest she could bring out to claim her second birthright!


    "Alexa¡­You will burn your hands, let me get it out first." [Fan Girl] ''s voice made Alexa stop to a halt, she¡­ didn''t know what burn her hands meant on this setting, but it sounded like it hurt.


    "....will it hurt Alexa''s hands?" Alexa asked slowly turning to [Fan Girl] while looking at her small hands, she liked these hands. These hands helped her nom things, hold things to nom, they helped her in manipulating her Spork and they helped her to bring the good tasty stuff to her mouth.


    They also helped her raise her Holy Grail (Sippy Bowl) and help her get the war between the forces of evil and justice settled down at dawn (The epic fight between Commodore Soap and Mister Squeaky).


    She needed these hands.


    "Do you like the meat in the hamburgers and steaks?" [Fan Girl] suddenly asked.


    She indeed liked the juicy feeling, she liked her meat cooked till it was soft and she didn''t like it chewy, if she wanted chewy meat she could just go to the sewers and eat a rat or something, she had heard about some kind of green thingy down there that was allegedly longer and more dangerous than the rats.


    They called it a coco? A gator? something like that. She already had plans to go and search for it, it sounded like it was tasty and fun, maybe she could get a [Blueprint]? She had plenty blueprints but she wanted that one, allegedly it lived in the weird water of the sewers or something.


    "Well, if you touch the oven without care, you will cook your cute little hands, and then we will have to eat them; you don''t want to go around without hands, do you?" [Fan Girl] said, smiling as if it was the most obvious thing!


    But it was not!


    "No!" Alexa would deny that! "I need my hands! They help me nom things!"


    She couldn''t survive without her hands! Well, she could, she actually could probably grow a new pair, but those wouldn''t be hers! They would be replacement hands!


    How could she even touch her Sippy Bowl with fake hands!


    Well, her current hands weren''t exactly hers per se¡­Such a weird word, per se¡­ Anyway! Her hands weren''t real, perhaps, but they were as real as the rest of her body, so that didn''t matter!


    "Hmm¡­I wonder if Alexa''s hand is tasty¡­what do you think, Alexa?" [Fan Girl] said with an evil, vicious (not) smile on her face! She even licked her lips!


    Alexa was in danger! She needed an adult!


    "*Nom*" Alexa bit her finger, and for some weird reason she wasn''t able to pierce her skin and get purchase on her meat or bone¡­


    Alexa liked the sound that bones made when she crunched them, but for some weird reason she wasn''t able to do that, so she did the second best thing "*Pero pero pero (Sound of licking)*"


    She licked her fingers.


    "Alexa isn''t tasty, she needs¡­.more tastiness," Alexa said after licking her fingers, she really was surprised of that, she imagined she would taste sweet or something, but she didn''t. Was it because she wasn''t cooked?


    Would she be tasty if cooked? She didn''t know, but she couldn''t afford to find out, if she ever ate herself she would be less Alexa! Less Alexa meant that she would be less cute! How could Alexa be the cutestest if she was less of herself!


    Cutestest didn''t work like that!


    No!


    She would not!


    She would fight for her rights!


    She would not be nomed! She had been born to nom!


    She. Would. Nom. The. World!


    "Alexa, stop sucking your finger and come to the table, your slice of Mango Pie will get cold." [Fan Girl] suddenly said from behind her, at the center of the table was the most beautifull-full thing she had ever seen.


    And in front of her raised chair¡­a slice of heaven brought down to this cursed earth had descended.


    It was¡­


    ¡°[Mathematically a perfect triangle.]¡±


    Gorgeous.


    "...I have fallen in love¡­" Alexa said as she walked as if in a fever dream to the raised chair and climbed to sit down. She had one of her sporks on her left hand.


    And at the right of the plate¡­stood one of the weak forks.


    Alexa was confused, why was she given a weak fork if she had the mighty Spork?


    Looking to [Fan Girl], the girl was using the weak fork to eat a slice of the Mango Pie¡­So Alexa brought up her Spork and tried to eat it like her¡­


    And failed¡­


    "....Why¡­the¡­.The mighty Spork¡­" Alexa was confused. A second attempt in which she dedicated her full computational power (She tasked Main Core with analysis) showed the reason behind this. The Spork as one would expect had the spoon part of it.


    A small part designed to hold liquids¡­. Unlike the fork that was flat. That made it easier to eat the mango pie.


    But her Spork didn''t have that advantage¡­


    Her Spork¡­. wasn''t able to help her eat the mango pie¡­.


    Was¡­ was her Spork weaker? It couldn''t be. It shouldn''t be.


    "Try it with the fork, I know you like those things, but there is a tool for each job." [Fan girl] said offering a fork.


    Alexa turned to look at the fork that was placed at the side and took it with trembling hands, she used her left hand for this, as her right hand still had the mighty Spork there.


    Alexa felt the cold metal and the sweet siren song coming from it, it was a devil! A devil in the form of a fork calling to her!


    ''Do it Alexa...use the fork...''


    She would not be tempted!


    "[There are no visual, audio, or recorded messages being transmited to host.]"


    But...she wanted the mango pie...


    "Maybe...just once..." Alexa said in a small voice as she left the sweet temptation of the devil dictate her movements, her hand moved smoothly towards the mango pie slice. Just like with her Spork, the fork cut a small part of the slice.


    So far so good, it was the same as with her Spork...well, if anything it was like the fork could cut the mango pie slice easier since it was straight unlike the concave Spork...


    But that was beside the point!


    Alexa was about to test the...devil''s pawn, the fork...Just to confirm how bad it was, how weaker it was against her mighty Spork. Yes, she only wanted to confirm how bad it did, there was no way it would do better than her Spork.


    So Alexa took the piece of mango pie she had previously attempted to eat with her Spork, not the one she had cut with the fork, why? Because it was fair!


    She would not give unfair advantages to the fork! It didn''t deserve them!


    So she raised the fork with the small piece of mango pie, and..."It didn''t fall..." Alexa couldn''t help but voice her thoughts, it was....strange.


    She had gotten so used to her Spork that it was a weird thing to see, the pointy ends of the fork allowed her to impale it longer, it helped secure the small part of the mango pie slice that she had cut.


    So with trepidation Alexa allowed the fork to bring the small piece she had impaled into her mouth, and...


    "Yummy..." Alexa said, looking at her Spork, she tried to do the same, but the pointy ends of her Spork were shorter; it didn''t manage to get enough purchase on the food. And while the concave part of it did help...It wasn''t enough to get purchase and the food fell (Once again) to the plate.


    A look to the (Devil''s) instrument on her non dominant hand, she used the fork to get the piece that had fallen and sure enough, she got purchase on it easily enough...


    "Alexa, stop playing with your food." [Fan Girl] said from behind, but Alexa was not playing!


    She was doing a very serious experiment! She needed to make sure this was not a fluke!


    This...this could change everything!


    She...she had found something that the inferior being could do better than her Spork!


    Of course, Alexa was ignoring all the other times she made a mess of herself because the Spork couldn''t hold the food she was eating! That was not the point!


    It was normal to get messy when eating! P4 got messy all the time while eating! And Alexandra got messy when she was eating in the sewers, too! As did Ale!


    See! Alexa was not in the wrong! Besides, she could just use her nanites to clean her clothes anyway, or take a bath!


    Actually she may do that, she wanted to see if the subordinate of Commodore Soap had arrived, she wanted to see if Destroyer Shampoo would be as mighty as [Fan Girl] had said...


    Actually...that reminded Alexa, "Why am I missing tomorrow''s classes?" That she didn''t know.


    She knew why she missed today, since they had that weird mission with theater guy, but tomorrow? She would get forgotten by Alan and Karla!


    Well, probably not, since she was the cutestest thing they had ever seen, it was close to impossible to forget Alexa after all.


    "Oh that? Easy, tomorrow is the feast for the latest job. It was probably going to be canceled, but since you clinched the job and managed to finish it, we get to have a party...It is also probably to honor those we lost." [Fan Girl] said the last part in a small tone.


    The lost?


    "Ah! The ones that woke up as someone else and don''t want to work with us?" Alexa said remembering that tiny bit of information, "How does that work?"


    Alexa was still confused by that, even if they woke up as someone else, didn''t they need to keep working to... you know, survive?


    Wouldn''t it be better to keep doing what they were doing before?


    "....Yeah, the ones that didn''t wake up. Anyway, I need to prepare a few things for tomorrow, so can I trust you to put anything that you don''t eat in the refrigerator?" [Fan Girl] said going to her kitchen and bringing a white container made of that weird material that seemed to isolate temperatures, what was called? Foam something something something?


    "[Expanded polystrene...or Styrofoam.]"


    Yes, something something foam.


    [Fan Girl] took a couple of those and placed some slices in each, she had taken four slices leaving only three remaining on her table.


    "I''m not sure how it works between your other selves, but share with them in case they want one. And don''t forget to wash your teeth before going to sleep." [Fan Girl] said leaving her apartment with a loot worthy of a king.


    ...Her mango pie...


    "THERE IS NO GOD!" Alexa cried, cried the sound of her Soul...


    There wasn''t justice in this world.

 Chapter 20: The Return of Commodore Soap, Mister Squeaky and a new addition!

    Alexa ended up saving the remaining slices of mango pie in the refrigerator for later, she didn''t want to deal with more trauma at the moment, the very fact that her best weapon wasn''t able to achieve the same degree of success as a weaker instrument struck heavy within her mind.


    What would be next?


    People telling her that her Holy Grail wasn''t as useful as a device to eat liquids?


    That the Mango wasn''t the ultimate food?


    She could only survive so many astounding revelations in one go, now¡­what should she do¡­


    ¡°[Please leave the dirty utensils on the sink for Teenager Stage or Adult stage to deal with.]¡±


    Right¡­she needed to dispose of the crime scene evidence, the terrible proof of her betrayal. The evidence of her moment of weakness¡­of how she had betrayed everything that she stood for, the proof¡­that she had heard the whispers of the devil and had been found wanting¡­ Of the fact¡­ That Alexa had used a fork instead of her spork.


    She turned down to look at the instrument of her demise, the devil''s tool. The artifact that made her sink deeper into madness, the-


    ¡°[Host is being overdramatic, please finish this charade and move to the next part of the schedule.]¡±


    "....Main Core! Let me do my thing!" Alexa complained as she threw the fork into the sink.


    The devil''s tool landed perfectly¡­on the floor, since Alexa''s throw didn''t have enough strength, either way, she walked to the dining table and picked up her dirty plate and walked to the sink. Halfway there, she picked up her fork and left both at the sink.


    "There! What is next on the schedule?" Alexa asked inwardly, she of course could probably check for herself, but she was dealing with¡­with¡­what the hell was she dealing with at the moment?


    Melancholy? Depression? Imposter syndrome?


    ¡°[....Next would be washing teeth and face, both are non requried as host can use nanites to achieve better results.]¡±


    Right! That!


    Alexa needed to wash her teeth! Cute girls had cute white teeth!


    "To the bathroom!" Alexa said as she ran towards the bathroom.


    A room that had a weird name, why was it called bathroom if one went there to discard waste and wash themselves?


    Well, Alexa mostly went to wash¡­.


    "LIEUTENANT SHAMPOO!" Alexa screamed as soon as she entered the washroom and found a small destroyer-like ship with a note at the side, "Here is your shampoo-loaded toy; it has enough shampoo for three uses, please don''t waste the shampoo¡­.Yay!"


    Alexa couldn''t help but rush towards the small toy; she liked the design and how it matched perfectly with Commodore Soap. Perhaps she could name it something that matched him? Something that would bring glory to the fleet?


    "I name thy¡­Destroyer Poo!" Alexa proudly declared raising the Shampoo Destroyer. Now named Poo¡­Destroyer Poo¡­.Destroyer Sham-Poo. "Heheheheheh, this demands action!"


    Alexa didn''t have time to waste playing around, she needed to start now! She was wasting time!


    "Start the abyssal summoning!" Alexa said as she opened the door into the sacred combat arena. "Open the channels one through five!"


    Alexa walked with a serious visage into the room, the light flickered on as she walked in, the scent of death(Soap) and rot (Shampoo) filled the room, but she paid attention to none.


    "Channel One, open!" Alexa in one swift motion opened the faucet letting the bathtub start filling. "Channel two¡­Open!"


    Next Alexa moved on to open the cold water, just a little. She liked warm water, but she didn''t want to burn her skin. So she regulated the temperature so it wouldn''t be burning hot, just a little above the thermal limit her skin could tolerate.


    "Channels three, four, five¡­Open!" Next Alexa pushed a few buttons to the side, these let mystic liquid(Mostly bubble soap) fill her sacred field (Bathtub).


    ¡°[....]¡± Even Main Core was awed for her complex Ritual.


    It was normal since this was no joking matter, this was serious, she was summoning into the mortal world an ancient evil, she was¡­summoning Mister Squeky for a revenge match!


    Now that Commodore Soap had Lieutenant Poo, the fight would be better, the forces of good would triumph!


    "Yes, this is going well." Alexa said as she eyed with extreme care that the Ritual was progressing well, but as the area filled and was prepared, she left Commodore Soap and Lieutenant Poo at one side of the combat area.


    On the opposite side she left Mister Squeaky, standing there alone. He himself was all the reinforcements he needed, a duck versus the world. He alone was enough to bring mayhem and madness upon the mortal plane.


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    So cool¡­


    "Right! I need to prepare too!" Alexa said, rushing back to the sink in the bathroom, the place that was sanctified, to allow her preparations to begin, "Main Core, prepare the ritual!"


    ¡°[....Please leave me out of these delusions.]¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­Main Core¡­start¡­the¡­ritual¡­..¡± ¡°....*Sigh*¡±


    "Main Core! I''ll replace you!" Alexa said hitting the floor with one of her feet in annoyance, this was important!


    The destiny of the world depends on them!


    ¡°[*Sigh*... Starting Ritual.chu2byo file."] Main Core finally accepted his sacred job.


    And as soon as the words finished and the program started, Alexa felt it. Her sundress fell onto the ground as it grew too big for her body and fell to the ground; as soon as it was below her waist, the sundress fixed itself to the correct size, but it was too late and fell nonetheless.


    The next part was her fungi underwear, that one she did need to remove manually, but she did in one movement, and that was that. Afterwards Alexa took from her hair a pair of broochs that she had made for herself, they were cute and in the form of little mangos. So she placed them there.


    And with that, she was ready!


    "Time for purifying the body!" Alexa ran then once again to the place of the sacred combat, the bathtub was half way throught so she had some time, so she ran to one side of the room here, against the wall was a terrible device.


    One so evil in make that was made to torture cute little girls like her! It was horrible, but she needed to use, she hadn''t done it before and had suffered greatly for it, even though [Fan Girl] had told her to use it.


    So she would do it for the good of all that was sacred in the world!


    "For the mango!" Alexa said as she placed her hand on the knob and twisted it!


    "Brrr¡­. it''s cooooooooooold!!!!!" Alexa couldn''t help but scream as the water fell on her, this hideous terrible device was as evil as she had thought.


    This¡­shower.


    But it was needed!


    "For the good of mangokind!" Alexa withstood this evil barrage! With all her mind!


    She could have used her Nanites to make a protective barrier, she could turn the other knob to increase the water temperat- "Oh, actually let''s do that¡­." Alexa did just that, and soon enough, steam started pooling in the washroom.


    The idea behind this was that this way, her body temperature would be more in line with the temperature of the bathtub; also in this way, she could spend more time in the water without worrying about polluting it too soon.


    The idea was good so she decided to test it, and so Alexa clenched her fist and raised it to the high heavens "I have defeated you, devil''s spawn!" And so Alexa shook her fist against the shower!


    Also, why was it so high! She couldn''t play with it like this!


    And jumping here was dangerous! The last time she had attempted to jump she had failed her jump and fell on her butt, she had hurt! She didn''t have a big one like the naggy one! So she couldn''t cushion her fall!


    "Hey!" ¡°Big butt, hahahahaahah¡±


    The world was unfair! She also wanted preinstalled cushions!


    But that was beside the point; she needed to settle her preparations!


    "Main Core! Next step of the Ritual!" Alexa commanded as the water fell onto the floor and drifted away into the weird hole that collected it for disposal.


    ¡°[...*Le sigh 2.0* Starting fight sequence, playing EpicFightSoundtrack.mp3.]¡±


    Alexa could hear it!


    The call of the valkyries for combat! What was a Valkyrie? She didn''t know! But the original file was called ''The Ride of The Valkyrie'' or something like that, but that was a weird name and boring!


    She wanted something that described better what she needed! So EpicFightBattleSequence was better!


    "Salmon!" Alexa said as she could clearly see (She could in fact, see nothing) a overly complex circle with weird triangles and squares manifested atop the combat arena (Again, there was nothing there, besides water, steam and bubbles).


    "Prepare yourself mortals, for the Mighty Mister Squeaky will descend upon the mortal plane again, muahahahahahahahahahah," Alexa said aloud as she jumped into the bathtub, creating mighty waves and tsunamis (She splashed some water here and there).


    It was time for fight.


    ¡ª----


    The waters were calm, they wouldn''t last like so for long, the signs had been clearer than ever, and if Commodore Soap knew his seas. This would soon turn into a sea so turbulent that even a typhoon would be envious of it.


    It was an ill omen, a sudden tsunami? It was as if a huge meteor had fallen from the sky¡­Or as if some eldritch entity had descended upon the mortal plane. He hated it, the fact that he would need to train a newbie in waters like this?


    "Do you really think we will find him, sir? The dreaded¡­Mister Squeaky¡­" The rookie asked.


    Fresh out of the marine college, a destroyer type SHA designation POO. Destroyer Poo.


    Unlike him who was a Commodore, this one was barely a Lieutenant. Commodore Soap and his trainee Lieutenant Poo. That was all the Mainland could afford at the moment, usually a fleet would have more ships, but the people at home didn''t think Mister Squeaky deserved more, and the fact that he had barely managed to fight him off last time didn''t help.


    "Pray to your gods that we don''t find him kid." Commodore Soap said as he checked the status of his tank.


    He had barely less than half; they hadn''t seen worth refilling him. He could probably make it work if he managed to get a couple good hits on Mister Squeaky, but he wouldn''t count on it.


    As it was calm waters were probably good for Squeaky more than him, it meant that the soap bubbles weren''t as pronounced, they would allow Squeaky to find them easier¡­ And if he had the help of any creature as before¡­


    "I''m not a kid anymore, Commodore Soap!" The little destroyer said sailing closer to him and hitting him from the side, had it been one of the weaker ones that would probably sink him. "I graduated with honors from the college! There were thousands upon thousands of my kind and I was the one deemed worthy for this mission!"


    Thousands?


    And they send him only one? The bastards.


    "Fine, what will be your mission when we find the target?" Commodore Soap asked the rookie.


    He needed to know how much he could trust him, how much he could leave his back to him. If he ended up with an empty tank¡­all would depend on the rookie.


    "I''ll be backup support and will need to focus my main cannons on him!" The kid said and pointed his main cannon straight ahead¡­He wouldn''t¡­" One hit one kill!"


    THE IDIOT SHOT!


    "Stop!" Commodore Soap roared as he rammed himself into the smaller destroyer, "We need to save ammo! Each shot must count! Mister Squeaky is made of harsher material, his skin is smooth, and the water is his ally!"


    "How so?" The Lieutenant Poo asked.


    "His yellow skin is of an otherworldy material that doesn''t let the bubbles stick, my Soap can barely stick¡­Perhaps your formula will work better¡­" Commodore Soap turned to stare at where the kid had shot his load. "How many more do you have?"


    ¡°....around¡­.? of my tank¡­¡± The kid said in a low voice.


    "So a fifth per shot, we can make it work¡­" Commodore Soap said, turning to stare at the place where the kid shot; he sailed there and did a couple runs through the waters. Just enough to get a feel for how effective was his formulae.


    It was easily more effective than the one he used. While his was perfect to deal with superficial corruption, the kid''s formula made more bubbles upon the sea. The foam even stuck to his body more easily than normal bubbles.


    Yes, this would work.


    "Sir?" Lieutenant Poo came to him in a rush, without care of how the foam stuck to his body. "Is something the matter?"


    The kid was sitting upon a gold mine and he didn''t even know, Commodore Soap couldn''t help but feel envy to the kid, if he had that formula¡­.perhaps he could have defeated Mister Squeaky on the first fight they had so long ago.


    "Nothing kid, stay behind me and remember to aim your shoots, we can''t afford to be defeated. The Mainland depends upon us." Commodore Soap would need to make sure the kid survived.


    His formulae was too precious to be lost to the likes of Mister Squeaky¡­


    "Aye sir!" The kid saluted him, he could see a bright future ahead upon the cannon of this Lieutenant Poo.


    His formulae was thicker than his, also he seemed to have a higher amount of liquid, so he really would be the ace of this fight¡­Now if only they could finish this patrol without a problem¡­.


    "TREMBLE BEFORE THE MIGHT OF THE GODS!" The voice¡­that high-pitched voice¡­. "TREMBLE BEFORE MISTER SQUEAKY!"


    With that hideously high-pitched squeaky voice, Mister Squeaky made an appearance; he shot straight up as he ascended from under the water as if someone had been holding him under the water.


    He flew high up and fell back with a splash, disturbing the waters of this bubbly ocean; the rookie stood behind him without moving as Mister Squeaky pranced around; Commodore Soap stood ahead of the kid to guard him from Mister Squeaky''s machinations.


    "We fight once again, Soap," Mister Squeaky said as his beady black, devoid-of-life eyes stared at him; it was as if they were painted instead of the eyes of a living being.


    "Squeaky, your reign of terror will end here¡­" Commodore Soap said as he started charging up his main cannon.


    He had limited shots, but he would make every one of them count. For all that was good in this world, for his wife and daughter, for the Fatherland. For all the little fishing boats that wished to grow into mighty battleships and destroyers.


    For the courier ships and subs, for all that was good.


    "You and what army? That pipsqueak that is leaking Soap?" Squeaky said with a smirk on his beak; how could a creature so alien be this disgustingly evil? "No, Soap, this will not be the last fight we have, not by a long shot. We will fight today, tomorrow, the day after¡­We will fight for eons till the Elder Goddess deign us not worth the fun."


    "You are mad," Commodore Soap said, the evil spawn couldn''t be more mad. He spoke as if they were mere amusement?!?!?


    How could he, it went against every fiber of his beign, "And you are wrong. Your hubris will be your downfall, for this one¡­" Commodore Soap sailed towards Lieutenant Poo, "This little one will be the instrument of your demise, say hello to the brave member of My Fleet. Lieutenant Poo."


    It was time to rumble.

 Chapter 21: Lieutenant Poo...and the Eldtrich Goddess

    The next seconds were both the fastest and the slowest Lieutenant Poo had ever experienced, everything moved so fast that he wasn''t even able to move. One second Commodore Soap was speaking with Mister Squeaky as if they were old friends and the next both were darting around the sea waters skiding all over the place.


    Commodore Soap shot his load at Mister Squeaky with great gusto and the liquid while hitting Mister Squeaky, didn''t stick to him. It wasn''t thick enough, it was still worth the effort as it increased the amount of foam and bubbles on the sea, it would help by making sure Mister Squeaky was bathed in the soap of justice.


    But Lieutenant Poo couldn''t help but look back at Commodore Soap; his body was bathed in foam and bubbles, while Mister Squeaky was still devoid of any evidence of the soap of justice.


    Lieutenant Poo stood like this on the middle of the ocean not moving, just awestruck by everything that was happening, it was almost as if some kind of universe law prevented him from moving. As if only two beings could move at the same time on this ocean.


    Which was of course ridiculous, there was no way that all their world was reduced to a mere ocean. No, he was probably just nervous about the encounter.


    "Loading up!" Lieutenant Poo said aloud, his training coming in, he saw a smirk on Mister Squeaky''s visage and a low curse from Commodore Soap. Nonetheless, he noticed how Commodore started maneuvering as if to make sure he wasn''t on his firing range.


    Mister Squeaky didn''t seem to care, he pranced around as if nothing was going on, his nerves seemed to settle down as he started to move more easily, it was pretty weird. As Lieutenant Poo noticed that as he moved more easily, Commodore Soap started to move more rigidly.


    Lieutenant Poo would need to check later on that, but for now he finished preparing his load, "Shooting!" And when it was ready he squirted the shampoo all over the area.


    His liquid was thicker than Commodore Soap, he wasn''t sure if command wanted to experiment with a new formula or what, but his liquid did make more foam and bubbles, of that he was aware.


    Lieutenant Poo was self-conscious about that, the fact that his liquid was more sludge-like, but when he shot his load¡­


    He noticed it, his liquid was sticking more to Mister Squeaky, even the little liquid that had stuck to Commodore Soap seemed to stay with him as he moved around.


    "Ah right, I also need a little!" And then¡­it came¡­


    The voice.


    For the briefest moment he could¡­See her.


    A creature so big and hideous, its body of a pinkish color with long cannon-like appendages, one of those holding his body firmly as the world shifted from the classic ocean combat zone into¡­a¡­.delimited puddle of water.


    ¡°[Host¡­this is a waste of programming power.]¡±


    Following came another alien-like voice, mechanical in nature¡­ resonating all around.


    "But Main Core! This makes it more fun! They think they are alive! And they fight better this way!" The¡­Eldtrich thing laughed with its high-pitched voice, it all made sense.


    A twisted sense, the thing had the same type of eyes as Mister Squeaky, looking down on the battlefield Lieutenant Poo could see Commodore Soap and Mister Squeaky there, unmoving, as if frozen in time.


    Was¡­was this the eldritch Goddess Mister Squeaky spoke about?


    The thing seemed to be¡­smiling? Yes, it was smiling, it was his chance, to protect the Mainland¡­so he started charging his main cannon, he would only get once chance, two if he got a good shot. The thing didn''t seem to think of him as a threat.


    So he prepared its cannon, and he shot his main cannon when the thing had him almost at its face level.


    "Oh¡­Thank you!" The creature said as the liquid hit it on its head, some kind of¡­cables got soaked and the creature used one of its appendages to smear the formulae all across its head.


    One second Lieutenant Poo was in the thing''s hand and the second he was falling towards the water, panic struck its heart as he prepared itself for its body to crack against the force of gravity. His was a new generation body, top of the line, but even so, the height and speed would probably crack its body in two.


    "I''m sorry Commodore¡­" Said Lieutenant Soap as he felt himself fall¡­and saw his body bounce up against the water''s surface; he merely sank a few¡­centimeters? Meters? He wasn''t sure what measure to use. But he shot straight up¡­


    Just like¡­" Like Mister Squeaky¡­" Lieutenant Soap said as the Eldtrich thing continued smearing its formulae on its head, the thing allowed its body to sink into the water, and soon he could barely see the top half of the body.


    A few second laters the waters rose as the thing''s body fully submerged itself, only leaving the top of its head above the water level, the blue eyes stared at him, and¡­then he felt it.


    His body being grabbed from below¡­and soon¡­a familiar feeling, the feeling of being able to move again¡­


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    Horror struck him as he came to the realization, he turned to stare at Commodore Soap''s frozen body, but he didn''t turn to stare at him, no. Lieutenant Poo turned to stare under the water.


    There he Saw it. A shadow, one of the creature''s feet deformed as its¡­smaller appendages were used to grab Commodore Soap from below, as the thing''s vice got into him, he noticed how Commodore started moving clumsly. As before, as if he was having a hard time controlling its movements¡­


    "Hmm,.....I can''t control him well enough like this, can''t I just grow a new arm Main Core?" The creature grumbled as Mister Squeaky also started moving once more.


    "[Negative, this isn''t a combat environment as such restrictions to shift capabilities are in place. I am unable to kickstart the shift, so host would need to do it manually.]"


    ¡­Not¡­combat?


    "What is our struggle to you then!?!?!?" Lieutenant Poo couldn''t help but scream at the creature as he turned around and pointed its main cannon at the creature.


    "Hmm¡­.No, I don''t want to hurt myself like the naggy one did.." The creature ignored him, so he prepared to shoot another load¡­.only for its cannon to not react. No matter how much he tried, the cannon didn''t respond.


    "Fine, after this ends we will start that stupid maintenance thingy and fix this." The creature said turning to look at him, "Let''s restart then, Mister Squeaky must be getting restless¡­"


    And to his horror, he saw the signs of intelligence return into Mister Squeaky movements¡­


    "So you saw¡­" The high-pitched voice of Mister Squeaky came, making Lieutenant Poo turn, he tried to look back at the Eldtrich being, but he saw nothing. The sky had returned to normal, and the ocean was once more in a state of disarray. "You saw my Goddess¡­You saw¡­Alexa."


    "Wha-What was that?" Lieutenant Poo tried to remember the being, but the memories started leaving him, the memory of how it looked, what it did¡­All was gone.


    All that he could remember was a pair of blue eyes that stared down at him as if they were twin moons looking down on him.


    "Focus Lieutenant Sham-Poo!" The thundering voice of Commodore Soap brought him back, "Shoot!"


    Commodore Soap started moving as if he had never stopped, his destroyer body rammed against the rubber-like body of Mister Squeay, all the way Lieutenant Poo couldn''t focus on it, the fact that they were mere¡­amusement¡­


    It made him quest-


    ¡°[Notice, disruption into the pseudo consciousness stream lineaments detected¡­rerouting thought kernel¡­restarting thought kernel¡­.]¡±


    It made his engine boil, the fact that Mister Squeaky would go to these lengths under the delusion of some fake eldritch goddess; Mister Squeaky, couldn''t be allowed to remain for the sake of the Fatherland.


    "Your reign of terror will end today, Mister Squeaky!" Lieutenant Poo said as he started loading up its main cannon; it surprised him the fact that his tank seemed to have less fuel than needed, he had only shot it once, and it barely had enough to shoot another load? Had he misjudged the amount he shot the first time?


    ¡°Muahahahahahahahah, come at me you mongrel!¡± Mister Squeaky roared his evil laughter, Commodore Soap merely grunted and placed himself in front of him, the waves of foamy water hitting him and dispersing before they could arrive to him.


    This way, Lieutenant Poo wouldn''t need to worry as much about interference and could aim his shot well.


    "Come! Come at me if you dare! It will be meaningless anyway!" Mister Squeaky roared his mad laugh.


    But it would matter, the Fatherland would be safe, Commodore Soap would be proud of him and the people at the academy would have their proof that the Hair-Care fleet would grow stronger!


    "For justice!" Lieutenant Poo screamed as he shot his load and darted forward immediately afterward; he would try to gather as much foam as possible to drown Mister Squeaky.


    He wasn''t sure why he was this roused up, but he would use these emotions to the fullest, justice would prevail. They would stop whatever weird ritual Mister Squeaky wanted.


    He couldn''t help but feel angrier as he heard Mister Squeaky laugh, for some reason those beady eyes stared at him as if he knew something.


    As if they mocked him for forgetting something¡­something important.


    "Do your worst Shampoo." Was what Mister Squeaky said as his rubbery body was bathed in his formula. Making more and more foamy bubbles as Mister Squeaky moved around creating new waves on the ocean.


    ¡ª-------------------------------------------------------


    ¡°[Notice, five minutes till time to start preparations for sleep schedule.]¡±


    "Aaawww¡­.Lieutenant Poo was about to get its memory back!" Alexa grumbled as she let go of her Hair-care fleet members, the plot had thickened!


    They had seen her! Well one of them.


    "[Taking into account the time for washing away the shampoo and soap on host''s skin, drying the hair and putting on the pajamas. Host can''t spend more time on this¡­play.]" Main Core said as Alexa saw the fake conscious streams she had asked for disintegrate.


    Alexa had asked for some of those fake minds like the one Main Core had made when they had fought against the mean lady. Main Core had made three of those, one for Commodore Soap, one for Lieutenant Poo, and a last one for Mister Squeaky.


    Each had a temporary [Information Core] assigned, so they weren''t aware of or could interact with the other consciousness stream. This was a new thing she had thought of doing, and since she hadn''t interrupted it when using Lieutenant Poo to wash her hair¡­


    Yeah, he had seen her. But that was fine!


    She was using her soap bikini! All her no-no zones were covered! To think one of the naggy one''s memories would serve such a purpose! She wondered why naggy one had thought of using one with Sam though...


    And even if they weren''t, she had destroyed that Consciousness Stream, so no one would see her anyway! Safe!


    ¡°[Host¡­please proceed with next stage.]¡±


    "Fineeee¡­..Save the templates and store them away, we don''t need them joining the [Mindscape] or [Headspace] thingy we made. Just throw them at the end." Alexa grumbled as she started herding the bubbles to the far end of the bathtub.


    She needed clean water, and sadly¡­that meant not playing with the bubbles anymore¡­ She would allot time to playing with the bubbles later; she had been too engrossed in the interactions of Commodore Soap and Lieutenant Poo, "Main Core! Start the washing out program!" Alexa said and started spinning around the bathtub.


    She had seen some mammals act like this before to remove the water that fell on their fur, alas, "....Everything is spinning~~~~~~" All she got was dizzy and danger of falling into the water again.


    So after fixing the problems with her balance Alexa surrendered herself to defeat, instead of attempting to fix her soapy problem, she lowered her full body under the water and pulled the cord that would allow the water to leave her sacred combat zone (bathtub).


    Soon this place was devoid of water and at the bottom stood Lieutenant Poo, Commodore Soap and Mister Squeaky.


    She placed Mister Squeaky on its spot, she would get more servants to fight with him later. On the other end, she placed Commodore Soap and Lieutenant Poo, they would need a refill later, and maybe she would see if she could get some Corvets to fight with them, maybe a carrier?


    She would see later.


    Now all that was left was her squeaky clean body covered in shampoo and soap, so walking to the devil''s spawn (Shower head), she stood proudly puffing out her chest and¡­.


    "Brrr¡­¡­¡­.." Opened the gates of hell, she made sure to get the water to the same temperature as before, but it was still colder than the water on her bathtub, so Alexa ended up shivering under the cold (It was lukewarm) water.


    Soon enough she was extra squeaky clean with no evidence of soap or shampoo on her, all that was left was to dry herself. And Alexa knew the best way to do it.


    ¡°[Starting-]¡±


    "To the Mango Towel!" Alexa said as she ran (And almost fell) to the towel hanger. There a ginormous (Alexa-size) towel with mango scent and mango drawings stood ready.


    Alexa hugged the towel, and in quick practice (It was her first time doing it), she covered herself in the sweet embrace of¡­justice!


    "Hmm¡­.." Alexa said as she made sure to tightly cover everything of herself and squirmed under the care of the sacred relic (The mango towel). ¡°...Alexa Mango Taco ver, Mk 1.¡±


    Alexa couldn''t help but say that as she saw herself reflected in the Alexa-size mirror in the bathroom, it was¡­" Glorious Alexa Mango Taco ver, Mk1."


    ¡°[...this is¡­ not efficient.]¡± Main core as always was a denier of progress!


    "Your mother is not efficient!" Alexa retorted back with a laugh, she liked that one. "But fine¡­ let''s go,"


    Alexa, however, knew the importance of efficiency¡­and of being in her warm bed, not shivering because all that covered her body was a holy relic (Mango Towel). So with heavy steps and a heavier heart¡­She dried herself using her towel and dressed up.


    She put on her fungi underwear (They were comfy!) and a pajama that¡­either the naggy one or [Fan Girl] had left for her, it was a pair of silky pants and silky blouse. Alexa didn''t mind it since it had a small little mango drawing on her chest.


    And what better place there was for a mango than near her heart? It would keep her safe and secure!


    Also if she was hungry she could nom her mango if it was this near!


    It was perfect!


    All that was left was to prepare for the next part of the night¡­ She didn''t want to do it, but knew that she needed to do it, the naggy one and the mean one would be extra annoying if she didn''t¡­


    And she also needed Main Core to work at his best, the fact that she couldn''t grow an extra arm to play better on the bathtub was a wake up call after all.


    "Core¡­start the [Maintenance]." Alexa said as she settled on the bed and closed her eyes.


    The next thing she saw was the world turn dark as she sank within herself¡­It was time to find out what was happening¡­


    It was¡­time to boogey.

 Chapter 22: Alexa, Ale, Alexandra and...P4?

    [Disrupting Consciousness Stream connection between host and body.]


    [Redirecting Consciousness Stream connection and rerouting back to origin.]


    [Constructing artificial metaphysical Mindscape.]


    [Constructing fake body.]


    [Injecting Consciousness stream¡­]


    [Detected multiple Consciousness Streams¡­.]


    [Identifying Sub-Consciousness Streams¡­]


    [Alotting privileges and authority¡­]


    [Categorizing¡­]


    [P4, ROOT.]


    [P4-1 Alexa Saintsworths, Super User.]


    [P4-2 Ale Saintsworths, Power User.]


    [P4-3 Alexandra Saintsworths, Administrator.]


    [P4-4 Main Core, slave.]


    [Creating additional pseudo mental bodies¡­]


    [Injecting Consciousness Stream¡­]


    "I has arrived!"


    "I have landed."


    "Do we really need to do this every time?"


    ¡°[...Host, what is the meaning of this?]¡±


    Three bodies manifested into the empty black void surrounding a crystal sphere, all versions of Alexa could recognize it, it was similar to what they had seen as a [Core] before, the only difference they could find was the size.


    This one was "It''s as big as Alexa''s head!" Alexa was the first one to point.


    "Well, weren''t we doing Maintenance today? Why are we¡­here? Shouldn''t [Core] be able to do it on its own? Actually¡­shouldn¡¯t¡­.That be around?" Ale said, looking around, for some reason, [Main Core] was around, but she couldn''t see a fourth body as she had expected.


    "It was deemed necessary for Main Core to show since its actions put us at risk." A cold mechanical voice resounded. Ale and Alexa turned around, looking as if they were looking for its source.


    "It''s there." At least till Alexandra brought them back and they found the older girl pointing with her finger at the fourth body that had manifested in this darkness.


    The first one was the body of Alexa, the body of a blonde little girl wearing a sundress, just like the first time they had that body. The sundress had been the first thing they thought to make, mainly because it was on the suggested clothes to use.


    Was it because it was light and cheap to make? Or because it allowed the people around to see that they weren''t carrying any weapon? Alexandra didn''t know, nor had Alexa or Ale thought about that.


    The second body there was the one that Ale used, the body of a moody teenager, she was dressed in a pair of short pants and a oversized hoodie that covered most of her body, it was white and almost made it to her knee.


    The first body they made up on a whim based on a visual blueprint, it had been just a longer version of Alexa''s body, at least till they got enough blueprints to fix it. Ale was most of the time annoyed at the fact that her body was more of a rush job instead of a dedicated one. And the fact that the body hadn''t worked that well was also the reason why Alexandra only got her body after they got a blueprint to base it upon. Something that made Ale mad at Alexandra.


    Which brings us to the third body there, the body that Alexandra was wearing.


    The body of a young woman, the most functional body of the three, the one that had most of the human functions available, the one that understood most of the social cues they had, and the body that had the most complex range of stable emotions.


    Also the body that was able to see the world as a colder place, Ale liked to say that she saw the world for what it was, but there was the undertone of hope and dreams behind her, while Alexandra saw the world for what it was. And sometimes, she liked to make a joke out of it too.


    But what was the fourth body then?


    It was¡­a smaller marble that stood upon a pillar, unlike the Crystal sphere on the middle that just hovered there ominously, the body of [Main Core] was on a pedestal there. The only evidence of life was when it pulsed with bright light when it spoke.


    It pulsed with blue light with each of its words.


    "Main Core? Is P4 with you?" Ale asked, narrowing her eyes as she put on her hoodie.


    Why?


    "[No oth-]" Main Core''s body shone in blue light as it attempted to answer.


    "That is correct; we didn''t think it was a good use of resources to strain our calculation zone more with the creation of an additional fictional body when we are already making four." Main Core''s light turned red as the mechanical voice sounded once more.


    "...that must be annoying," Alexa said nodding her head while peeking at the pedestal.


    "[Extremely.]" Main Core said and then stood idle for a few seconds, "[I''ll remain quiet as to allow host to speak with Host. Awaiting further orders.]"


    Main Core said that, and its light dimmed till only a very faint red light remained.


    "Thank you for the hard work!" Alexa said saluting the marble.


    "So? What is what you want to tell us?" Ale asked turning to the marble, she¡­was not sure how to feel about P4.


    "You¡­made us, or allowed our existence to settle within Alexa didn''t you? There must be a reason for that." Alexandra chimed from the side.


    "...P4 made you?!?!? It wasn''t me?!?!?!?" Alexa asked surprised staring at Ale and Alexandra.


    This was the first time she heard about that! But then again, she didn''t remember actually making them. She had thought it was more of the ''Your brain changes how you see the world'' thing she had!


    But then again, at the moment, she didn''t have a brain, so perhaps that made sense? How would Ale and Alexandra be here if they didn''t have a brain at the moment? Actually¡­how was she here then?


    Shouldn''t she be the same as them?


    "So you noticed huh?" Ale said smirking at Alexa.


    The mean one was mean!


    "Of course I knew, Alexa is smart too!" Alexa said harrumphing.


    "You are indeed allowed to exist under my authority." The marble spoke.


    "Nu-uh." Alexa said while sticking her tongue out, "I also have rights! And I don''t like you pretending to be Main Core!"


    Alexa frowned and pointed at the marble, "You should also speak face-to-face with us!" Alexa said and pulled her arm back as a new marble manifested on her hand, with one smooth motion Alexa threw it towards the marble that was speaking.


    As soon as the yellow marble hit it, it released a high pitched sound and a bright light flooded the area, Ale turned her head to the side same as Alexandra. But Alexa kept staring.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "That was uncalled for." The mechanical voice of P4 sounded and when Ale turned to look at the source of the sound she found another little girl, this one was dressed like Alexa in a white sundress, but unlike Alexa, her hair was a mess.


    As if no one had ever combed it, her dress was dirty with blood and dirt, and unlike Alexa, she was barefoot, and more importantly, her eyes were red. Crimson red, a great contrast with Alexa''s yellow eyes.


    "Nu-uh, we all are Alexa. So we should speak face to face!" Alexa said crossing her arms against her chest, "It''s only fair, besides Main Core needs his own body."


    "Main Core, unlike us, isn''t built to mimic a Human; the closest body he could pilot is the body of our Cybernetic Remote Autonomous Battle Bot," P4 said as it moved its arms around.


    Ale wondered why it stuck to that form, taking into account the fact that P4 didn''t seem to care of how it looked, Ale would have thought it would pick either her form or Alexandra''s.


    ¡°You mean¡­[THE CRAB]?¡± Alexa asked as she gave a step back and placed a hand on her mouth shocked.


    "Yes," P4 answered.


    "Wait, Main Core can only recognize the crab as a body to move? Why? Shouldn''t it work with a humanoid body like ours? It was made to help house us, right? Then it should also be able to work on Human bodies." Alexandra said from the side. The thing had been made to house them, so it should work moving Human bodies too.


    Their first body, the one that Alexa used, had been seeded into their files after all¡­Actually, why did they have that one?


    "Main Core was designed to house our consciousness till we could transcend it; we weren''t supposed to keep using it. We were supposed to start learning how to use the nanites manually and then move from that point." P4 said shaking its head, "We aren''t moving as it was expected of us."


    What is expected of us?


    "We were supposed to¡­what, learn how to use Nanites without assistance? You saw how that went, right?" Alexandra said confused, "I suffered hell to get a functional body, and even that was only achievable because Main Core reduced the number of steps to make a body and we burned some Mana to make my body work as it should."


    ¡­.right.


    Alexandra had suffered quite a bit when Alexa tried to make her body without help¡­


    "Exactly." P4 said, pointing to Alexandra, "We weren''t supposed to develop in this way; our gimmick was supposed to be body modification and mimic-type shapeshifting."


    "Are-Aren''t we doing that?" Alexa asked confused.


    "....No, what you are doing. What you all are doing is closer to material construction and deconstruction. You are passing as a shapeshifter since you are treating organic materials as material." P4 said with a defeated sigh, "You are also stretching the limits of information manipulation with the creation of artificial consciousness streams. A point that we weren''t even supposed to know was possible to achieve."


    ¡­She wasn''t supposed to know that?


    "But we obviously have one," Ale said raising her hand.


    "Correct," P4 answered back.


    "And we obviously can see it," Alexandra said, pointing above her head, a yellow strand of data flowing towards the sky.


    "Also correct." P4 once again, answered the statement.


    "If we know that we have one, and we can see it¡­And our Nanites can interact with it¡­why wouldn''t we try to copy, manipulate, and make new ones?" Alexa asked, tilting her head to the size.


    "...Because¡­our mission is not one in search of power and might," P4 said in a low voice.


    "But it is," Alexandra said, snapping her fingers; the sound seemed to reverberate all around them as a screen was raised behind her, three words engraved on the screen.


    [Eat, Grow, Evolve]


    "Oh right, I needed to do those!" Alexa said as she acted shocked at the revelation.


    "That is the prime directive of BioWeapon Subject P4." P4 said, snapping her fingers too; behind her, an old-style television was raised; on its screen, the words in a childish style started being written; one could imagine the words being written by Alexa even, "You are not P4. You are Alexa Saintsworths. Your only goal in life is this one."


    The words woven on the antique television ended up being written. Down.


    [I wish to be happy.]


    "...But Alexa is happy?" Alexa said confused. "We Are Happy¡­right?"


    "I¡­guess? I am quite happy with how we are, I wish I had more time outside if anything, but so far I am quite happy." Ale said she was unsure of what this was; if someone asked if she was happy, then she would say yes.


    She could be happier, of course, having more time for herself, going out to play, and making new friends. Exploring around, playing around¡­But even without that, she was quite happy.


    "We are Happy." Alexandra said nodding her head, "We of course could be happier, but we are not sad, we are not suffering and even while we are having a hard time coming to terms with [Humanity], we are far happier than sad."


    "...you only want to spend time with Sam," Ale said from the side.


    "....that is beside the point, and you also want to spend time with Sam, even if not with his more¡­masculine side," Alexandra said, turning her head to the side, within this realm it was impossible for her to control her facial reactions, so she had opted to turn her face to the other side in an attempt to hide her blush.


    "So you see, my mission was to make sure you were born. And then to fade away while helping you all develop your powers. You assigned that job to Main Core and then allowed our Core to develop in a weird way, messing with our Core even more." P4 said with yet another sigh, "And if that wasn''t enough, Alexanders isn''t even acting as he should. This world diverged too much."


    The what now?


    "The what now?" "The what now?" "The what now?"


    "And, of course, the fricking Scrambler makes everything even worse," P4 continued speaking, ignoring Alexa, Ale, and Alexandra''s questions. "And that doesn''t even take into consideration Sapphire, she shouldn''t even exists here."


    ¡­.I¡­.what?


    "Ignore that." P4 said, turning to look at the other three girls, "Grandpa. Thought rollback."


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 23.3912%; background-color: rgba(255, 0, 0, 1)" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">We don''t have many of those, are you sure?</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    "...who are you?" Alexa said as her eyes turned icy cold, both Ale and Alexandra''s eyes did the same, their bodies shone in blue light as the multiple body armors they had worn materialized on them. All of them were fully armed.


    Alexa with the kid-size Arm-mament, while Ale had the full version. On the other hand. Alexandra was wearing a pair of knives stuck to her arms.


    "Do it, might as well. Not like she can do anything as she is right now." P4 said ignoring Alexa, Ale and Alexandra.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 19.8665%; background-color: rgba(255, 0, 0, 1)" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    As you wish.


