Bab 4: Separation

Professor Nijo entrusted his son to So-Rin—a young woman he had only just met. Despite not knowing her, he had faith that she would keep Noa safe in his absence.

So-Rin had the ability to kill both of them, but she did nothing, which was enough proof that she would not harm Noa.

"Please hide him among the android troops. This is the only way to save humanity," Professor Nijo said, his voice heavy with urgency. He patted So-Rin's head softly, a gesture of thanks for her willingness to help.

So-Rin was speechless, undecided of whether she was really ready to comply with all the tasks the Professor had entrusted to her.

But on second thought, if it were convenient, she'd be glad to help others. And So-Rin was human, after all. Thinking about how Professor Nijo had been the one to create the source code for the Brain-Computer Interface or BCI Androids, she thought that accepting his request might help her find the data she personally wanted.

Also seeing the determination and trust in Professor Nijo's eyes, she knew that she couldn't let him down.

"But, will Noa get accepted in the military?" So-Rin asked.

"Don't worry about that. He will pass the test," Professor Nijo answered confidently as he gave her a device. "You will need this later."

So-Rin looked at the device, unable to tell what it was for. She wanted to ask the Professor but she felt like the answer he'd give her wouldn't be the one she wanted.

With a heavy heart, Professor Nijo left to fulfill Infrablack's invitation to surrender. The lab was silent, the air thick with tension and aftermath of destruction. Human casualties were severe, and the equipment was damaged beyond repair.

Noa slowly regained consciousness, his head spinning and his eyes blurry. The silence was suffocating, a stark reminder of the gravity of the situation.

He looked up to see So-Rin beside him, a glimmer of hope in this bleak reality.

Noa's vision slowly cleared as he asked, "Who are you?"

"I am So-Rin," she replied hoarsely.

"Are we friends?" Noa asked, scanning his body.

After a brief silence, So-Rin responded, "Yes, we are friends now."

Noa looked around, confused. "Who am I?"

"You are Noa," So-Rin answered.

"What is this place?" Noa asked.

"I don't have time to tell you everything. We need to leave now. Follow me." She held out her hand.

He didn't respond and only looked at So-Rin.

"Come on, please," So-Rin asked once again with a soft tone.

Noa hesitated, but eventually took So-Rin's hand and followed her through the ruined building, where blood and broken glass littered the floor.

As they reached the outside, the stench and stuffiness of death overwhelmed them. Corpses without heads lay strewn among the metal debris, creating an unforgettable nightmare for anyone who witnessed it.

So-Rin led Noa to a car parked in the yard.

"Where are we going?" Noa asked.

So-Rin replied, "We're going home."

"Where is home?"

Noa hesitated for a moment, still trying to shake off the shock of what he had just witnessed. Still, he got in the car.

So-Rin remained silent as she started driving, and Noa couldn't help but feel uneasy. The silence between them was thick as they both contemplated what had just happened.

Despite So-Rin's silence, her strong emotions could still be seen. Her knuckles were pale white from gripping the steering wheel tight. And from her face, especially her eyes that seemed to be fixed on the road ahead, Noa could see fear and sadness.

Finally, they arrived at a high-rise building, where armed guards were stationed outside.

After parking, So-Rin turned to look at Noa with soft eyes.

"We're here, come on in!" So-Rin said as she got down from the car.

Noa also got out of the car.

Outside the building stood a row of well-built men, each holding a weapon.

Noa followed So-Rin into the building, where she approached the receptionist and registered his name.

"Noa, you will follow all the instructions given to you here, right?" So-Rin asked.

"Okay. Since you said so, I will do it," Noa assured her.

Several tall men came and took Noa to a room resembling a laboratory, where they laid him down on a device table.

As Noa looked around at the various instruments and machines, his heart rate spiked, but he reminded himself that he had agreed to this to calm down.

A woman wearing a white lab coat entered the room and attached electrodes to his head and various sensors on his body.

They began with the procedure, doing the same thing they did to other humans who were kept alive—controlling them through the android system.

After it was complete, Noa's head throbbed, and he became disoriented for a while.

Struggling to regain his senses, Noa looked around the sterile laboratory room. The woman in the lab coat approached him, checking the machines' readouts and jotting down notes on a clipboard.

"The procedure is complete," she coldly said but not unkindly. "You'll be one of us soon."

Noa got up from the table, still feeling a little unsteady, and followed the woman out of the laboratory.

Taking advantage of her special access, So-Rin volunteered to input Noa's results. After showing her ID, the receptionist nodded and agreed to accept her offer.

The hospital had permission to alter a person's data, but it was limited to medical history, biometric data, and genetic information.

When she was sure that no one around her could see the screen, So-Rin hacked through the hospital's database and deleted Noa's profile.

From now on, Noa Yoshiaki was gone.

So-Rin created a new profile for Noa. His identity was now an orphan since birth. His history was still blank, and thinking that it might be too suspicious, So-Rin added fabricated information.

After everything was finished, So-Rin took him to the army dormitory, where he would be placed in basic training, as requested by Professor Nijo.

"You'll be safe here. Take care of yourself. And remember that it takes courage to build a stronger version of yourself," So-Rin said before turning around without waiting for Noa's response.

"Hey, wait a minute! Where are you going? Will we meet again?" Noa stood up, about to follow her to prevent her from leaving.

So-Rin turned around and replied, "Yes, maybe we will meet again."

"When?" Noa asked.

"When fate wills it to happen. It could take a week, a month, a year, or even more." So-Rin shrugged.

Noa nodded. "Okay. Until we meet again, So-Rin," he said, smiling and waving his hand.