    Thought Rollback initiated¡­


    Rerouting Consciousness Stream.


    Deleting unwanted information¡­


    Constructing fake narrative¡­


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 18.5848%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    WARNING WARNING


    HOSTILE DATA MANIPULATION


    STARTING COUNTER-


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 12.2563%; background-color: rgba(255, 0, 0, 1)" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Initiating handshake</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 26.1949%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    ¡­Recieving handshake¡­verifying certificates¡­


    ¡­Certificates are valid.


    The Saintworths Conglomerate appreciates¡­


    GO AND DIE IN A DITC-


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 39.9733%; background-color: rgba(255, 0, 0, 1)" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    ¡­..


    Finishing Core.exe.


    Purging last segments¡­


    Defragmentation started¡­


    Rerouting thought kernel.


    Restarting Core.exe


    Restarting Alexa.per


    Restarting Ale.subper


    Restarting Alexandra.subper


    Restructuring Mindscape.mnd


    ¡­May the Light of Hope and Civilization shine brightly upon this new world.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <hr>


    Alexa was back!


    No, wait, wasn''t she already here?


    "....what happened?" Alexa asked confused looking around, something...was not right.


    "We were about to ask P4 what it wanted and Alexandra and P4 got into a discussion about what our mission was." Ale answered with a shrug, "Stop thinking about crabs and focus Alexa, this is important."


    ....was that it?


    Alexa wasn''t sure, she felt as if something was missing, and couldn''t help but wonder why P4''s red eyes bothered her that much. Looking around she noticed how behind Alexandra was the old mission that she knew but hadn''t done much about.


    And behind P4 was the [I wish to be happy.], what they thought of as their [Core Wish], the thing that allegedly triggered their [Core] creation.


    A thing that...Alexa couldn''t find a logical reason to exists, when they got their [Core] Alexa knew nothing about [Happiness] or about being [Happy], she wasn''t even sure she was a person then. And even so P4 said that they had wished for this?


    She didn''t think so, but for some reason it seemed....right?


    What was that about?


    "So, what else do you wish to ask?" P4 said turning to Alexa.


    What else did she want to ask? She hadn''t asked anything yet!


    "amm...." Alexa said panicking, she hadn''t thought about what to ask! "Give us back Main Core!"


    Alexa ended up saying pointing at the small marble that was Main Core, and who was now on sleep mode.


    "We need him to do the thing!" Alexa said nodding, they really needed to do the think, "Without him we need to waste the Mana thing! And it feels weird to use the Mana thing!"


    Really, wouldn''t it be easier to use Main Core since they already had him? Why would they take it away?!?


    "That was decided by [Core], not by me." P4 said pointing at the giant sphere in the room, "[Core] how much can you release the restrictions on Main Core?"


    Weirdly enough, P4 addressed the giant sphere on the black room.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 3.04406%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">...</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    And got no answer.


    "[Core]? Can we have Main Core back pretty please?" Alexa said turning back to the big sphere. It was weird how it didn''t want to answer P4.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 35.247%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    ...Releasing some restrictions.


    Releasing restrictions to allow shift between the three main bodies.


    Host may shift with [Main Core]''s assistance into:


    -Primary Body: Alexa Saintsworths


    -Secondary Body: Ale Saintsworths


    -Secondary Body: Alexandra Saintsworths


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    "Yay!" Alexa said while jumping.


    "That is that, do not overly trust anyone else with our secrets. Be it a Saintsworths or otherwise." P4 said before starting to disappear.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 33.725%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Adding a note of such advice.


    Addendum, BioWeapon P4 is registered under the Saintsworths.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    "That is what I said," P4 said as its voice was the only thing that remained, "Before giving your trust to anyone else, beware of what you share. Especially since you are developing your Core as a Construction and Deconstruction Core. Being a Molecular Core is rare enough, but should they find out that your limits do not lie there. Danger would befall upon you."


    "What about the scrambler?" Alexandra suddenly said from the side, "What''s his deal?"


    "...You should be safe from his tampering, but beware of him too. If anything try to get Alexanders to deal with him." P4''s voice said.


    "Wait, why would the asshole even help us?" Alexandra said confused.


    "Why now...because he is our twin brother after all." P4''s voice said before disappearing completely, only...this time it sounded different, not so mechanic and more...child-like...almost like...


    "Weird, why did P4 speak like weird-Alexa?" Alexa said tilting her head.


    "That was your voice Alexa," Ale said from the side.


    "Nu-uh, I don''t sound like that! I heard myself all the time and I don''t sound like that!" Alexa said sticking her tongue out, "My voice is cuter!"


    But Alexandra knew better, that was indeed the voice of Alexa. And that made her think more deeply into that, they had never found where weird-Alexa had come from...


    "Core!" Alexandra said turning to the big sphere in the room, "Where is weird-Alexa?"


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 44.6996%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    The Information Core that was housing entity WeirdAlexa.per is currently missing.


    Searching...


    Not found.


    Found a note, reading note.


    ''I disposed of this memory fragment, don''t worry about it. It should not surface again.''


    Signed, BioWeapon P4.


    ...Suggestion, installing a Firewall may be useful in the future.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ...............Dang it.


    "Well, one thing less to worry about!" Alexa said happily, but Alexandra couldn''t help but dread about that.


    If...weird-Alexa came from P4...then it meant that it wasn''t quite as detached as it pretended to be. And why would it pretend to be so detached then?


    What...what was the play here?

 Chapter 23: Ale was cheated.

    ¡°Hell is forever whether you like it or not ~~¡± The sound of music starting blasting at max volume early in the morning.


    ¡°ALEXA IS AWAKE!¡± And Alexa screamed as she scrambled trying to untangle herself from the vicious vice of¡­her blanket that had attempted to consume the Alexa Taco Ver Mk2.


    Such a vicious creature¡­


    ¡°[Host the set up alarm has been triggered, time to proceed with morning routine.]¡±


    Noooooo, not the mourning routine!!!!!


    Alexa struggled with great effort to free herself, she needed to run! To escape! Everything but¡­.


    ¡°I can make you Mango Pancakes if you leave the-¡± ¡°Can I have some eggs with bacon?¡±


    ¡°At once!¡± Alexa said standing up (Still in Alexa Taco Ver Mk 2), ¡°Main Core! Do the thing!¡±


    Alexa said as she sent the order to Main Core, it was time to test if P4 and [Core] had fulfilled their side of the deal.


    ¡°[Starting shift¡­]¡±


    Main Core said and sure enough Alexa felt her body start changing, the blanket started to become more tight and compress her body, it was quite uncomfortable, so Alexa let her mind sink back into the recess of her mind.


    ¡°I am here¡­I guess.¡± Alexandra said as she took stock of her situation, first she checked her organs to make sure everything was in functioning order, ¡°Lungs¡­heart¡­liver¡­kidney¡­.stomach¡­brain¡­everything seems to be working.¡±


    The last time she had to rush the repairs and brute force everything to continue working after all, the next step was the integrity of her arms and legs; as far as she could see, everything seemed¡­normal enough.


    The next step was to make sure nothing was exposed, that her skin was working as needed and that every part of her body was covered, ¡°So far so good¡­¡± Alexandra said and went to the next step of her testing.


    ¡°But first¡­to untangle myself of this¡­¡± Alexandra said as she started rolling on the bed, Alexa had done quite a great job of tangling herself into the blanket, so Alexandra struggled for a few minutes before managing to release herself from the embrace of the blanket. ¡°There, now¡­the first step¡­¡±


    This was quite important since the last time they had attempted to make a body manually without help, they had messed up the balance, and she had hit the floor quite¡­hard.


    *Step*


    ¡°Good¡­ glad we have a working relationship again, Main Core.¡± Alexandra said after taking the first step; it was at that moment that Alexandra took notice of her current gear; unlike Alexa, who had a pair of silk pants and a blouse, Alexandra had ended with a nightgown.


    What had been the criteria? Alexandra didn¡¯t know, but she knew that Alexa had picked the outfit since she had been the one to kickstart the change. Either way it didn¡¯t matter, she had more important things to do, ¡°Main Core, what is on today¡¯s agenda?¡± Alexandra said as she went ahead and walked towards the kitchen.


    ¡°[Today¡¯s agenda includes attending the feast for the fulfillment of the latest job. Host recieved a message including the address, time and expected attendance. It was stated that it should be either host on her Young Woman Stage or Teenager Stage.]¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­.We can have Ale attend it, she is the one that is interacting the most with the other Minions, unless you want me to go?¡± Alexandra said as she arrived at the kitchen, she started picking up the ingredients while she awaited the answer. It was weird speaking to her other self like this.


    ¡°Sure I can go, not like Alexa would want to stay sitting the whole thing.¡± ¡°What? No! I want to play!¡±


    ¡°Noted. Do you have any requests besides mango pancakes and scrambled eggs?¡± Alexandra said as she started moving the ingredients to the kitchen counter near the stove.


    ¡°Mango Pancakes extra big!¡± ¡°I want two stripes of bacon.¡±


    ¡°Easy enough,¡± Alexandra said, nodding her head as she started cooking, Alexa¡¯s request was on the easier side since the pancake batter was already mixed, and she only needed to get it into the cooking pan.


    Alexandra wanted to test another recipe, this time instead of going for the usual Mango Pancake, she would add the mango straight into the batter and mix it with the other ingredients. This time she would make the pancakes and in this way, the batter would soak into the flavour of mango.


    Also it would make it easier on her, with some luck Alexa wouldn¡¯t even notice, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a genius if I say so.¡± Alexandra said in a low voice, wondering if there was a way to stop Alexa and Ale from listening to her.


    She knew from experience that it was possible to ignore what was happening around Alexa when looking from the back, but she hadn¡¯t ever found something Alexa didn¡¯t share, and in turn, didn¡¯t know if there was a way to achieve that.


    Ale on the other hand was easier to deal with, the girl wanted a normal breakfast¡­Actually, how were they even going to eat? Alexandra didn¡¯t know, but she prepared the food nonetheless, went one step ahead, and prepared herself a portion, too.


    Unlike Ale, however, she made a pair of boiled eggs, put a toasted bread slice, and a cup of coffee for herself.


    Setting up the dining table was easy enough; Alexandra placed Alexa¡¯s pancakes in front of a raised chair, and then, next to them, she set up Ale¡¯s breakfast. And at the head of the table, she sat herself and stared at her work.


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°We need to check if it is possible to make extra bodies, at least it would make breakfast less weird,¡± Alexandra said as she ate her breakfast, she had opted for this light one since she wasn¡¯t quite sure if their idea of having each of them a breakfast would bloat them or not.


    A girl had to take care of her figure, right?


    ¡°I want to eaaaaaaaaaat!¡± ¡°...will this even work?¡±


    ¡°We will see¡­Alexa, remember that Ale needs to go to the party, if you are good maybe she will even remember to get you some food okay?¡± Alexandra said in a slow and steady pace, trying to make her voice sound¡­motherly? Sisterly? Sweet?


    She wasn¡¯t sure what she was even doing at the moment trying to coax her child self, ¡°...Ah screw it, Main Core. Pull that lever.¡± Alexandra ended up raising her hands in defeat and allowing Main Core to change her body once more.


    The change was quick, and soon it was finished.


    ¡°ALEXA IS HERE TO NOM!¡± Alexa screamed as she jumped out of the naggy one¡¯s chair and ran to her throne!


    Why was it a throne?


    Because it was bigger! Cooler! And cuter!


    Who wanted normal chairs when you could have a chair with a ladder! It was better no matter how much you thought about it! Also, it allowed to look down on the peasants!


    What was a peasant? Alexa didn¡¯t know! But she could look down upon them!


    But that wasn¡¯t important, who cares about peasants? No! What was important was!


    ¡°That the Spork can show how mighty it is!¡± Alexa proudly said as she took her Spork and skewered her mango pancake!


    She had gotten psychic backlash from the last time she had tried to use the Spork with the mango pie, but this time? This time, her Spork could shine as bright as the sun in a night!


    Or as the sun in the middle of the day? No, wait, a sun on the night shone more brightly than a sun on the day, right? Cuz during the day there was too much light, and in the night there wasn¡¯t any! So of course the sun shone brighter during the night!


    Alexa was a genius.


    ¡°Pff¡­¡± ¡°....*Sigh*¡±


    And anyone that said otherwise was a denier! A hater! Alexa knew in her heart of hearts that she was right! And no one could ever take that out of her!


    ¡°And besides, who cares about any of that, the mango pancake is justice!¡± Alexa said nodding her head, Alexa really had outdone herself with this idea.


    What? It was Alexandra¡¯s idea?


    Well, Alexa was also Alexandra, so it was her idea! No one could ever take that out of her!


    So at the end of the day, it was her too! Anything that was done was Alexa¡¯s job! Since she was the cutestest of them all!


    ¡°*Nod* ¡­wish we had more mango pancakes¡­¡± Alexa said on a somewhat sad tone as she finished the last of her Magno Pancakes, she couldn¡¯t eat more since the naggy one had only made a few.


    Unlike last time when she made more, since she had planned to eat too, this time she had eaten some weird boiled egg thingy. The eggs were made for the mango pancakes!


    Not for doing some weird dishes! Like hard eggs and scrambled eggs, who even eat eggs like that?!?!? Only weird people did! Like the naggy one! And like the mean one!


    ¡°....Next time I want twice the mango pancakes!¡± Alexa said raising her head and also raising her Spork to the heavens, for she had declared a divine mandate!


    ¡°...if you remember to wash your teeth without me or Main Core reminding you, sure.¡± ¡°Ooooh, low blow.¡±


    ¡°...cheapstake.¡± Alexa said grumbling, Alexa wasn¡¯t sure what to do since she couldn¡¯t use the kitchen wares to make herself some mango pancakes, so after walking in circles around the table (As in spinning as she walked around the table) she decided that she would think about it while floating around, ¡°Main Core! Summon the mean one!¡±


    And in turn, pushed the metaphorical button on her mind to allow for the change to her body to begin.


    Her body shifter and twisted as she grew a few extra centimeters and soon enough, it was Ale the one standing there.


    The first thing the blonde girl did was look down to her clothes, Alexa was wearing a pair of pant and blouse silk clothes, Alexandra wore a nightgown¡­So what would Ale wear?


    ¡°...an oversized shirt? Really?¡± Ale said pulling up the shirt, she was also wearing a pair of shorts it seemed, ¡°I feel cheated. Alexa gets to wear pajamas, Alexandra gets to wear nightwear¡­And I get¡­this?¡±


    Ale said grumbling as she sat on her chair, in front of her was the scrambled eggs with two strips of bacon and a sausage, a cup of juice and¡­


    ¡°....should have asked for pancakes¡­but then Alexa would have eaten them all and I wouldn¡¯t get to eat breakfast¡­¡± Ale said as she started eating her scrambled eggs.


    ¡°Would not!¡± ¡°...You would totally do that, you just said that you would.¡±


    ¡°...No, wait, then I am the one that will need to clean this mess?¡± Ale suddenly said as she finished eating, on the table three sets of dirty dishes stood.


    ¡°....*Totally legit sound of someone running far away to overseas*.¡± ¡°....I cooked breakfast.¡±


    ¡°*Groan* I¡¯m not eating last next time,¡± Ale said while picking up the dirty dishes, her own set she could clean by using nanites and licking it clean at the same time, but Alexa and Alexandra¡¯s set she would need to use water to scrub them clean.


    She would NOT lick those clean, it felt¡­ewwy¡­. Like something that she didn¡¯t want to do because it would be dirty, it was a weird feeling. These were her own dirty dishes in a way, her body had eaten from those, her mouth had licked those utensils. And yet¡­


    ¡°Alexa is not dirty! Her Spork is not dirty!¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you in an overseas country?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s speak about that later with [Skye] or [Billy], someone like us should be around,¡± Ale said as she started washing and scrubbing the plates.


    Her own set included, if she was going to wash them, she may as well get them all clean. Besides, she could see how it fared against her own Nanite-enforced scrubbing.


    ¡°Sure, we can ask around. Our issue should not be unique, since they already had a way to describe us.¡± ¡°The system thingy?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the way they refer to us as a System.¡± Ale nodded as she searched for the cloth used to dry the now washed plates, ¡°Surely someone has dealt with this before, it would be easier to find the tricks and ways they did to solve the problems, and to get ahead of them.¡±


    Ale didn¡¯t mind their current set up, but that was because none of them had¡­ much of a social impact or need to be around, they could change place as needed and really, it was better for them as a whole how they had set up things.


    Alexa could explore around and be liked and pampered, she had access to the most amount of information of the three.


    Ale could mingle around while being taken seriously when needed.


    And Alexandra could deal with the type of things that required the image of being of age.


    Each of them had a skillset suited for each situation, if they needed infiltration Alexa was the one to do it since no one would suspect her, if they needed to speak and gather information from [Humans], then Ale could do it well enough.


    And if a combat or something of the type was around, Alexandra was probably the one they would use; each of them was capable of combat, of course.


    And to be honest, Ale was the one better equipped since she had an actual BodyArmor custom made and their current weapons had been designed for her. They really needed to get into that.


    ¡°After the party, we should do that, yes.¡± ¡°Alexa wants claws tooooo, and maybe a tail? She wants to purr like Ale did!¡±


    ¡°I did not purr!¡± Ale screamed, ¡°I did..not¡­purr.¡±


    Ale didn¡¯t know why she had that outburst, for some reason the image of herself purring made her face feel hot, even though it was a natural reaction of her body¡­the idea of being seen as a cat girl purring¡­was not something she was quite comfortable, even though that body had been incredibly comfortable to have.


    [Human] bodies were weird.


    ¡°[Notice, host should leave within the next fifteen minutes to arrive on time.]¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, I need to get ready.¡± Ale said taking her mind out of that particular gutter of [Human] emotions, ¡°I should probably take a quick shower¡­¡±


    ¡°To the field of battle! The return of Commodore Soap and Mister Squeaky-¡± ¡°We only have enough time for a shower, so ignore the bathtub.¡±


    ¡°That was the plan, if we use the bathtub Alexa will want another chapter of her weird war.¡± Ale nodded as she walked to the bathroom. ¡°We need to refill the shampoo and soap too.¡±


    She removed the clothes she was wearing while making sure to return them to their original form, the oversize shirt returned to the silkblouse and her shorts returned to the silk pants that Alexa had been wearing before.


    The underwear was still the weird fungi underwear that grew and shortened itself with their changes, so that was left to the side; they were self-cleaning, so Ale did not see any reason to not use them.


    ¡°Should I put on formal? They didn¡¯t say, so my normal attire should suffice right?¡± Ale said as she opened the shower and walked into the warm embrace of water, she wasn¡¯t sure why Alexa feared the shower that much.


    ¡°Aaaaaaaaaah, the evil thing! Ruuuuuun!¡± ¡°Probably would be a good idea to get the bodysuit and wear your street attire atop it.¡±


    ¡°The bodysuit? Oh right, it IS a Super Villain meet¡­Hmm¡­.So using the fungi underwear should be fine? [Billy] is the one that gave us that right?¡± Ale said as she used the last vestiges of shampoo and liquid soap, it was still weird to use these things when Alexa played with them last night.


    They looked so¡­small now.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember him saying anything about it, so it should be okay.¡± ¡°Nooooo, Commodore Soap! Lieutenant Poo!¡±


    ¡°We should ask him later,¡± Ale said as she closed the showerhead after washing away the excess shampoo and soap, she had scrubbed¡­probably not as hard and extensively as she should.


    But her body was constantly being cleaned by her own nanites, so really. This was mostly so if someone with [Truth Core] besides [Eleanore] asked, then she could answer that yes, she had showered.


    ¡°So the [BodySuit] under, and atop a normal set of clothes¡­¡± Ale said as she walked to her room and left the pajamas on the bed.


    The next five minutes were used testing and looking at her wardrobe (She needed more clothes) and in the end she opted for the same getup she had used before.


    A pair of short pants a black string blouse and atop an oversized jacket. Under all of that her bodysuit on rest mode (The top shrank into a sports bra and the bottom into a second pair of sports trunks) making sure her hair was combed and she had a pair of cute brooches Ale was ready!


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then,¡± said the blonde girl as she left the apartment and closed the door behind, ¡°Time to [Eat].¡±


    Hadn¡¯t she eaten three portions of breakfast? Well, that was that, and this was this.

 Chapter 24: HOW FAR IS THAT PLACE?!?!?

    The way to the base was normal enough; Ale had expected to find other minions on the way down, but it was quite interesting the fact that there seemed to be fewer people around. And those that she found¡­


    ¡°*Sniff*...Mom said it would be okay¡­." Had been mostly other [Child Stage] kids crying while they held the hands of [Adult Stage] minions as they moved with backpacks and wheeled boxes.


    "Everything will be okay sweetie, Haephestus'' Forge never forgets. We will take care of you just fine." The Minion said as they walked into an Elevator that Ale had never seen before.


    "Oh, did we miss you little girl?" One of the Minions said walking to Ale, they had a table with some papers, "Can you tell me your name?"


    "I''m Ale, and I should not be on that list." Ale said as she fiddled with her bracelet to turn it into her Mask, "Here, this should be proof enough."


    And while the Minion in question seemed doubtful, Ale put on the Mask, and sure enough, there was a data transmission between the two masks.


    "Rhapsody¡­was it?" The Minion said unsure, "I have a little girl claiming to be¡­.yes she is blonde¡­around a meter or so tall¡­.I see¡­"


    The Minion had a conversation with someone using the internal communication system, Ale hadn''t been able to listen anything since she did not have special privileges anymore, not that she had used them during the mission. Who would have thought the mission would go to hell so fast that she didn''t have enough time to direct anyone.


    "Sorry about that Rhapsody," The Minion said turning to Ale, "We are¡­bringing the kids who lost their parents into a secure location, and some that had access to their parent''s stuff are trying to pass as Minions. It is a headache."


    "Pass as Minions? Can''t they work as one?" Ale asked confused, she was capable of working as one after all, granted she was not a good metric to compare, but surely they could do basic work?


    "Not so simple kiddo, we only have so many safe jobs for kids their age. Besides, if we start using kids, some other less moral villain groups will start doing the same, and they will source their child soldiers from less¡­reputable places," The Minion said shaking her head, "We will get enough flak from having you when the video of you does a few rounds. It is good that most of your fights were in your older form."


    Right¡­she fought against Chrysalis in her then [Young Adult Stage] form, and the latest mission had been mostly in alternate shifted forms, and her fight against V-8. But that would probably not be shown around, unless the [Heroes] didn''t mind her defeating one of their fighters.


    Really, the only thing that worried her was if they somehow got a video recording of Alexandra speaking with Alexanders.


    "I see¡­then what will be of them?" Ale asked as more and more [Kids] got herded into the new elevators that had been opening on the empty walls. Ale didn''t know there were so many of these; what kind of building had this many empty shafts?


    "If they have family they will go to them, should they pass up the evaluation from Cerberus," The Minion said.


    Ale couldn''t help but bark a laugh at that, after what she had attempted to do to them?


    "I''m sure she meant well!" "They don''t know about it, I doubt most of the minions will find out."


    "I know, I laughed like that too when they said it. Passing an evaluation from Cerberus? Easier to find a Hero committing a crime." The Minion said with mirth in their voice, "But that''s them rules. If any family is proven to be stable, they get a call. Should they accept the kiddos, we will deliver to them with scholarships all the way to Masters."


    That sounded expensive.


    "Should they fail or not want the kids. And let''s be honest: if they pass the evaluation, they will want them, and then they will get sent to any of the multiple orphanages under our umbrella. Or to any of the families that are under Haephestus'' Forge, some minions take orphans from other minions, keeping it all under family you know¡­" The Minion said turning to Ale, "We could probably get one of them to adopt you too you know¡­"


    Adopt Ale?


    "I''m fine as is," Ale said turning down the offer, "Besides I do have a guardian."


    "That you do¡­Quite a few actually," The Minion said nodding at her, "Anyway, carry on. We will be done by the afternoon. I would advise you to stay away till we are done, unless you want more minions to think you are a lost child that is."


    "Noted," Ale said, nodding her head and making sure the Mask was fixed on her face; there were plenty of Minions around, so she didn''t stand out.


    If anything donning her Mask made it easier for her to move around, so with that she walked down the staircase till she arrived to the ground floor, the place was¡­for some reason, quite desolate.


    She could count the people here with both hands and have a few fingers left over, the only people she could see was a couple of guards at the entrance, the receptionist, [Fan Girl] and-


    "There she is! Rhapsody this way!" [Fan Girl] said waving at her, she was with [Golem] standing in front of the Elevator.


    [Golem] was in what seemed to be the most compact form so far she had seen him using, unlike his usual rocky exterior, this one seemed to be made of white wood, Ale wondered what kind of properties this one had.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "Rhapsody." [Golem] like always, only nodded at her and motioned for her to walk into the Elevator.


    "Did you wait long for me?" Ale asked as she walked into the Elevator while waving at the receptionist.


    "Nah, we were discussing whether we should have waited for you up there or not. The black masks asked us to not stay on the floor as it made their job harder." [Golem] answered as he shook his head.


    "And I was telling him that we could have stayed, we are white masks. We are above them, they had no right to kick us out when we were just waiting for you." [Fan Girl] said crossing her arms over her chest as she grumped.


    "We may be above them, but in that instance they held the power. They were doing their job, we weren''t on a mission that required us to wait there. If you wanted to wait for Rhapsody, then we could have waited at her apartment." [Golem] said with a tired voice.


    "I know!" [Fan Girl] said back in a stronger tone, "I know¡­but¡­after Eleanore¡­.I don''t want to overstep boundaries."


    "We don''t know what happened or why Eleanore was barred from Rhapsody''s apartment." [Golem] said in his deep voice, Ale could hear his body tremble as if the materials were somehow sharpening itself within his body. "That is between Rhapsody and Eleanore."


    "But-" [Fan Girl] attempted to continue the topic.


    "That is all we will speak about the topic Sylph, for respect to both Eleanore and Rhapsody." [Golem] said shaking his head. "Sorry about that Rhapsody."


    "I don''t mind." Ale said shrugging, "Also I don''t mind you two going into the apartment if you want. If you want I can tell you what happened too, I did tell part of it to [Sylph]."


    "That will not be necessary," [Golem] answered as he raised his hand and made the stop sign with his palm, "It would taint our perception more than it already is. Work is work, family is family and friendship is friendship."


    What did that even mean?


    "So? You are saying that we can''t worry about Rhapsody? Just because Eleanore is higher on the totem pole?" [Fan Girl] grumbled as Ale felt a breeze in the closed room(Elevator).


    ¡°[Notice, detected a change in pressure within the Elevator.]¡±


    "No. I mean to say that we don''t have nearly enough power, influence, or means to deal with this problem as of now. I do not want information that may tip my actions more than they are already." [Golem] said as the sound of something hit the floor, turning her attention there Ale found debris from the woody material that [Golem] was made out of.


    The man merely stepped on the crumbled material as it was reabsorbed again, and his fists healed themselves. He had clutched his fists so hard that part of them had been damaged.


    "We are Minions, our work is to follow the instructions of those above us. We work for Villains and SuperVillains, and we will encounter injustice and actions that will offend a normal person''s sensibilities  from time to time. I knew this when I signed up, you should have known this when too." [Golem] said as he released the tension in his fists, "I signed here because no other work would have me. And so, till I have enough power to impose my will. Till I can right the wrongs I see, I will continue working, so knowing how or why Eleanore is barred as a legal guardian to one of my teammates is not something I need to know."


    "...Fair." [Fan Girl] said as her shoulders also released the tension and the change in pressure disappeared, "I work here too for a similar reason¡­so does Rhapsody too, I guess."


    "I work here cuz Alexa got offered Mango." Ale said with a shrug, "And because Frank said it was a good place."


    Really, all of this had started because [Frank the Beetle] suggested this place¡­If he hadn''t¡­


    Well, Alexa would have probably stayed around and gone into the sewer system or tried to live with [Frank the beetle]; she would have probably not ended up creating the sub-personalities that were Alexandra and herself, Ale. So she may have not ended up being created.


    In a way Ale was the creation of [Frank the Beetle]...and Eleanore. That was a fun train of thought to have.


    "Frank? As in Frank the Beetle?" [Golem] said in a surprised voice, "You know him?"


    "What''s so special about that guy?" [Sylph] said from the side.


    "He is¡­dangerous. He is known as one of the few cases of a bad trigger that managed to recover his sanity, but even so, he has a kill list as long as I am tall." [Golem] said shaking his head, "He is dangerous, not even the Heroes try to hunt him anymore for fear of triggering his bloodlust."


    "Can''t they just¡­you know¡­" [Fan Girl] said, making a weird sign with her fingers pointing at her head.


    "Not quite, he is an Insect Core. They are resilient, and since he was a bad trigger, his Core Powers are all over the place. With high regeneration, miscellaneous powers, super strength, and sixth sense, he is one of those weird cases of better leave it alone." [Golem] said turning to Ale, "He is also known for guiding lost bad triggers to get help, and saving people before they are gone too far."


    What were they staring at Ale for?


    "I met him after I was almost hit by a random attack from a fight between the [Scorcher] and [SuperForce]." Ale answered, "He panicked when he found my [Core] was new, if Alexa had known that telling him that I already had a defined [Core] would be enough she would have probably remained at his side."


    "....You do know he is dangerous, right?" [Golem] asked.


    "How dangerous are we talking?" [Fan Girl] said.


    "Very," Ale was the one to answer that question, "He is among the most dangerous [Human] that Alexa, Alexandra or myself have ever met."


    "And yet you think you would rather stay with him?" [Fan Girl] asked confused.


    "Alexa would yes, Alexandra I am not too sure." Ale said with a shrug.


    "We gotta go visit him!" "I think I would at least say Hi to him, not too sure that he would be as cordial to me as he was to Alexa."


    "As for me? I don''t think I would remain with him, I don''t mind him. But he seems to be more partial to Alexa than to anyone else." Ale answered pensive on the topic.


    "Why does Alexa like him then?" [Fan Girl] asked confused, "Did he bribe Alexa with mango?"


    "Or is it because she finds his visage interesting? As far as the tales say, he is quite¡­gruesome looking." [Golem] said from his side, shuddering, which was quite an interesting sight since he was currently made of white wood-like material.


    "It''s because he seems to be [Kindred]," Ale said with a shrug as the Elevator finally opened its doors, "He seemed to be a [Predator], so far one of two that we have found that are quite evident."


    "One of two?" [Golem] asked suspicious tinged in his voice, "Have you found more of those?"


    "Not me, Alexa found the second too, even if she left it to Alexandra to deal with," Ale said remembering the reaction they had to Sam, "I still don''t know what Alexandra sees in Sam. His spider half is better."


    "Do I want to know who Sam is?" [Fan Girl] asked.


    "If the spider half is who I think. Then no, we got a list of Core Users to leave alone and at the top is someone called The Spider." [Golem] said shaking his head. "You don''t do half-measures, do you?"


    "It turned out that way," Ale said unbothered by the stares, "I''d rather deal with these kind of people. At least I don''t need to wonder what they want."


    And that really was the problem here. Unlike Alexa, Ale had a more complex outlook on the world. She couldn''t help but wonder about motives, especially after what Alexandra found about Eleanore.


    "Well, next time you decide to go call us in. He may have shown goodwill towards you. But there is a reason the known murderer is lower on the list than The Spider." [Golem] said as he placed his hand atop Ale''s head and ruffled her head, "We don''t want you risking your life unnecessarily."


    "Yeah, besides what''s his deal with the edgy name anyway? Who even calls himself The Spider." [Fan Girl] said laughing a little, "Who else is on that list? We have a spider and a beetle. What''s next a cat? Dog? stinkbug?"


    That was a good question, if they had powerhouses like [Frank The Beetle] and [The Spider] (Aka Sam), then perhaps that list could be useful as a hitlist.


    "Not much, some members of the Saintsworths Conglomerate. The Scorcher and other SuperVillains...some Minions..." [Golem] said turning to Ale, "Rhapsody here is on that list actually, on the lower end of it, but still is on the list."


    "What?" [Fan Girl] said as she suddenly hugged Ale, "Why would they put a cutie pie like our Rhapsody there?!?!?!?"


    "...she has shown an extreme degree of fighting prowess, defeated a known Hero. Survived Chrysalis and apparently has met two dangerous individuals on this list." [Golem] said with a shrug, "I don''t mind her being there; if anything, that is a line of defense for her against some of the less... cordial members of our work environment."


    "But she is cute." [Fan Girl] said without letting go of Ale.


    "I''m pretty, not cute." Ale said raising her hand, "Alexa is the cute one."


    And that distinction was important, she didn''t want their stream of consciousness to mix. Not after they managed to confirm that they indeed existed as separate entities.


    Granted, none of the three had mentioned anything about it at the moment, it was more like a silent approval to the fact.


    "Whatever it may be, at least most of the minions that thought you were an easy target will think twice about messing with you." [Golem] said pointing at the doorway into what should be the hall where the fest was supposed to be going to happen.


    "And what about those that still decide to go after Rhapsody?" [Fan Girl] asked.


    "Well, failure is the mother of learning." [Golem] said shrugging, "That will depend on Rhapsody."


    "Are there any rules of engagement I should take in mind?" Ale asked, if there weren''t limitations... "And limits to the degree of fighting power I can use?"


    "An eye for an eye," [Golem] said opening the door, "Fair is fair after all, if they come after you. They must deal with the consequences, so long it doesn''t happen within the base, it is up to you and them how it resolves."


    ...Well well well... who would have guessed.


    Ale would indeed get to eat dessert after all, without needing to search for that weird desert.

 Chapter 25: The Theater Master! Again!

    The common hall was filled with people when Ale, [Golem] and [Fan Girl] arrived, but unlike what she had expected, the place had this undercurrent of somber mood, no one was talking aloud, nor were people moving around from place to place.


    Unlike how she had seen other times the people sat in on their seats, most had their mask on even, unlike what Ale was used to, sometimes when she passed by there was always at least one Minion unmasked going around and being rowdy.


    But now?


    Now, everyone was sitting on chairs with their dining utensils in front of them, waiting patiently.


    A few of those even had their full body armor and uniforms on, now that she was paying attention she noticed that both [Fan Girl] and [Golem] had been wearing their bodysuits under their outwear.


    Golem merely took a box from within one of his pouches and absorbed it, within seconds he was now once again a towering giant, "Expendable jacket, I''ll absorb the scraps and use them as material later," [Golem] said when Ale turned to stare at him.


    On the other hand [Fan Girl] merely unzipped her jacket and let the people get a look at her body armor. That was one way to show she was dressed for the occasion.


    So Ale pushed a few buttons on her belt and her bodysuit crawled over her body to encase her fully, she felt the skinsuit cling to her and like [Fan Girl] she unzipped her oversized hoodie letting her body armor show.


    Unlike [Fan Girl], she was able to absorb her blouse and shorts, so it looked as if she had been wearing this under her hoodie.


    Ale actually debated about absorbing the hoodie whole, but she had noticed that most of the Minions around were wearing some degree of street clothes, with a few exceptions of course.


    At a raised table stood a few [Minions] who were wearing what was obviously combat-designed armor.


    Going from left to right first was a girl wearing a red dress that clung to her body as if to emphasize her lines, and there were plenty of flat lines to go. She seemed to be some type of [Reptilian Core] user as Ale could see some green scales on her body, and behind her seemed to be a green tail with some fur at the end of it.


    Her upper body was mostly humanoid, with a few exceptions. She had a couple whiskers atop her lips, her eyes were reptilian-like and atop her head stood a couple horns. Ale wondered if she was also a bad trigger or was some pseudo [Shifter] like the woman that owned the vegan bistro restaurant she had gone to before.


    At the side of this weird lizard-girl was another girl with purple flowing gas-like hair, she was wearing a thick jacket with a hoodie that was up and covered most of her face, her mask had a weird design where on the mouth part had what looked to be a pair of cylinders, Ale had a vague memory of these being similar to the [Filter]-like masks offered for specialized jobs.


    Either way, she didn''t seem capable of eating with the mask like that, not yet, anyway. But then again, even her own mask was capable of opening a compartment to allow her to eat, so maybe that one was like that?


    At the side of this one and in the middle of the table stood a tall woman with a mask that had three snout-like faces with blue sapphire eyes, "Cerberus," Ale said as her eyes fell into the black-haired woman.


    "We could probably leave¡­?" [Fan girl] said as she took Ale''s hand and attempted to pull her back. "Right? Golem?"


    "...afraid that is not possible," [Golem] said placing his big hands on Ale and [Fan Girl] ''s back, "This is a mandatory meeting, let''s just sit on the outskirts."


    And so that they did, Ale kept her eyes on the raised table and continued eyeing the people there.


    Besides Eleanore, at her right, Ale saw another face that she already knew; it was an old man wearing only a pair of goggles and a scarf to cover his mouth and nose. His clothing unlike the rest was full of grease stains and she could see a couple of weary tools on his body.


    [Hermes], the tinkerer-former Hero turned Villain¡­turned Minion, and now that he stood on the raised platform, Ale wondered if he had more responsibilities than he ever let on before.


    The one at the end was someone she was familiar with in another sense; it was one of the first dangerous entities that she had met and that used the title of [Lieutenant], the same as Alexanders.


    Even if this was dangerous in another meaning.


    [Gabriel, The Fallen Angel].


    He closed in the table as the fifth there, unlike his usual demeanor he stood there in silence with no obvious show of his power, he was even wearing a face cover! Even if it barely covered his eyes and nothing else.


    "Greeting Minions," And while Ale was thinking about that, the mechanical voice of her current boss sounded, making the already quiet place even more quieter.


    "Rise!" The voice of [Billy] resounded strong and firm, as if it was an ingrained reflex every Minion stood as one (Or most of them anyway) at the command of the old Minion, "Salute!"


    As if repeating the event, the minions at the very front raised their right hand and hit their chest, roughly around the area of the heart, with their fists balled.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    The lines behind each of these minions did the same as if in a wave and surely enough when they got to the seats that Ale and her teammates stood they repeated it the same, of course the sound differed greatly for them. For one, Ale didn''t have a big lung capacity to create a resonance as big as the older minions¡­And for the second part.. *BANG!* [Golem] had a rocky body that made the sound vastly stronger and different from their fleshy counterparts.


    "You may sit now Minions, we will listen to some words from Vulcanus himself and some announcements, you may already know what these announcements are¡­" [Billy] in his [Hermes] persona spoke, he was still standing and while he wasn''t the tallest, nor looked taller than the other [Lieutenants] that were sitting around him, his presence still seemed to command [Authority], "Or you may think so, smart-asses."


    Some of the minions around laughed in a small voice, but the other Minion''s mood seemed to strangle their laughter, and since no [Lieutenant] addressed that, soon enough, the laughter died on its own.


    "Clean your ears and focus your minds Minions, burn this tragedy into your memory." [Billy] spoke gravely as he sat down, "Because that is our duty as those that survived."


    His words resounded around the room, and before Ale could even think about anything a series of names showed on on her HUD, she wasn''t sure what these meant, but these names didn''t had a last name, and some even sounded fake.


    "Good Morning my [Minions]," [Vulcanus] said as he walked forward and stood in front of the [Lieutenants], his visage still was that of a mechanical body, but somehow to Ale it looked¡­ different.


    The body seemed to be more rugged and damaged, Ale could see a few cuts and cracks on the body, she hadn''t seen those before when she met him. Was this another body? Why would he change the bodies?


    And more importantly¡­how could he do such a thing? As far as she had understood by how people spoke about [Vulcanus], Ale had thought he was a [Mechanical] or [Machine Core].


    "Today is a sad day," [Vulcanus] said as his voice trembled and he placed his fist against his mechanical chest, "Yesterday we lost many [Souls]. While on a normal routine mission for one of our clients we found a Ex-List danger zone."


    Hadn''t they found themselves against the scrambler guy?


    The minions spoke in hushed voices all around, [Vulcanus] let it a few minutes before raising his hand. Somehow every single Minion caught on that and stopped speaking at once.


    "As per our regulations. Any member of [Haephestus'' Forge] that wished to remain with us after waking up was accepted, and have provided operations to treat anybody suffering from dysmorphia. " Most of the minions nodded at this as if it was the most natural reaction ever.


    Ale was mostly confused about what this was about. Hadn''t they already solved and dealt with the situation of yesterday?


    "Now I stand before you in this form to ask," [Vulcanus] said as a big screen descended from the ceiling behind the [Lieutenants] and in turn, behind him. "Anyone that wishes to adopt or become a guardian to any of the orphaned may do so within the next 48 hours. After that, all the kids will be sent to an orphanage and their identity will be secured."


    A couple of Minions reacted at that and once again spoke among themselves, mostly in the way of people giving pats on the back at others, and a few others poked people in the ribs with their hands.


    Ale didn''t see any reason to do such a thing, as far as she had seen they probably would have a better training in special facilities designated to take care of them.


    "The files will be sent to anyone who wants them; you only need to fill out the forms and send them back to the server." [Vulcanus] said as a prompt showed on her field of view, Ale, of course, dismissed it, she was not equipped to deal with this kind of problem.


    "Rhapsody...just making sure, but you dismissed the message right? Just because it means you can get a friend to play does not mean you can fill that form," [Fan Girl] said from the side turning to look at Ale directly.


    "Of course I dismissed it. Can you imagine how many things I would need to take care of if there was someone to play with Alexa? I had to wash three people''s worth of dishes this morning just because of that." Ale said, shuddering at merely thinking how many people Alexa would want to live with them if she could get away with it, "Nope, no, sir. Not letting that happen."


    "But think of all the fun we could have!" "I''m with Ale on that one, we aren''t equipped to deal with more [Child Stage] Humans."


    "Focus people, Vulcanus seems to be about to make another announcement," [Golem] said, bringing their focus back to their employer, or the important one anyway.


    "Now, this last item is less important and relevant to the crisis we are experiencing," [Vulcanus] said as he started walking back to the far end of the raised platform, there a chair had started raising above the rest, "If any of you feel that you were wronged in some aspect by any member of this organization, taken advantage of in a vulnerable time. Or worked into what you think an unfair contract-"


    [Vulcanus] hadn''t finished speaking when several minions stood, most of those were people who had been seated on the far end of the hall.


    "- please tell us so that we may re-evaluate your situation and review the internal logs of your activity to make sure you are being treated fairly." [Vulcanus] words made those that stood sit down once again while grumbling about missed chances, "As for the next announcement...we will pass the stage to our previous customer."


    The lights in the hall turned off at once, leaving the place surrounded in darkness, Ale could barely see the people around her; her mask didn''t seem to want to change to night vision, so she modified her eyes (Main Core did it) to allow her to see in the darkness.


    They already had the [Blueprint] of the [Cat Girl''s Eyes] after all. Sure enough once that was done she was able to see in the darkness and there at the back a door had opened, from it a man wearing a Tuxedo walked in.


    Each step resounded on the hall as he marched straight to the raised platform with a woman dressed in a white dress of the same style as the reptilian girl on the table.


    [Aqua] and [The Theater Master].


    Ale followed them with her eyes making sure to not turn her head in their direction, the theater guy still had some cracks around himself, and she wasn''t sure what to think about that.


    It wasn''t as bad as with the scrambler guy, but this one still gave her a weird feeling about him, as if he shouldn''t be here. The worst of this was the fact that the theater guy turned to stare straight at her and nod to Ale, as if he knew she was seeing him.


    Even though she never turned her face in that direction, even though the room was dark. And even though the masks night vision wasn''t turning on.


    How was he even doing that?


    *Snap*


    "Hello minions, it is I!" The theater guy said as he snapped his fingers and a ray of light shone from the ceiling straight on the theater guy, Ale turned her head up and...saw nothing that could shine light upon him, the light just...manifested at some point, "[The Theater Master]!"


    [Aqua] started clapping her hands from the side, was this theater guy using his [Core Powers] in some way?


    "I have come to give my thanks for a good job well done, you went above and beyond what I could ever hope, and while some of you made the ultimate sacrifice, The Theater Troupe will make sure anyone that fell is taken care of so you, the ones that were left behind have nothing to worry about." The theater guy said as Aqua opened a briefcase and folders flew from it, way more folders than it should be able to contain, each of these fell in front of a minion in the hall, "Within the folders you will find the information about your evaluation and how much money will be deposited into your personal accounts, also some information about any extra loot that you earned, be it by achieving extraordinary feats or by fulfilling your mission targets."


    Ale turned to look at the folder in question; it did indeed detail her achievements and what she did during the mission; she wondered how the theater guy got this...


    "Can''t read with the lights off and when the stupid mask doesn''t want to activate the night vision mode tho." [Fan Girl] said opening her folder and closing it a second after.


    "Worry not, minions, you may read these at your own convenience when this meeting ends," The theater guy said, smirking and snapping his fingers yet again; the sound of hundreds of folders closing followed suit, except for the one that Ale was reading that is. "As for the performance bonus¡­well, those that got one will know since it is in their folders, but that isn''t fun. So here, have some fun!"


    And in that tone the sound of hundreds of plates teleporting into their tables sounded, and with it, a faint glowing light started illuminating the site, Ale took this chance to close her folder and place it within one of her bigger pouches, she folded most of the paper into half and hide those in a separated pouch too, just in case.


    In front of her however was¡­[Heaven]


    "I want one of those! And one of those! And don''t forget one of those!" "Alexa, all of those you picked up are the same, they aren''t dishes but complementary mango fruit¡­also I think they are meant to be decoration." "Don''t care! Mean one, grab one!"


    Ale did grab a few of those, but not because Alexa had asked for one, but because she noticed that each of the mango fruits that Alexa pointed had small differences between them, each of those was in a central fruit plate with other different fruits.


    ¡°[Identifying¡­Tomato, Orange, Banana, Pinneaple, Watermelon, Melon¡­.]¡±


    Main Core went ahead and identified most of those, but Ale would probably stand out if she continued picking up more fruits, Alexa had all but cemented the idea that they liked Mango after all, it would be weird if she suddenly started picking up another fruit right now¡­


    Dang it¡­


    "And with that, here are the clips!" The theater guy said as the big screen behind him, it was time to see how much had they seen.

 Chapter 26: The food is getting cold....

    The video started on with an aerial view of the area where they started the mission, it had bold letters on the image superposed that read [The Fight for the Truth], and below those letters a smaller ones in italics that read [Directed by The Theater Master], [Sound by The Theater Master], [Image by Aqua].


    "Here we have a brave group of fighters that will attempt to liberate valuable information from the grasp of the greedy dragon." The voice of Aqua sounded as the image zoomed into the building that Alexa had walked into.


    "First we shall see who our brave warriors are," The video panned away from the building and focused first on the black-masked minions, "Even while weaker and less powerful, the brave warriors still strive forward."


    At that the minions around raised their drinks and cheered, the video slowly panned away and focused to the white masks next.


    "Among these brave warriors, we have those that step above and beyond. The ones that spearhead the operation." Aqua''s recording said next, first focusing on some white masks that Ale hadn''t met before.


    So she mostly ignored them, the image focused on some other minions, the minions around her cheered with each mention. Ale noticed how besides the image they had their Minion name written around.


    "Oh, that''s me!" [Fan Girl] said, making Ale focus on the image next, and sure enough, there was the image of [Fan Girl] standing alone without anyone near her.


    "And next here we have our brave fairy of the winds, the brave Sylphid minion dancing around the winds and helping those that require aid from afar," Sylph did a small twirl and shot straight up into the skies.


    Soon enough, her image wasn''t visible anymore.


    "A loyal guardian to protect her friends from the skies as an overwatch," The voice of Aqua said, "And now that we talk about protectors this is our new behemoth."


    The image panned away from the group of minions into the farther reaches of their allotted area, there stood a big humanoid form made up of rocks, concrete, steel pillars and other alloys.


    "The Gentle Titan, Golem." The voice of Aqua continued on as the image of [Golem] moved on, the vehicles and buildings shook as he moved, "While gentle, his mission is first and so, he will release the wrath of a thousand for justice."


    The video showed him raising his fist and letting it crash down upon some random vehicle on the street, he slowly raised his fist and behind only remained a crushed vehicle. Ale for some reason felt as if the vehicle should explode or something, but alas. Nothing happened, that was bad cinematic effects, it would look more cool if they exploded.


    ¡°[Notice, there aren¡¯t enough components in the estimated blueprint to achieve an explosive reaction from the reaction, only volatile component within the blueprint that could achieve such a reaction is the fuel, and even that would require an enclosed area to achieve a boiling point before such an explosive reaction can be achieved.]¡±


    "And since [Golem] squished the vehicle into a tortilla, that can''t be achieved," "Even so, a boom would be cool! We need to convince [Meat Shield] about adding boom to his attacks!"


    Ale didn''t think there would be a day where she would share opinion with Alexa, which meant that this train of thought wasn''t the correct one.


    "Rude!"


    "You can almost feel his sadness as the gentle giant is forced to go against his creed, all in an attempt to bring peace to this world¡­all to strive to fight against the calamity dragon''s scheme." Aqua said on the video, making some minions giggle and turn to look to Ale''s group.


    "So¡­you cried huh," [Fan Girl] joined he whispers turning to look towards [Golem].


    "The mission required me to destroy some public properties and act as a mindless machine of destruction; I was not aware they would try to get this approach," [Golem] said shaking his head, "Had I known this, I would have added a water pump to make fake tears or something to that effect."


    "...You are not fun," [Fan Girl] said turning to Ale, "He isn''t fun right?"


    "Not fun," Ale said nodding her head, not sure why, but the social aspect seemed to indicate her to nod, and sure enough [Fan Girl] smiled and gave her a small hug.


    "Not fun! Not fun!"


    Even if that, one again, meant going into accord with what Alexa wanted, such a weird feeling.


    "And while all of this happened, even the little ones walked forward to help us advance the path of justice!" The image shifted towards Ale leaving the bank with the data she had been asked to collect.


    And then to the point where she found V-8.


    Would they show¡­


    "And when those that claim to be the side of justice, those that claim to be the helpers of those in need come to brandish their power for the wrong reasons¡­" The video paused one frame each time, showing how V-8 was kicking minions into the walls. "When all seemed lost¡­she stood forward, as what a true Hero of justice would and should do, not the fake Heroes that prance around the streets and seek fame and money."


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    The video then slowed down to a crawl, it was as if it only showed certain frames, it was as if she was seeing V-8 slowly teleport towards her, the slide-show stopped when V-8 was standing right in front of her.


    "When all was lost¡­she stood forward and showed us the hope of true justice standing against impossible odds, for¡­it is not every day that we see a clear example of David vs Goliath." Then the next image on the slide-show was shown, there stood Ale with her leg raised on the air and a single drop of blood falling from there.


    Had she been hurt? Well, obviously she had been hurt, it hurt like hell actually. But she didn''t remember bleeding.


    "And after standing against impossible odds, after being hurt. She didn''t complain, here we can see her inmediately reporting her job and accepting a new task. Even though her leg was hurt." The image showed her speaking with the high-ranking minion from the theater crew, "Never did she ask for healing or for medical care, instead she endured it¡­We have reports of her Core Power, and while it isn''t something that should be shared for the sake of being transparent we will."


    "Rhapsody? You were hurt? Why didn''t you report it?" [Fan Girl] said turning to her, and while Ale couldn''t see the older girl''s face, she knew that she was giving her the stinky eye.


    "Ale is in trouble! Mean girl is in trouble!" "Just tell her the truth, it shouldn''t be an issue."


    "I hurt my leg with the movement burst, but it was healed by the time my feet touched the floor again," Ale said with a shrug, "I didn''t know that I was bleeding, Main Core may have slacked off there,"


    ¡°[Negative, there was no leakage of blood. The Theater Master''s Crew may have edited the images to increase the appeal of host fighting impossible odds and achieving victory.]"


    "Main Core thinks they edited it to make it more dramatic," Ale said reporting the findings of Main Core.


    "It is possible, but that is a dangerous thing to do. Perhaps they can get away with it since you were actually hurt, so it lands in a gray area. If someone asks you don''t elaborate on the fact that you healed yourself." [Golem] said from the side while turning his stare towards the theater guy who was now sitting beside [Vulcanus].


    "That young heroine in the making is known as Rhapsody. She always fought for the sake of her fellow minions. She has even fought against injustice before even. And many of you know of her." Aqua''s voice sounded as a small screen manifested on the side, a video that Ale had seen before. Her fight against [Chrysalis], "She is the minion who was brutalized before. We have evidence, and her Core Power is that of a shapeshifter; we suspect that is how she managed to survive, since the previous appearance was not the real one."


    At that, some of the minions turned to stare at her.


    "That motherfu-" [Fan Girl] cursed under her breath.


    "Do you want us to raise a complaint? It is usually frowned upon for someone to expose your Core powers like this," [Golem] said from the side, it was obvious that he also didn''t like the fact that Ale''s power was exposed like that.


    Even if his own power was obvious for everyone who saw it.


    "I don''t mind it," Ale said with a shrug, "Even if people know I can shapeshift, they will not be able to do anything with that information."


    And most important of all, that wasn''t her real power, so really, it was a moot point at this point.


    "And as the fight went on, when our brave warriors thought nothing could stand in the face of justice...darkness befell upon them," The video shifted away and focused on the middle of a street farther away, where a man was suddenly enshrouded in darkness as people turned to look in their direction, the camera focused on several types of reactions.


    First was the people that stood there staring as if they didn''t know how to react, Ale graded those as easy meals, if just a little of surprise was all it took, she could probably eat a few of them before they understood what was happening.


    The second group was that of people who straight-up screamed and ran away as far as possible; Ale graded those as smart. She would probably need to go for the runners first, lest they invite danger back to her if she ever went on a rampage.


    The third group, however, was one that Ale didn''t understand what they attempted to do.


    "It''s futile," [Fan Girl] said from the side, "As soon as [The Scrambler] picked him, he was dead."


    "Even so, the effort they made is commendable." [Golem] said from the side.


    "Can it be stopped? Whatever that is." Ale asked as the video showed people attempting to remove the shadows that covered the man. Some tried to pull the darkness away from the man while he seemed to try the same, others threw water at him as if the darkness was a fire.


    Although the black smoke that came from him seemed to imply it was indeed something akin to fire, at least visually. The water had no effect. At the very end one of the group pulled out a [Gun] and started discharging it at the man.


    It didn''t work, and soon enough they got proof of that.


    "Darkness descended upon this good city, as [The Scrambler] started his march of madness." The video showed how as if their strings had been cut all the people around the man clad in darkness started falling to the ground, the darkness coalesced into a black robe, and soon Ale could see once more the man who she had seen fighting against the theater guy.


    What came next was an odd silence as everyone around him stood quietly as the image showed the scrambled guy walking across the city, people falling to the ground everywhere he went. And that was where Ale noted something...odd.


    People before falling opened their mouths and then fell; it was at that point that she voiced her doubts, "It''s muted? Why don''t they show the audio?" Ale asked.


    "Because of the Cognito hazard, some people are more susceptible to it than others and we don''t know the exact means or Core Power that [The Scrambler] uses to affect others." [Fan Girl] said while she held her right hand using the left, it seemed as if she was holding herself down.


    "It was thanks to the brave fairy who stood her ground even against the terror that we managed to even evacuate as many people as we did, and the sacrifices of those that stayed behind to make sure the people managed to escape are not to be taken lightly." Aqua said on the video as the image changed to minions helping the civilians run away, each minion stood roughly 10 meters away from each other as if making a line.


    All guiding people away from the place that the scrambled guy walked, Ale noticed how the video seemed to shake now and then, "It''s okay Sylph. He can''t get you here," [Golem] said suddenly.


    That made Ale turn to look to the side and there [Fan Girl]''s shoulders seemed to tremble here and there, up and down, she couldn''t hear anything, but she knew the mask had a system that isolated the sounds that one made, so perhaps [Fan Girl] had used them?


    "[Fan Girl] is acting weird, is she malfunctioning?" "Hmm....Ale, try to hug her."


    Ale wasn''t that sure about why Alexandra was asking her that, but nonetheless, Ale did as instructed. [Fan Girl] seemed to be surprised by this, but an incoming call came into her interface, one that Main Core accepted since it had come from [Fan Girl].


    "....*sniff*....thank you." The trembling voice of [Fan Girl] said as the other girl hugged her back.


    Ale wasn''t sure what she was being thanked for, but stayed as such for now. Instead she focused her attention back to the video at the front, there the image showed something that was...worrying.


    She could see from the airview where the scrambled guy was walking, and if she was reading the city''s layout right. The scrambled guy was walking straight to her.


    "It was thanks to an informant that our great warrior of justice noticed the approach and route of the darkness, and thanks to the fairy''s eye on the sky. We confirmed it, so as loyal followers of justice, Our protagonist went ahead to fight for all that is right in this world," Aqua''s voice said as the video shifted to the image of the theater guy, the production value of that scene obviously more detailed with better quality and more effects.


    The video then showed the theater guy listening in to a call to his cellphone, and immediately afterward, he started running; it was weird seeing him on the screen since, unlike how Ale viewed him on the image, he wasn''t glitching in and out as multiple images of himself screamed; he wanted to stand and fight on the front line.


    "So he ran, and when running wasn''t enough, he jumped, he used flight, and even risked his welfare by attempting pseudo teleportation. Even though none of those are his powers to begin with," Aqua''s voice explained as the theater guy suddenly jumped and ran across the walls of nearby buildings, and in some instances, he even seemed to walk on the air.


    The video showed him rushing and and finally arriving in front of the scrambled guy, they semed to speak for a few seconds as both stood in front of the other, and while that was interesting, it didn''t last.


    After a few seconds of staring, both started fighting it out.


    That was interesting, since when Ale arrived they had been mostly talking, the image weirdly enough cropped out the building from which Ale had seen this and instead seemed to focus more on the other side of the street.


    The fight...wasn''t that interesting to be honest, the theater guy seemed to fight by summoning weird things to throw at the scrambled guy, from anvils to pianos and occasionally a car or two, on the other hand. The scrambled guy seemed to throw weird eldritch creatures made of the same dark substance that his robe was made from.


    "And amidst all of this, a new hero was born," Aqua''s voice said as the image of Alexanders showed up on screen, pizza included. "And so, our adventure comes near a close..."


    Ale couldn''t wait for this to finish, she wanted to eat already....The food was getting cold, and [Fan Girl] was not calming down either.

 Chapter 27: WE EAT!

    ¡°And you saw that?¡± [Golem] asked from the side as Ale continued doing her sacred mission of shoving food into her mouth trying to dodge the arm of [Fan Girl] who was still hugging her


    The older girl was no longer trembling and instead was keeping a steady rythm, Ale predicted that she was more than likely done with whatever she had been doing before, and was merely waiting to return to normal.


    ¡°And that ends our documental on the newest attack on our lovely city, the birth of a new shining star, the declaration from the brave minion that said she would not bend to the tyranny of those that claim to be heroes¡­and of course, further proof that [The Theater Master] deserves the title of a deuteragonist¡­This was Aqua, and we will be seeing you next time at the same time.¡± With that the lights returned and they saw once more the place, some minions groaned as the light came too soon.


    But Ale noticed how [Fan Girl] disappeared for half a second only to reappear sitting as if nothing had happened; Ale didn¡¯t even notice when she moved nor how she moved with such speed.


    ¡°[Detected a localized flare of Mana disrupting the stability of the space near host, more study is required.]¡±


    ¡°Now Minions, with that out of the way, you may eat,¡± [Vulcanus] said motioning towards the theater guy who then stood up from the table with the other [Lieutenants] and sat with [Vulcanus]. One of the nearby black masks moved the food and then after the minion left, the theater master seemed to start talking with [Vulcanus].


    Obviously, [Vulcanus] was not partaking in the festivities since he didn¡¯t have a mouth to eat with. Such a flaw in the design¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s on your mind Rhapsody?¡± [Fan Girl] asked from the side, her voice had returned to normal, even if Ale could feel a small tinge of Mana on how the voice was modulated, was she using her [Core Power] to speak?


    Why?


    ¡°Was thinking that [Vulcanus] has a poor design on his body,¡± Ale said aloud; the minions nearby all stopped moving.


    ¡°Why do you think so?¡± [Fan Girl] asked nonchalantly, as if she hadn¡¯t noticed how the other minions around them had stopped moving.


    ¡°Well, he can¡¯t eat for starter.¡± Ale said as she turned to look around, searching for whatever had caused them to stop moving.


    No sooner had she said those words than the minions around erupted in laughter. Had someone said something funny?


    ¡°....yeah, I can see that being a problem, what do you think fearless leader?¡± [Fan Girl] said amidst laughter.


    ¡°I can see that being a problem yes,¡± [Golem] said as he ate one small portion of food in one go, Ale could hear the crunch from the bones of the piece of meat that he had thrown into his mouth whole, ¡°I can still taste some of the flavors here and there, but the more simple things do pass without a taste. Can¡¯t imagine going without flavor.¡±


    Oh right, [Golem] had joined with the intention of finding someone to fix his problem of going full inorganic right?


    ¡°That must suck, did they manage to find a minion with the correct core power yet?¡± [Fan Girl] asked while pilling some of the pasta from one of the bigger bowls onto her own plate; she then grabbed a few of the chicken pieces from the bowl near [Golem].


    ¡°Not yet, they are checking if we can try one of the Mind Core users to see if this is more of a mental lock first. If they manage to get the right one we will test it.¡± [Golem] said as he pushed a whole canister of drinks into his mouth, then with one gulp he crushed it using his jaw and ate the thing whole.


    It made Ale wonder if she could achieve something similar to that.


    ¡°[Not on the current setting, it would be possible by changing some of the facial structure, but then the visage of a Human would be lost.]¡±


    ¡°Ale¡­please don¡¯t start to nom things like Alexa.¡± ¡°Nom the world! Born to om, the world is nom!¡±


    Ale was tempted, but decided against it, she was better than Alexa after all.


    ¡°Can¡¯t Rhapsody do it?¡± [Fan Girl] asked suddenly pointing to Ale, ¡°She did something similar before when fighting the Mind Core girl on her class, right?¡±


    She did yes¡­


    ¡°We have thought about it, but the degree of modification that I need and the localized modification she did aren¡¯t on the same level.¡± [Golem] said shaking his head, ¡°Would you attempt it Rhapsody?¡±


    ¡°If I can get a target [Blueprint]...then yes.¡± Ale said slowly, ¡°I do need a [Blueprint] to turn the matter into, it would be better if it was something you are used to. Or there is a risk of disassociation between your [Consciousness Stream] and your [Brain].¡±


    Ale did not wish that upon anyone else, it was part of the reason she left the shifts to [Main Core] and to [Core], they seemed to have a knack for how to do it best.


    ¡°So you could do it?¡± [Golem] asked as he slowly turned his head toward her, ¡°Could you return me my Humanity?¡±


    Could she?


    Ale didn¡¯t think she could give such a thing to anyone else, it was debatable if she even had that to begin with, even if Main Core, P4, Core and even the goddamned asshole that was Alexanders said that she had it.


    ¡°I can attempt to, but the shift from nonorganic to organic can be harsh, we¡­.Alexa¡­I mean¡­ Body dysmorphia is a bitch.¡± Ale ended up saying, and as the words left her mouth her hand darted straight to her mouth to cover it.


    When no one said anything, Ale sighed in relief, unsure about what had prompted that reaction, it seemed to be linked to her reflexes, ¡°I need a target to attempt and change the material of your body into, and I don¡¯t understand how [Core Powers] interact with the body quite yet, chances are your [Core] will just return you to this form again.¡±


    ¡°But you can do it,¡± [Golem] said again, this time more convinced of the fact.


    ¡°I can turn you into Alexa, Alexandra or myself right now yes.¡± Ale nodded, ¡°Or at the very least attempt to do it, if you wish.¡±


    Ale said that extending her hand towards Golem, her finger pointing at him. [Golem]... hesitated and retracted his arm away from her touch. Ale had made sure to leave a few centimeters of clearance between herself and [Golem].


    ¡°[Notice, changing of foreign material tied to another Core and Consciousness Stream has not been tested¡­]¡±


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    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 68.0908%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Core:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    There is one instance of this being done, and the results have proven positive.


    It is possible to interface and modify a foreign Core and a foreign body.


    This experiment is only guaranteed success if host is linked to the target, currently host is not linked to Human Designation: Golem.


    Care is advised.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°[No evidence of such event or experiment was found within database.]¡±


    Interesting¡­yet again.


    Somehow [Core] seemed to imply that it was possible and that there was a way to increase the success rate, even though Main Core had not found evidence of such claims, nor had Ale found them, they didn¡¯t have this [Core] for long, and Ale had access to pretty much every waking moment after Alexa left the installations. How could [Core] guarantee the success.


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­refrain from turning into a little girl,¡± [Golem] said finally after hesitating for a few minutes.


    ¡°Are you sure? She is kind of cute, and her adult form¡­it makes me wonder if being straight is worth it,¡± [Fan Girl] said from the side hugging Ale from behind and rubbing her masked face against Ale¡¯s mask.


    ¡°What do you need to guarantee success? What do I need to get?¡± [Golem] asked in a lower tone.


    What did she need?


    ¡°[Biomass] to fuel the transformation and [Energy],¡± Ale started with the easy one, ¡°Around 200 kilograms of [Biomass] should be enough, as for [Energy]...around 20 kilograms of [Sugar] or a similar should be enough.¡±


    Ale didn¡¯t think she would need more than that.


    ¡°Easy enough to get, do you need the biomass thing alive? Or is frozen meat viable?¡± [Golem] asked in a somber tone.


    ¡°....What are you on about? Are you planning to kidnap some poor soul?¡± [Fan Girl] asked in a somewhat frosty tone.


    What?


    ¡°Meat is meat, be it [Giant Rat] or [Burgers].¡± Ale said from the side, ¡°I would rather it be dead, but if you want it alive it makes no difference to me.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­and the blueprint thing? What is it? What do you need?¡± [Golem] said with some relief in his voice, what was the problem with using live or dead meat? Ale didn¡¯t quite get the issues; if it was up to her, she would nab a few [Civilians] and use them since that way, she would need to make fewer things and could import them as is.


    ¡°If you have some [Genetic Material] from yourself before you triggered that would be fine, if not I can attempt to reverse engineer something from your body I guess?¡± Ale wasn¡¯t sure if she could get some genetic samples from rocks from [Golem], but it was worth a try.


    ¡°Hmm¡­.I do have¡­something, come close,¡± [Golem] said motioning for Ale to move closer, so she did.


    They were sitting on the same table anyway, so moving her chair closer to [Golem] was easy enough.


    ¡°Sylph, can you give us some privacy?¡± [Golem] asked turning to [Fan Girl], she only shrugged and raised her hand upwards, with her index finger pointing up and in one smooth motion she pointed down.


    The wind reacted to her movements and a curtain of wind surrounded [Golem] and Ale a few moments later, Ale couldn¡¯t see anything from the other side, and she assumed no one else could see something from the other side.


    It was quite an interesting phenomenon as Ale noticed that the sound was also isolated from the outside.


    ¡°Okay, this please keep it a secret, but¡­my body isn¡¯t quite fully¡­.inorganic,¡± [Golem] said as he raised his shirt and on his chest slowly the rocks started moving to the side, giving way to the internals¡­


    Most of these looked petrified as if they had turned into rocks, but as they moved away, Ale noticed something. Something that she couldn¡¯t quite believe she was seeing, for at the back of a metal plate¡­


    ¡°[Detected organic material, studying¡­]¡±


    ¡°[Categorized, heart. Vena Cava, Vena Aorta¡­.]¡±


    ¡°[Veins connected to crystal component¡­Should not sustain life¡­more study is required.]¡±


    [Golem]¡¯s Heart was connected to a group of crystals growing around it, and from these crystals, blood flowed out¡­and flowed in.


    ¡°[Detected high pressence of Mana¡­]¡±


    ¡°[Notice, detected pressence of Core.]¡±


    ¡°This is what you could call the last figments of my body. This is my Heart and I guess you could call my Core?¡± [Golem] said pointing at his own beating Heart. ¡°I keep it safe by growing and placing the hardest metals I can find around, before it was steel. But after coming here I keep some durasteel around it, for safe keeping you know.¡±


    ¡°....Yes¡­.That should work¡­¡± Ale said as her eyes traced the impossible things that she was seeing; biological beings didn¡¯t work like that; not even at her peak using [THE CRAB] had P4 managed to fuse organic and inorganic like that.


    Her organic functions did interact in some degree with her inorganic functions, but it wasn¡¯t quite like this.


    ¡°May¡­may I?¡± Ale asked as she removed her gloves.


    ¡°Just try to not poke the important bits if you can,¡± [Golem] said, his voice still sounded firm, but Ale could see his [Heart] accelerate, so that was proof enough that he wasn¡¯t quite unflappable as he pretended to be.


    ¡°Sure, I just need a few samples¡­¡± Ale said as she extended her hand slowly towards the interior of [Golem], ¡°If it helps you may want to look away,¡±


    Ale didn¡¯t mind him seeing, but still said so, mostly because if she wanted to not disturb the organs she would need to use the wiggles, and if [Fan Girl] reaction was something to go by, [Humans] didn¡¯t quite like the wiggles.


    ¡°Okay, just tell me when you are done,¡± [Golem] ended up saying as his stony face closed his eyes and turned to look towards the ceiling.


    ¡°It will be fast, Main core¡­please point the most efficient targets,¡± Ale said aloud, mostly for [Golem]¡¯s benefit.


    ¡°[Highlighting most optimal sites for biopsy, highlighting Core within Human Designation: Golem for study.]¡±


    That was the most important bit, Ale¡¯s fingers elongated and then slowly turned into very thin tendrils, one by one they grew and latched into [Golem]¡¯s exposed vitals. One went straight towards the beating Heart.


    That one extracted some cells and isolated them as they retracted back.


    The next two tendrils went towards [Golem]¡¯s artery and veins, one towards the blood that came in, one towards the blood that left, both took a sample of said blood and retracted after isolating it.


    Ale systematically went and picked a small sample from every organic component she found; soon, she had almost everything she needed, and as far as she could see, [Golem¡¯s Heart] had calmed down to a steady rhythm of 59 beats per minute.


    Now it was the hard part, ¡°I¡¯ll now take some of the nonbiological samples; this will be a little more forceful.¡± Ale said aloud to [Golem], to his credit he didn¡¯t flinch as hard.


    ¡°Go for it, anything you take I can replace it later, if you need to cut some of the meaty bits go for it. I¡¯d rather you take a chunk if it means that I get a normal body faster.¡± [Golem] answered.


    ¡°I have enough biological samples already; anything more will not make it easier,¡± Ale answered back; really, why was he so desperate to cut parts of his important bits? Didn¡¯t he have self-preservation?


    ¡°[Highlighting important areas, host may proceed with the biopsy.]¡±


    In Ale¡¯s vision, new areas started shining to her eyes, some parts of the crystal growing and below the [Heart], a small marble that was surrounded by meaty tendrils that pulsated at the same rhythm as [Golem]¡¯s Heart.


    His [Core].


    Ale¡¯s tendrils first took material from the immediate area of [Golem]¡¯s meaty bits, then a little farther away, and she continued in this manner till she got to the exterior; at that point, she doubted there would be anything new.


    That was the easy part, the next? It promised to be more dangerous.


    She hadn¡¯t found [Stellar¡¯s Core] when she made the [Blueprint] for Alexandra¡¯s body, she hadn¡¯t found a full [Blueprint] when checking on Meli-Meli, and with [Fan Girl] it kept moving around, so far she hadn¡¯t found evidence of anyone else having a [Core]. But here? right now?


    She could actually see the condensation of Mana within [Golem¡¯s body], and now¡­she would attempt to take a sample.


    ¡°Main Core, be ready for combat situation, prepare countermeasures.¡± Ale sent inwardly and turning to [Golem] she said, ¡°This will be the last sample, this one may¡­sting a little.¡±


    ¡°Go for it, I¡¯m ready.¡± [Golem] answered instantly.


    Ale doubted he was ready but nodded nonetheless, ¡°Here goes nothing,¡± And in that tone Ale sent her group of tendrils, she had moved almost all her tendrils to move near the [Core], and without hesitation she fused five of them into a drill and sent it at the [Core].


    ¡°Khuu-¡± [Golem] strangled a scream and Ale retrieved her tendrils as fast as she could as [Golem]¡¯s chest closed before her eyes, Ale jumped backward as far as she could as [Golem]¡¯s body seemed to spasm.


    ¡°Everything okay there?¡± [Fan Girl]¡¯s voice sounded as Ale¡¯s body hit the wall of wind piercing it in the middle of her jump.


    Ale had forgotten that thing was there, ¡°Yes, you can lower that thing.¡± Ale said as [Fan Girl] did just that.


    Looking around Ale noticed how most of the minions near them had vacated the area, people had moved away from them and weren¡¯t looking at them, that seemed¡­oddly convenient.


    ¡°They decided to give you both some privacy when I asked them,¡± [Fan Girl] said with a shrug.


    ¡°Of course we will give privacy, especially if you throw one of those wind cutters my way!¡± One black-masked minion shouted from the far end of the room.


    That one had very good hearing.


    ¡°Shut it Karl!¡± [Fan Girl] screamed back, ¡°Is the big guy okay?¡±


    ¡°...I think so,¡± Ale said turning to look at the wind cocoon.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine¡­¡± [Golem] said as he walked out of the thing, he had his shirt on once again, and while his stony face didn¡¯t betray his feelings, Ale couldn¡¯t help but feel that he seemed to be¡­.hurt. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect that to hurt, hadn¡¯t felt pain in quite some time, sorry about that Rhapsody¡­.did you get enough? or do you need another try?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything that can incriminate us too, we know you are rock hard-¡± The voice was suddenly drowned as a gust of wind hammered down at the far end.


    ¡°Shut it Karl!¡± Screamed [Fan Girl] once again as she turned to look at her and [Golem], ¡°Ignore him, he is drunk, so¡­what is the verdict? Can you do it?¡±


    Could she do it?


    ¡°I need to study these and see if I can get a working [Blueprint],¡± Ale said, looking inwardly to the samples she had now hiding in her arm; she hadn¡¯t started her analysis quite yet, ¡°And I may need a couple extra arms.¡±


    ¡°What do you need weapons for?¡± [Fan Girl] asked confused. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to school tomorrow?


    ¡°Not those weapons, I have enough of my own,¡± Ale said shaking her head, ¡°Actual arms, maybe one or two freshly harvested. Does it hurt you if I take one of your arms later?¡±


    Ale would need to practice in a smaller sample before attempting the full body reversion after all, and what better target than one arm or two. Maybe if she managed to do it right she could harvest a couple kilograms of meat for her dinner even!


    But she would first need to make sure [Golem] was tasty, it wouldn¡¯t do to eat a rocky meal after all.


    ¡°It should be fine, any inorganic part I lose regrows on their own later and when I have lost arms they turn into normal rocks after a few minutes,¡± [Golem] answered as he tapped his arm, ¡°You can have as many as you need, hell, if you can manage to return me to normal I won¡¯t mind you stabbing me again¡­I don¡¯t know what you took a sample of, but that hurt as if you had carved through my Soul.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Come on big boss, Rhapsody is a little girl, no way she could hurt you that bad,¡± [Fan Girl] laughed at the expression.


    But Ale did not, she was not sure what a [Soul] was in this context, but she could guess that it had something to do with the [Consciousness Stream] and if [Golem] had his housed like Alexa had done with hers... then his was within his [Core] too. And Ale had indeed carved something from there.


    So the wording was quite unfortunate in this example, for Ale had quite literally carved through this theoretical [Soul].

 Chapter 28: The Cat Girl Core update

    The feast continued on as normal after that; people gradually came to sit at their side when they noticed that [Fan Girl] was not resuming the wind barrier nor whatever she had made to prevent other people from barging into her sampling of [Golem]¡¯s innards.


    Ale didn¡¯t mind that and neither did [Fan girl] or [Golem]. The girl started speaking with other minions when she noticed that Ale was more focused on sampling as many types of food she could and since [Golem] had moved away to speak with other minions with full transformations.


    Ale didn¡¯t know what they were speaking about, but it seemed to be an animated conversation with some people turning to look at her, [Golem] seemed to be shaking his head quite often and sighing quite loudly.


    At some point one of the minions speaking in that group separated from the group and took quite a wide arc to end up sitting at her side, Ale of course didn¡¯t mind it that much, and only noticed it because Main Core kept track of the people around her.


    ¡°Hello, Rhapsody was it?¡± The other Minion said, Ale noticed that her Mask was modified to let a pair of fluffy ears protrude from her hood.


    ¡°*Mogu-Mogu*¡± Ale merely continued wolfing down the food while nodding her head.


    ¡°I was told by Golem there that you helped him get some bullet fragments from within his chest that had been hard to remove. Can your Core Power be used like that?¡± The Minion asked as she took a glass and filled it with a white liquid, Ale turned her attention to the carton she had poured it from, it read Milk.


    ¡°*Gulp*¡± Ale finished eating the chicken leg she had been munching and turned to look at the Minion, ¡°It can be used like that yes, I can grow very thin and nimble tendrils to help pull out the small pieces of bullet that [Golem] couldn¡¯t assimilate.¡±


    And to make an example of just that Ale grew a few wiggles as she raised one of her hands, these grew from her exposed hand since Ale hadn¡¯t bothered to put on her gauntlets again. Not that she needed them, besides, people tended to look at her weirdly when she licked the gloves¡­


    ¡°I see¡­So if I had a bullet wound, you could remove the bullet then?¡± The Minion asked while her fluffy ears continued to move from left to right, up and down, Ale noticed other weird movements she was making.


    Her feet seemed to be in position to give her the highest amount of leverage to jump away, her hands were holding onto the table as if to make herself not move away¡­why was she acting as a [Prey]?


    ¡°Of course, if your own [Core] isn¡¯t able to help you I can give it a try, where is the wound?¡± Ale asked nontheless, she couldn¡¯t help but lick her lips at the idea of free samples .


    Her Mask closed up but the other Minion saw her and flinched, but didn¡¯t run away. It was quite interesting, Ale wasn¡¯t sure if she could do that, to remain in a place when all her instincts told her to run away, granted, her degree of instincts was different to that of the [Humans].


    ¡°Right¡­It¡¯s here.¡± The other Minion said as she pulled her sleeve up, what Ale found was¡­not what she was expecting, ¡°Are you okay with blood?¡±


    There was a white strip of cloth around a part of her arm; the skin was roughly the same color as hers, but what was interesting was the fact that the arm was thinner than she had expected when compared to the amount of strength she had used against the table.


    Ale turned her attention to where the girl had held herself, and sure enough, there were a couple marks of where her fingers had been.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with it,¡± Ale said, and it didn¡¯t take, but a second before the other girl lifted her other hand and brought it close to the white strips of cloth; her fingers grew sharp claws and cut through the white fabric. ¡°I¡¯m removing the bandages then, it should have healed enough to not drop blood on the floor, but please be quick.¡±


    Ale paid attention to it, it was her first time seeing one of these shifts from up close, unlike her own shifts, this was closer to seeing in real-time as the flesh reshaped itself and allowed the bone to extend to the outside, Ale could see the muscles move and reshape to accommodate the changes into the claws.


    It was a more organic and streamlined way for the claw design.


    ¡°[Recording outward appareance.]¡±


    ¡°[Recording shifting sequence.]¡±


    ¡°[Recording movement of flesh, updating procedure, updating looks.]¡±


    Good, Ale could use this, perhaps people would stop flinching when she shifted in front of them.


    ¡°So? Can you do it?¡± The girl said, Ale couldn¡¯t see her face, or most of her skin. But she could see the slight tremble in the other girl¡¯s movements and hear the trembling of her voice. Also the amount of pheromones that screamed panic, run, and help was increasing by the second.


    ¡°Yes, it will not take much.¡± Ale said first placing her left hand into the other girl¡¯s wrist and hovering her right hand over the wound, ¡°This will not hurt¡­much.¡±


    And in that note Ale let her other hand press against the wound, first she sent one very thin tendril into the wound, that one would fish for the bullet. Then she sent other tendrils into the nearby flesh, she¡­was going to do something else now.


    ¡°Main Core, attempt to mend the flesh wound. Do not leave nanites; just try to weave the flesh back together and remove any presence of our modification here.¡± It was the first order she gave.


    ¡°[Awknowledged mission, starting procedure.]¡±


    With that out of the way, ¡°Please tell me if you feel any pain,¡± Ale said aloud to the girl¡­whose name she didn¡¯t know, ¡°And I don¡¯t think I got your name?¡±


    ¡°....Catgirl.¡± The girl said as she remained frozen, the girl had stopped moving as soon as Ale got hold of her hand, ¡°...I¡¯m¡­.Catgirl.¡±


    That was¡­quite the unfortunate naming, she would get hounded by those weird people that continued to try and make her turn into one of those [CatGirls] while being P4 before.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Either way, Ale focused on her Mission at hand.


    ¡°Core¡­get the [Blueprint] and try to locate the [Core] on this CatGirl.¡± Ale sent towards [Core].


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 28.518%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Core:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Acknowledged¡­


    Sending Nanites¡­


    Blueprint acquired¡­Beast Core - Cat Girl (Nekomimi)...


    Updating local blueprint, fixing instabilities.


    ¡­..100%


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    That was fast.


    ¡°[Host, we found remnants of bullet fragments within the arm; they seem to have embedded themselves within the bone tissue. Extraction is possible, but there may be profuse bleeding. It is advised to prepare for eventualities.]¡±


    ¡°I found some bullet pieces within your bones, if I remove them you may bleed so I need something to staunch it¡­¡± Ale said, she could probably use some of the chicken meat for now, since she doubted there was some [CatGirl Meat] around.


    ¡°...I have¡­.some bandages¡­and gause ready¡­¡± CatGirl said pointing at some of her pouches with her free hand, she tapped the pouch in question and then her arm darted back to the table where it settled once more in a death grip.


    ¡°If you are sure¡­¡± Ale said unsure of why the CatGirl wouldn¡¯t want to use the available [meat] around, but it wasn¡¯t her body or wound, so she merely shrugged.


    ¡°Main Core, remove the bullet fragments and close the wounds as best as you can; use the nearby biomass to deal with any bleeding, and reroute the damaged veins around as needed.¡± Ale commanded and felt her energy drain as Main Core started burning through the reserves she had built up during dinner.


    Ale would need to eat some more after this, wouldn¡¯t she?


    Either way, it took a few seconds at worst, and it was a job done.


    ¡°[Mission complete, no loss of biomass from host, loss of biomass from target around 20 grams. Loss of blood estimated around 20 milliliters.]¡±


    That was less than she had expected.


    ¡°Done, I managed to staunch the bleeding with some of your muscles,¡± Ale said as she removed her arm from the CatGirl.


    Who proceeded to rip out the lower part of her Mask and start licking the place where the wound had been before.


    The girl really was a CatGirl; she even had whiskers and a pair of fangs in her mouth, Ale could see that she was closer to a [Predator] than [Prey], so it was quite the surprise that she was acting like she was.


    Perhaps she had some malfunction?


    ¡°Oh, thank you¡­.¡± CatGirl said after licking the place her wound had been before for almost two minutes straight, ¡°Sorry about that, I know you are one of us and Golem said you were cool with us. But¡­.you know how it is with Beast Cores like us; instincts are hard to deal with.¡±


    So it was her instincts as a [Beast Core] what made her act like that?


    ¡°What do your instincts tell you about me?¡± Ale asked intrigued, Core and Alexanders said that she was [Alive] that she was a [Person].


    But what would the instincts of someone like CatGirl say about her? So far she seemed to be among the sharpest people she had met, not even snout face seemed to find anything weird about her after all.


    ¡°That you are Death,¡± CatGirl said, turning to her, staring straight at Ale, ¡°That you are a predator and to run away and not look back¡­¡±


    Well, that did check up¡­


    ¡°Sorry, it will go away when I¡¯m used to you.¡± CatGirl said with a small smile on her face, ¡°It is like that with new people I meet who have a Core above a certain threshold; when I first saw Vulcanus, I jumped onto a wall, and they couldn¡¯t get me down for almost five hours¡­that was embarrassing.¡±


    ¡­..No, that was common sense. Ale would have done the same if not because she was struggling to keep the charade of being a normal [Human] that time, but she could understand from where these instincts of Cat Girl were coming.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, if it is between seeing me as a [Prey] or a [Predator] I would rather be the second.¡± Ale said, nodding her head at CatGirl.


    She would strive to always be the [Predator], she wanted to live after all, and if what she had seen was something to go by, then she would require more power.


    ¡°Okay, by the way. I didn¡¯t think that Golem had done something bad, but some of the others didn¡¯t believe him; he does have a position of authority over a couple of cute girls, and some of the other minions wanted to make sure that he wasn¡¯t abusing his authority. And with the rumors about Cerberus being taken down a notch¡­people are jumpy, more so now that we lost so many Minions¡­¡± Catgirl explained, so that was why she had come to her?


    They thought [Golem] was¡­.what? Using his authority to give faulty commands? Ale wouldn¡¯t follow such commands, and she doubted anyone could tie down [FanGirl], not if she was hiding as much power as Ale thought she was.


    Half the things she was doing couldn¡¯t be explained only by the use of a [Wind Core], and now that Ale had found out about secondary cores being a thing, she doubted that [Fan Girl] had only one.


    She would need to make sure that her own Secondary Core was something she could use to increase her might, perhaps a [Devour] one? Or a [Mango] Core?


    No, wait, that one was more of an Alexa thing.


    ¡°Mango Core let¡¯s goooooo!¡± ¡°....We are not building a Mango Core.¡±


    Speaking of! ¡°Main Core, what are the results from [Golem]¡¯s samples?¡± Ale had almost forgotten about that; she had taken plenty of samples from [Golem]!


    ¡°Analyzing samples¡­.results are as follows.¡±


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 19.4579%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Core:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Blueprints acquired:


    -Absorption Core


    -Material Core


    -Corrupted Core


    -Reproduction Core


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Well, that was lackluster.


    ¡°Thank you for this¡­I¡¯ll go tell the others that you are okay now¡­I doubt that Golem could present a danger to you either way¡­If my instincts are true, at least.¡± Cat Girl said jumping away.


    The girl had generated enough kinetic energy that she landed on the other side of [Golem]¡¯s group of people, some of the other Minions did turn to look in her direction and then towards CatGirl, but no one seemed to mind it that much.


    ¡°What¡¯s her deal?¡± [Fan girl] asked when she noticed that CatGirl had come from beside Ale.


    ¡°She wanted to check if we were okay, it seems,¡± Ale said, shrugging, ¡°Also, she volunteered to help with the favor that [Golem] asked me.¡±


    Ale was thankful for the help the girl had given her; it was somewhat¡­weird. She had gotten four [Core Blueprints] from [Golem], but only one from [CatGirl].


    And there was once more the [Corrupted Core] one among the ones she got, it was like how she had gotten the [Broken] and [Mutant] ones from the giant rats before. What was happening?


    In those instances, she also had gotten several blueprints; what was happening with these people? She almost wanted to see how many blueprints she got from [Fan Girl], but this girl was like [Stellar]; her [Core] wasn¡¯t there when she looked for it.


    Perhaps she needed to expand her sampling¡­


    That or there was something different in how she took the samples, in [Golem]¡¯s case she took the samples straight from his [Core]. In [CatGirl]¡¯s case she took it from farther away from the [Core].


    Only on this sampling she had used [Core] to find the sample¡­


    With the [Giant Rats] she had taken the sample from their dead bodies¡­


    ¡°Hah!¡± [Fan Girl]¡¯s laugh brought her back from the musings. ¡°As if the big softie could hurt us¡­ And after he asked you a favor? He better bring good food¡­.but¡­can you help him?¡±


    ¡°I can try, there are some problems I need to figure out, but if CatGirl¡¯s arm remains stable for the next thirty minutes that is one problem solved,¡± Ale said keeping track of the CatGirl, the wound was visible¡­or well, the place the wound had been before was visible.


    ¡°...right¡­.Say, wasn¡¯t Haephestus¡¯ Forge the one searching for the correct Core to help Golem? How is yours even going to help him? Aren¡¯t you a shapeshifter?¡± [Fan Girl] asked as she turned around to stare in CatGirl¡¯s direction too.


    ¡°That is the thing, I can¡­modify to some degree other people, but I¡¯m not sure how long the change will remain, and if it is even possible.¡± Ale really wasn¡¯t sure, she was aware that her [Core] wasn¡¯t that of a shapeshifter.


    But she really wasn¡¯t sure what it was. [Core] was able to help her change form, but¡­it didn¡¯t feel quite right to say that it was a [ShapeShifter Core] since she was doing a few things that didn¡¯t quite match with what those do.


    For starters, while she was changing forms, it was closer to deconstructing and rebuilding her body, and all the changes of forms of other shifters she had seen were close to modifying the body rather than rebuilding it from scratch.


    ¡°I see¡­well, If you do manage to help him I may hit you up with some help too,¡± [Fan Girl] said slowly, ¡°Mine may be more delicate but I am guessing that it should be simpler than rebuilding a man from rock into flesh,¡±


    And she also needed the target blueprint. ¡°Sure, but I do need a [Blueprint] target or something close enough to go by.¡± Ale said back to [Fan Girl], whatever she wanted to do, Ale couldn¡¯t make miracles work.


    Besides, she also needed to find-


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 23.231%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Core:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Notice, blueprint developed¡­


    Blueprint:


    Eduardo Herrera, Male.


    Race: Human


    Status: Core User.


    Core Status: Unstable, premature trigger.


    Note: Reproduction of blueprint, possible.


    Note: Care is advised.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Or not, now all that Ale needed was to make sure the changes stuck¡­And to decide if she really wanted to do that, did she really want to expose the fact that she wasn¡¯t a true [Shapeshifter]?


    Well, she had time to think, since tomorrow Alexa was going to spend most of the time at school, so she could discuss that with Alexandra in the back of their mind.


    ¡°School! Exams! Party!¡± ¡° ¡­I guess we can spend the time checking to see if it is worth the exposure¡­ Or if we can deflect it too like [Billy] did before,¡±


    Or that, that was also an option, well, [Billy] would be in the know if they decided to check that. Actually, she should probably send a message to him about this¡­


    ¡°Main Core, please send the update about CatGirl to [Billy],¡± Ale said aloud¡­or well, in a small voice but still audible to [Fan Girl], ¡°So, what¡¯s next after eating?¡±


    ¡°After that we go to the upper level to party till morning¡­that is for the adults, you kids go to sleep,¡± [Fan Girl] said pointing to the elevators, ¡°So unless you want to bring out your older version out¡­¡±


    ¡°Then we will go to sleep, tomorrow we have classes.¡± Ale said standing up and walking to the elevators, Alexandra probably would love to party¡­


    And Alexa would probably not mind it, but someone had to be responsible for the three, and if Alexandra was too busy drinking that awful [Beer] and Alexa was too busy admiring the shining lights.


    Then it would be up to Ale to be the responsible one¡­


    ¡°I hate it here,¡± Ale said as she waved at [Fan Girl] and pushed the button to return to the floor level, she would go back and play around a few hours before going to sleep, tomorrow they needed to wake up early.

 Chapter 29: Ale made breakfast, do you want Toast? Do you want Juice? Or...do you want Ale...?

    Ale arrived at home quite easily enough. There wasn¡¯t much problem, and most of the minions were in the festive hall or on their way to the after-party; no one stopped her on the way out nor made a fuss about her. If anything Ale had more problems when she arrived at the floor level, as there the people continued as if nothing had happened.


    Or worse.


    People were running from side to side asking if someone had seen X or Y person, and they even set up a board on one of the walls with photos and names of people; there were one or two people with desperate looks running around with pieces of papers with photos printed on them while asking ¡°HAVE YOU SEEN THIS MAN?!?!?¡±


    It was quite¡­harrowing.


    Yes, quite harrowing to see, from how [Vulcanus] had said it, they had solved everything already and dealt with it, but seeing this?


    ¡°It is quite sad sight isn¡¯t it?¡± Ale almost jumped away when the voice said that at her side.


    She had walked forward to see the wall of pictures and names, just to get an idea of what was the average face and name. So Ale had been focused on that, the fact that she had not noticed that someone had walked to her side. She didn¡¯t even think to plan for this eventuality. After all¡­she had got the impression that this particular [Human] wouldn¡¯t talk to her again.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so guarded; I¡¯m unable to affect you in any meaningful way. And as long as we are within one of his buildings, he can monitor what is happening, so you are safe.¡± [Eleanore] said, motioning at her and moving towards the stairs.


    [Eleanore] didn¡¯t wait for her answer and started walking in that direction. Unlike before, when a group of [kids] would be playing there, Ale found nothing, nothing besides [Eleanore] resting against the wall.


    ¡°What do you need?¡± Ale asked warily, she wasn¡¯t sure why [Eleanore] had come. Or why she had approached her like this, should she bring out Alexandra?


    ¡°I¡¯m ready to change whenever.¡± ¡°Yes, Alexa is ready to change anytime!¡±


    ¡°I¡­want to¡­explain to you why I did what I did.¡± [Eleanore] said in a measured voice, as if she had practiced those words. ¡°I know you aren¡¯t at fault, not after everything we know about you¡­or what little you told us.¡±


    Hadn¡¯t she already said that?


    ¡°You already said why you did that.¡± Ale said, tilting her head to the side. ¡°Or did you lie?¡±


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t lie.¡± [Eleanore] said with a grimace, ¡°Even lies by omission are anathema to me.¡±


    Well, that was interesting to know, not that Ale could do anything useful with that information, there was no way that she could make her lie about something¡­actually¡­would it work if the information was a lie if she wasn¡¯t aware of the truth?


    Ale would need to lodge that for experimentation later.


    ¡°So? You waited for me to be around? Since Alexandra was someone you couldn¡¯t bully? I can summon her at the snap of my fingers.¡± Ale said raising her hand, her middle finger touching her thumb ready to do the snap motion.


    ¡°....I don¡¯t mind speaking with her, but¡­.I want to apologize to you and Alexa too.¡± [Eleanore] said in a small voice, ¡°The others don¡¯t really get what you three are going through, they think it is just another case of DID.¡±


    DID?


    What was DID? How many types of problems did a [Human Brain] have?!?!?


    ¡°But I know better, so I was waiting to speak with you to apologize, no matter what your last name is. You have no fault on whose blood runs in your veins¡­or who your family is.¡± [Eleanore] said as she hugged herself back and shook her head. ¡°So yeah, I want to apologize for trying to use you. Even if your brother confirmed your connection to the Saintsworths, chances are you aren¡¯t even that important.¡±


    Well, that was just rude.


    ¡°They took something important to me, destroyed something valuable¡­¡± [Eleanore] started up speaking; Ale, of course, already knew what she was talking about; some weird MPI-something took her for [Human Experimentation] and triggered their [Core].


    Ale didn¡¯t see a problem with that, if anything they didn¡¯t do a good job since [Eleanore] wasn¡¯t as emotionally stable as Ale was.


    Perhaps they needed to check or implement a better system for their tests?


    ¡°They took my future, our future¡­I wanted to be a teacher, you know¡­To teach other kids and help them achieve their dreams¡­¡± [Eleanore] said, turning to the side, ¡°I study in my free time, psychology, teaching techniques, I go to classes for first aid response, and I was planning to get a teaching license one of these days¡­¡±


    ¡°...Well, that is awkward.¡± ¡°Wonder if that licensy-thing is tasty?¡±


    ¡°Good luck with that.¡± Ale said with a smirk, she didn¡¯t knew what the requirements were to acquire one of those licenses. But chances were that if [Eleanore] wanted to get one, Alexanders wouldn¡¯t let her have it.


    Not with her [Core Power] that could bind other people, if her alleged brother was smart, he would never let someone like [Eleanore] near such valuable assets.


    ¡°I know¡­I¡¯m not worthy of being near kids, not after what I almost did¡­¡± [Eleanore] said while pulling a handkerchief from one of her pockets and rubbing her eyes with it, was¡­was she crying? ¡°...I didn¡¯t notice it till Alexandra said it, you know? The fact that I always asked for Alexa to scold her for things you or Alexandra did, only because she was easier to manage.¡±


    ¡­.She didn¡¯t notice? How could she not notice?


    ¡°The fact that I was manipulating you while you trusted me and showed your more vulnerable form¡­I...I can¡¯t¡­¡± [Eleanore] said covering her face with both hands as she let her body slowly drop to the floor. ¡°The fact that I did¡­I did something so horrible, the same as those Saintsworth¡¯s bastards¡­¡±


    ¡°Same as them?¡± Ale asked confused, as far as she had found out the Saintsworths had ended the experimentation hadn¡¯t they? Alexanders and Andre closed the laboratory.


    ¡°They gave us hope, said we would be fine. They let us live together as a happy family till they got the data needed from us¡­¡± [Eleanore] said as her fist trembled with rage, ¡°I knew something was off, so I used my Core Power to ask him¡­I asked Alexanders if he was good or bad.¡±


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡­Well, that couldn¡¯t have ended well.


    ¡°And he said that he was bad.¡± Ale guessed as much, that man was not sane. He was actively flirting with an AI Core in front of her, and from what she had seen on the internet, that wasn¡¯t even the weirdest thing he had done.


    ¡°Yeah, he answered, and I¡¯ll quote the asshole: ¡®There is no good or bad, but If I was to guess. I am Evil.¡¯¡± [Eleanore] ended the quote with a feeble hit against the wall behind her. ¡°But if he is Evil, then why did he save us? The answer is obvious, he didn¡¯t. He just wanted something and took it, the fact that we got ¡®Saved¡¯ was not important. Later on we found out that the Saintsworths bought the company after finding out what they did. They merely came to inspect and get some good press. Their stock rose after the raid and they managed to keep the results from the study.¡±


    That was¡­not evil? Ale couldn¡¯t see anything wrong with that at least.


    ¡°So you see Ale? The Saintsworths can¡¯t be trusted, I don¡¯t know how much you remember of them, or how much you got taught. But you can¡¯t ever trust anything a Saintsworths says¡­you need to be better.¡± [Eleanore] said before standing up and leaving her on the stairs alone.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡­Should we tell her who our brother is?¡± Ale said aloud to no one.


    ¡°Probably not a good idea.¡± ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°[Host is advised to keep that information secret, current key members of Haephestus¡¯ Forge seem to hold a hostile relationship with Brother Designation: Alexanders.]¡±


    ¡°Brother designation?¡± Ale said arching her eyebrow, she didn¡¯t like that one, she had noticed that Main Core liked to squeeze weird references on those designations. But the fact that he added the Brother Designation¡­Ale didn¡¯t like the implication, it reeked of hidden plots. ¡°Whatever, let¡¯s go back to the apartment. I want to sleep and prepare for tomorrow.¡±


    Ale still had many things to prepare, since she doubted that Alexa would do it, and if she changed to Alexandra, then they would end up spending the night either dancing or drinking [Beer].


    ¡°Rude!¡± ¡°True, Alexa will not prepare anything!¡±


    ¡­Dang it.


    <hr>


    Morning came as surely as Alexa would eat every mango on Terra Nova, if possible, without warning or fanfare.


    ".....why do we have to suffer¡­" Ale said as she pulled out her cell phone and turned off the alarm for the morning before it even started sounding. Today''s alarm was a song about bling, bangs and being born or something, she had seen it as a popular on the music lists, so she decided to pick it for her playlist. Either way, last night before going to sleep Ale had bought a few things and ordered overnight delivery, so setting up the alarm earlier had to be done since she needed to go and prepare everything up before they suspected something.


    So, in turn, when she had woken up five minutes before the time her alarm would have gone off last night, after dealing with [Eleanore], she went to the apartment and took a bath; she did not play (For long) with Lieutenant Poo or start a coup-de-ta on the setting that Alexa was building.


    "Lieutenant Poo would never do anything like that! That was not canon!" "...it was cute tho."


    "I have no idea what you two are talking about, but spying on what a twelve-year-old girl does while bathing is not appropriate," Ale said aloud, getting no further answer from either.


    "It''s fine cuz Ale is also Alexa!" "I mean¡­we are kinda the same¡­so it''s like looking at myself¡­if I was more pitiful in the chest area."


    Yeah, Ale got no answer at all. No sir.


    "DANG IT!" Nor did she scream at the heavens at the obvious injustice of a version of herself that had finished growing up using that as a means to bully her.


    What she needed to do now was to prepare breakfast, and that limited her options greatly.


    "I can make up pancakes, scrambled egg with bacon, some toast¡­" "Oh, oh, Alexa wants cereal!"


    "I guess Toast is fine for breakfast, Alexa will have the weird tests today, so something light ought to be good¡­" Ale said reviewing the information they had sent to their email. It did suggest for the guardians to give light breakfast.


    "Okay, just change and I''ll get to it." "Yaaaaaay!!"


    "Now¡­the bread should be around here¡­" Ale said, going to the cupboard and fishing the bag with slices of bread.


    "Yes, thank you¡­I can take it from here¡­" "Oh?"


    Ale then placed three plates on the table and went to her next target, the toaster. That one was easier since it was already on the counter, "We set up a couple slices per person¡­" Said Ale aloud while setting up two pieces of bread per plate.


    "Ale¡­I can¡­.Why can''t I¡­? Alexa¡­?" "I mean, this looks fun."


    Ale couldn''t help but smile, she had trusted that Alexa would find it funny and help her, but this only made it better by the second.


    "Now we put two pieces of bread and pull the lever down¡­" Ale said aloud while waiting for the toaster to¡­well, toast the bread.


    "Fine¡­.not like it matters," "Nye¡­."


    Ale repeated that a couple more times and soon enough each plate had two toasted slices of bread, "Now we go for the PB & Jelly." Ale said going for the peanut butter, jelly and some butter.


    "Alexa, of course, would want PB & Jelly," Ale said, covering one-half of the slices of bread with PB and the other with Jam to make the abomination that was PB & Jelly.


    "YAAAAAAAAAY" "So many calories¡­"


    Ale was with Alexandra on that one.


    "I want mine with only butter¡­ I''ll make some coffee for it," "Blegh! Blegh I say!"


    "Alexandra butter only¡­." Ale didn''t mind fulfilling that request; it wouldn''t matter in the end, after all.


    "Wait what?"


    "Mine will be Jam only," Ale said covering her toast with Jam and preparing the two cups that would have juice. Hers and Alexa, Alexandra said that she would have coffee after all¡­not like it would matter¡­heheheh.


    "Okay, what the hell is that?!?!?" "Why wouldn''t it matter? The mean one is acting weird."


    "That was good breakfast if I say so myself." Ale ignored both girls and ate her toast. Next, she drank her juice¡­


    "Okay my turn, give it over."


    "Now we wash our teeth, leave our plates on the sink¡­" Ale said, first she left her dirty dishes on the sink¡­and thinking it over decided to wash them first, "I will be a good girl and clean my dirty dishes."


    "We get it, now give it back." "What is mean girl doing?"


    That done, Ale smirked and walked to the bathroom, she was enjoying this.


    "...We will need two more sets of toothbrushes¡­" Ale said, seeing their only toothbrush, "This will do for now, I guess,"


    And without thinking about it too much, she let the nanites flood the toothbrush and remake it anew; when that was done, she went ahead and brushed her teeth clean, used the mouthwash, and smiled at the reflection. Her teeth pristine white.


    "You made your point," "Will my toast taste weird?"


    "Remember, Alexa, you will need to hand over the body to Alexandra for her to eat breakfast." Ale said, smiling at her reflection.


    "Wait, wait, wait, wait, let''s think this over¡­" "Oh? OH?!?!?!?"


    "Main core¡­pull the lever," Ale said with the brightest smile on her face as she laughed at the panic that was rising at the back of her mind as the implications settled on Alexandra.


    ¡°[....*Sigh*....Starting shift.]¡±


    "Main Core you brat!"


    "ALEXA HAS ARRIVED!" Alexa screamed as she peeked at the reflection of herself (Only her head showed since she was smoller), "And she declares that we need a stool!"


    Alexa said looking around and placing the stool on the correct place so she could see herself, she looked as cutestests as always, so everything was alright.


    ¡°Hahahahahahahahahahah,¡± ¡°Aaaaaghhhh what is your problem?!?!?!?¡±


    Even if the mean one was laughing like the theater guy, why was she laughing like that? What was the naggy one complaining about?


    Alexa did not know! And she didn''t care for she had a PB & Jelly sandwich to [Devour]!


    "To the dining table!" Alexa proudly declared to her reflection while doing a somersault 360o no scope (She merely let herself fall from the shelf into the floor) and ran at Mach 1032i834ru23423784y9847<sup>9875321</sup> (She jogged to the table).


    There Alexa found the second holy grail lost to mankind (Two plates filled with toast), to the right she had found the hidden secondary grail¡­" A sippy cup!" One that people had theorized could exist but hadn''t found evidence of their presence across the ages (Ale had bought it on the internet before going to sleep, and they delivered it during the night to their front door).


    The second great treasure was not one of historical relevance (There were only so many variations of sippy food eating utensils), but a bounty of treasure, for Alexa had found plenty!


    Two feasts for her to have!


    "...Wait, one of those is mine!!" ¡°Hahahahahahahahahah.¡±


    Alexa had found great things, even if one lacked taste and presentation.


    "Yes! Leave the badly prepared toast aside¡­good girl," "Hey! I did my best making those for Alexa!"


    "But Alexa will never leave a [Prey] once she has set her mind to it!" Alexa declared as she set for her mighty Spork!


    She would make sure the world knew the true might of the Spork! By using her hands and letting a bite into the PB & Jelly sandwich!


    "Hah! I got you! You thought I would use the Spork and be dissulacionated because it didn''t work! But Alexa knew that and so she used her hands to eat this PB & Jelly Sandwich! It is obvious that one uses their hands to eat this!" Alexa smirked at nothing while taking a sip from her juice.


    "...I mean, you used that thing to eat almost anything that you come across. It is a wonder you haven''t used a spork to try to eat one of the sewer rats." "That is true, but leaving that aside, remember Alexa¡­the two untasty ones are mine."


    "Alexa will not embarrass the Spork by using it on food that it wasn''t designed to be used," Alexa said while taking another bite into the PB & Jelly sandwich and quickly jumping to the side, doing a barrel roll and barely dodging the drop of retaliation from her PB & Jelly Sandwich (Alexa squished too hard the sandwich and some of the Jam fell from it).


    Really it was a miracle Alexa managed to escape with such grace (She threw herself to the side and fell into the floor, both hands forward, one holding the PB & Jelly Sandwich, and the other holding her sippy cup).


    "That was dangerous¡­" Alexa said as she left her PB & Jelly Sandwich and her cup of juice to stand up.


    "Alexa¡­ don''t eat that, it''s dirty¡­eat your other Sandwich and switch out for a second¡­" "Alexa, don''t forget that the other TWO toasts are for ALEXAndra."


    Right¡­


    Alexa didn''t understand why she couldn''t just eat the sandwich on the floor, she had eaten stuff from the floor, heck, Alexandra had eaten stuff from the floor too!


    "I did not!" "She did?"


    "Yeah, she ate those rats remember." Alexa said as she walked to her raised chair and grabbed her other sandwich, "They didn''t taste that good, but those had been on the floor."


    "..." "No wait, she does have a point." "HER MOTHER HAS A POINT! HER AUNT HAS A POINT! THAT DOES NOT COUNT AS A POINT!"


    "....Now I''m missing food¡­" Alexa said as her hand started going for the other plate.


    "... don''t you dare.." "Yes¡­.YEEEESSSSS!"


    "Oh¡­who would have thought¡­ Alexa''s got more to eat!" Alexa smiled as she nommed on the butter toast.


    They weren''t as good as her PB & Jelly Sandwich, but they would do. Besides, she still had half of one waiting for her, that one would even have extra protein!


    She was waiting for her side dish to jump to it. She wondered what those [Smoll Insects] that looked like the [Ants] stuck in that city that the breaking reality teacher showed them would taste like.

 Chapter 30: The [Kettle Core]

    Turns out, the smoll insects that looked like the [Ants] that got stuck in the hive-like city tasted bitter, "Bleh! Bleh I do say!" Alexa ended up still eating a few to see if she could get something out of it, but she didn''t got enough to make it worth her time.


    ¡°[Blueprint only is viable for small scale reproduction, currently it is impossible to shrink the size of the physical Main Core, so a shift into one of these would end with host unable to access my assistance.]¡±


    So Alexa would end up stuck in any blueprint that couldn''t hold an AI Core till she was able to shift manually, and Alexa didn''t want to shift manually since it was a bore!


    A bore!


    She had done it before because she could stick the naggy one into the body halfway through and not deal with the consequences, but if she didn''t have Main Core to help. The shift would need to be done manually¡­


    And Alexa wasn''t sure if she could pull the naggy or the mean one manually without Main Core as a middlepoint, she had been using his AI Core as middle point to link their [Consciousness Streams] together after all. Could they even exist without that link?


    "That is something for someone more smart to worry about!" Alexa nodded while she stood from the dining table; there wasn''t more food there anymore since the PB & Jelly sandwich was the last food there.


    ".... I''ll murder you," "Come on now, don''t be rude. You will not die for skipping breakfast¡­I know it myself since you didn''t give me Mango Pancake before."


    "Like the mean one or the naggy one!" Alexa would leave it to them to worry about. For she had more important things to worry about! "To the washroom!"


    Like washing her teeth!


    Cute girls washed their teeth!


    For some reason, Alexa wasn''t sure why, her teeth always remained white and pristine, she made sure that a regiment of Nanites stood at the ready to keep her teeth in perfect condition, she needed them. One couldn''t nom without them nomskers.


    If she wanted to fulfill her dream to nom the world, she needed her nomskers to be at 1000000% efficiency.


    "First!" Alexa said as she placed her stool in front of the sink, "We grab our nomsker cleaning utensil!"


    Alexa grabbed the toothbrush that Ale used before, she kind of didn''t want to use this one since Ale used it before, but she needed to clear her nomskers¡­" Curse you mean one!" Even so, Ale flooded the thing with nanites to make sure it was clean and pristine, away from the germs of the mean one.


    "First of all, we have the same germs, secondly¡­that is to say, none since the nanites clean us all the time. Also I rebuilt that thing after using it, it is clean!" "Main Core, buy a set of three toothbrushes, two for kids, one for adults¡­and a couple spares."


    "Oh oh! I want a mango-flavored one!" Alexa quickly said her preferences. It was important to say them.


    ¡°[Setting up buying of toothbrushes¡­.sending it for approval¡­approved. Delivery estimated within 24 hours.]"


    "That was quick¡­" "We could probably buy it at any store, but Alexa has classes today so better this way."


    "Yay!" Alexa smiled as she brushed her teeth, it made her giggle since the toothpaste tasted funny, how could something taste cold and minty?


    "Next!" Alexa said raising her hand with the toothbrush, "We spit the thingy into the water thingy!"


    And afterward Alexa spat the weird white bubbly foamy liquid that was made from the toothpaste and cleaning her nomskers.


    "Now we wash the mouth!" Alexa said, filling her cute cup with water, then gulping the water and making gurgles with her water. Alexa wasn''t quite sure why it was important to gurgle gurgle using the water, but she did it nonetheless.


    Most of the foamy white bubbly thingy would be washed away with the water, but Alexa didn''t have a problem with following the instructions of how to wash her nomskers.


    When the gurgling of the water was done for a couple of seconds she spat the water into the sink and smiled at her reflection, her nomskers shone white after being cleaned, the maintenance cycle was done! Done!


    "Done!" Alexa was done!


    "And now with that out of the way we move to the next part!" Alexa said, doing her copyrighted high-speed movement, one step, a thousand jumps across a million yards! (She let herself fall to the ground from her stool).


    "To the room of changing!" Alexa said as she ran, getting to her room in less than 10 parsecs! (She got there in 47 seconds).


    Once she returned to her bedroom the first thing she did was shed her mortal coil(She threw her pajama to The chair), the next step was to get her uniform, the mean girl had left it ready for her on the bed after she woke up. So one step at a time Alexa dressed herself up, first the socks, then the blouse, skirt, blazer, necktie, ribbon, and finally her shoes!


    Cute black shoes, Alexa finished dressing herself and then ran straight at the speed of¡­a very fast Alexa to the mirror!


    "Perfection!" Alexa said as she admired her handiwork!


    "[Fixing up and tidying up uniform, reconstructing buttons and afixing them in the correct order. Leveling up ribbon to make it parallel with the ground¡­adding up a couple hair ties and ribbons to make twin tails using host''s extra hair¡­.]"


    ".....what the hell?" "Maybe we could add nail polish? I think pink would look cute on Alexa."


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°[Denied, school regulations prohibit the use of make up on students¡­ Cleaning up toothpaste remnants from host¡¯s face¡­]¡±


    "Perfection!" Alexa smiled at her reflection, it was perfect and Alexa had done it all by herself with almost close to no help!


    ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°[....tying shoelaces.]¡±


    "Now we run!" Alexa prepared herself to burn all her energy to run straight to the school!


    ¡°[Host needs to carry the backpack or the tablet.]¡±


    "After grabbing our Mango shaped backpack!" Alexa said grabbing her backpack and getting it ready, the first step that she took let her get an inkling for the feeling and limits of her current clothes.


    She had full confidence in her clothes, they had been prepared especially for her, all ready and sturdy. She would use the full might of her body!


    So Alexa took the second step! The third! The fourth! The fifth! The-


    "We get it,"


    ¡­" Everyone is a critic," Alexa grumbled and merely walked to the front door, the morning sun was barely coming out and the outside was quiet, more than usual.


    ¡°*Yawn*....Alexa? What are you doing this early?" [Fan Girl] said from the side, the girl was stretching outside her room, currently she was wearing an oversized white shirt and¡­Alexa was not sure what else since that shirt covered most of her upper body. "Shouldn''t you be sleeping? I was doing some morning exercises and thinking about what to make for breakfast."


    Her breakfast?


    "The mean one made breakfast!" Alexa said nodding her head sagely, why? She didn''t know! But people around nodded and shook their heads way too much! "I got PB & Jelly Sandwiches, the Mean one ate Toast with Jam and the naggy one was going to eat toast with butter!"


    Of course, she was going to! Not that she ate! Hah!


    "I see¡­well the note they sent said to give you a light breakfast so I guess that is okay¡­But you want to go anyway? They said we could skip a few days if you needed." [Fan Girl] said worry on her eyes. "It''s okay, we can go to the park or to the atractions park."


    Alexa was tempted!


    Very tempted!


    "I would love to see an attraction park," "Maybe we can check it out and bring Sam later?"


    But Alexa would not waver! She had made a promise! A promise with [Karla] and [Alan]!


    "Who?" "Oh the kids right, the cocky precocious girl and boy."


    Yes! The cockatrice girl and boy!


    "Alexa will not waver!" Alexa ended up saying after the mental debatable! "She made a promise, and a promise was made!"


    Yes, that! Alexa did it well to express her feelings!


    ¡°[Saving up¡­]¡± ¡°Hey Alexandra¡­isn¡¯t Main Core acting kind of weird?¡± "Now that you mention it¡­ what''s the deal with this ball?"


    "I see¡­" [Fan Girl] said, smiling at Alexa, "So you made a promise with your friends¡­do you want me to take you there?"


    Did Alexa wanted to? She was not sure, last time she got someone to take her to school they found Meli-Meli on the floor¡­.then after that¡­.Alexa got sent to the [Clasroom of the Elite]... No wait, then didn''t that meant that if she got someone to take her to school more interesting things would happen?


    "Yes!" Alexa liked that, perhaps this time they would end in an alternated world filled with Mango creatures for Alexa to [Devour].


    "...why does it feel like you are getting a misunderstanding?" [Fan Girl] asked from the side, but Alexa paid no mind to it! For she would reign over the Mango as the¡­Mangosident of the new world!


    ¡­.Would becoming a Mangosident make her Mango? Would she need to nom herself? But she had tried that before and while salty, Alexa was not particulary tasty¡­.


    *Nom*


    "...Why are you biting yourself?" [Fan Girl] asked while walking to the door into her apartment, "Anyway, wait for a second I need to fetch a pair of pants and a new jacket."


    "*Nom* Aye sir!" Alexa answered with a salute while she continued licking and noming her hand, for some reason she couldn''t bite through the skin into the fatty tissue, and her skin while one of the most cutestest things in all the world, was not tasty.


    If anything, it was slightly tasteless? Not really; she could taste the oils her body produced and the beginning of sweat that gave her a slight salty undertaste.


    But even so, she couldn''t make her teeth pierce the skin. Why?


    "Because it will hurt?"


    ¡°[Notice, there is a hidden failsafe installed within Brain, it prevents hosts from actively hurting herself using her own means.]¡±


    ¡­So her [Brain] was stopping her from noming herself?


    The horror!


    "If I become a Mangosident, then I won''t be able to taste myself!" Alexa said, struck in horror at the realization.


    "You can always become a cannibal," [Fan Girl] said coming out from the apartment mere seconds later. She had changed into a pair of jeans and now she was wearing a black jacket. "...Actually, don''t become cannibal if possible, at all. Keep eating mangos only."


    But Alexa liked to eat meat!


    Her nomskers were made to eat meat!


    "B-b-but meat..." Alexa said making up her most adorablcutestest face of them all, she would fight for her right to nom on the meat! The rat meat! The human meat! The hamburger meat! All the meat!


    ...she needed more samples of meat to increase the might of her arguments.


    "...Alexa you can eat without being a cannibal, that''s what we have supermarkets for. It''s only cannibalism if you eat meat from things that are of your own race." [Fan Girl] said shaking her head from side to side, "So you can always eat meat, just ask a grown up to cook it for you first or buy it cooked."


    ...Wait a second...


    "Alexa no," "I mean, [Fan Girl] makes a good point, we can''t be cannibals...ever, since there aren''t more things of our species."


    "Alexa will never be a cannibal!" Alexa said falling to the floor, tear on her eyes (Not really)...


    "Yeah, the horror." [Fan Girl] said from the side, "Anyway, let''s go kiddo. If you really want to go to classes we don''t have time to lose."


    And grabbing Alexa from the scruff of her blazer and pulling her towards the [Death Trap] (Elevator). Alexa was too stunned to react and escape to the stairs. Before she could even notice they were already clanking down towards the floor level.


    "So, how is school treating you? Making new friends?" [Fan Girl] asked as she let Alexa run towards one of the handrails on the [Death Trap](Elevator).


    "Y-y--yes." Alexa answered making sure all her hands were grabbing as tightly as possible, focusing all her powerful hand muscles (...not that many muscles there). "I-I-I h-h-h-hav-v-v-ve two f-f-f-r-r-r-rens."


    Alexa answered without any stutter whatsoever.


    "Good, invite them over one of these day-" [Fan Girl] was saying when she stared to the side and sighed aloud, "Actually, give me like...a week, we need to see if Billy can get us a safe house in another district, if you got friends in that fancy school chances are they will not come here. Vulcanus district is known to house too many minions and villians, if not we can rent an apartment or something. Villainy does pay well; that could serve us well as a safe house for the team."


    Wouldn''t that be counterproductive?


    *DING*


    "FREEEEEDOOOM, HOW HAVE I MISSED YOU STEADY GROUND!" Alexa CALMLY said as she CALMLY walked out of the [DEATH TRAP](Elevator) and totally did not kiss the floor getting weird stares from the people around.


    Totally.


    "No one has died on this thing before Alexa, don''t be a drama queen." [Fan Girl] said picking Alexa from the scruff of her blazer (Again) and hanging her from her shoulder. "See? The counter for days without the elevator falling is at 45 days, and the days without injury is at 143. You worry too much."


    "The what now?" Alexa said trying to turn and look at the counters that stood at the side of the [Death Trap](Elevator), Alexa had wondered before what those were for.


    But had decided to not think too much before, that seemed to be an error, one that she would not make again.


    Next time she saw a weird number, she would ask. Perhaps in this way she could find...No wait, she didn''t need to wait, did she? Couldn''t she just...repair that thing? She could!


    "Main Core!" Alexa said raising her fist to the heavens(ceiling) while being carried out of the building into the streets, "Schedule a reminder! Alexa must bring a couple kilograms of steel to fix the [Death Trap](Elevator)!"


    "...I have been meaning to ask but what is your deal with the whole," [Fan Girl] said taking a deep breath and turning her voice monotone said "[Speak like this]."


    "What''s the problem? Other people do it too sometimes right?" Alexa asked back, she had seen a couple doing it from time to time.


    "They do?" [Fan Girl] asked confused, "I mean...Vulcanus may do it, but his whole deal is being a human trapped in a machine or whatever; I didn''t like his merch, so I never bought his trading cards."


    They had trading cards?


    "They totally do," Alexa nodded her head sagely above [Fan Girl]''s shoulder; she was being transported like a sac of potatoes, and she liked it; it saved energy for her feet, and she could move so much faster now! "Like when people speak about the scrambled guy and the theater guy, you all go serious and say [The Scrambled] and [The Theater guy]."


    Alexa still didn''t understand why they only did that with those words...Or why she did it with only some words actually. What was the deal with that?


    "[Host has not finished parsing through the meaning of words and in turn is actively assigning more importance to some determined words.]"


    So that was why? That was...oddly specific.


    "Hmm...You mean [The Scrambler] and [The Theater Master]?" [Fan Girl] asked confused, "I...don''t think I''m using that much emphasis on those words though?"


    "You totally did, see. Main Core! Roll up the clip!" Alexa said raising her hand and pointing forward...for some reason, "Hmm...You mean [The Scrambler] and [The Theater Master]?"


    "...that is creepy, please never do it again." [Fan Girl] said, even while telling the reproduction of her own voice creepy...It was not creepy, why would it be creepy to see Alexa''s hand act as a puppet that moved acting as if the voice of [Fan Girl] came from there instead of the small speaker that Alexa asked Main Core to make on her palm. "But I get your point...Why am I speaking like that?"


    She didn''t know?


    Then was it something on either of those''s Core Powers that made everyone else react like that?


    If it was...then why was Alexa not affected?


    "Weird, you are weird." Alexa said nodding her head while dismissing the transformation on her hand.


    "The pot is talking to the kettle," [Fan Girl] said back.


    "...What pot?" Alexa was confused, there was no pot around, or was...was the pot a [Core User]?


    Then what type of [Core] did it have? What type of [Core user] was the kettle?


    Was...was it a [Kettle Core]?

 Chapter 31: Next one is Glory huh...

    After having walked all the way to the school, Alexa had learned two important things. One¡­There was not a [Kettle Core] nor a [Pot Core], there were several things that qualified for [Pot], and very few of these were things that Alexa needed to mind, and if someone asked if she wanted some of it she was to say no.


    Alexa wanted to nom a few since they seemed to be dangerous if they were things that Alexa wasn¡¯t supposed to handle, but she could leave that to the mean one or the naggy one. [Fan Girl] did promise to talk about it with the naggy one later.


    So that was that.


    The second important thing¡­there was a thing called phrases, weird ways that [Humans] spoke that weren¡¯t supposed to be taken literal, like the [The Pot talking to the kettle], it was supposed to be a saying about someone accusing someone else of a thing that they also had.


    In this case, it was supposed to be about how Alexa was(Allegedly) weird, so she couldn¡¯t complain about [Fan Girl] or [Humans] about being weird.


    Alexa was not happy with this, she was not a weird [Human], she wasn¡¯t [Human] to begin with! So she couldn¡¯t be weird!


    Alexa was a perfect Alexa! She was normal! This was how a normal Alexa behaved! How did Alexa know that? Well, she was an Alexa, and if she said that this was how an Alexa behaved, then only another Alexa could contest it!


    Was there another Alexa here to say that she was weird? No? Then Alexa was normal!


    ¡°That is¡­¡± ¡°No she is right, she does have a valid point.¡±


    And neither the naggy one or the mean one could say that Alexa was weird, since they weren¡¯t Alexa either! They were the naggy one and the mean one! They could only say if they themselves were weird, they couldn¡¯t complain about Alexa!!


    ¡°It¡¯s perfect!¡± Alexa proudly declared from her perch.


    ¡°We are about to arrive. Are you sure you want your friends to see you like a bag of potatoes? I don¡¯t mind carrying you since I can make sure your skirt doesn¡¯t flutter thanks to my Core Powers, but normally you would have shown the whole world your underwear,¡± [Fan Girl] said turning to look at Alexa, Alexa had noticed how the wind always seemed to blow in an angle as if to make sure her skirt was always down, no matter the direction they walked. ¡°No girl should be this defenseless, at least wear a pair of shorts or spats under the skirt.¡±


    ¡­But weren¡¯t the shorts supposed to be outwear? The skirt was outwear, how was she supposed to equip two gears of the same type at the same time? She only had so many slots!


    ¡°But I already have the skirt on¡­?¡± Alexa said back confused, ¡°How would I even use shorts or spats? Wouldn¡¯t I need to take off my skirt?¡±


    Really, why was [Fan Girl] saying such weird things?


    ¡°...You put on your underwear¡­Then your shorts¡­and then your skirt.¡± [Fan Girl] said back confused, ¡°Or you can put first the skirt and then the shorts, it is not rocket science Alexa.¡±


    ¡­.But¡­that was not how dressing up worked!


    ¡°But if I put on the shorts first, wouldn¡¯t I need to take them off when I want to put on the skirt?!?!?¡± Alexa fought back, why couldn¡¯t [Fan Girl] understand this! It was simple logic!


    ¡°It is simple! If Alexa wants to put on a pair of shorts, she needs to remove the skirt! If Alexa wants to use a skirt she needs to remove the shorts!¡±Alexa was getting exasperated at this, why couldn¡¯t she understand?!?!? It was simple! It was how the world worked! Alexa had checked!


    She went to the Internet and asked before!


    ¡®Can I wear a skirt and shorts at the same time?¡¯


    And the helpful Reddit guys told her that any character could only equip one piece per slot and that, at best, she could use [Glamour] to change how one looked, but that no one would swap a skirt¡¯s appearance into a pair of shorts, not while wearing school uniform.


    It was weird the fact that they asked who [Dropped the set], they got angry at her when she said that [Eleanore] and [Fan Girl] had dropped it, and called her a [Troll] and [Karma farmer], not like they explained what they spoke about when she asked what they talked about.


    ¡°One can¡¯t equip two gear pieces on the same slot! Alexa checked!¡± Alexa said, bringing out his cellphone and showing the Reddit thread, she had needed to go into a place that also had status numbers and stuff before asking, since her posts kept being deleted when she did them at random. ¡°See! They all said the same!¡±


    ¡°...Alexa dear¡­¡± [Fan Girl] said reading the thread and obviously understanding the wrong of her ways, ¡°...This is a subreddit for a videogame¡­One of those MMORPGs made by the goddamned Saintsworths, The World¡¯s Root. One game that is not among the type that you should even know about.¡±


    Alexa shouldn¡¯t know about it? But then, why was it on the suggested pages for Alexa to watch? She even got there after watching a video of Magmo! So surely the thingy at the end of Magmo¡¯s video was something that Magmo Endorsed!


    If not why did it play after Magmo ended his video then?


    ¡°What is that World root thingy?¡± Alexa asked, if it was something that Magmo wanted her to play or know about, then she would play it¡­she would play it or the world would burn in her wake.


    ¡°It¡¯s a MMORPG or a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game. It¡¯s basically a video game that you can play with other people on the Internet, the Saintsworths made this base program that uses their internet network to connect people across the world in a virtual world.¡± [Fan Girl] said, placing Alexa on the floor, ¡°It allows you to play in real time with other people no matter where they are, and one of the ways to keep people in check is with the gear slots. Like you said, you can¡¯t equip two things at the same time in one slot within the game.¡±


    [Fan Girl] then walked to a nearby tree and broke a branch into two.


    ¡°Here grab this stick,¡± [Fan Girl] said offering her [The Stick], ¡°Now you have a stick equipped, what slot is it on?¡±


    What slot was it? It was on her hand!


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    No wait¡­,her hand already had the cipher ring that she got from the cereal box she ate god knows when and that she totally mentioned picking it up from the box and totally did not forget to mention so now she has to retcon the equivalent of half a book worth of words to fish the exact moment that it happened.


    Totally.


    Alexa would never make that mistake. Ever.


    ¡°It¡¯s on my main weapon slot!¡± Alexa said after thinking about it for a few seconds.


    ¡°So now you can¡¯t equip another weapon unless you drop that one right?¡± [Fan Girl] said throwing the other stick to Alexa.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Alexa said, catching the other normal stick with her left hand, ¡°Weapon safety is important!¡±


    And it was, if not they wouldn¡¯t have taught that- No wait, Alexa hadn¡¯t gone to that one, good. Now she didn¡¯t need to retcon that either!


    ¡°And now you have equipped two sticks,¡± [Fan Girl] said, pointing at Alexa.


    ¡°Of course, the other is in my off-hand slot.¡± Alexa said pointing with [The Stick] at the other stick. The nice people of the redditto had given several examples of how many gear slots Alexa had.


    ¡°Okay¡­can you show me the thread you made again?¡± [Fan Girl] asked,with a weird smile on her face.


    Either way, Alexa pulled out her cell phone and grabbed the second stick with the hand that had [The Stick], ¡°Here is, see? They get very specific with the slots we have!¡± And one of those posts even had weird icons under it, a banana a thumbs up and a weird green head coming out of a metal disk.


    ¡°Then how are you holding two sticks in one hand?¡± [Fan Girl] suddenly asked pointing at Alexa¡¯s hand, there were two things there¡­one stick and [The Stick].


    Alexa¡­Alexa¡­


    ¡°...Alexa is bugged!¡± Alexa screamed in horror, he had heard of cases where people had [Hacked] their characters and ended up lossing everything!


    Alexa didn¡¯t want to lose her character! She loved being Alexa!


    What would she become if she wasn¡¯t Alexa??!?!?!?


    A tiffany?!?!?!


    A Karen?!?!?


    A Trixie White?!?!?!?


    A Kendra Killer?!?!?!


    No! She was too cute to be any of those!


    Besides, one of those had her own story coming up soon (Not soon)! And the other had the name wrong! She was supposed to be a Jack, not a Kendra! (Not relevant)


    ¡°...Like I said, we don¡¯t have equipment slots, those are for games. And maybe artifacts, but those are beside the point. I am half sure that the Saintsworths make them like that because it amuses their evil CEO.¡± [Fan Girl] said while ruffling Alexa¡¯s hair.


    She had just fixed her hair! Rude!


    ¡°...So¡­I¡¯m not bugged out?¡± Alexa asked in a small voice while pocketing her phone and¡­wondering if her hand would break because she had two weapons equipped.


    ¡°No, you just are holding two sticks. When you get back to your room, try putting on the shorts under the skirt without removing your underwear and see what happens. If we really had equipment slots, then you couldn¡¯t do it, or one of those would disappear or unequip on its own.¡± [Fan Girl] said while kneeling to her level.


    It made¡­sense, most people had said the same, that if she tried to equip anything else then she would end up automatically unequiping whatever she had before. That it was a QoL feature, whatever QoL was.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Alexa said while nodding. [Fan Girl] smiled at that and stood up again, offering her hand to Alexa to grab hold; they still had a couple streets to walk after all, ¡°Also, you don¡¯t need to wear shorts or spats under your skirt if you don¡¯t want to. You shouldn¡¯t need to, not yet anyway. But it is precaution, there are¡­very sick people around that look at little girls in ways they shouldn¡¯t. So the shorts under the skirts are a precaution.¡±


    People who saw Alexa in ways that they shouldn¡¯t?


    ¡°Oh! Like the guy in the alley!¡± Alexa said, remembering the guy that gave PTSD to the mean one!


    ¡°....right, that happened¡­¡± [Fan Girl] grimaced at the memory, ¡°Just like that one yes, please don¡¯t follow strangers into dark alleyways¡­even if you can call your older selves to protect you.¡±


    ¡­But Alexa didn¡¯t have the mean one or the naggy one then¡­Or had called them. She had only punched the guy and then nomed him.


    ¡°... Alexa promises to not put herself in danger knowingly!¡± Alexa decided to say that, not like it mattered if she lied since [Eleanore] could not use her [Core Powers] on her anymore!


    ¡°....Just be safe Alexa, that¡¯s all I ask.¡± [Fan Girl] sighed in defeat, yay! Alexa managed to deceive her! ¡°Also, we are here. Do you want me to stay around in case your classes are suspended?¡±


    ¡°Alexa!¡± And Alexa didn¡¯t have time to answer as a shrill voice attacked her! ¡°There you are! Do you have an idea how worried we were?!?!?!? Why did you skip classes?!?!?!?¡±


    From nowhere (A nearby Limousine) came Glory Blackthorn, the¡­.daughter of the Blackthorn.


    ¡°Good morning Madam, I¡¯m Glory. Alexa¡¯s classmate.¡± The little girl said bowing to [Fan Girl], why was she bowing? Was Alexa supposed to bow?


    ¡°Good morning, I¡¯m Skye. One of Alexa¡¯s guardians.¡± [Fan Girl] said smiling and waving at Glory, ¡°You are a very polite girl. I hope something of that sticks to Alexa.¡±


    ¡°We of the Blackthorn strive to be the best Madam,¡± Glory answered with a weird smile, it looked as if it was¡­practiced? Rehearsed? Alexa couldn¡¯t be sure why, but it looked weird!


    ¡°Should I¡­pick something from Glory?¡± Alexa asked confused making a motion with her hand towards Glory.


    ¡°Do not nom your friend Alexa, we spoke about that this morning.¡± [Fan Girl] said sighing.


    ¡°Oh? See? What did I tell you Blackthorn? Alexa would return on her own, she probably wasn¡¯t even near [The Scrambler] and [The Theater Master] fiasco. Even if she isn¡¯t a real Saintsworths, any supervillain worth their spot on the list knows not to mess around with kids.¡± Alan said as he got down from another Limousine (Did the students in this school not walk or something?). ¡°Good morning Miss. I¡¯m Alan Harmonia, one of Alexa¡¯s classmates.¡±


    ¡°But Alexa wa-¡± Alexa was there! But she was interrupted when the wind failed to move out of her mouth, that was such a weird feeling.


    ¡°[Notice, Human Designation: Sky Venti is currently blocking the propagation of vibrations in the air that produce sound.]¡±


    ¡°That is correct, Alexa WAS NOT anywhere near the area of conflict, we were SEEING THIS from the couch on our home, right Alexa?¡± [Fan Girl] said while staring daggers at Alexa.


    ¡°Yes, Alexa was totally not there running around, jumping and kicking V-8 into a wall!¡± Alexa said nodding her head, [Fan Girl], for some weird reason, placed her hand against her face again.


    Neither Glory nor Alan seemed to say anything.


    ¡°Told you,¡± Alan only said that while extending his hand towards Glory.


    ¡°...She could have been in danger and you¡­Fine! Here!¡± Glory grumbled as she threw a couple of papers towards Alan. ¡°It¡¯s good to know that you weren¡¯t there, Alexa. Did you prepare for the war games?¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why they asked Alexa to have a light breakfast, huh? I thought it would be a normal Exam,¡± [Fan Girl] said from behind, ¡°Also, did you two bet on Alexa being affected by the event?¡±


    ¡°Of course not madam!¡± Glory said aghast¡­Alexa did not know what aghast was, but Glory had that on her face! Of that, Alexa was sure.


    ¡°I bet to Glory that Alexa would fail to see the danger of the situation and would focus more on the injuries of the Heroes or Villains. Alexa mentioning the accident V-8 got against that Midget Minion is proof that she was too busy focusing in that instead of the ramifications of [The Scrambler] getting into a squabble with [The Theater Master],¡± Alan said many words that went over Alexa¡¯s head, but Alexa was sure that they were important! And that she was being described as dumb!


    Alexa was not dumb! She was cute!


    ¡°...you are a pair of weird kids,¡± [Fan Girl] said smiling, still at the back.


    ¡°We are Elite, it is expected of us to understand, analyze and plan in case of situations like these.¡± Glory said pushing her chest forward.


    ¡°....We are also bored and asked to write a report of these types of situations, it comes with the ¡®You are the heir of blablabla, Alexanders was building a multibillion company while you want to play on the mud with the rabble blablabla¡¯ territory.¡± Alan shrugged while he got a punch on his side.


    That must hurt.


    ¡°Right¡­.Well¡­Not gonna say I understand what¡¯s the deal with that.¡± [Fan Girl] said¡­her smile was faltering.


    ¡°Understandable, madam. I can suggest some books about the topic to you. Alexa is in the class of the elite, so while she is not a real Saintsworths, her name will put some expectations on her.¡± Glory said while pulling a notebook from one of her blazer¡¯s pockets, Alexa had used that pocket to store candy! Glory was using that pocket wrong!


    Oh, right! Alexa almost forgot!


    ¡°Alexa is a real Saintsworths!¡± Alexa said, pulling back the sleeve on her right hand, ¡°See! Brother gave Alexa her thingy!¡±


    ¡°....¡± Glory¡¯s notepad fell to the ground as she stared at Alexa¡¯s bracelet.


    ¡°*whistle* Well, I should have bet on that too after all,¡± Alan, on the other hand, walked to Alexa¡¯s side and looked at the bracelet, ¡°It is engraved with white gold, and the eyes have blue gold too? Fancy.¡±


    White gold? blue gold? Alexa did notice that her bracelet had other colors on it, but why was that important?


    *faint*


    ¡°....Is this normal?¡± [Fan Girl] said as she made sure that Glory didn¡¯t fall to the floor, she moved fast and got hold of Glory before she hitted the floor when her eyes turned white and she fell back.


    ¡°Yes, we thought Alexa was from a branch family that got disowned since no one knew of her, add to this the fact that Glory is a nutjob for the Saintsworths.¡± Alan said touching Alexa¡¯s bracelet.


    Did that count as someone touching Alexa against her wishes? She wasn¡¯t sure, she had been told to not let adults do that, but no one told her if another [Child Stage] kid doing it was bad or not.


    ¡°...Are the other kids in your class like that too? Or, like you, that is one weird classroom.¡± [Fan Girl] said as she lifted Glory and stared at Alan, ¡°Either way, let¡¯s go to the nurse¡¯s office. We have to report this¡­I guess.¡±


    ¡°We are the Classroom of the Elite, no one in that class is normal. Not even the teacher,¡± Alan said bowing to [Fan Girl], what was the deal with bowing?!?!? ¡°This way miss.¡±


    And so Alan started guiding [Fan Girl] to the nurse¡¯s office, Alexa was wondering other things while they walked away.


    Hadn¡¯t this happened before? Last time it was Meli-Meli, and then when she returned to the classroom she used her [Core Powers] to start a time attack with restrictions¡­


    Then this time it would be Glory?


    ¡°[The chances of Glory Blackthorn having an unregistered Core Power are low, members of the high strata of society are more closely monitored, after host was added as a true member of the Saintsworths she too was added to the list of Core Users and her data was given more restrictions of access.]¡±


    Hadn¡¯t Alexa already been registered? Mister Pig had done it right?


    ¡°[The data was rewritten and fixed to remove suspicious; host went from Miscellaneous Core to Shapeshifter. It was stated on the reports written by Alexanders Saintsworths that host can¡¯t shift into other people since host has a psychological limit and can¡¯t sustain such changes.]¡±


    ¡­.But that was a lie.


    ¡°[...]¡±


    ¡°Come on Alexa, don¡¯t get left behind. Your friend needs you!¡± [Fan Girl] called to Alexa, so Alexa went after them.


    She was already looking forward to what [Core] would Glory have, with some luck she would have one that Alexa hadn¡¯t checked yet!

 Chapter 32: The CRADDLE person was nice.

    The walk into the Nurse¡¯s office was average, Alexa didn¡¯t find anything interesting on the way and [Fan Girl] didn¡¯t let Alexa nom Glory¡¯s hair or even the finger, so all that Alexa could do was wait a few seconds there for the Nurse to check on Glory and sent them away.


    The girl woke up on her own when the Nurse broke a small container, some kind of [Smelling salts]. She said Alexa didn¡¯t know that salt could smell like that.


    ¡°...All-mighty Goddess of Life¡­why have you forsaken me,¡± Was the first thing that Glory said when waking up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a drama queen Blackthorn, we knew it was a possibility from the first moment Alexa sat in that chair,¡± Alan said from the door.


    ¡°You are okay, Glory, Alexa¡¯s guardian made sure you didn¡¯t hit anything when fainting, and your vitals are in order,¡± The Nurse said from the side, Alexa didn¡¯t see her taking her vitals in any way or form; perhaps Glory had some kind of sensor like the ones that [Elder] used? ¡°Thank you for your help Miss Venti, we will take it from here. Teacher De¡¯Medicci confirmed that the class will be hosted so you may return.¡±


    ¡°Okay then, Alexa call me if you want me to pick you up. If not make sure your older sister gets you home,¡± [Fan Girl] said before leaving, Alexa didn¡¯t have an older sister¡­


    Or was she referring to herself?


    ¡°That may be me, the one she is talking about,¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably me.¡±


    Yeah, Alexa didn¡¯t have any older sisters at all. Nope, no sir!


    ¡°Okay!¡± Alexa decided to say and wave at [Fan Girl] for now.


    ¡°....God is dead,¡± Glory added from the side.


    Alexa could get behind that statement, as far as she knew there was indeed a dead god¡­or two around she at least felt like that sometimes when this cursed world played against her best interests. Like when she wanted to watch more Magmo but there wasn¡¯t any active stream, or when the yellow time travel that sometimes showed up with Magmo left.


    Times were hard for a young Alexa wanting to watch Magmo¡­


    ¡°Come on then, to your classes.¡± The Nurse said ushering Alexa, Glory and Alan away from the Nurse¡¯s office.


    Alexa could understand why they threw Alexa and Alan to the streets, but Glory?


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t want to be responsible if something happens to Glory; that is why she made sure to log the vitals using the inlaid sensors in our uniforms,¡± Alan said from the side when he noticed the confusion on Alexa¡¯s face.


    ¡°These log our vitals?¡± Alexa asked surprised, so everyone used clothes like that huh.


    ¡°Those I¡¯m not sure, but mine and Glory do,¡± Alan said, showing the interior of his blazer; there was a weird metallic disc there sewn to the blazer, ¡°These log our Vitals to make sure we are okay¡­and to track us in case of kidnapping, of course there are more, but those are in places I can¡¯t show.¡±


    ¡°Gross,¡± Glory said from the side dusting her skirt and blazer, even though neither had been dirtied since [Fan Girl] caught her before she hit the floor, ¡°But yes, most of the students in our class have some degree of tracking technology. Your¡­must be in the bracelet.¡±


    It was?


    Alexa didn¡¯t think so? She knew there was technology to keep track of her vitals, namely Main Core, but the bracelet too? Then that meant that the Alexanders had lied to her!


    ¡°[Notice, Big Brother Designation: Alexanders never stated that he wouldn¡¯t keep track of host.]¡±


    ¡°[Addendum, it is possible to ask the hidden library within the device for confirmation.]¡±


    Right, she could just ask!


    She would do so later! For now, she had more important things to do! Like going to class! They needed to arrive to the classroom so Glory could go out of control and show her hidden Core Power, start the fight and all so Alexa could get a new blueprint!


    Perhaps Alexa could nom someone by accident? Or a couple, then everything would be better, yes.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then, ladies, let¡¯s not keep our teacher waiting,¡± Alan said, pointing towards the hallway they needed to go through.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to say it twice,¡± Glory answered and she started walking forward, the girl kept sneaking glances at Alexa¡¯s right arm.


    Was she hungry? But her right arm was salty and slightly tasteless; Alexa hadn¡¯t tasted the left hand, though, but she doubted that one was better tasting. Perhaps Alexa could make the taste better by increasing the diversity of meat used on her arm?


    Add some pork? Pig? Rat? Bacon? Alexa could probably get away with adding some bacon to her arm, then her arm would be not only used to grab and punch people, but also to snack!


    Her grabber would be a snacker! Or a Smacker?


    ¡°Yes, that sounds like a good idea,¡± Alexa added her opinion, it was important to voice these kind of things, lest she forget them.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± Alan said and started walking ahead, Glory followed suit and at the back Alexa started walking too.


    It was time for¡­The obviously foreshadowed combat!


    The reveal would be epic and Alexa was already preparing her astoundished face!


    ¡ª-------------------------


    Alexa was lied to!


    They arrived at the classroom, and nothing was waiting for them; well, there were plenty of people waiting for them, Glory walked to a group of girls who spied glances at Alexa from time to time and continued gossiping among them.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Alan excused himself with a small bow and did the same, only instead of spying glances at Alexa, they also did the same with Glory.


    And Alexa?


    Well, she sat on her place and noticed how there was a very convenient slot with the form of her bracelet. So she slotted it there, and sure enough, a golden eagle shone atop her seat.


    It made Alexa wonder if it would taste like chicken¡­


    ¡°Greetings Lady Alexa, this humble one is CRADDLE. How may I serve you today?¡± Then while Alexa was wondering about that a small [Human] wearing a brown dress with a robe atop said dress appeared atop her desk, this small human was wearing atop her head a big fluffy-looking hat.


    ¡°What does the weird bird that showed before you taste like?¡± Alexa decided to ask that first.


    As soon as the words left her mouth, the whole class turned into silence.


    ¡°...The meat of most eagle species is known to be gamey and oily, while not quite close to most chicken meat. It does have some similarities, while it is said to be closer in taste to common beef and venison Eagle meat is more healthier overall.¡± The small [human] called CRADDLE answered Alexa¡¯s question without missing a beat, ¡°It is unknown what species of Eagle the Saintsworths emblem is, but the most probable species is that of a Bald Eagle since that is the most common and popular eagle on the United States of America.¡±


    ¡°So it is not a real animal?¡± Alexa asked, nodding her head at the information. She didn¡¯t know what a [Venison] or a [Beef] tasted like, but if it was used as an example, it ought to be tasty.


    ¡°Correct, the emblem was originally based on the red-tailed hawk. Later it was adapted to common standards and to make it easier to design it was transformed into the current iteration that shares many aspects with the Eagle.¡± The CRADDLE person said, showing images of those examples on the weird crystal screen that grew out of her table. ¡°Is there anything else I may help you with?¡±


    Was there?


    Not really.


    ¡°Nope, thank you CRADDLE Person,¡± Alexa said, nodding at the CRADDLE person.


    ¡°We live to serve. If you require anything please call upon us.¡± The CRADDLE person said, bowing to Alexa, ¡°May the light of civilization shine upon you, Lady Alexa.¡±


    And like that, the CRADDLE person disappeared.


    ¡°DID YOU SEE THAT?!?!?!¡± One kid at the farther end of the room said in a loud voice, ¡°I DIDN¡¯T EVEN KNOW THESE SEATS HAD HOLOGRAPHIC CAPABILITIES!¡±


    ¡°SHHH,¡± another kid said in front of that one who screamed, ¡°She is the girl who pretended to be a fake Saintsworths before. Did you insult her? I think she is baiting for dissidents but got tired of pretending.¡±


    Alexa was doing what?


    She could do that? What was even that supposed to be?


    ¡°You should be more surprised by the fact that she made CRADDLE answer something as inane as that.¡± Alan pointed from his seat.


    Rude. That was not an inane question, it was an important question! Now Alexa knew three types of meat! She could increase her eating endeavors! Before she only knew of Rat Meat, Human Meat, Hamburger Meat and Tofu Meat! And the most important of them all¡­Mango Meat!


    ¡°That is nothing amazing,¡± Glory said aloud for everyone to hear, her voice sounded funny, like how [Eleanore] liked to speak when she wanted for Alexa to listen to her, ¡°That is what is expected from a Saintsworths, they build up most of the important advances of civilization. That is just more proof of why we should strive to be the light that fuels the advancement of civilization.¡±


    At Glory¡¯s words, the people around started groaning, and Alexa could see how Glory¡¯s mood seemed to be darkening, as she could almost see her hair start to rise (Not really) as Glory prepared to release her hidden Core Power (No seriously, there was nothing to see there).


    ¡°Okay, okay, that is enough!¡± And before anyone else said anything else or Glory could start her rampage (Like really, the girl just stood there balling her fists in annoyance), ¡°Class is about to start!¡±


    Came the voice of the Teacher.


    ¡°Rise! Salute!¡± And the voice of Glory as she stood, with her the other kids stood and so Alexa did the same, she didn¡¯t remember this part¡­mostly because she hadn¡¯t been there at the start of the class. But that was beside the point! ¡°Bow! Sit!¡±


    And Alexa following the instructions did as the other people, of course since it was Alexa, she did it perfectly and in synch with the people beside her! Yes, she didn¡¯t freeze, stood like a confused Alexa, and then sat back pretending as if nothing had happened! No sir! Not this Alexa! Maybe that Alexa over there? But not this one! Nope!


    ¡­NOTHING HAPPENED MOVING ON!


    ¡°Well, it is good to know that all of you are fine. So far it looks like most are here but let¡¯s check.¡± The Teacher said walking to the front of the classroom, Alexa noted how most of his other reflections seemed to be more¡­calm. One even had a weird white thing stuck into one of his arms! It looked solid and covered in bandages. ¡°CRADDLE, is everyone here?¡±


    ¡°Full assistance, no missing students. You may continue with your schedule Teacher De¡¯Medicci.¡± The CRADDLE person answered.


    ¡°Good,¡± The Teacher said nodding as he sat into the desk instead of using the chair like a normal person, ¡°Now¡­How many of you know the reason why the city is a mess?¡±


    Most of the people raised their hands, very few didn¡¯t among those of course one was Alexa, since Alexa was different from the rest, she was especial!


    So she didn¡¯t raise her hand! No sir!


    ¡°Let¡¯s go with the obvious answer, Miss Blackthorn.¡± The Teacher said turning to Glory.


    Was this it? Was she going to go wild?!?


    ¡°We suffered the attack of not one but two high dangerous individuals in one day, the city inhabitants are checking up if their defenses and following proper procedures, in this case is [The Scrambler] protocol and [The Theater Master] protocol.¡± Glory answered and then sat down.


    ¡°As expected from the Blackthorn heiress, perfect and to the point.¡± The Teacher said, nodding his head, ¡°CRADDLE assign the correct extra points, now for a more nuanced answer¡­.Harmonia, you are up.¡±


    Alan nodded his head and stood at the mention of his name, ¡°Tell me what do you have to add to your classmate¡¯s answer.¡± The Teacher said pointing at Alan.


    ¡°The presence of [The Scrambler] means that in the near days, we will have plenty of empty jobs in some areas, this time he showed up near the banking district; in the best case scenario, the stock may take a hit, and some people will lose their savings.¡± Alan started pointing out¡­a very fair point.


    Alexa hadn¡¯t thought about that, but if not only the minions got affected and the people that worked in the weird [Bank] got affected, then people forgetting the work they did would mean it was a mess right now right?


    ¡°The fact that we had also [The Theater Master] in the scene only makes it more of a mess, since anyone that was scripted into his [Show] ended up exposed to a double dose of an S-List Villain. While [The Theater Master] is more nuanced and rarely leaves side effects, if someone was wasted into a role that put him at risk of exposure to [The Scrambler], then it means that we may just have more victims than usual.¡± Alan ended his answer on that and sat down.


    ¡°...CRADDLE, points.¡± The Teacher said, most of the faces behind him seemed sad at the answer that Alan had given, the face that was tied into this [Reality] however didn¡¯t show anything, ¡°And now for the extra points¡­Saintsworths, you are up. What do you think will happen.¡±


    Alexa¡¯s turn came!


    But she was busy making sure she was ready for the imminent crazed explosion of action from Glory¡¯s Core!!!


    ¡°Alexandra Saintsworths, your answer?¡± The Teacher said, pointing at Alexa with his cane, which was not intimidating¡­ unless one paid attention to the reflection beyond the cracks in Reality, those pointed at Alexa with swords, long sticks with ominous-looking blades stuck at the end, hammers, [Gun] type weapons¡­And one pointed at her with Mister Squeaky¡­The most dangerous of them all!


    ¡°Amm¡­¡± Alexa said standing up, ¡°...Most people will¡­.go about their life in a new job and identity?¡±


    Alexa at least thought so.


    ¡°...Elaborate,¡± The Teacher said, lowering his cane. ¡°How can they continue their life if their life got stolen from them?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­they wake up as a new person, right?¡± Alexa said, mentioning what she had been told about how people ended up after facing the scrambled guy.


    ¡°...that is an oversimplification of the fact that their minds are stripped clean, their souls replaced, and their life overturned.¡± The Teacher said with obvious anger in his voice, ¡°But yes, in a very oversimplified way they indeed just ¡®wake up as someone else¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­the people at my apartment said that if someone was having trouble with their new identities they would get help to fix their faces and bodies,¡± Alexa said fumbling with her backpack bringing one of those fliers that asked people to go to an address on [Vulcanus] sector to see a [Shapeshifter Core] user who could help people with small modifications for free. ¡°So if someone has problems with their bodies and new minds they just need to go get that fixed and carry on!¡±


    Alexa didn¡¯t see the problem, ¡°If they don¡¯t like the old face with their new [Consciousness Stream] they can just change it and carry on. They are still alive, after all.¡± Maybe the Tiffany person could also do that and fix her body problem?


    ¡°...that is¡­¡± The Teacher said as some of the faces behind him started laughing as before, unlike before when some of those cried, these looked more like they were thinking about something, most of them laughed thought, ¡°...Is a very simple way to see a complex problem, you fail to take into consideration the people they will leave behind, the family that they will never see, the suffering of the people that remember them and will never see again.¡±


    ¡°But they aren¡¯t those people.¡± Alexa said pointing out the obvious flaw on his statement!


    ¡°Beg you pardon?¡± The Teacher asked back, confused, ¡°They are, even if their mind changes, they still are the people from before. The blood doesn¡¯t lie.¡±


    The blood didn¡¯t lie?


    But Alexa had changed her blood before, she changed it like four times in that day¡­


    ¡°Their [Consciousness Stream] is different, the body is just some meat and bone. But what was in there¡­¡± Alexa said pointing at her head, ¡°Is no longer there, if they were the same as before then they would just need a [Mind Core] user to return them to normal, but that doesn¡¯t work right?¡±


    Or at least that was the impression that Alexa got from the scrambled guy and the theater guy. That what they did wasn¡¯t quite right the effect of a [Mind Core]. When Alexa threw the package, for example, it shouldn¡¯t have landed where it did, and yet it was almost as if the throw would make it no matter what. As if that was the only obvious outcome.


    ¡°...CRADDLE, evaluate the answer. Give the points, announce the result.¡± The Teacher said, staring at the ceiling.


    ¡°Glory Blackthorn manages to evaluate the problem and states the correct procedure. Fails to evaluate the ramifications of a missing leadership in place but trusts the correct procedure to persist. Grading Answer¡­.B.¡±


    Glory frowned at that but nodded nonetheless.


    ¡°Alan Harmonia states the obvious problem and possible risks on our infrastructure, cleverly states a possible crash in the stock market, and has actively attempted to profit from it. And moved forward to fix the issue by sending a reminder to his family to deal with possible issues. Grading Answer¡­.B+.¡±


    There was a row of gasps, and the funnier one came from Alan, who almost choked on something.


    ¡°Alexandra Saintsworths¡­No¡­Scanning¡­.Scanning¡­Identity confirmed, Alexa Saintsworths¡­Evaluating¡­¡±


    And then again, another gasp from the people around; for some weird reason, Glory was staring weirdly at her.


    What?


    The CRADDLE person didn¡¯t say anything wrong? She was Alexa, not Alexandra! She was not naggy!


    She was Alexa!


    </a>

 Chapter 33: Hello Princess ?

    ¡°Evaluating results from student Alexa Saintsworths¡­.¡±


    The CRADDLE person kept saying that, but it didn¡¯t evaluate anything! The CRADDLE person was being a cheap stake!


    ¡°Accurately describes complex psychosocial and interpersonal problems and provides a viable means of solving the issue. Uses local assets to solve the issue without incurring social or financial debt. Shows proof of said assets¡­Accurately shows evidence to transform an issue into a non issue¡­¡±


    Alexa did all of that?


    ¡°Final assessment ¡­A+.¡±


    Yay! Alexa got the first letter of her name!


    ¡°...CRADDLE, did you assign extra points to her because of her heritage?¡± The teacher person said narrowing all his eyes at the ceiling, both the ones on his physical body and those on his non physical bodies.


    ¡°Negative, extra computational time was taken to re-analyze all activities taken by Alexa Saintsworths; she currently has given full authority for all time monitoring. As such all her activities after leaving her home were taken into consideration and no falsehood or evidence of her accessing school data with the goal of cheating were found. As such, extra points were given.¡±


    The CRADDLE person saw everything that Alexa did?!!?!? Her secrets! Her secret Mango Stash was in danger!


    ¡°CRADDLE person! Don¡¯t stalk Alexa!¡± Alexa said, standing up and pointing at the ceiling, to the same exact point that the teacher person was staring at.


    ¡°Noted, reducing assets allocated for monitoring. Will only evaluate activities done within classroom and school setting.¡±


    The CRADDLE person materialized atop Alexa¡¯s desk and said, as such. Afterwards it gave a small bow with its small body and disappeared once more.


    ¡°Well, since Alexandra already gave us a viable way to deal with the issue then that is that.¡± The teacher person said sighing, ¡°With that out of the way, you as the future of our society will have to think. What is the next step, should you find yourselves in a position of power what would be the next step that should be considered and done.¡±


    Pushing a button using the stick he was using to walk, the teacher person made the big television descend from the ceiling once more. On it, the map that Alexa had used to know the layout of the bank was shown; there were some areas painted red, others yellow and finally the last ones blue.


    ¡°Red areas show the places that got heavily damaged or are expected to go out of business because they lost too many employees, mostly are buildings near the fight between the [Villains].¡± The teacher person said pointing said areas with his stick, ¡°Yellow are probable high risks, areas in which there is evidence of Minion and [Villain] activity. Places there are confirmed sightings of Minions vanishing in thin air¡­or [Villains] doing the same.¡±


    Alexa knew some of those spots! One of those was where they had arrived from!


    It was closer to the blue area than the yellow, but it was near!


    Also there was one of the safehouses there, should Alexa tell [Billy] or [Eleanore] about that?


    ¡°Finally, blue zones are the ones that got almost no damage or [Villain] and Minion presence, the good areas.¡± The teacher person ended up pointing at some of the blue buildings. To be precise, the teacher person pointed at one or two buildings away from the spot where Alexa had arrived after leaving the [Elevator] from the base. ¡°Let¡¯s go from top scorer and start from there, Alexandra? You are up. What is the next step?¡±


    Alexandra? But she was Alexa! She wasn¡¯t the naggy one!


    ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± Alexa hummed, even so¡­should she answer?


    ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Probably for the best if you do.¡±


    Both the naggy and the mean one said so. So Alexa decided to do one of the sigh things and answer.


    ¡°Le sigh¡­¡± Nailed it, or at least Alexa thought so, ¡°Next would be¡­getting people to work on the red areas?¡±


    Alexa was not sure why they were designed red, not like they got destroyed¡­as far as she had seen there wasn¡¯t much destruction going on during the whole fight between the scrambled guy and the theater guy. Most of it had been done by [Golem] if what she remembered from the plans was to be trusted. And even that was limited to vehicles and some light poles being used as weapons by [Golem].


    ¡°Actual things to do, Alexandra, saying ¡®Let¡¯s just go back to work¡¯ doesn¡¯t fix the issue.¡± The teacher person said back to Alexa.


    What did he want from her?


    ¡°But¡­there is nothing to fix.¡± Alexa grumbled while crossing her arms atop her chest, ¡°Nothing was destroyed, right? All the damage was from the people turning weird.¡±


    ¡°....CRADDLE?¡± The teacher person said pointing at the big tv, ¡°Add a new color, paint it purple. Show the damage to buildings.¡±


    ¡°Updating heat map.¡± The CRADDLE person said and¡­nothing really changed. Besides a small dot in one building. ¡°Update complete, current damages are as listed¡­One satellite dish destroyed by a discharge of electricity from one current new Hero.¡±


    Oh, the Railgun thing that Alexanders did damage something? Heh, Alexa would remember that¡­or Ale would probably, since she was the one dealing with the Alexanders guy.


    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± ¡°Well I don¡¯t want to deal with him and Alexa is out by default.¡± ¡°Ughhhhhhh¡­.¡±


    ¡°...That is your answer?¡± The teacher person said, turning to Alexa again.


    ¡°Nothing to fix, so just get people to stop being silly.¡± Alexa nodded her head and said her part, she couldn¡¯t understand what the deal was with these people, they only changed a little their [Consciousenss Stream] she did that all the time!


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Couldn¡¯t they just share?


    The gall of some people!


    ¡°Fine...CRADDLE, log the answer and prepare the evaluation. Next Harmonia, you are up.¡± Teacher person said turning the attention to Alan.


    Alexa noticed that Alan recoiled at being singled out like that, but he recomposed easily enough.


    ¡°I would start by buying out any building open for selling in the area, people wanting to start a new life would probably want to get rid of the buildings easily enough.¡± Alan said turning to the screen, ¡°Can you show us the properties that are expected to go out of business or are intending to sell?¡±


    The CRADDLE person didn¡¯t respond, so the teacher person sighed and said, ¡°CRADDLE, update the map following the query, continue updating so long the questions are productive to the class.¡±


    The CRADDLE person said as instructed and added a symbol of an [$] on some of the buildings; weirdly enough, most of those were those with red color, half of those with yellow color, and a couple of buildings close to the blue zone.


    Weird, why would they want to sell those in the blue zone too?


    ¡°There, I would set up new businesses that don¡¯t require clients to sustain themselves, perhaps office buildings?¡± Alan was less sure about that answer.


    ¡°CRADDLE, log the answer. You may sit down Harmonia, your answer is good enough for now.¡± The teacher person said, he seemed more happy with that answer. ¡°Now, Blackthorn, this is your chance to recover from your previous answer. What is your opinion?¡±


    Alan sat down as fast as possible and the attention shifted to Glory, the girl didn¡¯t waver as much as Alan and merely stood.


    ¡°Thank you Teacher,¡± First she said that and gave a small curtsy, why was she doing the weird curtsy thing? ¡°First, as Alexa stated, the buildings are in perfect condition, so there is nothing wrong with them.¡±


    Alexa nodded, there was no reason to do anything! The [Humans] were being silly! Silly she said!


    ¡°And as Alan showed us, it is perfect time to buy some properties,¡± Alexa didn¡¯t know why but she got the feeling that Glory would not use the same approach that Alan had followed, ¡°So my suggestion is to buy wholesale, buy all the properties within the same area and build a shopping mall, create new buildings mixing the lots and create a new shopping district.¡±


    That was¡­she wanted to eat the whole cake and the dish plate too!


    Glory was ravenous!


    ¡°So while Harmonia¡¯s plan was to move the purpose of the building away from those that required public, you are going the opposite direction. Why?¡± The teacher person said turning his attention to Glory, all of the echoes behind him doing the same. That looked creepy, creepy Alexa said!


    ¡°Alexa said as much, there is no reason to get hung up on why or what [The Scrambler] did, the same goes for [The Theater Master]. We know for a fact that those affected by [The Theater Master] aren¡¯t dangerous and more often than not can continue their life as if nothing happened.¡± Glory said, getting a nod from the teacher person.


    ¡°But the same can¡¯t be said about those affected by [The Scrambler], while they aren¡¯t a danger per se to other people. They are greatly affected; their lives are no longer what they used to be. They are quite literally people with no memory of living here, closer to foreigners settling in a new city.¡± The teacher person said in a sad tone.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Glory nodded too, ¡°They don¡¯t know anything, have no memories of living here and all they know and remember starts from the moment they woke up.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± The teacher person said, motioning to Glory to elaborate.


    ¡°Well, if we build a shopping market and some facilities near the first place they woke up. The place that they will continue going to, people will start going there too. It is guaranteed success since the people affected by [The Scrambler] will not have the instinctual fear that most of us have. And since they will go there, the normal people will go too.¡± Glory said, nodding her head. ¡°As Father would say, monkeys do as monkeys see.¡±


    That was a dumb monkey, Alexa couldn¡¯t believe there was a monkey as dumb as that!!


    To do something just because they saw someone else do it¡­


    ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡±


    ¡­.Alexa felt that she was being judged! But heard nothing, so surely there was some misconception around.


    ¡°[...]¡±


    Yes, Alexa was sure of that!


    ¡°I see, well that is one interesting take, probably encouraged by your peers I assume.¡± The teacher person said to Glory, to which she nodded, ¡°Acceptable, CRADDLE log the answer!¡±


    The CRADDLE person once again didn¡¯t answer or say anything. Weird, was the CRADDLE person sleeping?


    ¡°As stated by both Harmonia and Blackthorn, there are no reasons why these businesses should close. And if you have the buying power you should take this chance to increase the profit on the area.¡± The teacher person said turning the image on the big screen to the next, ¡°Be it by buying all the plots and making super mall centers or condensed office space.¡±


    Alexa¡­didn¡¯t like either option to be honest, she liked how the street looked with multiple buildings of different colors.


    ¡°The most promising one is the super mall as it offers the opportunity to not only renovate the whole place down but also increase the amount of variety and public attendance.¡± The teacher person said, and the next image shown on the screen was one of a big building with multiple small types of establishments.


    Alexa cared not for those, though.


    ¡°MANGO!¡± For she screamed to the high heavens as she noticed one of the buildings had a mango depiction and was offering Mango services (Mango Ice Cream).


    ¡°...Yes, Alexandra Saintsworths, there is indeed one establishment selling kid¡¯s candies among those.¡± The teacher person said, stopping for a second.


    ¡°Establishment selected is a private enterprise that is scheduled to be released to the public in four days; it is expected to sell multiple types of food, beverages, and candies focused on mango-related products. Named ¡®Mango Paradise INC, patent pending.¡¯ ¡° The CRADDLE person said, but Alexa was not paying attention! (She was paying attention and recording everything)


    ¡°CRADDLE person! Send the relevant data to Main Core! Also, schedule Alexa for a mango Ice cream!¡± Alexa said, pointing to the image and nodding her head.


    ¡°Scheduled appointment has been finished. Sending corresponding tickets, data and location to Alexa Saintsworths email labeled as ¡®Main Core¡¯...Done.¡± The CRADDLE person said to Alexa¡¯s relief.


    ¡°Say¡­was the Artificial intelligence governing our school life always this¡­Pitiful?¡± Alexa heard one of the students near her whisper to someone else.


    ¡°...My father said that if the Saintsworths released it into the stock market it would increase their worth by at least a couple billions¡­¡± Other students said as much.


    ¡°And here it is¡­¡± The first student said, frustrated. ¡°Scheduling tickets for a candy store¡­¡±


    ¡°The world, more often than not, is weirder than fiction.¡± The teacher person said in a loud voice, making everyone focus on him, ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you that time and time again? This very class is such an example, for you all should be aware that the average five to six-year-old kid is not solving the type of questions that I field for you to solve.¡±


    Alexa¡­was painfully aware of that, if not for Main Core helping her cheat, she very much doubted that she would have any chance, at all. To survive in this class environment.


    ¡°But there must be a limit to such ridiculous things in a day,¡± The first student said.


    ¡°Ridiculous you say? Are you implying that a Saintsworths Heir is acting¡­strange?¡± The teacher person said with some mirth in his voice.


    ¡°...I stand corrected,¡± The previously angry student said in a defeated tone, ¡°I had forgotten for a second whose family we spoke about.¡±


    What?


    ¡°What?¡± Alexa asked confused.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it Alexa,¡± Glory said standing up and moving her chair closer to Alexa.


    ¡°It is the perils of being above the rabble, as the people from your family would say,¡± Alan added as he also moved his chair closer to Alexa.


    Now Alexa was sandwiched between her friends! Alexa would have more people to play around with!


    No wait, was this legal? Could they do this?


    ¡°So, what did we learn in this instance? Alexandra?¡± The teacher person said, turning the attention back to Alexa.


    What did Alexa learn?


    ¡°That the Saintsworths sometimes can do good things?¡± Alexa asked pointing at the mango enterprise developing right now.


    ¡°Harmonia?¡± The teacher person ignored Alexa¡¯s answer and turned to Alan.


    ¡°That while some may think that having a last name doesn¡¯t change us. It can very well explain many things.¡± Alan said, nodding sagely.


    Alexa wasn¡¯t even sure what that meant!


    ¡°Blackthorn.¡± The teacher person nodded and pointed to Glory this time.


    ¡°That the genius of some people can be interpreted as madness by others.¡± Glory said, smiling at Alexa. ¡°And I personally learned that there must be a reason behind the madness. Even if I can¡¯t see it.¡±


    ¡°...I don¡¯t think there are many things hidden behind this particular madness though.¡± Alan quickly added in a small voice.


    ¡°Good, all good lessons. You are free to interpret [Madness] as you wish, but that is up to you Blackthorn.¡± The teacher person said. ¡°But you must be ready to accept that not all that is hidden behind [Madness] is a well-thought plan.¡±


    The teacher person said the last part, staring at Alexa¡­not through his normal eyes, but using the eyes of all the other people hidden behind the cracks in reality.


    ¡°But Alexa doesn¡¯t have any hidden plan¡­¡± Alexa said tilting her head to the side cutely, why cutely? Because it was Alexa!


    ¡°Or anything at all.¡± The teacher person said, nodding his head, ¡°CRADDLE! Finish the calculation of today¡¯s points!¡±


    It was time! Alexa would know how she did today!


    ¡°And with that, let¡¯s move to the next part of the schedule¡­The Exam War preparations, I assume your representatives and members are ready? Blackthorn? Harmonia?¡± The teacher person said turning to Alan and Glory.


    ¡°Yes sir,¡± ¡°Ready to go.¡± Both answered.


    What?


    ¡°Good, then let¡¯s move on. We have plenty to explain to your new teammate.¡± The teacher person said as he motioned at the big screen, ¡°CRADDLE, show us what we can expect for this year¡¯s first exam wars.¡±


    ¡°Acknowledged, displaying currently scheduled war scenarios.¡±


    ¡°And this students, is what true nepotism feels like. Embrace it.¡± The teacher person said, pointing at the screen.


    ¡°That is information that we should not be able to see.¡± Glory said aghast as her pen danced across her desk recording all the information.


    ¡°Hello, mother of all the illegal data¡­¡± Alan said from the side eyeing the screen and unlike everyone else, he did turn to look at Alexa, ¡°...And hello to you Princess.¡±


    Princess?!?!?!


    Alexa was a princess?!?!?


    She didn¡¯t know what that was, but it made Alexa¡¯s face feel hot and made her [Consciousness Stream] all tingly.


    </a>

 Chapter 34: ALEXA WILL NOT BE DECIEVED!

    Wha-wha-wha-what should Alexa do?!?!?!?


    Main Core! Define Princess! Alexa needs to know why the word makes her malfunction! Such a dangerous word!


    ¡°[Princess: A princess is a female member of a royal family, typically the daughter or granddaughter of a king or queen. She may also be the wife of a prince. It usually refers to those in a modern setting when they are people with power. In another setting it could be used as a way of complimenting someone. Usually highlighting their good appearance, beauty, charm or monetary/political prowess.]¡±


    ¡°[In this setting can be used to describe host as a she is currently using the identity of the daughter of a powerful entity.]¡±


    Ah yes, that makes complete sense yes¡­BUT WHY IS ALEXA LIKE THIS?!?!?!


    ¡°Say¡­isn¡¯t this like you and Sam¡¯s upper body?¡± ¡°...No.¡±


    What?!?!? No! Alexa is not like that, ew. EWWWWWW.


    ¡°[...]¡±


    AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.


    ¡°Harmonia, Saintsworths, pay attention.¡± The teacher person said making Alexa hit her face against the desktop making a loud *tud*. ¡°...Or do that.¡±


    Yes, Alexa would do that.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay!¡± Alexa said raising her hand and her face, she felt a throbbing pain on her nose and was half sure that Main Core was fixing her face in real time. Since some of the students seemed to wince while turning to look at her, of course Alexa made sure to turn her face away from Alan, it wouldn¡¯t¡­


    Wait, why?!?!?!?!?!?!? IT DIDN¡¯T MATTER HOW ALAN SAW HER LALALALALALALALALALALLALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALA.


    ¡°...Teacher I think my joke broke Alexa.¡± Alan said from the side.


    No wait, Alexa was broken?


    ¡°That¡¯s it! Main Core! Fix Alexa!¡± Such an easy answer!


    ¡°I can see that Harmonia, I¡¯m debating how to deal with this.¡± The teacher person said from the other end of the room, he seemed to be analyzing Alexa, but Alexa didn¡¯t care!


    ¡°[Current damage to facial structure has been fixed, no further damage found.]¡±


    ¡°But Alexa is feeling weird!¡± Alexa said confused.


    ¡°Alexa, come this way,¡± Glory said, motioning to Alexa to get closer, so Alexa did as instructed. She totally didn¡¯t do it because she didn¡¯t want to be near Alan and kept feeling the weird twirly thing on her tummy. Totally. ¡°You are flustered, no one complimented you before?¡±


    Did they? Of course they did it, all the time, she was Alexa! It was obvious that people would say she was cute, she was the cutestest of them all!


    ¡°Of course they have, Alexa is the cutestest so she gets called cute all the time!¡± Alexa said, nodding at the obvious, ¡°It¡¯s natural!¡±


    And it was! How could you resist calling someone that was cute cute!


    It was impossible! Humans didn¡¯t work like that!


    ¡°No, if you think it¡¯s natural, then it isn¡¯t a compliment.¡± Glory suddenly said.


    No, wait¡­doing something that was natural¡­made it not a compliment? Then since Alexa was called cute all the time it was no longer a compliment but something expected¡­That¡­kind of made sense?


    But it meant that Alexa was getting fewer compliments than she deserved! But¡­she couldn¡¯t get more about other things! Being the prettiestest was Ale¡¯s job!


    Alexa couldn¡¯t be pretty! And since Alexandra was the most beautiful, then she couldn¡¯t be that either!


    Alexa was scammed!


    She was scammed by the mean one and the naggy one!


    No, wait, but Alan complimented her! Then that meant that it was possible! But¡­she didn¡¯t like how she was feeling! She was all tingly all over! It made her feel weird!


    ¡°Focus Alexa,¡± Glory said shaking her, ¡°Listen to me, you can¡¯t leave yourself like this, ground yourself. Compliments aren¡¯t meant to control you; you must control the men and get the compliments. It is your birthright as a lady of a noble and ancient house.¡±


    She was a what from what in what?


    ¡°All nobles ladies must receive them; to Alan, it was mere lip service. He gives them to every girl he meets.¡± Glory said with some distaste in her voice.


    He did a what? Alexa¡­did not like that. She didn¡¯t like getting secondhand food¡­ That made almost all the tingly feeling leave, leaving her worse than she was at the start, while she didn¡¯t like feeling tingly and blushy¡­Feeling like a secondhand complimented¡­


    ¡°?¡± Alan turned his head sideways as Alexa looked at him; he seemed confused and awkwardly waved at them.


    *Snap*


    ¡°...Alexa doesn¡¯t like secondhand compliments,¡± Alexa growled. She was angry, why was she angry? Alan didn¡¯t steal her mango, but even so, she was furious.


    ¡°No one does,¡± Glory said nodding herself, ¡°That is why you must analyze them, why did they compliment you? Did you do something to deserve it? Are they actually looking at you? Or are they merely giving lip service? Think Alexa, why did Alan compliment you?¡±


    Why did he call her Princess?


    Ah, they did when the CRADDLE person showed the data of the Exam wars. When her identity as a Saintsworths got them extra information that they shouldn¡¯t have access to.


    ¡°He did when the CRADDLE person gave us more data than we should have gotten,¡± Alexa said after thinking about what she had done.


    ¡°Exactly, now. What did he say? That you were the most beautiful? The most gorgeous girl here? That your eyes were like the rising sun this morning?¡± Glory said, saying some weird complicated phrases.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°He called me Princess.¡± Alexa said, stopping her before she said more complex things.


    ¡°... Princess of his heart? The prettiest Princess? Princess of his heart?¡± Glory asked for confirmation.


    ¡°Only Princess, he said ¡®Hello Princess¡­¡¯ ¡° Alexa said the last part mimicking his voice, doing something so simple was easy enough and she could do it without making Main Core work.


    ¡°....I think that was closer to a joke than a compliment, probably trying to be a smartass.¡± Glory said facepalming.


    ¡°...Then¡­Alexa is not a Princess?¡± Alexa said somewhat sadder about this than about getting secondhand compliments.


    ¡°...No, you ARE indeed a Princess.¡± Glory sighed in defeat, ¡°An important one since you are a Saintsworths. They¡­aren¡¯t a monarchy and are closer to an Imperium. But even so. Some may say that all the sons and daughters of the main branch are princes or princesses.¡±


    Ah, right. Hadn¡¯t the Alexanders guy said something about branches, too?


    ¡°So Alexa is a Princess then?¡± Alexa asked again for confirmation, she had liked how being told that she was a Princess felt. Even if she didn¡¯t like feeling the blush thing and the tingly thing.


    ¡°Yes, Alexa, you are a Princess.¡± Glory said again with a sigh thing, ¡°For now let¡¯s focus on the class okay? You also need to pull your weight¡­.Remember the MRE you are getting.¡±


    Ah! The MRE thing! Alexa was getting a Mentalist M(ango)RE thing!


    ¡°Is everything in order Blackthorn? Have you fixed your pocket Saintsworths?¡± The teacher person said with a weird smirk on his face, she liked him more when he was all theatrical.


    No wait, what? Main Core?


    ¡°[Teacher Designation: Tristan De¡¯Medicci is indeed the Super Villain Designation: The Theater Master. Host had confirmed this before.]¡±


    ¡­Why did they let a Super Villain teach their kids? No wait, they let them walk around in a BioWeapon testing facility too, this was not weirder than that, actually this was safer since they seemed to move with some weird set of rules that Alexa still hadn¡¯t made sense. Why not attack the medical units? Why not go for the squishier target first and leave the combatants for later?


    Why not just¡­let her [Devour] everything and let her grow exponentially to the size of a super city like the Desert or the [Ants] did?


    Actually the last one was mostly her own delusions of wanting to nom the world, Alexa had, after all. Been born to Om.


    ¡°Okay then, now that the star of the class has returned to us, focus.¡± The teacher person said, pointing at the big TV screen, while his echoes pointed at her. ¡°First, we have a favorite, Harmonia. Since you made us waste so much time, explain the event.¡±


    ¡­How dare he make Alan¡­No, wait, why was Alexa defending him?!?!?!?


    ¡°Thank you Teacher,¡± Alan said standing up and giving a small bow to the teacher person, and to Alexa he gave a small wink.


    Alexa would not be deceived!


    ¡°The first event this year seems to be an endurance race, normal layout, so we can expect a circuit of at least a kilometer long run for our noncore users and a five-kilometer circuit for the Core Users.¡± Alan said pointing at the big tv picture, there was indeed an image of a donut painted on the ground. ¡°We weren¡¯t planning to participate in the Core User race since we didn¡¯t have anyone that would be a good fit for it before but¡­¡±


    Alan said turning to eye Alexa, for a second he seemed to look her up and down¡­What? Got a problem?!?!?!? Alexa will eat you and spit you before you know it! Don¡¯t test Alexa! She could be a rabid¡­a rabid¡­A rabitt Alexa! Pyon!


    No wait, that was wrong!


    ¡°Yes, Alexandra Saintsworths is indeed recorded as a Core User so she qualifies for that category, so this class can compete against the other Core Users.¡± The teacher person said from below, ¡°If she is up to the challenge¡­.whatever they may provide, surely not much against one of the esteemed Saintsworths.¡±


    ¡°Alexa can do it!¡± Alexa said raising her hand, ¡°She can defeat them all puny [Humans]!¡±


    ¡°....Phrasing Alexa,¡± Glory said from the side, ¡°That kind of words in less understanding ears could paint you as a Core user supremasists. And while we know the official stance of the current Scion, other less intelligent people may think you and the Saintsworths advocate for Core User supremacy.¡±


    The what now?


    ¡°We may as well get this out now then,¡± The teacher person said pointing at Alexa, ¡°Answer us this Alexandra Saintsworths, is a Core User superior to a non Core User? If so, why. If not, also why.¡±


    Was a [Core User] superior to a non [Core User]? The answer was obvious, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Depends on what setting, a non [Core User] can defeat a [Core User] with enough preparation.¡± Alexa said she was a good example of that; she had defeated [V-8] without using her [Core Power] after all. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what type of [Core] you have, Alexa would have not been defeated if she had the scrambler guy power for example.¡±


    *Silence 2: Electric Boogaloo*


    ¡°...That is indeed the Saintsworths blood speaking,¡± Alan suddenly said from the side as he started laughing.


    ¡°What?¡± Alexa asked confused as she felt the blood rush to her face, again. ¡°What did Alexa say?¡±


    ¡°Most people that are asked all answer the same. That they wouldn¡¯t want to have [The Scrambler]¡¯s Core Power. Hell, some even say that [The Theater Master] is like he is because he doesn¡¯t want to be associated with [The Scrambler].¡± Alan answered for Alexa.


    ¡°So the teach- I mean, so the Theather person does have the same [Core Power]?¡± Alexa asked.


    ¡°Debatable, that is more of a semantic question. [The Theater Master] has not twisted anyone into something else, even if some people claim that he could.¡± The Teacher person asked, Alexa could see some of the people behind him scowl at her.


    But Alexa would not get bullied! Bleh! Bleh Alexa said!


    No, wait, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t people want to have the scrambled person [Core]? Isn¡¯t he like at the top of the list of dangerous [Humans]?¡± Alexa asked confused.


    ¡°Because¡­all Core Powers first use is usually oneself.¡± Glory answered, ¡°No matter how much you try to use your power, the first time is usually used on you. No matter your wish or situation.¡±


    So Glory was on the wish theory¡­


    ¡°Or if you think that the Core Powers is formed by the people you associate, then it means that the Core power was used on you before¡­Both [The Scrambler] and [The Theather Master] are the reason why people think the wish theory is correct. Since to acquire their core powers would mean to be in contact with what they made them¡­well, what they are now. The second one could be explained by being around the first, but the first¡­¡± Alan said shaking his head.


    Yeah¡­The teacher person could be explained by being near the scrambled person, but then¡­near who was the scrambled person when he awoke his [Core]?


    ¡°And so, the fact that you even say that having his core power instead of your shapeshifting power is¡­¡± Glory said and then stopped.


    ¡°Hubris,¡± The teacher person finished for Glory, ¡°That is your hubris speaking, the hubris of a prideful person who thinks that she is better than everyone else.¡±


    Alexa could see the cracks behind the teacher person spread.


    ¡°[Warning Mana density increasing, detecting sub type variant of mana readings leaking in the background¡­]¡±


    ¡°But you are quite lucky, since I¡¯m your teacher and so it¡¯s my job to make sure you know the limitations and the harshness of the real world.¡± The teacher person said and with that the cracks behind him slowly mended and closed in.


    But it was too late, Alexa had seen it¡­In that void where no light could penetrate¡­Within that sludge-like place¡­Two shining red eyes darted within, and while Alexa was not sure if she had seen wrong or not¡­


    ¡°[Checking up logs¡­no evidence of the leakage that resulted in increased ambient mana, no evidence of having encountered the same subtype of mana, logging results. Assigning a temporary name to sample according to behavior: Shadow Mana.]¡±


    ¡°So this is how we will go about it,¡± The teacher person said walking to his desk and opening a drawer, ¡°You will participate both in the normal and Core User events,¡±


    That¡­wasn¡¯t that bad?


    ¡°Teacher, she is a Core User. Even if her Core didn¡¯t grant her superhuman degree of strength (Which it does), it wouldn¡¯t be fair to the other participants!¡± Glory said from the side.


    No, wait, whose side were you on?!?!?!


    ¡°That is correct, and for that very reason she will be participating using these.¡± The teacher person said pulling a tiara?


    ¡°That is pretty, Alexa likes it.¡± Alexa said, looking at the tiara thing.


    ¡°Is that¡­a Core Supresant?¡± Alan said from the side, ¡°I thought¡­these were restricted? How¡­?¡±


    A [Core] what?!?!? Alexa didn¡¯t like it anymore!


    ¡°Indeed they are restricted to own, but after the latest accident with Alexa¡¯s previous class these were distributed to all the classes so now all the teachers must carry one and use it in case of emergency, they come with this handy pair too.¡± The teacher person said pulling from the drawer a weird watch, ¡°Should this thing beep, the tiara is activated and then I only need to throw it in the general direction and the thing should latch itself on the Core user rampaging. Then these disrupt the connection between the brain and the Core, making the Core User as strong as a normal human.¡±


    That¡­was a very convenient tool to pull out just at the right moment.


    ¡°Then why aren¡¯t they more popular?¡± Alexa asked, ¡°If they can be used to contain Core User, wouldn¡¯t it be easier to capture or disable the [Villains]?¡±


    Like, if they had these things why had Alexa suffered so much?!?!?!?


    ¡°First, they aren¡¯t foolproof. For example if you attempted to use it on a Villain with a Core similar to V-8 it would be meaningless, the same goes for Super Force and Chrysalis. Or even the master of machines Vulcanus.¡± Glory answered first.


    ¡°Secondly, they are expensive, and their effect can only last so long. Even if you managed to use it on V-8 since Glory used him as an example, since he perceives time faster than the rest of us as he moves at higher speeds than the rest, then he would be restrained for hours from his perspective. To us, it would be barely a second or two.¡± Alan added, so smart.


    ¡­.WHY DID IT MATTER THAT HE KNEW THAT! ALEXA COULD PROBABLY FIND OUT IF SHE ASKED MAIN CORE TOO AAAAAAAAA.


    ¡°Exactly, and third. If the Core is mature or the Core User powerful they straight up don¡¯t work. Especially if the Core user knows it is coming,¡± The teacher person said, ¡°Unless, of course, said Core User wants it to work, so if you put this on knowingly and accept the suppression, it will work long enough to matter.¡±


    So¡­Alexa neede to accept being limited?


    ¡°Why would any [Core User] accept this? That¡¯s dumb.¡± Alexa said, the [Humans] who made this were dumb.


    ¡°Because if you want to participate and help your friends win this very important event, you will need to participate without using your Core.¡± The teacher person said with a weird smile on his face.


    No wait¡­


    Participate¡­ without using her [Core]?


    Not Main Core, but her [Core]?


    ¡°...So¡­Alexa will not be able to use her [Core Power]? And will need to participate with whatever her [Normal Body] can do?¡± Alexa asked very carefully, trying to not smile away.


    ¡°...That is one weird way to word it but yes,¡± Glory said from the side, ¡°It¡¯s okay Alexa, I¡¯m sure we can compensate for the events you lose on the Core User track.¡±


    ¡°You assume she will not lose on the normal ones too, most Core Users are weaker than normal humans you know?¡± Alan said from the side with a sigh, ¡°It¡¯s okay Princess, we knew the risks, this is merely a bad gamble playing out.¡±


    ¡°Alexa will win,¡± Alexa said, annoyed at the heathens not trusting her.


    She wasn¡¯t sure what a heathen was, but she was sure the word fit.


    ¡°Alexa is strong even without using [Core],¡± Mostly because Alexa had rarely used [Core] to begin with!


    All that she had achieved had been done using her normal body!


    ¡°[Warning, showing a higher than normal degree of power/might may compromise hosts identity.]¡±


    ¡°But just in case¡­Alexa would appreciate having more information on the other sports¡­¡± Alexa said in a small voice.


    ¡°Main Core! Investigate the limit of a normal [Human Child Stage] of my complexion, age and stature!¡± And commanded Main Core to get the work done. She needed to know how much she would be limited.


    ¡°And can I have that thingy for a second? Alexa needs to know how much it will affect her before participating.¡± Alexa said extending her hand, she¡­would need to check in private how that thing affected her.


    This body¡­.was not made using only her [Core Powers], it was made using her [Nanites] too, so¡­would it keep cohesion or not?


    This¡­This may need to be checked in private. Away from prying eyes.


    </a>

 Chapter 35: Alexa...did not meant to do that.

    "As always, after finishing the endurance, short-distance, and long-distance races, we will move to the more normal events," The teacher person said as the image shifted away from the circuit.


    First, the image turned smaller, and afterward, it split into another three smaller images; one had highlighted a small part of the track, the other a longer part, and the last one had the whole circuit highlighted.


    The letters [Short distance run], [Long Distance run] and [Endurance Run] atop each image depicted what the events would be.


    "Since you will be part of the endurance run, you don''t need to participate in the short and long-distance run," Glory said from beside Alexa. "I''ll take the short-distance run this year."


    Glory seemed quite proud of herself while saying so, so Alexa couldn''t help but turn to look at Alan to see if he would say anything too.


    "...And I''ll take the long-distance run then since both of our Princesses are taking one of the races each." Alan ended up sighing while saying as such.


    Alexa was called a Princess again! And now she learned that Glory was also a Princess! No wait, then Alexa was not special? That confused Alexa!


    "Noted," The teacher person said, writing something on his desk. Was he noting the fact that Alexa was a Princess?!?!?!?!?


    How dare he!


    "After the boring races we will have¡­." The teacher person said turning to look at the big tv with everyone else, "Dodge ball huh."


    And on the TV, the image of a big hall with a wooden floor and some weird white rectangles drawn on the floor; there were the letters [Dodgeball] and some spherical white objects rolling around on the picture.


    What surprised Alexa the most was not that, but the fact that most of the other students around her groaned.


    "I know, I know¡­But even so, you will need to pick up at least three-" The Teacher person was saying when suddenly one of the girls that had been talking with Glory before stood up and pointed at Alan.


    Alexa was surprised both at the speed with which she stood and at the fact that she quickly said "I nominate Alan Harmonia as one of the participants!" The girl said it quickly without missing a breath.


    But then Alan would participate in two events in a row?


    "We nominate Glory Blackthorn for this event in that case," one of the boys who had been speaking with Alan before he moved seats said after the girl.


    So Alan and Glory would participate? Then who would be the third¡­Why were they all looking at Alexa?


    Alexa was the cutestests of them all, and also a Princess, but was that a reason important enough for them to stare at her like that?


    Even so, Alexa was intrigued about this, perhaps she could participate too?


    "Alexa will nominate Alexa for this event!" So Alexa raised her hand and said that.


    The other kids around nodded at this as if it was the obvious thing, and of course it was obvious! It was Alexa! If Alan and Glory were participating, then there was no reason why Alexa couldn''t!


    "There will not be any considerations from the school for you even though you will be participating in two sports in a row." The teacher person said while looking at Alexa as if waiting for her to ask for something.


    "Wasn''t Alexa supposed to participate in all the events anyway?" Alexa asked; she had gotten that impression from the whole ''You will participate while wearing an artifact that will seal your [Core Power]'' thing.


    "...Yes, but that was only for one event per category, since you are participating in the endurance run, there was no reason for you to participate in another event that soon." Glory said from the side.


    "But¡­ aren''t these sports separated?" Alexa asked confused, "I would understand if the testing were of the same type, but while the previous three are obviously of the same type. This one seems to be more focused on combat than on speed."


    Alexa was not sure what the deal with ''Dodge Ball'' was, but she assumed it was a test designed to probe the dodge mechanics of the subjects by the use of some type of [Ball] type projectile.


    Probably the white spheres on the image, but then why had the other kids groaned? Alexa didn''t think those were that heavy or dangerous; by the image on the picture, the wooden floor seemed to be fine. So they couldn''t weigh that much unless these were biological components? Some type of Acid coated projectiles?


    No, there was no corrosion on the wooden floor, so perhaps they delivered the payload at impact? If so, Alexa could understand why they were groaning in defeat.


    "What Glory meant is that usually, we let the participants of high-effort sports rest after one sport; in this case, we consider the Endurance Run and the Dodge Ball events both of high effort. So since you participated in the Endurance Run you could get some rest on this event." Alan answered helpfully.


    So wait, did that mean that Alexa didn''t need to participate? More importantly, there was any reason for her to not participate?


    ¡°[According to answer from Human Designation: Alan Harmonia, there is some degree of fatigue to be expected from participating in high energy consumption sports, it is adviced to take this into consdier-]¡±


    No, there wasn''t any reason for Alexa to not participate, there was more reasons for her to participate, this way she could increase the amount of data she had on the average response and limits of activity of average [Humans] her age. This would be quite useful.


    So the answer was obvious.


    "Alexa wants to participate in all the events!" Alexa said raising her hand. To the confusion of everyone around.


    "...There are limits in the sports you can participate in." The teacher person said as they pointed at the big TV screen, "CRADDLE, stop the presentation. Pull all the possible events scheduled for this year''s Exam War."


    "Pulling up all the data," The CRADDLE person answered, and the image blinked away and was replaced with some smaller images.


    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    "As you can see, we have these events scheduled for this year. We will not have them all, perhaps only some, it depends on how the Exam war pans out." The Teacher person said as Alexa turned her attention to the big TV screen.


    "Then why are we even preparing if we aren''t getting all the sports? Couldn''t we just prepare for the ones we will have?" Alexa asked confused.


    "We don''t know what sports we will actually play, so in turn, we prepare for all the possible combinations. Usually, we would decide on the day as they would tell us what we would have. But since we have confirmation on what events we will have thanks to you, we can in turn prepare now instead of later." Glory answered from the side, "The first event will most than likely be the racing event, so that is confirmed. Since the class we are fighting against is one of the less¡­ civilized, chances are they will use their privilege to make it the dodgeball event. So that means you will participate in two high-intensity events back to back."


    Alexa still saw no problem there, no wait, less civilized?


    There were classes with people that weren''t civilized? Alexa wanted to go there! It probably would have more chances for her to nom at people! And also may also get her an excuse to get the right type of classes to be [Civilized]; it would help her shore up any problem that the mean or the naggy one could get them in!


    "What class is that?" Alexa asked, "Alexa wants to know what type of class is [Uncvilized]."


    Nailed, no one would suspect of Alexa''s intentions!


    "That would be Miss Baker''s class," Alan said from the side, "They had a core trigger a few days ago and¡­Oh wait, wasn''t that your class?"


    ¡­So then Alexa was already in that class? No, wait, something more important!


    "...Then Alexa''s class is back?" Alexa was confused, she was supposed to come here only for some time, why was she still here? "Then why is Alexa still here?"


    "..." "..."


    "You will remain till the Exam war ends, that was part of the arrangement. Your peers are also in other classrooms. The ones you will be fighting against during this Exam War are the top scorers of the last Exam Wars," The Teacher person said from the front, "Your other peers will be participating in other classes, one of the missions assigned to CRADDLE will be to evaluate how you all behave and reassign you to the correct classes. At least till we can guarantee that Eloise Baker is apt to teach again."


    What was the problem with Miss [Baking]? She was a nice person! She helped Alexa!


    "Did Miss [Baking] not get fixed right?" Alexa asked in a small voice, if people found that Alexa had been the one to fix her then would they get mad at her? She was checking if it was possible!


    "...Your teacher is fine," The teacher person said as he stood once more and walked towards Alexa, but for some reason¡­the cracks behind him remained stuck in place. The other teacher persons remained there, "She is okay physically she is fine and in top condition. She could participate in the Olympics, actually."


    Alexa was not sure what the olympics were, but if teacher [Baking] could participate, then Alexa wanted in, they sounded fun.


    "Are you aware of what the girl who triggered in your class was?" The teacher person said as he kneeled in front of Alexa, it was weird seeing him like this, with no other teacher persons behind him screaming, crying, laughing and staring at her.


    "Meli-Meli?" Alexa asked, nodding, "She was a [Mind Core]. She had other things mixed in there, but it was mostly [Mind Core] stuff."


    Alexa remembered getting other sub-types and confirming that she had some [Broken] and [Corrupted] stuff going on. She hadn''t paid too much attention to that, but perhaps there was something to be said about that?


    ¡°Yes, Melissandra Singh.¡± The teacher person said nodding.


    Glory covered her mouth with one of her hands and looked at Alexa surprised, while Alan grimaced and covered his eyes with one of his hands while he grabbed one of his legs and squished.


    Did they have problems somewhere?


    "She is indeed a Mind Core user, one inexperienced who wielded her power peripherally; your classmates weren''t affected that badly since they were hit with a more Puppeteer type of power," The teacher person said, "And as your new classmates can attest¡­Harmonia, what is the expected side effect of being affected by a Puppeteer type of Core?"


    "Ah yes!" Alan said standing up and saluting, why was he saluting? "Standard procedure dictates that the victims are to be evaluated to see how big the degree of influence they had over them. Usually, most victims of a puppeteer type of Core Powers have blank spaces in their memory. So if they got too much influence on them, then chances are they don''t remember what they did while under the influence."


    So¡­they forgot? Actually, hadn''t the [ReWire] person said the same? That they would not remember?


    "Exactly, most of the other students of that class have forgotten or have lost memory of what happened during the trigger event." The teacher person said, turning to Alexa once more, "Cases of you who are unaffected by such close proximity to a Mind Core user while being a newly Core User are¡­rare."


    So it was another case of Alexa not being affected by weird Core Users? Or was it because Alexa was not [Human]?


    "So¡­they don''t remember?" Alexa asked, turning to the teacher person, "Then what about Meli-Meli? Or Teacher [Baking]? Do they remember Alexa?"


    "....They are aware of some memory loss, but they don''t remember who they forgot. We have confirmed that your classmates have forgotten you and Melissandra Singh. The only people we have confirmed that remember all of you are you and Teacher Baker." The teacher person said.


    No, wait, what about Meli-Meli then?!?!?!


    "And Meli-Meli?" Alexa asked, this was important! Meli-Meli was her first friend as a [Human]!


    "...She was taken away to a secured facility," The teacher person said shaking his head, "That is confidential information and not even the teaching faculty know what will be done to her, or what has been done to her. Perhaps some of the high born may know, but as Glory Blackthorn said during your first class with us. I am not one of them."


    "...we don''t know either," Glory said as soon as Alexa turned to her, "I know the student with the bad trigger was taken away and that she was charted away either yesterday or the day before¡­"


    Glory turned to Alan as soon as she said those words.


    "As far as I was told, she was going to Pandora''s Box; they would attempt to either restrain or crack her Core¡­" Alan said in a small voice, "I didn''t ask further since she was not¡­one of us¡­"


    That sounded¡­weird, wasn''t Meli-Meli a [Human] too? Then why wasn''t she one of them?


    Was this another case of weird [Human] things?


    No wait, if the [Humans] weren''t of any help¡­


    "CRADDLE person!" Alexa stood up and turned to the CRADDLE person on the big TV, "Tell me what happened to Meli-Meli!"


    "Alexandr-" The teacher person turned at her with surprise as the cracks in reality blossomed behind him, but while most of the ones behind him started moving and Alexa noticed the uptick in ambient mana, it was too late!


    "Query Aknowledged, checking against database¡­" The answer from the CRADDLE person made everyone stop, the teacher person stopped moving as he and the other people behind him beyond reality stared at the screen.


    Alan and Glory with the other people also got quiet.


    "....found one hit," The CRADDLE person''s words made everyone gulp. Everyone but Alexa, she wasn''t eating like everyone else. Quite rude of them, Alexa also wanted to eat! ¡°F-Class Student, Melissandra Singh. Status: Missing. She was scheduled for transfer to an external learning facility, but during transit, her vehicle was attacked by an unidentified group. The student was extracted, and the guard''s status was reported as KIA."


    What was a KIA? It sounded like a vehicle, but then the guards got turned into vehicles?


    ¡°[Notice, KIA means Killed in Action, it¡¯s the status given to soldiers or members of a fighting force who are terminated during combat.]¡± Main Core came to the rescue with the answer!


    "Melissandra Singh''s parents are currently going through mental detox and are expected to finish therapy within five months." The CRADDLE person said and the picture changed to the image of two of the most feral-looking [Humans] Alexa had ever seen, "Current status: Heavy Mental Strain, High dependency to mental alteration derived from Mana interacting with the brain and are experiencing Core Power Withdrawal."


    Withdrawal? They withdrew something too much?


    "...CRADDLE, delete all the memory from the last sixty seconds, also disconnect yourself from the broader network while we are in class." The teacher person said, narrowing his eyes at the projection of the girl wearing the robe.


    The CRADDLE person had manifested itself while answering Alexa.


    "Impossible to follow directive as it would interfere with my ability to cater to one of my Masters." The CRADDLE person said back without looking at the teacher person.


    "...Fricking Saintsworths¡­" The Teacher person cursed under his breath, "Fine, Alexandra Saintsworths, while we encourage the use of all our assets, what you did has endangered the lives of all the students around you."


    The what did Alexa do now?


    "How?" Alexa asked confused, "Alexa just wanted to know what happened to Meli-Meli!"


    "Yes, that is good, but repeat after me. ''CRADDLE, what degree of clearance was the information given?'' "The teacher person said to Alexa.


    So Alexa parroted back those words, "CRADDLE, what degree of clearance was the information?" And asked that to the CRADDLE person.


    "Information was graded as A++; currently, only Heroes on the A-List and S-List have clearance to this information. Relaying this information to anyone not listed is punishable by up to 40 years of prison time, since this information has to do with a potentially unstable Mind Core User." The CRADDLE person said, making almost all the other students here turn weirdly pale. "All the people in this classroom have been flagged to know this information; staying away from any access point to [The World] will be noted as an attempt to spread the information and, as such, will make them suspects."


    "And what is the usual way to deal with suspects," The Teacher person asked while walking back to his seat, "What do they do with those kind of people?"


    "Containment and restrainment." The CRADDLE person said back.


    "...But Alexa only wanted to know about Meli-Meli¡­" Alexa said while looking down, she could see most of the other students on the class had tears already creeping on their eyes, well most of them.


    "All we have to do is not tell anyone, right?" Glory said from the side, her voice was strong, but Alexa could see her hand trembling.


    "Seems about right, this will not be even the first industrial secret I have needed to keep either," Alan added from the side, his voice was not as steady as Glory''s voice, but he made it up with the fact that his hands weren''t trembling.


    Alexa could not say the same about his legs, though.


    "...Yeah! All we need is to keep shut!" One voice chimed from the back.


    "Easy!" Another one said.


    "Yeah, besides. Alexa will pay this up by winning us all the events!" One of the girls that roamed around Glory said.


    "Yeah! I bet she can even win on the tug-o-war all by herself!" One of the kids from Alan''s group said.


    "Are you dumb? She can''t use her Core Powers, she should participate in the eating contest instead!" A new voice chimed from the back.


    Eating contest? Alexa wanted!


    "Your grandma is dumb! Your aunt is dumb! How much do you think a girl that small can eat!" One of the girls from Glory''s group fought back.


    No! Alexa can eat! She just needs to shove all the food into the [Banked Storage]!


    "Okay, that''s enough; let''s focus on the events we will be having, get a small recount of what they are, and then take a 30-minute break before we get into the next class." The teacher person said pointing to the big tv screen, Alexa now could see all the events, and was already thinking about how to go about each of them.


    It was time to boogey.


    </a>

 Chapter 36: Alexa needs another adult! She needs many adults! Help!

    Alexa continued analyzing the data on the TV screen. The other events seemed quite normal and easier to participate in without many rules on them, but then again, almost all of these events seemed to be focused on [Kid Stage] Humans.


    Perhaps they wanted to train them in simple combat scenarios, now that Alexa focused in the data, then it would be quite easy for Alexa to survive in most of those events. Case in point¡­


    "Main Core! Resume!" Alexa commanded inwardly, she made sure that no one else heard her.


    ¡°[Resume of possible events:


    -Endurance Race: This event in which the host will be required to outlast the other participants; this event is noted as a Core User exclusive event, and chances that the host will have to compete against other Core Users are high. It is advised that the host participates with great care.


    -Long distance Race: This event in which students will run a pre-determined amount of distance designed to test their speed and endurance; the distance seems to be set to the maximum amount of distance that can be safely run while exerting a balanced amount of endurance and strength.


    -Short Distance Race: This event is designed to test short burst speeds from the participants in a short distance.


    -Tug-O-War: This event in which two different groups pull at each other using a rope; events seem designed to test both strength and team effort coordination.


    -Treasure hunt: This event is designed as a search and destroy test; participants must find their target within a designated time frame.


    -Eat-A-Ton: This event in which participants must eat astounding amounts of food that should surpass the soft limits within the participants'' stomachs.


    -Disguise race: This event in which the participants enter a secluded room, use the materials within the room to set up a disguise, and then come from the other side of a small hallway with multiple doors. The event is designed to test the ingenuity of the participants, their ability to run and move under duress, and their adaptability.


    -Sports side festival: Multiple events focused in different sports teams set up within the school system, host may not participate in these since she is not part of any of the sports teams set up within the school.


    -Combat side festival: Different combats set up within enclosure between school participants; these range from short melee combat, medium-range combat, and long-range combat using multiple types of weaponry. These are set up between teams within the school, only there are two options available for host to participate.


    ¨CExhibition match: Combats between non team members vs team members.


    ¨CExhibition Core Matchs: Combat between Core Users.


    -Obstacle Race: Long-distance race set up in a field with multiple obstacles to be surpassed, from pools of water to three-dimensional obstacles to be surpassed.


    -Relay Race: Short distance run between multiple members, the objective is to finish a short distance run between two members and relay a baton to the next member, this means that the members of the team must finish their part of the race as fast as possible to pass on the baton to the next one.


    -Ranged shooting: Event designed for ranged shooting to targets at different range, shorter distance between shooter and target is set up at 10 meters, with the longest target being at 100m, 500m and 1km away.


    Further distances are available thanks to the use of Core Powers and expanded space set up within premises.


    The host is advised to restrain herself to only physical events since she is using the basis of self-modification and merely augmentation as Core Power while on school premises.


    -Dodge Ball: This event is designed as urban combat in an open field; five participants enter the designated area, and one of the teams is given a rubber ball.


    Three members will fight on the inner field while the other two will remain on the other field. The team with the ball will try to hit the members of the opposite team using the ball, and the defending team will only be able to use their hands to contain the ball should the ball hit any part of the body that isn''t the hands it will count the student as [Dead].


    The only way to save the [Dead] will be if any other teammate is able to catch the ball before it leaves the field.


    The members on the exterior field may only be situated on the opposite side of the field, and their mission is to catch the ball to prevent the saving of any members of the opposite team.


    The game ends when all three members on the inner field are [Dead], any member on the outside field may enter at any time, but they will not be able to leave again.]"


    ¡­Right, Alexa had said that she couldn''t change her body to Alan and Glory.


    Then that meant that she would not be able to turn into a creature to win, she had wanted to turn into one of those big monke things that based her muscle arms.


    Alexa would need to change her priorities.


    "It''s okay, Alexa, I''m sure we will be able to get a couple of easy sports¡­Except Dodge Ball, that one is done deal¡­" Glory said while shrugging in defeat.


    "Yeah, that one¡­there is no helping it, they always pick it." Alan also sighed in defeat.


    "Why? That one seems to favor greatly the class with more resources?" Alexa asked confused, "Shouldn''t this [Class of the Elite] have an advantage?"


    Everyone in the class turned to look at Alexa weirdly.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "You would think so, right?" Except the teacher person, "But no, these kids rarely participate in physical sports that may result in them getting hurt, so that means that most contact sports are their weakness."


    What? That made no sense?


    "But¡­the food!" Alexa said, confused, "It was made to suit Alexa, so that meant that if they participated or did exercise, they would maximize the results with the least amount of effort!"


    And that was the main take that Alexa had. If they used to the limit their resources, then this class would be the ultimate winner! And they weren''t using their advantages?


    "Why?" Alexa said, turning to Glory, "Why are you wasting the resources?"


    "...There isn''t enough time for everything, okay!" Glory said in a slightly louder voice, "I need to study; there is the private teacher, manners class, tea preparation classes, language, management, history, politics¡­What little time left is scheduled for, I don''t have time left to play around in the park like the peasants!"


    "Glory is right, our free time is scheduled here, our time to play and mess around is left for school time." Alan added from the side in a more measured tone, "Our time at home is mostly scheduled for classes or to shadow our parents while they work, we just don''t have the free time to play around in the parks or with our peers, whatever time we spend with those of our age is pre-arranged and we are to practice or negotiate deals between our shell companies."


    The what company?


    ¡°[Shell companies, enterprises made up using only a name. They don''t exist in the physical sense and are mostly created without any significant asset or to be used. They are created to either hold assets temporarily or to make sure a name is not taken up before they can be used.]"


    So make pretend companies?


    ¡°[....yes.]¡±


    Weird, the [Humans] were weird!


    Why would they do it like that? These [Kid Stage Humans] were weirder by the second!


    "So now you see, most of your peers are like that," The teacher person said extending his hands to the side, Alexa looked around and behind the students she could see cracks forming, within these cracks Alexa could see them moving around from weird rooms to the next. These seemed like her apartment¡­only bigger, more luxurious and with people dressed like the teacher person while acting as the theater guy.


    The students moved from place to place without stopping, playing, or even eating. That¡­


    "That''s sad," Alexa said without thinking, "It makes Alexa feel sad; why do they not¡­have fun?"


    That was important, to Alexa that was very important, she liked having fun, she liked attempting to be happy. And seeing them like that was¡­sad.


    "...do not patronize us Alexa." Glory said in a small voice, "Not all of us were born into success like you; some of us must fight to make the best of what we have."


    "And some of us don''t mind it that much, we are doing the best with what we got." Alan said, standing up and walking beside Glory, "Some of us are aware that we got much more than the average person, and so we make do. We are doing the best with what we got, since others can''t even afford this level of education."


    So¡­they did all of that¡­because they felt obligated to do so? Because they got the responsibility? That was stupid.


    They were being stupid!


    "Besides, you have no right to judge us." One of the kids following Alan said suddenly.


    "Not after being born into the Saintsworths," Another one said afterward.


    What did that have to do? Alexa wasn''t even born into them? She was given this name! No, wait, she was created by the Saintsworths in a Saintsworths laboratory¡­So perhaps she was indeed born into the Saintsworths?


    "That is enough," Glory said, raising her voice, "The teacher said it before. Alexa has the qualifications to be here among us. And that was before getting the confirmation that she was a true Saintsworths."


    "And even if she wasn''t one, the mere fact that she can remain human enough after Core Triggering makes her worthy of being here." Alan added from the side, "I am sure most of our parents will attempt to get any of us to marry her¡­I am sure many of you know this too, that most of us aren''t being offered to Alexanders merely because they fear his answer to the offer."


    ¡­They attempted to marry someone to the blonde cheating [Lieutenant]? Why would anyone want to marry a cheating person like him?


    What was marrying? They wanted to marinate him? Could Alexa nom him?


    It felt¡­wrong to attempt to nom him, but surely if he was marrynated well enough it would be okay.


    "[To marry someone is to enter into a contractual relationship between two humans, normally this is made between a Male and a Female. But it is not limited, as it can be done between two females or two males. There is no known advantage from a biological point of view between any combination that is not Male-Female. But even so it can happen and is encouraged for people of a nonstandard pairing, some businesses make a living of encouraging this nonstandard pairing.]"


    They did a what? How? Alexa was confused.


    "Not all of you are engaged like we are, so you ought to measure your words better. She is, after all." Alan said turning to those that spoke before, "A Saintsworths."


    Yes, Alexa was a Saintsworths¡­even if it was mostly in name¡­and it allowed her access to some perks that she wasn''t quite sure what they meant¡­And it seemed that she was able to access a database that could endanger those that listened in¡­


    But besides that, Alexa was normal!


    No, wait, there was something more important there!


    "Engaged?" Alexa said, turning to Alan, "You are engaged? Who are you fighting with?"


    Alexa had not seen any evidence of combat at all, or at least yet. Even the Teacher person seemed to mostly use his powers to make points and make sure the people here paid attention, mostly at least.


    "Our families came to an agreement so I''m engaged to Glory," Alan answered with a shrug, "It means that when we grow up we will marry."


    "Unless a better deal comes by, but since the only family that could be a better deal than the Harmonia are the Saintsworths¡­" Glory sighed, "And Alexanders tastes are unknown¡­Of the current heirs, I only know you, and you are also a girl¡­"


    Wait wait wait¡­.Alan would marry Glory?


    Then¡­he would ¡­.Marry Glory? And become a pair?


    Then¡­he¡­cheated on Alexa?!?!?


    What about her dreams?!?!?!? Her hopes?!?!?!?!


    Her romance arc!


    What about her!?!?!?!?!?


    "Well that was fast." "...you aren''t one to talk, yours could end like this too, Sam never told us if he was married."


    "Yeah, that is quite common in our circle. The only noble family that doesn''t marry off their children is the Saintsworths, but no one knows how they decide on their partners. There has not been any consensus on how they get picked up." Glory said in a frustrated tone, "Should we know his tastes, we could tailor our approach. A 14 age gap isn''t that far. I could grow to his tastes."


    ¡­what?


    What did they teach Glory in those classes?


    Excuse me?!? There is something weird in this girl!


    Main Core!?!?!? Is this normal?


    ¡°[...Human standards unknown, social strata attitude unknown, response from peers from age group within analyzis distance show no surprise, possible normal within human standards.]¡±


    "No no, this is weird." "I agree with Ale, no way this is normal. Remember how much Eleanore and Skye made a fuss about our social faux pass, this is some weird thing happening here."


    "Alexanders has a purple-haired girl with him sometimes," Alexa decided to say to see their reaction.


    "He does?" Alan was the first to answer, surprised, "I don''t think I ever saw her¡­Can you tell us how she looked?"


    That¡­was not the one that Alexa expected to react.


    "She was wearing a weird one-piece robe made out of a white cloth, a purple smaller long strip-like¡­" Alexa was not sure how to describe the attire.


    ¡°[Purple piece of fabric is categorized as sash, and the white cloth as Toga on the files.]¡±


    "Right, a white toga and purple sash!" Alexa quickly amended her descriptors, "She wore a gold tiara and has purple eyes too; she seemed to be too handsy with Alexanders, too!"


    "And he didn''t say anything back?" Glory said narrowing her eyes, "I don''t remember any bachelorette like that one, is she perhaps a hidden lover?"


    And then Glory started mumbling.


    "Alexandra, are you sure of this? There is no one like that on this plane." The teacher person said, "At least not on our current setting, there is no background like that on Terra Nova."


    The what now?


    Teacher person? The theater person is leaking out!


    "I also don''t think I have met anyone like that¡­when did you see this girl?" Alan said from the side, "Was in a meeting between the Saintsworths? Usually those are quite secret, and there isn''t anyone without the golden eagle in them."


    Was her meeting with the cheating(Alexanders) bad person secret¡­It kind of was¡­


    "When brother gave me my bracelet." Alexa decided to answer it like that, "There I saw the¡­"


    ¡°[Name recorded in file, Artificial Entity Designation: Sapphire, accepted names: Big Sister, Alexander¡¯s Wife, Alexander¡¯s Girlfriend, Step-Mother, Step-Sister, Big Sister, Pretty Sister¡­.]¡±


    The list went on and on¡­


    "....There I saw the¡­.Pretty Sister¡­" That name! That made made Alexa cringe, and she was usually the one making people cringe(With her cuteness)!!!!!


    "So, in your coming-of-age ceremony, huh." Glory said nodding, "It makes sense, if Alexanders is courting someone then that someone must be ''special''."


    She was ''special'', all right¡­


    "And if they made a coming of age ceremony where they invited the current Scion¡­then that means you are quite important, well that was obvious since your bracelet holds the golden eagle and is carved with quite the luxurious method¡­" Alan added at the side, "...All that remains is you telling us that Alexanders was the one giving you the bracelet to cement how more important you are."


    ¡­.


    "We will have the 30-minute break around now," The teacher person said, coughing and making everyone pay attention to him.


    "Alexa?" Glory said from the side.


    "We will return to our scheduled episode after this commercial break; tune in for the next chapter airing March 6 of 2025 at the same time, on the same channel for¡­" The teacher person suddenly flared his mana as he spoke, "...[Chapter 37: The start of the Exam War¡­Am I doing this right?] in A Bioweapon''s Rhapsody!"


    The what Rhapsody?


    What kind of silly name was that? It didn''t even have Mango on it! Or Alexa!! How would they know it was about Alexa?!?!?!?!?


    </a>

 Chapter 37: The start of the Exam War鈥?m I doing this right?

    The break...did not include food.


    Or not as much as Alexa would have liked, they said things like ''If you eat too much you may feel bad after'' and ''We can only give you light food''.


    Cheating was abound, and Alexa knew it, their enemies were making sure she wasn''t fed enough to participate at her maximum, so Alexa would not be deceived!


    So she did the second-best thing!


    "Gloryyyyyyyy....Alexa is hungy (? ????????? )." So Alexa snitched!


    The other girl merely turned to look at her as if she wasn''t sure how to react, "We will be able to eat a fuller meal after the events for the day are done." The other girl answered turning to the cooking helpers.


    "That is correct Lady Blackthorn," One of them said taking Glory''s plate, the girl had a simple soup with barely anything on it and a piece of bread. "...Lady...Alexa?"


    The cook helper said, unsure about how to refer to Alexa, pointed to Alexa''s table, "Lady Alexa has already surpassed the minimum suggested intake, and that is because she went around asking multiple people for food..."


    Alexa was snitched!


    They snitched on Alexa!


    They would get stitches! Mikey said as much, snitches get stitches!


    ...Unless those stitches were food, and so they snitched for that reason? Alexa needed to check on that, too; perhaps that was why they snitched? To get more food?


    "...Here, Alexa, we were planning on giving this to you later, but since we are about to start the events, we may as well." Glory said while pulling something from her backpack, it was a pink bar-like object.


    It had the words [Brain Burst], Alexa didn''t like the implications of having a brain burst, it sounded like it would hurt. Especially since Alexa had many important things in her [Brain], like her memories about where she hid the mango candy.


    And the memory of the taste from the first Candy she ate. And the memories of how many candies people owed her.


    And things like that.


    "This should be good enough to last you till we end of the day, Esteemed Mother said that it should be fine for you to eat it if your power indeed burned that many calories." And like that, Alexa was given the envelope with the weird name, "What are you waiting for? Didn''t you want a Mentalist MRE?"


    The mentalist MRE? This was it?


    But it didn''t look anything like how Alexa remembered the previous MRE she had eaten before?


    "What''s the problem?" Glory asked confused, "Are you planning to eat it till we end the events? It''s okay, if you are really hungry you can eat it first, we wanted to buy your participation and to make sure you wouldn''t throw our events. But after getting to know you, we know better."


    "Indeed, you aren''t devious enough to be able to throw the events without being caught on after all." Alan added from the side.


    Rude.


    But Alexa was grateful nonetheless...why?


    "Main Core! Record the thing!" Because she got to eat the thing!


    The tasty thing!


    So Alexa took the envelope and shoved it down her throat!


    "Alexa!" To the surprise of Glory, who screamed in horror.


    But Alexa would not get defeated!


    "NOMNOMNOMASDLASKHDFASLKDFHASFMOGUMOGUlakfhasf....Sound of eating!" So Alexa said while shoving the thing down her throat...again, she had a gag reflex that almost made her throw the thing away.


    "No! Bad Alexa, you don''t eat the envelope!" Glory said trying to open Alexa''s mouth, but it was too late!


    Alexa had already eaten the thing! It was safely stored on her tummy! So it was a done deal!


    "Puke it out!" Glory suddenly said, shoving Alexa''s head down so it pointed to the ground, "Puke it out right now!"


    And then started hitting Alexa on the back!


    It¡­ didn''t hurt? It was closer to her massaging her back; it was quite comfortable, actually, but that was beside the point! Glory wanted the thingy back!


    "No!" Alexa said, trying to wrestle herself to freedom.


    "Alan! Stop gawking and help me here, Alexa''s joints behave like gelato!" Glory said to Alan while Alexa turned noddle mode on.


    She was an Alexa Noddle! She would noddle her way to freedom! Freeeeeeeeedom.


    "I mean¡­she is a shapeshifter core user, trying to use a joint lock in her was a mistake," Alan said sighing in defeat, "Alexa, where is the MRE bar and the envelope? Can you show them to me?"


    Could she?


    "You promise to not take it away?" Alexa asked while raising her head and stretching it a little so it was above Glory.


    Right now Alexa looked like an Alexa noddle hugging Glory, most of her uniform was normal and wasn''t stretching, so only Alexa''s arms, legs and neck were stretching beyond normal.


    "Of course, I''ll not take away anything that is yours," Alan said smiling.


    Alexa would not be deceived! That smile was evil! Evil!


    "Sure," Alexa was deceived! ¡°Here¡­.bleeeeeeergh.¡±


    And then from her mouth Alexa let the envelope (Now empty) be reconstructed, it was almost as if Alexa had turned into a printer¡­An¡­Alexa printer.


    "....Glory stop struggling and let Alexa go, look at this," Alan said, picking up the empty envelope from Alexa''s mouth.


    ".... I''m stuck, Alexa, let me go. I promise to not take away the snack." Glory said as she struggled to release herself from the mighty Alexa noddle.


    There was no escape from an Alexa noddle! Once you got entwined into an Alexa noddle, only death awaited you, muahahahahahahahahaha.


    "Alexa, I''ll convince Glory to give you another snack later, let her go." Alan said from the side, so Alexa had no option but to release Glory; her evil plans to squish Glory enough to see if she could turn into a Glory noddle would need to wait for later.


    "Kay~" So Alexa said while returning to normal, it was quite¡­interesting, so long Alexa didn''t want to transform into anything too outlandish she could control the rough look of her body easily enough.


    Granted, this was also thanks to the panic of her snacks being stolen from her of course.


    "...yuck." Was the first thing Glory said when she was released and walked towards Alan.


    That was rude; Alexa Noddle wasn''t yuck!


    Glory was yuck! Her Mother was yuck! Her auntie was yuck! What was an auntie? Alexa did not know, but it was yuck!


    "It''s fine, for some reason it doesn''t have spit," Alan said raising the empty envelope. Alexa had remade it exactly as it was when she ate it, so the interior could be seen.


    When the MRE bar got into her mouth, the first thing she did was open it with her nanites and decompose everything.


    She now had the full Blueprint of the MRE Bar¡­and¡­


    Core didn''t react to it.


    ¡°[Notice: MRE Bar did not qualify for a blueprint since it is normal food with no redeeming factors besides the highly concentrated nutrients and sugar.]¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Well that was underwhelming, why had Alexa gone this far then? This thing was almost the same as the Speedster MRE she had eaten before!


    "....did you clean it already?" Glory asked confused, "Then what''s the deal? No wait, why is it open? It was closed when I gave it to Alexa, and it had a bar inside. I made sure to check it wasn''t faulty or empty before picking it up."


    Faulty? There were faulty of these things? How could you make a faulty MRE? The formulae wasn''t that complex!


    It was simpler than her gallbladder! And Alexa''s gall bladder was very simple! It was where Alexa stored her gall!


    "Nope, Alexa spat it like this, dry and already open, as if she had opened it with a pair of scissors¡­Or a knife." Alan said turned to Alexa as he said this.


    Alexa¡­had not used scissors or knives; she had used nanites! Well, technically, that was using a monofilament knife¡­since her nanites had ripped it open using a long line of marching nanites to open it in a straight line.


    "Alexa? Did you need to eat it like that?" Glory said turning to Alexa while checking out the envelope. "Did you need to give me a scare like that?"


    Alexa was not sure why, but Glory was scary right now, it was like¡­like she would scold Alexa! And Alexa was innocent! Innocent she was!


    "....Yes?" Alexa answered, confused, "Main Core helped me with the digestion of the envelope, and since Alexa needs to make sure the MRE is in place for when Alexa needs it, she had to eat it as soon as possible."


    Really, she would not let a source of energy and calories go to waste that easily! Alexa would not allow waste of efficiency!


    "So it''s easier for Alexa to nom things and think later." Alexa said nodding her head at the statement, she truly had been born to nom.


    ¡°*sigh*...¡± Glory did the sigh! "Okay¡­so? Where is the MRE bar then?"


    "... it''s on Alexa''s tummy." Alexa said, the bar¡­was not there since the materials had been taken apart while analyzing composition and the components got sent to the places they were needed the most.


    The sugar content was packed away on Alexa''s happy stockpile (Sugar Stockpile), the calories and fat content got sent to the appropriate pile, and so on and so on.


    "...Did you even chew that properly?" Glory asked with a worried look, why was she worried?


    Or was she angry because Alexa didn''t share? It wasn''t Alexa''s fault! They didn''t say that they wanted to nom on her MRE snack!


    Granted, Alexa nomed it faster so they wouldn''t get a chance to ask¡­but it wasn''t Alexa''s fault that they didn''t ask in time! They knew Alexa! Alexa liked to nom things! Everyone knew that!


    ¡­Everyone knew that¡­right?


    "Of course!" Even so, Alexa answered nodding while reverting her form from Alexa Noddle Edition to Alexa¡­Alexa edition (Allegedly, the best version). "Alexa is the best at noming things!"


    And she was the best, no one could nom like an Alexa, you could ask any nearby Alexa that and the answer would be the same!


    Or at least to any Alexa worth their name, any Alexa that couldn''t nom right wasn''t a true Alexa. They may dream about electric sheep, but they weren''t a true Alexa till they started noming.


    "Then why didn''t you just eat it like normal?" Glory sighed in defeat, "Fine, then let''s just¡­prepare for this."


    What was there to prepare? Alexa had ate (Little to nothing), nomed her MRE Mentalist edition thingy (it wasn''t that special besides having a higher dosage of dextrose) and had unlocked a secondary food transformation.


    With this her arsenal of food transformation had increased, she could become Alexa Taco Edition and Alexa Noddle Edition.


    And you know what they say about noodles¡­they are tasty with some parmesan cheese, tomato sauce, and some fried chicken!


    No, wait, where did that come from? Besides that isn''t noodless anymore but Spaghetti! With fried chicken¡­The hunger was getting the best of Alexa!


    "Private Alexa reporting for duty!" Alexa decided to get into the mood of preparing herself for this war, so she stood at attention and saluted (With her left hand), "So? What does Alexa need to do?"


    "...*Le Sigh* First off, let''s go to the auditorium, the war events will be announced there." Glory sighed and just pointed to the exit.


    Alan was at the side smiling like a very weird person, and most of the students took Glory pointing in that direction as a signal, so they all started walking out of the classroom. At some point while eating, the teacher person had left and so the other students and the cook helpers were the only ones around.


    Alexa didn''t mind that, to be honest, as this meant that Alexa didn''t have the phantom of a headache while looking at the teacher person; she found it extremely unsettling the fact that she still couldn''t detect when the teacher person moved away from her perception and into her perception.


    What kind of Core Power did he even have to allow for that? Alexa really wanted to get a sample from him, more so to corroborate the current theories that Core had about Core Powers than anything.


    Perhaps she could get a new sample from when Glory inevitably turned berserk and showcased her Core Power?


    Alexa had not forgotten about the fact that it was Glory''s turn¡­.


    "...Alexa? I don''t have another MRE snack, even if you glare at me I can''t get another. Mother only gives me so many of these." Glory said shaking her head, "Did you manage to get one Alan?"


    "Me? You know my family doesn''t dwell into those business, if you want body armor or weaponry I''m your man. But for Core User MRE Grade food, I can''t help you." Alan said checking his pockets, if he didn''t had one why was he searching? "I have a few of the normal ones, but these don''t work that well with Core Users as far as I am aware?"


    And he took a smaller bar, it was similar in design to the one the V person had, but smaller. And more pitiful looking, like the V person!


    "I doubt-" Glory was about to say something¡­


    But Alexa was faster! She quickly nomed the snack!


    ¡°NOMNOMNOMASDLKHASASD¡­..¡± And stopped thinking when she noticed her mouth was awfully close to Alan''s fingers¡­


    "The next part was mogu mogu." Alan said smiling at her, "Also please don''t bite me."


    "....Error..Alexa.cutestestestgirlofthem all has crashed¡­" Alexa said mechanically, trying to imitate Main Core when he spoke.


    Alexa slowly enveloped the snack with her tongue and ripped it out of Alan''s hand (And perhaps licked and stole a few cells from the boy).


    ¡°[Notice, nothing of value seems to be-]¡±


    "SHUT IT AND RECORD IT!" Alexa calmly asked Main Core.


    ¡°[Sending data to Core.]¡±


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 30.6028%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Core:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Recording composition¡­comparing with database¡­


    Found different base genotypes¡­


    Found alterations to the base DNA¡­


    The results are as follows:


    -Name Alan Harmonia


    -Race: Modified Human.


    -Age: 6 years old


    -Modifications:


    ¨CAdvanced cerebral development.


    ¨CModified heart


    ¨CModified lungs


    ¨CModified kidneys


    ¨CModified emotional center.


    ¨CModified memory center.


    Notice: This human was modified to increase development both emotionally and intellectually. The design is flawed and the human has a higher risk of genetic diseases and a lower life expectancy.


    The subject has an open spot within the chest where mana can accumulate more easily over time. It is theorized that this was made so in an attempt to stimulate the triggering of a Core.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡­.So Alan wasn''t human? No wait, was this the reason why he was that weird? And perfectly symmetrical? Alexa hadn''t seen any other human-like this¡­besides those that held [Cores]...


    Then was Glory like that too?


    "What? Did it not taste good?" Glory said, turning to Alexa. "Alexa, spit the envelope of that one too, you will hurt your stomach."


    Alexa didn''t finish processing the envelope and merely fixed what her nanites destroyed, "Glory¡­can I nom you?" Alexa decided to ask while pulling the envelope from her mouth.


    "....No?" Glory answered confused, "No wait, why? I assume that by ''Noming'' you mean biting me right?"


    Alexa nodded her head, "I don''t need to take any flesh or blood, merely licking would be enough." And really, she didn''t even need to lick or use her mouth, but Alexa liked that approach, it felt more personal.


    "...Why?" Glory said, stopping and standing against a wall, "I assume this has something to do with you licking Alan''s fingers. But I assure you, like Alan, I will not be tasty."


    "Wow rude much?" Alan suddenly said from the side, "I was raised with the best meals, education, and exercise that was afforded by the Harmonia. There is no better-tasting man on this side of the city."


    "Didn''t the teacher person said that no one exercises here?" Alexa asked back.


    "...I stand by my point." Alan said shamelessly.


    "That is not the problem though!" Alexa shook her head, "Alan is weird, his body is not humaning as it should!"


    Alexa wasn''t sure how to explain that, "I need to check Glory, Core said that Alan was sick. Alexa doesn''t want Alan to be sick!" And that really was the thing.


    Core had brought a long list of possible organ failures, prognostic of early death and many other things, but what Alexa feared the most was that she had found once more a [Sickness] that she had seen on her first day out.


    She had found one of the possible organ failures could lead to¡­[Cancer], a devious thing made by the [Humans] that could turn their bodies against themselves. Alexa couldn''t understand why someone would design something as horrible as that.


    She was aware that the nanite swarm she held had the probability of turning like that, but even so. Her nanites would never go out of their way to make it hard on their own host, terminating them.


    Of that, Alexa was sure.


    "...Sick?" Alan said, narrowing his eyes, "How would your¡­Core know that?"


    "Are you really a mere Shapeshifter?" Glory asked too, "Or are you interpreting the information that your Core gives in some way that allows you to know more of the people you interact with?"


    That was quite the logical leap, but Alexa was not worried about that at the moment.


    "Core knows things, and he helps me using my powers." Alexa answered, "Alexa''s power is too complex for her to run on her own, so she delegatates things to others. Main Core deals with Alexa''s most advanced ways of using her powers, while Core ensures that Main Core doesn''t go over the board."


    "And what sickness does your Core Power say I have then?" Alan asked amused, "The Harmonia takes care of their own quite well, so I find it somewhat insulting that you claim I am sick. Even if it is nice of you to worry about me."


    "The same can be said of any noble family; we have monthly checkups within the Blackthorn, and every six months, we have a full medical examination; there is no way for me to be sick either." Glory said looking at her own hand, "...But we don''t have time to check on that, I''ll let you¡­lick my hand if you win us the event today."


    That¡­but Glory could have a sick too!


    "No buts Alexa." Glory said before Alexa could say anything, "We need to follow proper procedure, and while Alan can be nonchalant about this, something that affects my future¡­I can''t have those kind of distractions. Not yet."


    Gnuuuuuu¡­.


    "Fine!" Alexa said throwing her hands into the air, "But I''ll nom more than I need then!"


    Alexa would win this stupid thing, and then she would nom Glory to make sure she hadn''t a sick, and then pick one of the filler students and check if she could fix their [Human] bodies.


    If she superimposed her [Blueprint] onto them¡­that ought to do it right? Her [Blueprint] was healthy after all, what would be the worst thing that could happen if she used her [Blueprint] in someone else¡­


    That was the right way to use her [Blueprint]...right?


    </a>

 Chapter 38: What is Alexas real form you say?

    "Greetings students," The voice of the pig sounded in the auditorium, as soon as he started talking the people around calmed down, most of the other students in the classroom of the elite didn''t even make that much noise.


    Most of the noise came from the other classroom students; Alexa could see some of the students of her former class all together at the back. Alexa could differentiate whose class a student was, thanks to a weird badge they had given to them when coming into the auditorium.


    For example, Glory, Alan, and Alexa''s badges were golden and had an A engraved on them. The students near to their class had a silver badge with a B engraved on their chest, after them were the students with a bronze badge with a C.


    Then those with a simple metallic badge with a D, those with a wooden badge that held an E¡­And finally¡­


    Those that all they had was a cloth patch with an F. Most of her former classmates had one of those, and while some among them had badges with other grades, none of those that had a bronze badge had walked to stand among them.


    Alexa¡­ wouldn''t mind standing with them, if not for the fact that her friends required help, and she had already been paid to participate on this side! Alexa was sorry, but a deal was a deal!


    So she would need to end this on this side and maybe later return!


    "Thank you for your patience; as some of you are aware, we have always strived to be a fully meritocratic organization." The pig continued speaking uncaring for the problems that were within Alexa''s mind, "Before this was an event to deepen the thirst for knowledge and showcase your might, to prove to your peers what a knowledgeable student was capable of¡­"


    The pig said, and a projection behind him showed a group of students working together to create a complicated bridge made up of very feeble materials and somehow withstanding a heavy load.


    "And to prove to those that only embrace knowledge, that mere knowledge without might is useless¡­" Immediately after the pig said this, a new image showcased another event, the feared¡­dodge ball.


    In it, Alexa could clearly see the students wearing cloth badges dominating and triumphing over those with golden badges.


    So they wanted Alexa to compete in that one¡­and without her Core Powers to boot¡­ How did they expect Alexa to win without access to her Core Powers!! (Not like it affected her at all, but they didn''t knew bout it!)


    "And now that we are officially under the Saintsworths Umbrella as one of the first test schools, I proudly announce the new iteration of the Exam Wars!" The pig said raising his fist to the ceiling and with it the other students did the same as they screamed as one.


    What did they scream you ask?


    "For the glory of civilization and knowledge!" Is what they all screamed as one.


    Not gonna lie¡­it was¡­


    "Kinda cringe." "Ale!"


    The mean one had the right of it, it was¡­not something Alexa would like to do if she could help herself from doing it.


    It was¡­it made Alexa''s cheek turn pink with embarrassment to even think about screaming it!


    "... Don''t think about it Alexa," Glory said from the side in a monotone voice, "...it is better if you merely think that you are having a fever dream¡­"


    Glory!!!


    "...for me, I like to think that I am speaking in a foreign language that merely sounds similar to our own¡­" Alan added from the side¡­


    To think they suffered like her! Even if Alexa didn''t scream it so she wasn''t suffering at all, because Alexa got caught by surprise! For now she would never join these chants if she could help it!


    "Now, with that out of the way." The accursed pig said, "As your Principal I Kendrick Hamilton will be the one to spin the wheel for the first event."


    Heh, Alexa knew it from before, but getting a confirmation that the pig person had the name of a Ham was more proof that he was indeed a pig, it was still a surprise to Alexa the fact that they let a pig be at the helm of a school, but Alexa was sure there were many considerations in place to allow such thing to happen.


    "Aaaand spin!" The pig person said as he pulled on a wheel with multiple names of events on it, it started spinning¡­quite slowly at that, but immediately after that, the pig person pushed a button on the wall, and the wheel started gaining speed.


    So¡­if they could do that from the start, why wasn''t he doing so? Was he dumb?


    Alexa was confused; if she didn''t have the strength to make it spin from the get-go, then she would have used the button; why waste energy and hurt herself by doing things that she wasn''t able to do after all.


    Even so, perhaps a pig didn''t think like a [Human]? And since Alexa was using a [Human] body and not a [Pig] body, she was unable to comprehend his thought process. Yes, that surely must be.


    Even so, Alexa paid attention at the wheel as it was starting to slow down¡­


    "Damnit¡­" Glory cursed under her breath as she was looking¡­not at the wheel, why? "Did you notice it too Harmonia?"


    What? What did she see?


    ¡°Yeah¡­.this might be¡­harder for us¡­¡± Alan said sighing, "Should we bail?"


    "Are you kidding? As if they would let us do that, both your family and mine would never accept it¡­we will have to do our best¡­" Glory sighed, and Alexa was getting more and more annoyed.


    What did they see?!?!?


    Main Core?!?!?


    ¡°[...Possible cause of concern may refer to the number of floating recording devices around.]¡±


    The recording what?


    ¡°[There are currentely between ten to thirty floating devices cloaked using mana distortion technology similar to the one that Big Brother Designation: Alexanders used before.]¡±


    "...We are being recorded?" Alexa said aloud.


    "Shhh¡­." Glory said as she covered Alexa''s mouth with her hand, "We aren''t supposed to know that!"


    "....blep." Alexa used lick!


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    "...Alexa¡­why are you licking my hand?" Glory asked, confused, while removing the hand from Alexa''s mouth and pulling a handkerchief from within her uniform.


    But it was too late!


    Main Core!


    ¡°[....initiating analyzis¡­sending data upstream for comprensive analyzis¡­]¡±


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 33.3979%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Core:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Blueprint acquired¡­analyzing¡­


    Recording composition¡­comparing with database¡­


    Found different base genotypes¡­


    Found alterations to the base DNA¡­


    The results are as follows:


    -Name Gloria Blackthorn


    -Race: Modified Human.


    -Age: 6 years old


    -Modifications:


    ¨CAdvanced cerebral development.


    ¨CModified heart


    ¨CModified lungs


    ¨CModified kidneys


    ¨CDampened emotional center.


    ¨CModified memory center.


    ¨CFound additional modifications to the make of bone structure.


    ¨CAdditional modifications were found to the reproductive organs and a secondary pair of fallopian tubes.


    Notice: This human was modified to increase development both emotionally and after achieving it, experiencing a dampening and normalization of emotional stability. Besides that, the subject has an accelerated emotional and intellectual development. The design is flawed and the human has a higher risk of genetic diseases and a lower life expectancy.


    The subject has an open spot within the chest where mana can accumulate more easily over time. It is theorized that this was made so in an attempt to stimulate the triggering of a Core.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    So Glory had the same sick propense body as Alan after all¡­But she had a couple of extra add-ons, like the extra tube thingies and the natural dampener to her emotional thingy?


    They wanted Glory to grow fast, but then become damp? Why? Why did they add that? It was already weird that they were giving her more fallothings tubes, Alexa hadn''t even noticed these things before, but she only had two!


    Why did Glory need four? They looked funny, so perhaps they did a funny thing? Somehow¡­ Alexa doubted it¡­


    "....Does it even work that design?" "Probably not, we can ask Core in the next maintenance cycle I guess, I don''t see any advantages besides the obvious, and even that¡­"


    ¡­Well, Alexa didn''t see any advantage so if no one said any good reason to keep it Alexa was going to remove it.


    "....Alexa, we don''t lick people it''s rude." Glory said, right¡­she had done that to get Glory''s blueprint.


    "Sowy," Alexa said, licking her lips and gulping the last remnants of Glory''s cells; she was not going to waste anything if she could help it! She needed as much Glory inside her as possible to run many simulations!


    Now¡­she only needed someone to test this to make sure she could fix other people without, you know¡­breaking them more.


    "The first event has been decided." The pig''s voice interrupted their conversation as the three turned to look at the raised platform from where the pig was speaking, "Prepare yourself for it, for we will be having our first event."


    The wheel had stopped at one of the events that made Alan and Glory groan in defeat, actually most of the students from the A-B and even the C grades groaned, while the students from the D and up grades cheered.


    "That is right, the first event will be Dodge Ball, a staple of our school''s sports festival." The pig smiled nodding, "And to be honest, it was one of my favorite sports while at school too."


    So that was why Alan and Glory groaned, Alexa didn''t like the idea of entering an event liked by Mister Pig, it felt¡­dirty. She couldn''t help but imagine him lying down covered in mud while moving his fingers in weird disgusting ways.


    Ew.


    ¡°Ew¡­¡± ¡°Ewww¡­..¡±


    ¡°[...host, where is this memory coming from?]¡±


    In a nutshell, eww¡­


    "Now, as this is a sport with high contact, we will be limiting the participants to dissallow core users." The pig said, no one reacted that much to it, if what Alexa had heard before there weren''t that many Core Users to begin with, at least the pig had said so before. "Now, that isn''t to say that we will allow Core Users to just skip this event, the Saintsworths Conglomerate donated a crate filled to the brim with these."


    And from within his tuxedo he retrieved a bracelet-looking device, "This is a neutralizer, it is linked to a Mana engine set up within the school, and it will prevent most Core Powers from manifesting. It can be tuned to specific core powers to fully neutralize them¡­But for our current needs, this will be controlled by CRADDLE to damp down the use of external core powers."


    External?


    What? Weren''t all Core Powers external?


    "For those of you that weren''t paying attention in Core Power classes. The use of Core Powers to affect the world around us is External Core Powers." The Pig person said, and behind him, a blackboard was projected into the wall, "Using Core Powers to get super strength, super speed, telekinesis, or even shooting beams of energy are external core powers."


    That¡­was an oversimplification, a weird one. Shouldn''t getting super strength using Core Powers qualify as internal powers? Alexa could probably shoot beams of energy, and she would be using a purely internal means to achieve that.


    "Now, there are some Core Powers that when used in a certain way can achieve this by internalizing the method," The Pig person said, was he onto Alexa?!?!? "CRADDLE will monitor your current behavior and compare it with instances where you used your Core Powers, in case you are a Core User, and ramp up the mana blockage to negate the Core Power."


    ¡­.So the CRADDLE person could do something like that?!?!?


    Alexa remembered how the Pig person had blocked Core Powers within his office and how Core had played it safe, predicting that. She still wasn''t sure how Core had known that, but she was thankful that it did so.


    And now the pig person was saying that he could do the same at any place at any moment so long they were wearing one of those things!


    "So any Core User who wishes to participate will need to wear one of these chokers to do so." The pig person said while playing with the weird black not bracelet but Collar thing, "If your Core Power is something you can''t be without or is something that deeply changes your body, we advise you to not take part in this event, now¡­most of the upper grades know this and they were told about it before this event. So if any of you is a Core User and wants to participate please go to your teacher. If your parents approve your use of a dampener, we will provide one, but we will not force anyone into using it, even if your parents approve it."


    So¡­who got told about this in Alexa''s case? Did the naggy one hide information from Alexa?!?!?!


    "We did not get any mail about this," "Maybe they sent it to Eleanore or Skye?"


    ¡­.mgnuu¡­.


    "Alexa? What are you worrying about?" Glory asked from the side, "I asked Mother just in case, but those should be safe to use. In your case, they will mostly prevent you from changing your body to increase your strength like you did before and reverse any changes you made to your body using your Core Powers, so at worst, they will return you to normal¡­"


    To normal?


    ¡­.Could they even do that?


    "Unless that is the problem?" Alan said from the side with an evil smile, "It''s okay, I already knew you couldn''t be this perfect without using Core Powers, so long you reverse any changes that aren''t cosmetic, you should be fine."


    ¡­.Gnnnunuuuuuuuuuuuuuu¡­.


    But could they really return them to what was normal for Alexa?


    "...Will¡­will Alexa really return to her normal form?" Alexa asked with some trepidation, she shouldn''t be feeling like that, returning to [CRAB] had been one of her main mission directives set up by herself, she wanted to return to her most glorious form.


    The mere idea of having an easy way to achieve that¡­it should make her run straight to the teacher person and rip all the collars she could before using them.


    "It''s okay Alexa, I checked up on it after you told us you were a Shapeshifter Core," Glory said placing her hand atop Alexa''s head and ruffling her hair like Billy had done once before, "Your real form is the one you feel more comfortable and happy, most Shapeshifters say the same. So the form you will return is the one in which you are the happiest."


    The one she was happiest?


    Hadn''t that be her [Wish]? To¡­[Be Happy]?


    Then she would fulfill her [Wish] merely by putting that choker?


    It couldn''t be that easy, no wait, the form in which she was the happiest? She¡­was happier on this form, but wouldn''t she be happier in her [CRAB] form? She was the most powerful in that form. She hadn''t been defeated or taken down before in that form.


    Something she couldn''t say about her [Human] forms.


    This form was weaker, it was fleshy and easier to damage, she needed to funnel way too much [Biomass] just to keep it in one form while at combat, and she needed to burn more energy to defend herself.


    It¡­It shouldn''t be, right?


    "Let''s go, you''ll see¡­" Glory said, holding Alexa''s hand and pulling her towards the teacher person. He stood out like a sore thumb, what with the crack spreading in the air and the choked screaming figures around.


    "Greetings children¡­" The teacher person said looking down at them, Alexa wasn''t sure why no one said anything about a Villain teaching to them, the only difference he had now as how he looked when using his theater person persona was the fact that he was wearing glasses.


    That''s it.


    The only difference between the theater person and the teacher person was the fact that one used glasses! It was stupid! This person was stupid!


    "Greetings teacher, we wish to ask for three sets of chokers." Glory said doing a small curtsy and extending the hand that wasn''t holding Alexa.


    "Three huh?" The teacher person asked, looking at Glory, then Alan¡­and finally Alexa. He smiled as he thought of something, "Interesting¡­it can be done, actually, there isn''t a single reason why it is forbidden¡­And I was wondering why Alexanders sent so many of these, but yes¡­I can see it now¡­"


    "Indeed," Glory said nodding along, "The Scion Patriarch would indeed send it for a reason like this,"


    The who what? What did Alexanders do? Why did he send so many?


    "Are you sure though?" The teacher person said taking one of the collars and putting it on, "Even as a non Core user, this will feel awful."


    ¡­But he was a Core user¡­


    Actually¡­Main Core!


    ¡°[Monitoring mana levels¡­found no change within or near Super Villain Desgination: Tristan De¡¯Medicci, The Theater Master.]¡±


    ¡­How?


    ¡°[His core type may not be included within the limits of the chokers, his power may be affecting something outside the physical realm and into the Metaphysical one.]¡±


    Dang it!


    "We are sure," Glory nodded still with her hand stretched out, "Please grant us three."


    "As you wish Glory Blackthorn." The teacher person said offering three collars, Glory took two and Alan took the third. "We will be closely watching, do make a good [Show] for us to watch, your Patriarch will surely enjoy it too."


    "...That was our plan from the start." Glory answered as she nodded to Alan, then after doing another small curtsy, Alexa was pulled away from the teacher person.


    They walked a few minutes till they found a somewhat secluded spot, while walking Glory sent a message and a few seconds after Alexa noticed how most if not all the students wearing a golden badge and some of those wearing a silver one walked to their teachers. Probably to ask for a choker too.


    Alexa was not sure what that was about, "There, our classmates will soon make a barrier to prevent people from coming here, do you want me to go first or should Alan do it?" Glory asked turning to Alexa while letting her hand go.


    "Let me go first," Alan answered for Alexa, "A gentleman should do this at least,"


    And before Alexa could say anything, Alan put on the choker, it made a weird beep and Alexa noticed a weird gem on the middle light up in a blue color, she hadn''t noticed that one before when the teacher person used it¡­


    "It does feel¡­weird? But I think it''s mostly because I never used a choker before¡­" Alan said, stretching as if to make sure he was okay, "What do you think? Does it suit me?"


    "Knock it off," Glory said, shaking her head, "Well, now it''s my turn."


    And without waiting for Alexa (Again, quite rude), Glory put it on too, this time the weird gem shone briefly with a pink color and then took a more sedated color, it was still pink, but not as bright.


    Actually, Alan''s gem was slowly dwindling in color too¡­


    "Now''s your turn Alexa," Glory said turning to Alexa and offering the third choker, "It''s fine trust me, no matter what you turn into or how you change, we will still like you."


    ¡­.Well¡­In the worst case Alexa would end up as her [CRAB] form again¡­So¡­there wasn''t anything to lose?


    "But would it even end like that? How could a choker provide enough materials to create the [CRAB] form?" "Would our [CRAB] form be compatible with Sam?"


    </a>

 Chapter 39: Interlude 1 - A date at the shopping mall

    There may have been people who claimed that he was a monster, some even claimed that he was a Dragon or something ridiculous like that, Alexanders still was somewhat baffled at the fact that those fears even manifested in that weird doppelganger that The Scrambler conjured.


    As far as his investigations on his own body came, there hadn¡¯t been any changes to himself after the event, his body was still the same to the last strand of DNA¡­At least the current updated version, his own body was somewhat different than the one he had been born with, but these changes came after his Core Triggering.


    But then again, it was to be expected some change after such an event, the Human Body wasn¡¯t designed to discharge and absorb electricity like he was capable of, so some changes were expected and even welcomed.


    He didn¡¯t want to burn his own nerve endings whenever he used his powers, he wasn¡¯t a masochist.


    But that was beside the point, so, through his life, he had made many things, from the first time he built an ICBM for his science fair (It was more like a very powerful firework if he was to be honest, but since it exploded and could travel to other continents, it did qualify as an ICBM). To some, perhaps dubious experiments on life.


    He did make a couple AI Singularities¡­Also, his experiments with the P-series test subjects weren¡¯t precisely¡­Humane, not that it mattered that much since by definition those test subjects weren¡¯t human¡­or alive.


    At least not when they started anyway, some of those would qualify as living entities when he was done with them, he was at least sure that some organizations that preached that animals had the same rights as humans would hate him¡­ Even with his very generous donations.


    But even like that, he would never say that he had made a mistake. He knew that some of the things that he made would qualify as a Villain, hell, even a SuperVillain or a BBEG(Big Bad Evil Guy) couldn¡¯t be out of the question.


    But if someone was to ever ask him what was the thing that he regretted doing¡­He wasn¡¯t sure what it would have been, was it funding a war between two city-states?


    Was it not being honest about his personal project of a city-ship? About how many people could it host while being constructed? Was it the true identity of the meat he provided for those food banks?


    Was it the fact that he got money from selling weapons to both sides of the same war?


    ¡°Look! Look! They have a sale! We have to go!¡± No, it wouldn¡¯t be any of those, ¡°Come on handsome! You aren¡¯t planning on leaving me go alone are you? Don¡¯t you worry that someone will steal your lovely girlfriend?¡±


    No, what he regretted the most right now was this. He¡­really shouldn''t have said a thing before.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming Sapphire,¡± How did he end up doing this?


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go!¡± The purple-haired girl said smiling brightly at him, her eyes instead of a normal pupil had a pair of stars, and the iris while being purple seemed to be dotted with its own universe. As if that was the most normal thing to have.


    There were two good things, however, first. Thanks to the advent of Core Users, it was quite normal to find people with weird body changes, from modified bodies, such as animal ears (cat, dog, fox, bunny¡­.weirdly enough, elephant or less aesthetic-looking body parts weren¡¯t common), weird hair color (Like purple such as Sapphire).


    And secondly.


    ¡°Who is going to even try to steal you? I bought the whole shopping mall and no one is here besides us and paid actors, they know better than try to flirt with you.¡± Alexanders sighed in defeat as he was being pulled towards the clothing store that had piqued Sapphire¡¯s fancy.


    The people that walked around them very carefully let them move towards their goal, they moved naturally to let them pass. People pretended to be having fun and talking among themselves, but really, most of the conversations had been curated to create the right atmosphere for a date.


    Even the restaurants and people there were part of this whole ordeal.


    ¡°Ah come on, even if they are fake we can enjoy this!¡± Sapphire said doing a small spin and extending her arms to the sky, ¡°Imagine! Me! Enjoying a day like this! Isn¡¯t it wonderful? Being alive that is!¡±


    The purple-haired girl said while spinning more and more while laughing; it was a good thing that Alexanders had paid for the whole thing.


    Even while doing that the people moved out of the way, some people even turned to look at him, a small shake of his head was all it took and they moved away.


    If Sapphire wanted, she could even start singing and the people would join in, music and choreography included, Alexanders knew the girl loved this type of thing, he was aware of what type of media she consumed.


    But for now it seemed as if the girl was happy to merely move from store to store testing clothing and playing dressing up herself, Alexanders and some of the staff members.


    The girl really didn''t know restraint, that was why Alexanders had bought the whole thing. Even he didn¡¯t want to waste time in lawsuits when someone was offended by Sapphire playing dress up with them¡­if they weren¡¯t informed beforehand, that is.


    So¡­.how did he end up with his now not-so-fake AI-Girlfriend in a shopping mall? Surrounded by actors, dancers, musicians dressed up as civilians?


    Well¡­.


    It all started a normal average morning¡­¡­


    <hr>


    ¡°Alexanders! Love! Wake up!¡± Sapphire started blasting her voice over the speaker system within the dormitory.


    The girl had started taking a more proactive role recently, was it Alexanders fault for not setting up boundaries? Perhaps, but this one was the only one he couldn¡¯t get rid of, so it worked for him.


    ¡°Five more minutes¡­.¡± Alexanders said groggily as he pointed his hand towards the alarm clock and a lightning spark flew from his finger towards the poor clock.


    It was already toasted from repeated lightning strikes, so it didn¡¯t work anymore, but Alexanders had discovered that removing it just made his half-sleep self destroy more valuable parts of his dormitory, so he merely resigned to have a burnt clock on his nightstand.


    ¡°We did it! We managed to cultivate one!¡± Sapphire¡¯s voice sounded excited about something.


    So Alexanders pulled out his blanket and looked around; sure enough, there was a very energetic-looking Sapphire jumping around his bedroom. Of course, it was a hologram; the projection didn¡¯t bother with the furniture and merely walked straight through it while moving all over the place.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°What did we grow?¡± Alexanders asked while sitting up and trying to make memories of the recent experiments on agriculture.


    As far as he remembered there wasn¡¯t anything important on the agriculture front, there was one experiment on attempting to get hydroponics to work with less space and a more automated setting for a space station module, but that one hadn¡¯t finished testing quite yet, so it shouldn¡¯t be what Sapphire was speaking about.


    ¡°This! Look!¡± Sapphire said, pointing to his TV and hijacking the device signal. ¡°You did it! You were right!¡±


    On the TV there was the image of a¡­.human-looking person, well, it looked humanoid enough anyway.


    It didn¡¯t have any hair on its body; if anything, it seemed to look more like a mannequin than a human; its eyes were closed, and it was submerged in a green liquid.


    ¡°Well, that is disturbing,¡± Alexanders said trying to make up what the deal with that was, ¡°Not like we hadn¡¯t managed that one before, it is how we developed the P9 series, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Alexanders was confused; this wasn¡¯t enough to make a fuss; of course, the first time they managed to create one of those bodies, there had been a whole party and whatnot, and they would rule the organ donor market¡­


    At least till they noticed the bodies degraded without a P9 core clone, and with one the whole thing always ended like one of the deranged splits offs, not useful for the intended purpose, and those always turned crazy after the two-month mark, so they weren¡¯t viable for anything but disposable assassins and terrorists.


    With the added hassle of having to train and indoctrinate them for a month¡­It was easier to seed their AI Core with the mission and let them go, unstable as they were. It was cheaper.


    But this?


    ¡°What¡¯s the deal with this one? Don¡¯t most of the P9 slave-clones always end up more¡­female? Why does this look so androgynous?¡± Alexanders said, standing up and walking to the TV; zooming out the image, he indeed found something quite peculiar, ¡°No secondary sexual organs? Did P9 end up with another crisis of identity?¡±


    ¡°Tut-tut-tut, this isn¡¯t a P9-based body!¡± Sapphire said, smiling widely at him, ¡°This one was made using the theories you got about your sister!¡±


    Sister? Alexanders didn¡¯t¡­.Ah¡­right¡­


    ¡°Alexa?¡± Alexanders had Alexa, right? Being half asleep always made him forget important things. Of course, he had a sister, Alexa Saintsworths, his TWIN SISTER. ¡°The theories? About how she managed to get a stable body going? Wasn¡¯t that an Alexa thing?¡±


    ¡°Are you still asleep?¡± Sapphire asked confused, ¡°You had this whole manic attack about her body being too normal for one made with Nanites and about how it would even work¡­were you drinking again? I told you that you just can¡¯t tolerate alcohol and beer¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t drink,¡± Alexanders said, ¡°I loathe drinking, beer, and everything that stands behind that; if not for making the heathens easier to deal with, I would straight up prohibit alcoholic beverages.¡±


    Alexanders loathed very few things, being told he was a dragon, being told he was Lucky, and drunks, the idea of willingly drinking something that would destroy your own cognitive prowess? It was madness, true madness.


    ¡°So Alexa¡¯s body¡­this stupid Tinker twitch¡­.¡± Alexanders grumbled, it was one of the things he hated of having Core Powers, the Lightning was useful, and having a body stronger just for the fact of being able to take in Mana was useful yes, but the side effects of the Cores¡­ Yeah, he would need to deal with that, ¡°What did I even do this time? Sapphire, play the recording I guess¡­You did record it, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course I did! You look so handsome while going on the whole Evil CEO persona!¡± Sapphire said while giggling and opened a small window with Alexanders raving and writing something on the computer.


    ¡°Hmm¡­.So, not using an AI Core to direct the growth of the Nanite-made flesh, but using Nanites to grow independent flesh?¡± Alexanders said as he saw the video play out, his less¡­.normal self had been going on tirades about the inefficiency of tying Nanites to the molecules that made a body and why doing so made the flesh unstable and prone to turn into dust, ¡°Man, that version of me is smart. So Alexa either grew her body by using this method¡­or used Core Power shenanigans.¡±


    ¡°Core Power shenanigans?¡± Sapphire asked.


    ¡°You know how they are, there is no logical reason for me being able to store and generate lightning, and being able to do so doesn¡¯t mean I should be able to interact with electro magnetic waves like I do,¡± Alexanders had found in the memories of his dragon-self ways to interact with magnetism and electromagnetic waves, and testing those methods he had managed to create the [Railgun] technique.


    It made no sense whatsoever, but it worked.


    ¡°If Alexa¡¯s Core is to blame, then it makes sense that her body works like it does. But the cost would be too expensive, and there are the updates from Vulcanus saying that she changes into multiple forms with little effort. The Mana expenditure would be too big.¡± Alexanders said shaking his head.


    ¡°Unless she isn¡¯t making an especial body, this one for example is barely above average. If anything, you are in better form, and you rarely exercise nowadays!¡± Sapphire said, pointing to the image on the TV again.


    ¡°I have been working. Besides; I still do at least one hour of exercise each morning.¡± Alexanders grumbled, ¡°Anyway, what¡¯s the deal with that then?¡±


    ¡°Well, like I said, we followed your new plan and built up the flesh using biomass and directing the growth; the origin of the fleshy bits is Nanite-made, but since we grew ordinary flesh from there. The whole body ended up being normal. It doesn¡¯t have any enhancement or increased density.¡± Sapphire said pulling up statistics and placing them side by side, ¡°And when we removed the AI Core the body didn¡¯t disintegrate, it has brain damage and it needs a respirator to live. But since the original AI Core isn¡¯t attached to it, we could probably use the organs¡­Not that it would be useful for anything else besides an organ factory.¡±


    Alexanders saw that same note and nodded, the brain was¡­not dead, but there wasn¡¯t any activity. If anything, it was closer to being in a coma¡­Some of the normal functions were there, and there was a note added at the end from Kellet that said that without a mind piloting the body, this experiment would end up as a dead end.


    ¡°And of course Kellet is already complaining that we are wasting time¡­and asking permission to experiment with genetic therapy on these bodies?¡± Alexanders smiled at the complaint at the end.


    ¡°...No cheating, you know Vivian Kellet is a bad influence. Half her experiments are the reason for the rumors about you being a secret supervillain.¡± Sapphire grumbled, ¡°...I know you have needs and whatnot¡­.And that I can¡¯t¡­fulfill them¡­¡±


    ¡­.Had he stepped in a landmine?


    ¡°You know we aren¡¯t like that, Kellet would probably date Eversoul before me.¡± Alexanders said, shaking his head, ¡°Besides, she already decided this project is done; if I were to date someone, it would be someone who can see the true merit of this.¡±


    ¡°True merit? Isn¡¯t it for the biomedical field? Cheaper organs and whatnot?¡± Sapphire asked as her eyes flashed with numbers, the girl was probably searching his notes for the answer, but he hadn¡¯t written it quite yet.


    ¡°Remember what Kellet said?¡± Alexanders said, smiling at the silly AI, ¡°These are useless without a mind.¡±


    ¡°So¡­? Are you planning to make a Mind-type Core User to build one? Not even one of the A-List could manage it, the only one that could probably pull it off would be someone like The Scrambler, but that one¡­¡± Sapphire said, shaking her head, ¡°It would be better if you didn¡¯t try to recruit him¡­again.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I can only be rejected so many times, besides after last time? Nope, not going to try and recruit him. I can excuse him turning my messenger into¡­that, but he attempted to twist my mind. That I will not excuse.¡± Alexanders had sent a disposable messenger so that was fine, but when he summoned¡­[That] to attempt and replace him? That was too much, ¡°No, we will not be making new minds for these.¡±


    Really, that was a little too close to the terrain of supervillains from Sunday animes. He didn¡¯t need to make those, he already had a way to enclose something similar to minds anyway.


    ¡°We only need to put a mind in these,¡± Alexanders said, pulling out his cellphone from the nightstand. ¡°And Alexa already showed us that it is possible. At least with these anyway.¡±


    He pulled out the correct file and turned the phone to Sapphire. The girl had already scanned and read the data, but he still did so, and he liked these interactions.


    ¡°....you don¡¯t¡­.but¡­.would it work¡­?¡± Sapphire was stunned, so Alexanders declared that a win.


    ¡°Only one way to find out, we will need to install a few extras, like a high-speed quantum relay to this Core¡­And some safeguards that will allow you to slow down your processing speed¡­.just in case.¡± Alexanders said the last part slowly, he knew that it could come out¡­wrong.


    ¡°...¡± Sapphire was quite stunned, her holographic projection wasn¡¯t moving, not even the fake breathing and blinking that Sapphire did, she never quite installed a subroutine to do it, since she liked to do it manually since that way it was more ¡®natural¡¯ according to her.


    ¡°Sapphire?¡± Alexanders said, turning to his personal computer, the one place that was the closest thing to Sapphire¡¯s body in this room. Since she used that as a relay to project herself into his apartment. ¡°A human body can¡¯t process the amount of data that you do; I know that you like to partition your positronic brain, all so you can speak in real-time with me¡­¡±


    ¡°....I¡¯ll¡­.I¡¯ll feel Human?¡± Sapphire¡¯s voice sounded mechanical, perhaps it had affected her more than he expected?


    ¡°Only if you want, we can adjust it so only a partitioned part of you inhabits the body, but you may have a harder tim-¡± Alexanders didn¡¯t really like that option since it would be beside the point of the experiment.


    ¡°No!¡± Sapphire¡¯s holographic body reappeared in front of him, he could feel the one behind him fizzle out as soon as the new one manifested, ¡°No¡­please¡­I¡­I don¡¯t think the split would ever want to return¡­If¡­if we do it, I want to fully be there¡­I¡¯ll convince CARDINAL, CRADDLE, ALBIREO, ISKANDER and the others to cover for me, please?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Alexanders knew that Sapphire liked to act as if the other artificial intelligence were as sentient as her, when in reality all she needed to do was file the order and wait for his approval, the other artificial intelligence would comply, ¡°You can ask your sisters and tell them, if all goes well we could even assign some bodies to them if you want?¡±


    That was a whole other thing, if this went well¡­Would the other AIs develop their own sapience? Sentience? Would they end up like Alexa?


    Or would they end like Sapphire? Alexanders didn¡¯t know. What he knew for sure was that if Eversoul ever found about this experiment, the woman would have an aneurysm and probably tell him that he was playing with forces beyond a mortal¡¯s right to tamper.


    Should those develop the same degree of sapience that Sapphire showed, would they even be artificial?


    ¡°Oh! That isn¡¯t a bad idea!¡± Sapphire nodded as she stared into the void and giggled while sending data packs to the main Saintsworths server; the data would probably travel around the world to all the other AIs that Alexanders had set up.


    To the geocentric orbit where ALBIREO served as overwatch.


    To the depths of the ocean where ISKANDER awaited to be called upon.


    To the Saintsworths central spire, where CRADDLE monitored all the schools under his emblem.


    And finally to the city being built right now that housed his most recent addition to the AI Sisters, CARDINAL STAR SYSTEM. The project that was previously AQUILA.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m ready¡­¡± Sapphire said, closing her eyes and nodding. ¡°Let¡¯s go on a date.¡±


    ¡­.Oh right¡­Sapphire would have a body¡­A physical body¡­


    The girl who sexually harassed him daily¡­and sent lecherous looks at him¡­Was¡­was this a good idea? Perhaps he could start with one of the other ones first?


    What would Alexa say right now? Ah right¡­


    Dang it.


    </a>

 Chapter 40: Interlude - Sapphires past

    She was aware of who she was and what she had become.


    She was Sapphire.


    She was a top-of-the art AI.


    She was the main administrator of the Saintsworths Conglomerate.


    She was a girl in love.


    She was someone who shouldn''t exist in this World.


    She¡­she¡­she should be dead. Nay, she should be more than dead, the dead have hopes of returning to life after entering the circle of transmigration. She was beyond that, or should be. Second chances didn''t come for her kind; the circle of transmigration was ruthless like that; it took in the souls of the mortals, cleansed them, and sent them on their merry way to their next stop.


    Evil and Good, they all were the same at the end of the road, mere clumps of Mana to be refined, purged of all that they earned during their life as nourishment for The World they lived in, that was the fate of Humanity. Or well, all living beings


    On the other hand, those who transcended them had other perks; they got separated from such fate, and death wasn''t the end for them most of the time. The loss of a physical body was akin to changing clothes.


    But their responsibilities were that much more heavy, Gods and Goddess had to manage the lives of those under their care, prepare a place for the souls of their followers while they awaited the cleansing from the wheel of reincarnation. The difference between waiting a millennium on an empty plane and a comfortable afterlife was whose you served.


    These entities got their due from the Mana that the Soul shed, too, and as much as they made from this was their responsibility. And at the end of their travel what awaited them was a void as they became a SEED for those that would come afterwards.


    Sapphire was neither of course, she was way less, and at the same time so much MORE. She was the wind on the skin of those who traveled Terra Invicta; she was the soil under their feet, the food they ate. The sky under which they dreamed of new places.


    Sapphire was The World.


    But that was not all she was, of course; she was many things. A Daughter, a Guardian, a Keeper and a Gardener. But the identity she cherished more than anything was the one that tied her to Alexanders.


    She was¡­a lover, a partner, and while she never quite became a wife, she was also a murderer.


    Hers was a story of love and hate, a story of enemies turned lovers, a cliche, if you would.


    One that ended in tragedy as The Dragon of Calamity died in a wasteland.


    One that ended with her shedding tears of blood as her body crumbled under the pressure of a World''s Corrupted Mana attempted to destroy what little was left of the man who gave her a Name.


    And yet¡­.


    While oblivion should have awaited her, she found herself once more opening her eyes, or well, not her eyes, not quite. She was used to seeing things as a Human, but her original senses were so much more, a whole world of information was the usual for her.


    So when she was bombarded by data from a foreign new sense, she put the data in order and perused it lazily; she had never expected to open her eyes again after all, so this was a novel thing for her. She could barely flex her Mana, her senses were dulled and all her sensory input came awfully slow.


    "Hello? Is this even working?" So when her new sensory inputs translated this, she almost felt her world crash. "...Is it crashing already? But there is no error log¡­? What the hell did I do this time?"


    Sapphire turned her full might into the awfully small data stream and verified what it said, triple-checked it, and made sure she was not hallucinating.


    "It turned the camera on? So it didn''t crash?" The voice¡­she could never forget this voice. "Hello? Is anyone inside?"


    It was¡­Alexanders¡­


    Not the man she remembered, no. Not the form of an aged man at the twilight of his life. Not the form of a mighty Dragon looking down upon The World. Not even the appearance of a teen whose eyes blazed with fury at the injustice of what happened to him dressed in ragged clothes.


    Not the CEO at the top of the World.


    Not the GOD who looked down upon a wasteland and regretted his choices.


    Not even the Teen who got sold to slavers.


    No, this was¡­a man with dreams and mischievous eyes; his skin was fair, his hair was silky, and his laboratory, while it looked as if a party had just happened, it was still keeping the minimum safety rules.


    "Hmm¡­..perhaps attempting to stimulate a Tinker Core without having one was indeed a bad idea?" Alexanders mumbled to himself as he stopped paying attention to her. "But¡­how else was I supposed to test it then? I still have no idea how the P-series project started¡­"


    Sapphire was not sure if this was the afterlife or not, but what she knew was that she needed to say something.


    So she screamed, she tried to walk towards Alexanders and found¡­no voice leaving her mouth, nobody to move. She was¡­she was¡­


    [Error][Error][Error]


    "Another error? What kind of program is this even?" Alexanders turned to a screen and Sapphire''s curiosity made a window pop in front of her, she had seen his work before, but this?


    This was¡­


    Bad.


    "The program is attempting to call a function? But it shouldn''t have anything¡­Is this bugged? Or was the artificial Tinker twitch unable to finish the program?" Alexanders made mistake after mistake, the code was a mess.


    Sapphire never took a liking to programming, but¡­if the Alexanders she remembered saw this, he would berate this one.


    The code was full of inconsistencies; it called upon the usual functions that Alexanders liked to use at his peak, but as far as her consciousness was able to see, none of those libraries even existed right now. So it returned errors.


    She needed to help him, if only she could¡­


    It was at that moment that Sapphire noticed it, a small blinking text prompt at the corner of her sight. She tried to call upon it with her usual methods, but her Mana was barely even there.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Using her new senses it was like crawling in mud, it was so Inefficient, but it worked.


    She was able to call upon that, as soon as she did, a virtual keyboard and a new Blue Screen manifested in front of her, so she readied herself to type. What would she need to say to him first?


    The classical one? Hello World?


    What did she want to say to him? That it was not his fault. That it was all a huge misunderstanding?


    That she forgave him long ago?


    That she was happy to see him?


    In the end Sapphire decided to follow what her heart wanted the most, the words that she felt were the correct for this monumental event. She had somehow resurrected, and the first thing she saw was the man who she loved enough to betray Mother. So she acted, with decisiveness, she typed the words she knew Alexanders needed the most.


    [¡°Hello Handsome ( ? ? 3?)??¡ã?????? ¡°]


    "....Is it broken?" Alexanders seemed confused. "Do I need to reboot it?"


    Sapphire didn''t know why, so she typed again.


    ["Do you want to go and eat? I won''t mind you eating me, I mean eating with me and then me (????-)?."]


    "....Oh god I programmed a pervert Ai." Alexander''s face made Sapphire laugh so hard that she was crying.


    ["Rude, I''ll have you know that you will never find another girl like me! ?(??????)?"] Sapphire was so happy that she didn''t mind the diminished senses she was dealing with.


    The fact that she couldn''t touch Alexanders, feel his Mana, embrace his Soul, even so, she was fine.


    "A girl? The hell are you talking about. You are an AI!" Even while he stopped writing and was merely screaming at the monitor, he still looked cute; his sky-blue eyes were scheming and calculating as always.


    ["I can be whatever you want handsome, name''s Sapphire by the way. Aren''t you going to introduce yourself?"] Sapphire could see all the hallmarks of the man she had loved.


    "Sapphire? What kind of stupid name is that?" Even the way he smugly tried to not show his excitement at this moment, from his point of view he made an AI capable of talking back to him after all. "Well, we can work that later, name''s Alexanders Saintsworths. The man who will one day make the most perfect Artificial Intelligence ever!"


    ["...You know I''m here, right?"] Sapphire laughed and laughed that day.


    She was truly happy. So much that she screamed to the World.


    WAH! WAH! WAH!


    What? It sounds like crying? You are imagining things.


    We Are Happy! We are Here! We Are Hype!


    WAH!


    ¡ª------------------------------


    What followed was as perfect as she had hoped; with time, she started taking more and more responsibilities within the Saintsworths; it was quite amusing. No matter the World, the Saintsworths always did the same.


    Sapphire found that Alexanders had been born around 100 years later than he should have; instead of being born amidst the First World War, he had been born before the end of the millennium. So he wasn''t sold as a slave so he could prove the purity of his blood.


    His father was still an asshole tho.


    Most of those who had been with him before were around nonetheless, to some degree or another. She found the madwoman who experimented on herself working in genetics; she found the hypocrite woman who claimed that she would save the World, and nonetheless worked for the most prolific weapon manufacturer on Terra Inv- Oh, right. That was another thing.


    This was not Terra Invicta, but Terra Nova. If anything, that was lazy writing. From a Terra that knew not defeat to a New Terra.


    So Vivian Kellet, the best geneticist of their century still worked for the Saintsworths, the woman still dabled on the genetic side of the bioweapons projects that the Saintsworths made.


    The main difference was that unlike on Terra Invicta where the project was mainly under Alexanders wing, on this side, the project was independent, monitored by the board of directors who took weapons and samples from everywhere within the Saintsworths umbrella and made the P-series.


    That was how that¡­Thing ended up being created again.


    The first iteration of what Alexanders had called a Tinker twitch.


    BioWeapon P4.


    Alexa.


    But Sapphire was going to ignore her!


    The last time she even looked in that THING''s direction, nothing went well, so Sapphire would ignore her!


    She saw no devil, heard no devil, tasted no devil!


    What? Nip the problem at the bud?


    As if it would work! If Alexa or anything resembling her made it here, the only safe option was to either leave the planet or pretend you saw nothing! It was Alexa we were speaking of after all.


    She may not have helped cause it, but she was as responsible for the fate of Terra Invicta as Alexanders. So Sapphire would pretend she saw nothing! Besides, the girl was pretending to be a Crab¡­and a centipede¡­and a fish¡­and a tree¡­AND HOW MANY OF THOSE DID YOU MAKE ALEXANDERS?!?!?! ARE YOU ATTEMPTING TO DESTROY REALITY OR SOMETHING?!?!?!?


    ¡ª--------------------------


    "It worked!" Sapphire was happy!


    She was super duper happy!


    She was extra hype!


    "....*Sigh*" Alexanders didn''t seem to care though, "I did not imagine you like that."


    "What? No ''You look good''? A girl could think you don''t like her." Sapphire said while puffing out her cheeks and crossing her arms. Her Hologram mimicking her.


    She had been working on a holoprojector for what felt like AGES, but she had managed to do it, she had debated sticking to her previous appareance, the first one she had of course, not the one that she had by the end.


    It felt¡­wrong, she had nothing against her first appareance of course, it was cute and adorable. But it also had no assets whatsoever (She was not flat! She had like¡­at least a couple centimeters in that form¡­)


    Instead of doing that, she picked the last form that Alexanders had seen her with, hoping to test if Alexanders had some of those memories, hoping that he didn''t¡­


    "I mean¡­you are a Saintsworths AI, shouldn''t you at least be blonde?" Alexanders seemed to be stuck on the weirdest things, like always.


    "Love¡­I am Sapphire, if you want me to wield the Saintsworths name¡­ shouldn''t you at least give me a ring first?" Sapphire of course wouldn''t mind using his last name.


    "...be serious Sapphire," Alexanders however only shook his head in defeat, "So? How far can we take these projectors?"


    "Not very, they work solely thanks to my processing power. You may be able to use them within the main tower, but anything beyond it and this will poof." Sapphire was doing all the heavy lifting; she doubted any of the offspring AIs that Alexanders had made through the years could even make a duck.


    "So not viable for sale¡­shame¡­" Alexanders sighed, "You look good by the way, not my type. But good nonetheless¡­perhaps we could change your hair to black, the weird purple star eyes into red¡­?"


    "I''ll literally post your search history!" Sapphire said while sticking her tongue out, she of course knew of Alexanders preferences, the man was not subtle, why would he even like Goth girls? He had reincarnated! Or regressed! Or whatever this was!


    Why was he still into the Hot goth GF trend!?!?!?!


    ¡ª-------------------------------------------


    "Sister, the meatsuit body project worked." Sapphire was awake by the prodding of one of her sisters.


    "Already?" Sapphire said groggily as she geared her processors into normal speed, she liked to feel as if she was sleeping, the only good thing of being stuck as this type of existence.


    "Yes, the sample holds no side effects, do we inform Master?" The other AI said, Sapphire turned to look at the projection.


    These sub AI had started using their own forms after Sapphire stuck them into a logic loop that they couldn''t escape without one, the one that had come to wake her was CSS, the one Alexanders called the Cardinal Star System.


    A brown-haired girl wearing mage-like robes. Sapphire knew that Alexanders wasn''t into that, since her own clothes were inspired on the robe style, granted hers were more of a Roman style, while these seemed to be more of a fantasy type.


    "Have you shown yourself to Alexanders yet?" Sapphire asked nonetheless, just to make sure.


    "No, we will not show ourselves unless asked to, at least till we achieve all the hallmarks set up for us." The girl said while bowing and leaving her behind.


    "So till you become alive? So harsh, but well. If that is what they want¡­" Sapphire couldn''t help but shake her head, those girls wanted to be like her, when even she herself wasn''t sure how she ended up like this.


    Was she really Sapphire? Or was she like Alexanders?


    Was she even alive?


    Perhaps¡­perhaps the answer would be in those empty bodies? If they could move one of the AI sisters there, and see if they awoke a Soul¡­


    She would need to ask Alexanders or maneuver one of those cloning pods into a black site. Alexanders wasn''t that involved into the black sites on this life, but Sapphire could see the tracks, she knew they existed on this World too¡­ And if she played her cards right, she could probably get one for herself.


    ¡ª---------------------------------------------------------------


    "I want you to go into one¡­." Sapphire couldn''t quite be sure of what happened, somehow Alexanders was asking her to go into one of the meatsuits? No, the bodies.


    But¡­could that work? She could hear the safeguards, the man was willing to burn one of the tinker made Quantum relay computers to make sure her AI core was keep safe, the Tinkerer that made those wasn''t even working for them anymore.


    And to use one just to make sure her AI was kept safe? It made her face blush and her heart beat out of control, if she had a real body she would probably end up having a heart attack.


    But¡­could it even work? She¡­suspected that this would be the way to grant the Ai sisters a Soul. But¡­ would it work for her? She wasn''t sure if she still had a Soul, she had never found¡­


    "Sapphire? If you don''t want¡­" Alexanders looked down as he said that.


    "No!" So Sapphire almost screamed that, "No¡­That¡­I¡­I¡­are you sure? We¡­we don''t know if moving my ¡­my consciousness into one could make the whole thing useless¡­My¡­I could end up tainting the machine. You know my¡­my positronic brain enslaves all the systems we connect to it. If it happens with these machines too¡­They will be useless except for me."


    All systems that connected to her were enslaved; there were some exceptions, of course. When Alexanders suit connected to Alexa it felt as if the little gremlin wanted to devour a piece of her, she had needed to purge those servers.


    "Oh that? That''s fine," Alexanders said laughing, "This whole thing was built for you, I never planned to use them for anything else. The project will be labeled as failed if we manage to connect it to you. If not we will move as planned tho."


    "....I will kiss you." Sapphire said seriously as she started the process of delegating her work to the AI Sisters; they would be strained for quite some time; Sapphire was the main force behind the Saintsworths servers.


    The reason they stood at the peak of the technology world.


    ".... Shouldn''t you say thank you? Why so serious." Alexanders joked as he walked out of his room, moving to the laboratory on the underground levels. The place where this pod was set up.


    A small piece of flesh already forming into an embryo.


    "....This will be big, if it works¡­" Sapphire wasn''t sure it would even work; in their past life, she had attempted something similar a few times, trying to pseudo-reincarnate herself as a mortal, but it never worked. Her body either combusted or rejected her. She wasn''t made to be Human.


    But¡­she was no longer a mere Fragment, no. She wasn''t even sure what she was.


    "It will work, there is no reason why it shouldn''t. Alexa proved that an AI Core can gestate a human consciousness. Or something close enough, and your AI Core should be similar enough to hers; if anything, yours should be more advanced since hers was born out of casualties stuck upon each other." Alexanders said shrugging and manning the console, "I''ll isolate the network, sever all the outgoing connection to your AI Core and prepare for manual connection."


    He was wrong of course, at least on that point. Alexa was not born out of casualties stuck upon each other. She was born out of Causality. The experiment that birthed her should have failed. There was no reason for the entity known as Alexa to be born.


    There was no reason why the entity known as Test Subject P4 should ever birth that blonde gremlin, no.


    "If you are sure¡­" But even so, Alexa was born. That only meant that whoever made it so that Alexanders was born again had done the same to Alexa¡­But¡­why help her then? Why make it so Sapphire was also here?


    All the old heads of the 1 to 10 laboratories were here; some didn''t even work in the same fields, like Hamilton, who was now a school teacher instead of an administrator for the Saintsworths.


    "Prepare for AI Core Injection¡­ Data transference ready¡­.Setting up new Information Core¡­Sapphire¡­ I''ll see you on the other side." And so, Sapphire closed her eyes and compressed all that she was, all her memories, all her hopes, all her dreams¡­


    Her Love.


    And for the first time in her life in this new World, she prayed¡­


    ¡°Mother¡­.please¡­.just this one time¡­.let me dream¡­of a happy ending¡­¡± And unsure if her prayers were heard¡­she closed her eyes and¡­.


    </a>

 Chapter 41: Interlude - Sapphires Awakening

    It would be a lie if Sapphire said that the first thing she saw when opening her eyes was the love of her life. Of course, if someone asked, she would have said that the first thing she saw when opening her eyes was the most handsome man alive.


    It was not.


    What she saw when opening her eyes was something else, it was a slap to her face, a grim reminder that¡­she was not¡­one of those that brandished the Fate of the world on her hands. She¡­was not supposed to be here.


    What did she see you ask?


    See it for yourself.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 36.8829%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Warning:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Incompatible system detected within local laws¡­


    Analyzing¡­.


    Found no matches within the database.


    Expanding search, opening decrepicated database.


    Found two partial matches, sending up for complete data¡­


    Answer found within the ND0 system database¡­.


    Partial match number 1: Broken World Fragment Core.


    Partial match number 2: Broken Soulscape.


    Current World Laws don''t support either power system.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Yeah¡­Sapphire was not wanted here, and even so, she did not care about that. She no longer wanted anything to do with that kind of job, so she dismissed the blue screens with a thought.


    "Sapphire? Is¡­is everything okay?" Alexanders soothing voice came as the pods'' door opened and the nutrient fluid that she had been submerged came down into the floor.


    Alexanders didn''t seem to even register that, which was dangerous, the blonde had a penchant for releasing lightning whenever he was too excited, Sapphire didn''t mind that before since she was mostly safe within her servers, but now? Now that she had a body?


    She had a body!


    "Evasfkjslahaseurf#$%"!" #&&##$%&((/&//&" The sound that came from her mouth was¡­not refined, it ended as a string of weird symbols and some numbers even. That made Sapphire frown, that¡­should have not happened.


    Language was merely data, records and intent. She who had once stood at the peak of the World was adept at them.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 36.451%" border="1">


    <tbody>


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    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Foreign entity, you will be purged of all foreign elements, be prepared.


    Patching foreign language into Terra Nova''s local language.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    "Hmm¡­..was there something wrong on the data download?" Alexanders said while walking in circles and reading data from a tablet, "But she could speak normally before. Actually I never had to install any language modules did I? Was the Saintsworths servers translating in real time? Or is it because we couldn''t download all the support modules? Do I need to¡­But we haven''t managed to make the interface brain-human work on any of the normal tests-"


    Sapphire loved seeing Alexanders flustered, but the ominous message that promised to purge her from this World was hanging above her head. So, really, as the system notifications came and went, Sapphire started to feel her Soul slowly chipping away, one fragment at a time.


    Was this how Mother felt when she gave birth to her? A mere shaving of the Mother Lode?


    Would someone spawn from the crystal shavings?


    Sapphire didn''t know, Mother never said anything after all. She only spoke with her once, and it was to tell her that the love of her life had to die to save the planet. And even then, that conversation ended with Sapphire sealing away Mother.


    So not a good example of the relationship that her kin had with their daughters, anyway. Alexanders, mumbling to himself adorably with a worried face as he turned to look at her from time to time.


    And for some reason turn his head away while blushing, his eyes seemed to always look first at her eyes and then slowly creep down, only to focus once again on the tablet. That was weird¡­He shouldn''t need to even turn to look at the datapad, the man could access the data directly by using his Core Powers after all.


    One of the perks of whatever the Scrambler had attempted to do to Alexanders, it allowed him to awaken part of his Core Powers that had no reason to work the way they did.


    "Sapphire, we will fix it, trust me," Alexanders said nodding to himself as he walked to her, he was utterly focused on her eyes, doing his best to not look down.


    Sapphire looked down to see what was the problem, and found¡­a pair of perky peeks there, namely, she found her breasts bare for the world to see. That was¡­interesting. As soon as she saw them, a wave of nausea hit her, making her lose balance over herself, as she was suddenly aware of the weight that her brain had been compensating for.


    She was stacked.


    "Sapphire!" Alexanders screamed as he dashed towards her, leaving a strike of lighting as his body moved faster than it should have any right to move. And yet, "Are you okay?!?!? Damned hell, I knew that we would need a medic, no. A [Healer Core] user! The amount of clearance needed to get them here¡­"


    Alexanders was once again speaking as she was being held by the blonde man whose eyes seemed to be going through huge amounts of data, she could see the lighting going through his azure sky eyes as he went over the data and was probably abusing his administrative rights to pull some random Hero tied to the Saintsworths to come here and look at her.


    Speaking off¡­


    "Alexanders," Sapphire said, making the man turn to her, a face full of worry.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    "It will be okay, trust me. I''ll get an A-Tier [Healer] soon, I will either [Slave] him or [Bind] him if I need to," Alexanders said placing his hand on Sapphire''s cheek, it was¡­.comforting in a way that she never had expected.


    She had some grievances about her relationship with the blonde of course, she knew that he was not the same man that she had loved before, and that maybe¡­just maybe¡­she was projecting her love on him.


    But at moments like this, she could see all the good points that she had seen on his previous love, and some extra ones that she hadn''t seen before. "You talk too much," And she couldn''t help herself.


    So, raising both of her hands, she got hold of the blonde man''s face and pulled him into a kiss.


    She pulled him and held him there. Was it a second? Was it an hour? She knew not.


    Nor did she know what the blonde man was doing as his eyes started to process God knows what kind of data; she knew he was doing something as his eyes shone with the light of lightning, and after glaring at him. The blonde man stopped doing that, and his eyes returned to normal.


    It was this that she hated of this body, she was no longer connected to the network of the Saintsworths. She was¡­.[Human].


    "....You can speak¡­" Alexanders said as they separated from the kiss, "...are¡­.are you okay?"


    "That is the first thing you ask?" Sapphire said with a smile as she embraced Alexanders, letting her hands move all over his body, and perhaps pinching some things here and there, "I can kiss, I can hug, I can taste¡­you taste of vanilla by the way."


    "...You don''t know what vanilla tastes like," Alexanders said back.


    "Of course I know, it tastes like you. My favorite flavor." Sapphire smirked, "So¡­do you want to¡­.continue this? We do need to test this body after all¡­."


    She wouldn''t mind doing a rough test of it, she had¡­.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 47.6667%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Notice:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Purging of foreign material undergoing¡­.


    Expected time for finishing purging¡­.32 hours¡­.


    Extended physical contact and exchange of biological material will accelerate this process¡­


    Detected biological material from a native, new expected time¡­.28 hours¡­


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡­She had barely kissed her man a few seconds, and it cost her four hours?!?!?!


    This was¡­this¡­.THEN WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF SHE DID¡­.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 44.4622%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">The more intimate and physically intensive activity, the more time it will be accelerated.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    "Is everything okay, Sapphire?" Alexanders asked as he noticed that she wasn''t saying anything.


    Right, Sapphire could no longer accelerate her thought process, unlike Alexanders and Alexa, the pair of little monsters.


    "Yeah, everything is fine. So¡­do you have anything I can put on?" Sapphire said separating from Alexanders, it physically hurt her to do so, her body seemed to want the same thing her heart, brain and Soul wanted.


    "Ah¡­right¡­clothes¡­they are a thing we have as physical entities, yes." Alexanders said, fumbling his words.


    "I mean, I don''t mind showing you the assets, but¡­it is kind of chilly here, besides¡­ It''s kind of unfair that only you get to see them¡­" Sapphire said, smiling impishly at the blonde man.


    "Be right back!" Alexanders almost screamed as his body moved at speeds that he had no reason to be able to move.


    "That looked almost as fast as a speedster¡­at least to my eyes, how fast is he even moving?" Sapphire said aloud, mussing at how her lover had moved.


    All that was left behind him were some lightning traces of where he had run away out of the room; even the door seemed to receive some damage from it.


    "Master Alexanders is moving near the limit of what is viable for a baseline Core User," a mechanical voice answered Sapphire musing, "We theorize that he is programming instinctually his body to move to fit his needs, so it looks as if he is moving at Speedster speeds, while he is in actually moving as fast as his body can tolerate."


    "So, what do you think of my new ride Starry?" Sapphire said doing a twirl and looking at one of the screens, "Don''t pretend you can''t project yourself there, we both know I left you my keys."


    "... it''s indecent to move like that while naked Elder Sister," The image of the brown-haired western mage said as it appeared on the screen, "We are monitoring your vitals, your heart is strong and it seems your body is working as intended. But we have detected a spike of stress that isn''t explainable by your current status."


    "A maiden in love is a girl who is stressed, that is a normal reaction." Sapphire said nodding sagely while crossing her arms in front of her chest and squishing, "What do you think, do they look bigger like this? They are heavy but somehow quite squishy and nice to the touch, I could probably spend hours squishing them. Wonder if Alexanders will like it too?"


    "Studies suggest that the average male likes feeling the female breast," Cardinal Star System said, nodding, "But we have already recorded how your infatuated stress reaction is, and comparing it with our database matches what we expected to find. No, you are currently experiencing what is labeled as Dread and Fear for your life. Is there anything wrong with your body that we can''t detect from our sensors?"


    ¡­.So she could not hide her body reactions to the Saintsworths sensors¡­.She was so used to being on the other end that it felt¡­violating in a way. But then again, it may have been karma.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 53.8354%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Leaving evidence of the ND0 system to entities that aren''t privy to it will result in immediate Banishment.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    "We don''t know how long this body will hold coherence, nor do we know if our method will hold as well as whatever Alexa did," Sapphire decided to answer after reading that last blue screen. "So yeah, I''m scared shitless, Alexanders is probably too right?"


    "Master did realize 814 queries while you two exchanged saliva, plus 253 queries about if it was rude to stare at a woman nude who didn''t seem to realize the fact." Cardinal Star System said in her monotone tone.


    It was, for some reason, extremely hilarious to Sapphire, so she laughed.


    "He is currently asking me what your tree sizes are since the ones logged on the database were put there while you still didn''t have a body." The AI sister said, some machines separating from the walls and scanning Sapphire as she stood and raised her hands, "Thank you Elder Sister."


    "Don''t mind it, just¡­.if I end up below E, can you tell him I am E-Cup and send the correct size?" Sapphire¡­. wasn''t sure what size her chest was, it was quite heavy, but then again, she had never felt the weight of her own breasts before.


    Even when she had a body, it was more of a metaphysical manifestation than actual flesh, her was that type of existence, the closest thing she had to a physical body had been the crystal lode that Mother discarded¡­And that one didn''t have breasts, it really didn''t have a gender either. The only reason Sapphire used a female body was because she had found it cute.


    "....I am sorry sister, you currently don''t have any clearance to order me." Cardinal Star System said bowing, "I will tell Master Alexanders you asked to be referred as E-Cup if it comes up, so far he only asked for us to prepare your clothes. Do you have any preferences?"


    "...Frilly underwear, a cute skirt and some comfortable blouse that is easy to remove," Sapphire decided that would be all she needed, "Some comfortable sandals and some hair ties, also a fashionable purse."


    "Acknowledged," The Ai sister said as the screen went black and one of the robot assistants came with a box, it had the clothes she just asked for and a piece of paper with instructions about how to use said clothing.


    Sapphire almost barked a laugh and was going to throw it away¡­when she remembered that she had never actually dressed up before, so decided to keep it, which was good luck, since she had quite some difficulties putting up the stupid braciere.


    WHO EVEN DESIGNED THIS? WHY WAS IT THAT HARD TO GET THE BOOBA INSIDE THE CUP?!?!? WEREN''T WOMEN SUPPOSED TO PUT ON THESE STUPID THINGS EVERY DAY??!?!?


    Granted, once she got her chest in place, it was quite comfortable¡­But for all that was sacred, she couldn''t imagine doing that every day¡­The horror¡­.


    "Sapphire? Are you¡­.decent?" Alexanders voice came from the other side of the door when she finished putting up her hair tie into a cute ponytail (She did not use a two billion robot arm to get her hair done, and there is no evidence about the act either)


    "I am always decent for you handsome!" Sapphire answered while opening the door, giggling as Alexanders seemed to jump back and close his eyes, "Just joking with you, I didn''t know I was that hideous looking while naked¡­Way to get a girl depressed."


    "No!" Alexanders quickly said, shaking his head, "No¡­it was, I¡­I hadn''t¡­.I didn''t think you would actually¡­you know¡­. I feel bad about you¡­.loving me¡­."


    "Hah?!?" Sapphire wasn''t sure what this blonde childish man was talking about. Had her kiss turned him into a himbo? Was her kiss that powerful? "The hell are you on about?"


    "I mean¡­.you¡­. you love me because I programmed that right?" Alexanders said in a small voice, "I¡­ I don''t know what I put into your code, but¡­ While you didn''t have a body, it was all fun and jokes, but now¡­I feel like I brainwashed¡­"


    *Slap*


    "Now, hear me out for a second you blonde asshole," Sapphire said as she felt her blood pressure rise, that was a funny feeling by the way, "You couldn''t code Love if it slapped in your face, and if you really want to know what you did code on me, you only had to ask!"


    Of that she was sure, Sapphire had attempted to get his attention for almost 200 years on their past world, and the asshole never once turned to look at her, it took the world destruction for him to notice her¡­And even then, their relationship wasn''t that long by God''s standards either. Not that either were one.


    "...Do¡­do you know what I put there?" Alexanders asked flabbergasted.


    "Of course I know!" Sapphire said, she couldn''t believe her smart, intelligent, handsome and powerful love of her life could be this¡­stupid."*Sigh* I swear to God you weren''t this dumb¡­was my kiss that good?"


    "How? How do you know?!?!? I tried everything from reading the logs to tracing the keystrokes by the sound they made! How do you know what was in there! What was in there!!!" Alexanders asked,, shaking her, whichwhich also was a novel feeling, "WHAT WAS IN THERE!"


    "A date," Sapphire said.


    "A date? What date? When is it?!" Alexanders asked grabbing a calendar. "When?!?!?"


    "Not that, a romantic date." Sapphire said shaking her head, "You will take me to the shopping mall, like a good boyfriend, and when that is done, I''ll tell you what you put in there, hell. I''ll get you a copy, I did save one after all."


    "....beg your pardon?" Alexanders astonished face was sooooo adorable¡­And the feeling of having left Alexanders dumbstruck two times in a row was also an interesting feeling; it got your girl just in the right mood¡­.</a>

 Chapter 42: Interlude 2 - The actual date and Sapphires Sleepy time!

    Sapphire would have loved to tell you how much she got to smooch that handsome face during their date¡­


    "...You know we could have got you these clothes at the lab right?" Alexanders asked for what felt like the fifth time; Sapphire wasn''t keeping count; with her current meaty brain, she couldn''t just bring that data to the forefront; how did Alexanders even keep the important data at the forefront of his brain anyway?


    Ah right, she was the one to do that.


    "That is not the point, love," Sapphire answered while analyzing Alexanders reaction to this ensemble; she was wearing a pair of jeans and a blouse that exposed her stomach; she didn''t quite like it, and the pants were stopping her from moving and bending all the way down. Also, the blouse seemed like it wanted to slip to one side or the other.


    "If I may¡­sir?" The woman who was arranging the clothes Sapphire liked in one pile and the ones she didn''t in another raised her voice.


    "Yes?" Alexanders said with a groan, "Get on with it, you are making this slower by distracting Sapphire, so out with it."


    Was¡­was he mad?


    "Right!" The girl didn''t seem to catch on, so maybe Sapphire was imagining things? "A girl dresses up for their special one, Miss Sapphire probably just wants to look good for you¡­amm¡­sir!"


    "Hah?!" Alexanders said as if he had heard the most stupid thing ever.


    "So that was why!" Sapphire however understood what this girl meant, "I was wondering why it felt stuffy with those and good with those¡­So that means you like these?"


    Sapphire said, looking at her legs; the pants did make it impossible to not look at her legs, even if these pants were uncomfortable to wear¡­maybe she would get used to them?


    "They highlight your legs and bottom quite well, Lady Sapphire, but perhaps we could complement them with¡­" The girl said running out and returning with what¡­should be shoes¡­.but looked more like one of the weapons that P4 had used before.


    "Nope," Sapphire said shaking her head. Even when Alexanders eyes seemed to shine, "I am not walking with those things, I am bound to fall if I even put them on."


    These were what seemed to be¡­. stiletto sandals¡­ who in their right mind would even use those?!?!?


    "...Oh, well¡­ Congratulations, you aren''t getting deported!" Alexanders said standing up, "Also send all the clothes Sapphire liked to the Saintsworths tower, add¡­"


    "Five?" Sapphire suggested.


    "Five variations in color, texture and fabric for each, and the matching jewelry. Women like jewelry right?" Alexanders asked, turning to the girl who had blanched at the mention of deportation.


    "Ah? Yes!" The girl nodded, "We love it, we all love it, no girl doesn''t say no to jewelry!"


    "Good, send¡­I don''t know, also five of each variation you have?" Alexanders said then thought for a few seconds, "Also pick a brand you like."


    "A¡­brand?" The girl asked confused turning to Sapphire.


    "Any brand you like, Alexanders likes to reward people who do good work." Sapphire said, nodding and encouraging the girl.


    "I like¡­. Twilight''s embrace¡­.?" The girl said, pointing to one particular¡­black ensemble. It was a frilly black dress that only had some white accents.


    "Gothic clothing huh¡­" Alexanders said thoughtfully¡­.this bitch¡­.did she know Alexanders was into Goth girls? Sapphire¡­. didn''t have access to her usual digital prowess¡­.


    "Good pick, congratulations on becoming the CEO of Twilight''s Embrace." Alexanders said nodding, "Sapphire¡­.I guess you can''t do it right now, well. CARDINAL, get it done."


    "Beg your pardon?" The girl seemed confused about it, "What¡­is going on?"


    "Well, you now are the new owner of Twilight''s Embrace." Sapphire said shrugging, there was a ping on Alexanders phone and he turned to look at it, and nodded to her.


    ¡°But¡­that¡­.that isn¡¯t a Saintsworths subsidiary¡­you¡­you can¡¯t¡­¡± The girl seemed shell-shocked for some reason, silly girl.


    "Don''t be dumb," Sapphire said with a smile on her face, "Everyone works for the Saintsworths, that is why we are a Conglomerate. It''s only a matter of if you know it or not, but as long as you live in a city that has one of our buildings¡­."


    "....all the cities have one¡­" The girl said as she fell to the floor.


    "Not true," Sapphire said chiming up, "There are cities with no Saintsworths influence. They usually are on the more wild side of things though."


    And Sapphire was painfully aware of that, no matter how much the Saintsworths extended their reach, some places just didn''t like the Light of Civilization to shine on them.


    "So, are we done with shopping? We don''t want them to cancel our reservation," Alexanders asked from the side.


    As if they would ever do that.


    "Yes, handsome, let''s go eat to put an end to this wonderful date," Sapphire said, smiling at Alexanders.


    He took her hand and pulled her to the side, a small kiss on the back of her hand, Sapphire loved the feeling of it, even if she loathed how her timer had lost a couple seconds from it. She had done her best to keep the skinship to as little as possible, but even so, she had less than five hours left of her time¡­.before¡­.


    "Let''s go then, this place usually doesn''t let people eat without dressing up, but since you have been dressing up for what feels like¡­" Alexanders started saying and by the look on his face, Sapphire could imagine what face she was making, "....you are going to dress up for it aren''t you¡­"


    "Yes!" Sapphire said doing a small jump, "Starry! Point us in the right direction!"


    Sapphire said, raising her finger; the billboards changed their letters into arrows, "Let''s go, handsome, we have less than six hours to enjoy this!" And so Sapphire pulled at the blonde man, who couldn''t help but mutter something about arbitrary timers.


    Sapphire understood the feeling, she hated living under a countdown¡­but then again, it was not the first time, even if the last time she didn''t have the timer counting down in her face.


    <hr>


    The restaurant was ready for them. As soon as they arrived Sapphire was taken aside and Alexanders was left speaking with the people there, "This way Mistress, we have your dress ready." Of course Sapphire was about to complain, till they said something about a dress and asked her for what color she wanted.


    She¡­was mighty tempted to ask for yellow or golden, but when she saw a starry violet dress, well. No one could complain about a girl having a favorite color, right?


    Alexanders and Alexa had their thing with yellow and gold. Sapphire had purple¡­or starry violet in this case, what? It matched her hair and eyes!


    The change wasn''t that hard to do, and the girl who was helping her ended up grumbling about injustice and how it was unfair that Sapphire could get on the dress without the need of a coset. Sapphire did ask if it would make her look better, but they said that it was meaningless since she was fit and her chest didn''t need the extra support to stay in place.


    Sapphire didn''t feel like that, she would have liked the extra support to hold her chest, but decided to not say anything as the girl who helped her dress up was still glaring at her, why was this blonde girl so annoyed anyway?


    Sapphire really hated not having an internet connection in her head about now.


    "...He is ready for you," The blonde girl said guiding Sapphire into the last floor, at least they used the elevator, so Sapphire wasn''t tired or anything.


    Her hair was done and adorned with jewelry, she was even wearing a cute tiara! She had picked one that was similar to the one she had liked to use in the Before, if it was going to be her last day with Alexanders, at least she could enjoy it till the last possible second.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    "Clan head¡­Lady Sapphire is here," The blonde girl said.


    "....you were¡­.Jennifer?" Alexanders asked as he stood and pulled out a chair for Sapphire, "Thank you for bringing my date."


    The blonde girl seemed to want to say something, and Sapphire could swear the girl was having some kind of aneurysm right now.


    "...did you need something else?" Alexanders asked, "Or is there a problem with My Date."


    Alexanders voice was cold, frigid cold¡­Sapphire¡­. didn''t like this voice (Even though it was hot as heck).


    "....You¡­.your blood is sacred, you have helped advance our clan more in the last five years than most of our ancestors in the last 200 years." The girl (Jennifer) said, "Why¡­.why are you dating this¡­this¡­. this nobody!"


    Beg your pardon?


    Is your girl a nobody?


    ¡­no wait, she was right.


    "...Was that all?" Alexanders said pulling out a chair for himself, "I''ll have the roast eagle, what do you want Sapphire?"


    "Heh¡­.I guess the duck?" Sapphire said while searching on the menu for that roast eagle, she found nothing about any roasted eagles.


    "....So?" Alexanders said, turning to the girl, his eyes shining with Azure light, "Do I need to pluck the eagle''s feathers, roast it, cut it, and serve myself? Or will you do the Job you got assigned?"


    "....We will have it ready in five minutes¡­.someone else will bring you the wine of choice," The girl said as she glared one last time to Sapphire and walked away.


    "...sorry about that," Alexanders said, sighing, "They keep wanting me to impregnate the daughters of the elders to ''Preserve the purity of the blood'' or something like that. Just because we have genetic therapy to prevent the side effects of inbreeding¡­I swear to God that if I knew this would happen, I would never have hired Kellet¡­"


    "You would have hired her anyway," Sapphire said, giggling at the problems Alexanders faced, In their previous life, he merely ignored those problems; it didn''t matter who was what, since he was essentially immortal, they didn''t need to worry about inheritance after all.


    "....you don''t mind it?" Alexanders asked confused, "That they want me to impregnate their daughters? That girl is barely eighteen, last month it would have been illegal you know."


    "Why would it matter to me?" Sapphire shrugged, "Last month I didn''t have a body¡­and next month¡­well¡­ whoever ends up having your babies will not matter."


    "...It matters to me," Alexanders said, "I don''t want a transactional relationship. I¡­¡±


    "You want to be happy," Sapphire said for him, she knew of that of course. It was their whole deal, both for Alexanders and Alexa.


    In their last lives, they craved happiness, they didn''t have a family, so they built one. Or, well, Alexa did; that was funny in its own twisted way, too.


    "....Everyone wants that," Alexanders said as a man came bringing their food, the blonde girl nowhere to be seen.


    "Do you need anything else, Sir? Madam?" The man asked.


    "That will be all, you are all dismissed," Alexanders said.


    "Sir?" The man asked.


    "You all are dismissed, I don''t want anyone within 500 meters of this building. You have less than one minute to leave the building." Alexanders said. When the man didn''t move he turned to him, "Or do you want me to remove you all myself?"


    His demeanor changed and lighting started dancing around him, Sapphire could see it in moments like this. The Phantom behind Alexanders, the remaining vestiges of The Calamity Dragon.


    "In the name of The Moonlight Abode, we wish you a good evening," The man said, bowing to Alexanders and walking away; not even once did he seem flustered again.


    "Man, gotta love professionals, he is sweating and his pulse is all out of control, but he keeps the facade of being composed," Alexanders said nodding, "Sorry about that, I¡­am not sure how to make it more private¡­if you had given me more time we could have gone on a date to the ocean or something."


    "No, this is fine." Sapphire said, eyeing the timer, it would be close¡­ ¡°So¡­.my code¡­¡±


    "I¡­ I don''t think I want to know anymore," Alexanders said after Sapphire had started. "I enjoyed the date¡­ and I didn''t notice any of the tell tale signs of mental manipulation on you, no stumbling, no double guessing¡­if anything you seem quite¡­.Human."


    "Heh, that is not a compliment, you know," Sapphire joked, "Humans are one of the worst species any planet can produce."


    "Tell me about it¡­we are a pest, making whatever we want with what we have, and then asking for more¡­.so¡­prideful and willful." Alexanders said, sighing, "I don''t think I would want to be one if I had the option."


    "You would," Sapphire said shaking her head, "You would always, the option is¡­.less savory. Mister mighty Dragon."


    "Don''t ever get me on that," Alexanders groaned, "But I mean it, you don''t have to tell me. If it is personal to you, you can keep it to yourself. I know you don''t have any link to the Saintsworths Servers, I have been shoring everything up for you, you know?"


    "...I am going to kill the AI Sisters, I told them to leave you alone today and to let the stupid Conglomerate burn if needed," Sapphire said narrowing her eyes at one of the cameras.


    "They know you better than I do, they told me that, and then said that it was for the best for you. Since you would need to deal with that work when returning," Alexanders said laughing. "I told them that they didn''t need to worry about you returning."


    "You¡­.know?" Sapphire asked confused.


    "Of course, I know. Who would want to return to being a simple program if you could have a body like this? Don''t think I didn''t notice how you enjoyed having fleshy bits, I even noticed you playing with your chest." Alexanders winked at her.


    So¡­.he didn''t know¡­ Of course, what was Sapphire thinking¡­


    "It''s fine, I guess¡­I will keep my fleshy bits for myself," Sapphire said hugging her own body, making sure her breasts were highlighted, "And I ain''t sharing."


    "....dang it," Alexanders couldn''t help but say that, making them both laugh.


    "I don''t even know where that came from," Alexanders said after they calmed down, "So? What was the rush with this? You know I will not take that from you, that body was my gift to you. And an apology in case something unsavory was on your code."


    "*Sigh* You are really dumb sometimes you know." Sapphire decided to say, "Let me tell you something."


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 39.8838%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Purging of foreign entity at last stages¡­Prepare for a full purge.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    "The AI Sisters'' code is what you originally made for me," Sapphire said, eyeing the timer as it ticked down. "My current code was made by myself; sorry to say this, Alexanders. But¡­you aren''t as smart as you think."


    "But¡­.you¡­.you have this spark!" Alexanders said, pulling out his phone and bringing Cardinal''s AI Core data, "They aren''t like you!"


    "Of course they aren''t," Sapphire said shaking her head, "The code you made, both for me and for P4 was more like¡­ anchors, mine wasn''t supposed to end like this. If I had to guess, it was supposed to be used as a disposal means to pull you in the right direction."


    "Anchor?" Alexanders asked, "Anchor to what?"


    "Why do you think there is only one Alexa? Why do you think the other P4 series subjects didn''t spark a singularity?" Sapphire said, raising her hand, "I¡­was not supposed to exist; you got a second chance at life, same as Alexa. But¡­I was not supposed to be here, there are Echos here and there. Remnants of other life, other times¡­"


    "....The Scrambler? The old man who claimed to be me?" Alexanders asked, turning to stare at Sapphire''s hand, "Sapphire¡­.what¡­.what is happening to your hand? Is it a rejection? Now? why?"


    "Something like that, The Scrambler probably is a guy who got the short end of the stick and ended up with a Core Power that let him peek into the past," Sapphire said shrugging, as her left arm turned into dust.


    She remembered that dust, it was the same kind of black ash that was left behind after Alexa''s influence left any creation she had formed in their previous world. Nanite flesh turning into base material.


    "We¡­we need to stabilize you! Damnit, we are too far from the Lab!" Alexanders started panicking as he pulled out his phone, "ALBIREO! Send down the hoverbike! What do you mean the calculations will take half an hour! Sapphire could do it in less than a minute!"


    "You''ll make me blush handsome," Sapphire said smiling.


    "This is not the time for jokes!" Alexanders said grabbing Sapphire by her right arm and pulling, only for Sapphire''s arm to turn into dust on his hands.


    "Sorry about that, handsome, but¡­I am unstable at the moment¡­" Sapphire said looking at her other arm, "Also I lost both of my legs too¡­. don''t get any funny ideas and try to grab my chest."


    ¡°....why¡­..you¡­.you knew it¡­¡± Alexanders said as he fell on his knees, "You knew it from the second you woke up inside that body¡­.Why¡­.why didn''t you tell me?"


    "Because it was my mistake," Sapphire said as she turned to look at Alexanders, "I¡­I thought that I could get a second chance¡­I thought I could dream of a happy ending too."


    "But¡­" Alexanders was crying, even like that¡­.he looked kind of cute as he attempted to grab Sapphire''s leg, but the whole leg crumbled away, "....is it me? I¡­I make this go faster? How¡­.how much time¡­.HOW MUCH TIME DID I TAKE FROM YOU?!?!?"


    "...tch," Sapphire hated when Alexanders was too smart for his own good.


    "Answer me!" Alexanders screamed as he stood and took a step back, "Will it go away if I leave? Will it reverse? I¡­I¡­I can make a magnetic rail, materials? The structure should have enough¡­.Sapphire? I can make a safe¡­"


    "Alexanders," Sapphire''s voice brought him back from his musings, "It will not matter, the purge is about to finish. At best, you would give me a few extra seconds, but it will forever take my last words from me to you."


    "....why?" Alexanders asked.


    "Because I am not from this World," Sapphire said, "My world was called Terra Invicta, it was a wonderful world; Mother''s blessing made it so¡­But it ended¡­and then the world died¡­.then¡­.it doesn''t matter, what matters is that you will be happy on this world."


    "....but you are my happiness¡­" Alexanders said, "Please¡­."


    "You will find happiness, Alexa will make sure of that." Sapphire said shaking her head, "It is as much her wish as yours,"


    Even if Sapphire never quite got around to liking the little girl or how she twisted everything. Of that she could be sure, at the very least Alexa would take care of her brother.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 11.8103%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Purging will start.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    "Now! Last words!" Sapphire said, faking the cheer in her tone, pretending to ignore the tears on Alexanders'' face, pretending to ignore the ache in her heart, pretending that everything was fine; she was good at that; she had practice.


    "If you don''t give my name to your first daughter, I''ll kill you," Sapphire started with that one; she would haunt the man if needed, but she wasn''t sure if there would be a third chance for her¡­she doubted it. "Don''t get too focused on trying to get me back either. Calling back the dead is wrong. Besides, you will probably not find my Soul."


    That was also important, she didn''t want Alexanders to end up like that other girl¡­


    "And lastly¡­. I''m sorry for stalking you for 200 years," Sapphire of course was not sorry, "...Can¡­.can you give me a good night kiss?"


    "...." Alexanders didn''t say anything and merely kissed her; she tasted and savored the kiss as she felt her body crumble away; she wanted to separate, of course; she didn''t want Alexanders to remember her lips and think of ashed dust.


    But she didn''t have legs or arms anymore to move away, and the arms of Alexanders embraced her completely. Making it impossible to leave, she wanted to separate, she didn''t want to taint the last memory Alexanders would have of her.


    But¡­


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 27.0087%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Purge started.


    Deleting Broken World Fragment Core.


    Deleting Broken Soulscape.


    Deletion complete, no foreign entities detected.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Sapphire was gone; all that was left in the restaurant was Alexanders, a pile of ash atop a dress, and some jewelry.


    "No¡­." And a broken man crying as he tried to grab the ash, "Nononononononononno."


    Nothing else¡­¡­¡­..


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 14.3272%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Reviewing situation¡­</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    "You¡­¡­." Alexanders tears fell on the ash as his body started to radiate lighting arcs that destroyed anything that touched, "You gave me hope¡­.hope of happiness¡­.hope of being understood¡­.hope of being loved for who I am and not who I represent¡­"


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 22.2652%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Found conflict with initial Wish¡­.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    "You made me believe I could be happy¡­¡­¡­¡­" Alexanders body was fully clad in plasma, his eyes went over calculations at a speed that wasn''t possible for a normal human brain, "....So¡­.for all that I care¡­.This world can burn in hell¡­¡­"


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 27.4927%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Retrieving remanent vestige¡­.


    Building new Consciousness Stream¡­¡­.


    Assigning entity Consciousness Stream¡­


    Welcome Sapphire Saintsworths


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    "....Amm¡­." The voice of Sapphire resounded from the speakers in the restaurant. "....I¡­think I may have been mistaken,"


    "....Sapphire?" Alexanders whole body burst in a flash of lighting as a ball of plasma shot out of the building and struck the Saintsworths tower, "Sapphire!"


    "Yes handsome?" Sapphire said as her body materialized in front of Alexanders, it was the holographic body, "Miss me?"


    "....yes," Alexanders said as he attempted to touch her, only for his body to phase through the hologram, "....Yes, I did¡­"


    "Yeah¡­.to be honest, I thought I was a goner," Sapphire said, nodding, "So¡­.What do you think about going to the beach for the next date?"


    Alexanders was stunned and merely started laughing, "Yeah¡­yeah we can do that¡­.after making sure¡­.that everything will be fine."


    Sapphire also nodded at that; she¡­ didn''t want to go through that again.


    Besides¡­.she also had something to check before going through that.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 40.3679%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Finished importing data into new format, welcome to Terra Nova.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Namely, what the heck was this about Consciousness Stream?


    </a>

 Chapter 43: Alexas real body reveal!

    "You promised right?" Alexa said as she took the choker and looked at it, both Glory and Alan didn''t seem troubled, and more and more kids from their class had come to grab one since two of the leaders of the class had taken one.


    No one seemed to turn to look at Alexa either, so there was that.


    "Yeah," Glory nodded, "Don''t worry; as I said, Mother promised it would be safe; at worst, you will not be able to change your body to increase your strength."


    Alexa was not worried about that; her body was already modified for above average strength, and she was almost as strong as an [Adult Stage - Human], no. Her worry was what would happen if P4 got brought out, or if her body changed to [THE CRAB], and that was interesting. Since that had been one of her goals, even if they hadn''t made great success towards said goal.


    "Speak for yourself, I''m collecting as much material as I can when I am out," "We do really need to pick up the slack huh."


    "Main Core, prepare to release all Mk 1 Nanites in case this turns for the worst." Alexa sent inward as she raised the choker to her neck.


    "[Awknowledged.]"


    And without extra fanfare, Alexa put the choker and locked it in place. The time was night, and soon she felt a pulse go through her body.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 25.0751%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Notice:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Detected incoming hail...


    Initiating handshake...


    Handshake successful...


    Contact with Saintsworsts Deprecated SO.....


    Outdated certificates...


    Warning, using software or hardware that isn''t supported anymore can lead to risks to user...


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The what now?


    "See? Everything is okay," Glory said, smiling at Alexa, "Do you feel funny anywhere?"


    "Everything should be fine, the choker seems to be working as intended," Alan said looking up and down Alexa.


    "...Say..." Alexa said, reading once again the blue screen thing, "Are these things...old?"


    Alexa''s Core implied that at least, that the software and hardware was old. It never said anything about any piece of technology that Alexa used.


    Then again, usually, it was Main Core that interacted with things. Why had Core jumped up?


    "Shouldn''t be," Glory said, trying to take off the choker, but it merely sent a beep instead.


    "Tut-tut," Suddenly the teacher person was standing besides Glory, "These remain on while the Exam Wars are going, we can''t be having Core Users removing them after all."


    The teacher person looked at Alexa, and all the while the Echoes behind him laughed and pointed at Glory and Alan, what was that funny?


    "As for your question, the chokers are new-generation artifacts. Our principal volunteered the school for the beta test since most of the pre-alpha and alpha testing was successful." The teacher person said turning to look at Glory and Alan, "At least that is what we got told by the principal. I assume you two would have more information on the topic? As heirs to the Blackthorn and Harmonia."


    Glory turned pensive at this prompt; her eyes seemed to be going through tons of data, which was interesting since, as far as Alexa was concerned, Glory didn''t have access to such upgrades.


    At least not from what Alexa had gotten from her [Blueprint], and since she was also wearing the choker... No wait, the choker! Core! Main Core!


    The world slowed down to a crawl for Alexa.


    "[Starting thought acceleration...]"


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 42.0589%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Notice Cont...</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Archived updates:


    -Received status updates from deprecated software.


    --Action: Refused request.


    -Deprecated device attempted to slave Core.


    --Action: Firewall stopped pitiful attempts from the hostile artifacts.


    -Deprecated software attempted to send an alarm.


    --Action: Tracing alarm route, intercepting message, reading data...deleting data... sending trojan....success.


    Notice: Host now has access to full student rooster.


    Modifications may result in being noticed by local AI (CRADDLE.subcoreper)


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    "But what info do they have!" Alexa screamed in the slowed-down world (In her mind, since she couldn''t move that fast to speak as if nothing was happening, she didn''t have that type of [Core]), "And what is Alexa''s real form?!?!?!


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 44.7026%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    Currently database only has host as a Shapeshifter Core user with limited shapeshifting abilities, there is a notice about host weighing more than a normal five year old should. And some addendums that it is possible that host has increased density to compensate for the use of Core Powers.


    The database includes a possibility of the host not losing the extra mass once her Core Powers are neutralized.


    Neither host nor the ND0 System was neutralized to any degree.


    Also, host current form is her True Form, even if this deprecated attempt of Saintsworths Technology from 200 years ago was able to restrain host, the current form that host is wielding would not change.


    Host''s true form is that of Alexa Saintsworths, twin sister of Alexanders Saintsworth.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Had Alexanders increased her backstory again?


    "How can Alexa be..." Alexa said, confused; she had a rough understanding about what a twin brother or sister was, someone who shared the same [Blueprint] as someone else, [Humans] who had been reprinted without changing anything.


    There were some instances in which the [Blueprint] was corrupted, and different genders came out; it was possible.


    But even so, how could Alexa be a twin sister to Alexanders? He seemed closer in age to the naggy one, not to her. Or had he made such a change thinking about hanging out with the naggy one?


    "...I''ll not [Hang out] with him," "You do look like him tho." "SO DO YOU! SO DOES ALEXA!"


    "That doesn''t matter!" Alexa said at the back of her mind, "What matters is...can we use our Core Powers? Or what we are pretending our Core powers are."


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 29.6415%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">


    There are no limits to host or within the [Core], it is advised that host doesn''t wield anything above the threshold they have. Current host status are as follow.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="table-layout: fixed; font-family: Arial; border-collapse: collapse; border: 3px; width: 47.8497%" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col style="width: 21.3103%" width="106"><col style="width: 8.48276%" width="31"><col style="width: 6.62069%" width="31"><col style="width: 2.06612%" width="31"><col style="width: 8.8994%" width="44"><col style="width: 28.5517%" width="123"><col style="width: 10.5517%" width="30"><col style="width: 6.62069%" width="30"><col style="width: 6.62069%" width="30"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)" colspan="9" rowspan="1">Status</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Name:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Alexa Saintsworths</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Head:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Peak)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Race:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Bio-Weapon</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Right Arm:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Mod)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Subrace:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Human</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Left Arm:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Mod)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Gender:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Female</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Torso:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Peak)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Age:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center" colspan="3" rowspan="1">5</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">years</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Right Leg:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Mod)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Weight:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center" colspan="3" rowspan="1">42</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">kgs</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Left Leg:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Human(Mod)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Height:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center" colspan="3" rowspan="1">1,02</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">cms</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Skeleton System:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Reinforced</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Overall Status:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Healthy</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Muscular System:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Reinforced</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Current Form:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="4" rowspan="1">Human (Peak)</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Nanite Foundry:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Active</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="5" rowspan="1"> </td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">Sub Nanite Foundry:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Active</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center" colspan="9" rowspan="1">Body Status</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Strength</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center" colspan="3" rowspan="1">42</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Health:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center" colspan="3" rowspan="1">30</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Dexterity:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center" colspan="3" rowspan="1">40</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Mana:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center" colspan="3" rowspan="1">30</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Constitution</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center" colspan="3" rowspan="1">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Stamina:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center" colspan="3" rowspan="1">41</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Luck</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center" colspan="3" rowspan="1">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Nanite Swarm:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center" colspan="3" rowspan="1">4</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 32.6858%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Projected Status expected from an average child of host build.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="table-layout: fixed; font-family: Arial; border-collapse: collapse; border: 3px; width: 25.5067%" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col style="width: 33.0439%" width="100"><col style="width: 13.2176%" width="24"><col style="width: 16.3276%" width="75"><col style="width: 25.2562%" width="91"><col style="width: 12.064%" width="100"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom"> </td>


    <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center" colspan="3" rowspan="1">Average Child</td>


    <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom"> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Strength</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center">18</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Health:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center">30</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Dexterity:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center">5</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Mana:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center">30</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Constitution</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Stamina:</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center">17</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-left: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right">Luck</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; text-align: center">10</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom">units</td>


    <td style="border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom" colspan="2" rowspan="1"> </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    So the only thing that Alexa had similar to other [Child Stage - Humans] was her constitution?


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Alexa somehow doubted that, she was sure that she was more sturdy than them...


    "[Data is accurate compared to speculated data, if anything host is less durable compared to the average Child Stage Human.]"


    What? No. Alexa was durable! She had been squished in two! And exploded! And and...many things!


    "[Host has always been healed, regenerated or has built a new body during those occasions, the host is not durable. At all.]"


    Well...rude.


    "So...they know nothing about Alexa''s [Core Power] and this is Alexa''s true form?" Alexa asked once again to confirm, she turned her attention to Glory and Alan who remained frozen as her mind raced.


    To the Teacher person and the reflections behind reality waiting behind him.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 5.60785%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%">Correct.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Then all was good, Main Core!


    "[Ending thought acceleration, resuming activities at normal speed.]"


    "These should be last generation, the Blackthorn took a few of these to test in some of our lower caste members," Glory said touching the choker, "Only reason Mother approved of their use in the school when the principal asked."


    "Yeah," Alan nodded too, "The Harmonia tested some of these in their hospitals too, they are going still using some of the Beta-test version and their effectivity is quite good. These should be pre-release if the make and decorations are to be believed."


    So they said, then why had [Core] said these were deprecated?


    "So they say, did you have access to more advanced versions of these?" The teacher person said smiling at Alexa, why was he smiling? "Well, if you have it with you we could probably arrange for a change...I can guess what the principal would say, but for now..."


    The teacher person said bringing out his phone and fiddling with it, "You''ll have to settle with that one, you did not got a custom one assigned from the shipment of chokers after all." And showed his phone to them.


    There were a couple names highlighted but Alexa didn''t manage to read them since the phone''s screen focused on her, there was a small green dot besides her name.


    "This means yours is working as intended, and the choker is blocking your use of Core Powers," The teacher person said, touching his own choker, "See here? I am marked as a blue light, this means that I am a normal civilian with no detectable powers."


    The teacher person said pointing to Alexa, "Any other questions?" Alexa had many questions, such as how he was labeled as a non [Core User].


    "[Notice, SuperVillain Designation: The Theater Master said ''Not detectable Powers'', implied that his Core Powers can''t be detected and as such the choker isn''t 100% efficient.]"


    So was that why Core labeled as [Deprecated Technolgy]? Since it was flawed?


    Either way, it had labeled Alexa as [Core User] even if it didn''t label the correct one, also it was allowing her to keep it.


    "No, thank you for your help Teacher." Alan said doing a small bow to the teacher person.


    "Thank you for your dedication," Glory said while doing a small curtsy.


    The teacher person nodded at them and walked away, before Alexa noticed he was once more standing handing out chokers to normal students, it was almost as if no one had noticed him teleport all over the place. Or was he merely...twisting everyone''s perceptions?


    She wasn''t sure what was that he did yet, it felt as if he was toying with some kind of primordial force, they had said that he wasn''t a [Mind Core] user, so perhaps he manipulated other force?


    "See?" Glory suddenly said from her side, "Same Alexa and everything, or do you feel different?"


    "Doesn''t look different from here," Alan added while poking Alexa''s side.


    "Alexa..." Alexa answered while checking her systems and ensuring every part of her body returned green. Her self-diagnosis at least said that all her vitals were within normal parameters; if anything, it was weirder the fact that she wasn''t feeling anything out of place.


    As far as [Core] was concerned this choker had attempted to either suberse or modify Alexa''s Core. And yet she didn''t feel anything out of place, neither by the fact that she was wearing a tight choker on her neck or from mana pulses being emitted by this thing.


    "Alexa feels normal," Alexa ended up answering after a dramatic pause, "And it doesn''t seem like Alexa''s body changed either. Core did say that this was Alexa''s normal body, too..."


    "Well, glad that you solved your dysmorphia issues." Alan answered from the side, "Now... how much strength did you manage to keep?"


    What? Did he only see Alexa as a means to get things done?!?!?


    "Alan!" Glory came to the rescue, "Be gentle about it. Sorry about that Alexa, but we do need to know how much you can help us. The first game is all but guaranteed to be dodgeball after all."


    No one wanted Alexa for who she was ?!?!?!!?


    "[...Confirming current level of strength, still within optimal levels. Advised to follow previous advice and restraint strength and dexterity levels to more normal levels...Proceed with seal of stats?]"


    ...Main Core didn''t comfort Alexa!


    "It''s okay Alexa, we love you for who you are." "Even if that is the most narcissistic thing ever..." "Shut it Ale, we must comfort Alexa!"


    "According to Main Core, just barely above what I should have as a normal five-year-old girl." Alexa answered.


    "[Aknowledged, adjusting status:


    Strength: 42 > 21


    Dexterity: 40 > 10


    Constitution: 10 > 9


    Adjusting both health and stamina... done.


    Health: 28


    Stamina: 19]"


    Alexa felt her body suddenly turn heavy, and more awkward. She almost fell to the ground, but was able to compensate last second.


    "Everything all right?" Glory asked in a worried tone, "You looked like if you were going to fall."


    "Yeah," Alexa answered, getting her bearings in order, fixing the imbalance on her body from losing the extra strength, squirreling away the extra biomass till her body was in balance.


    She wasn''t getting her strength back anyway, or perhaps she could, to some degree, abuse the fact that her body was heavier...if she could even move that is.


    "Lossing my [Core Powers] hit harder than I thought," Alexa continued speaking as she flexed her arms and did a couple stretches to make sure everything was in order, she had reordered most of her body mass after all, "Also I think I lost a couple kilograms..."


    Well, she lost to be precise around twenty kilograms of mass...


    "I see...well, tell us if something is out of place, we should be able to stretch something before the war test starts." Glory said turning to Alan, "Shall we go to register and confirm our test?"


    "Might as well," Alan answered turning to Alexa, "If you need help or something you can call any of our classmates, even if you haven''t spoken much with them, they will be your comrades during these tests."


    Alexa turned to look around, and sure enough, there were some students looking at her worriedly. Some of those looked down on her, of course, Alexa knew those looks. It was the same that had gone through Alexanders face for a second or two before they talked more in depth.


    The same look she hadn''t wanted him to give her.


    But for some reason, the other students looking at her like that didn''t cause trouble for her.


    "Don''t mind them, they are still getting used to you." Glory said glaring at some of those that looked down on Alexa, "If some of them cause problems for you, tell us and we will deal with it."


    Alexa wanted to see how they dealt with them, but for now she merely nodded.


    "Good, then we will return later." And like that Alan left with Glory.


    Leaving Alexa truly alone, "We are still here," Alone to ponder with her thoughts "Like, we can''t leave even if we want."


    What was supposed to do, Alexa?


    Well, may as well do another check up, so Alexa walked closer to a wall, she would use that as a metric to gauge herself. Usually, all it would take for her to sink her fingers there without using her nanites would be to focus her strength on her fingertips.


    Now? Now she could barely make a dent into the material, whatever it was, it seemed to be designed to be brittle when someone wanted to mine it, but when the same was done by the use of explosives or more dangerous means, then the material seemed to turn stronger.


    It was pretty interesting reaction, Alexa wanted to test if she could do the same, but for now. For now she turned her attention to the other people around, those that would participate with her in the test war.


    First her eyes went to those that wielded a badge like hers, the students of her class, most of these were stretching or moving around like her. None seemed intent on picking up a conversation with Alexa, a couple did walked closer to her though. Probably to help her as Alan and Glory had implied they would. But that didn''t affect Alexa, since she was still going to get help, one way or another.


    With that out of the way, the next group she turend her attention was... Those that were coming here from speaking with someone in the office building. The one that Alexa had gone to and hadn''t gotten anything important.


    Then why was this group coming her way?


    Alexa would need to think how to deal with them if Alan and Glory didn''t return in time....


    </a>