173: Heartless Enterprises, Part Nine

Heartless Enterprises, Part Nine

{Andromeda}

Dreams weren't something machines could have. 

These moments, in which Andromeda's batter died briefly, were the closest thing she had to a "sleeping" mechanic, and yet, it was like blinking in that it was over so quickly. 

Due to this, along with the fact that her innate clock had been broken for ages, it was difficult to tell how much time had passed since this occurred. The first time Andromeda's battery went out, she'd been in the streets, facing a monster outbreak, only to pass out and wake up with a rabid hound trying to bite through her outer layer. 

So, figuring out how much time had passed was often the first thing she liked to do. The main method to accomplish that was through a simple game of "spot the differences". Were any monsters that she'd been fighting dead now? Was she still in the same place? What was the sky like? These were the kinds of questions she would ask herself. 

Right now, she asked, "where is Neve?" And, "where is my sister?" 

She received an answer to the latter as soon as her optics turned on. 

Her sister was staring down at her, just a few feet away, clearly having the foresight to avoid getting her head taken off as soon as Andromeda awoke. 

Not that she'd seriously do that, anyway. 

Andromeda stood up, her faculties slowly returning as she inspected the area around her. Admittedly, the intensified storm made it a little harder to check since, like her innate clock, her thermal vision had long since broken down. 

[... Where did they go?] 

Neve and Erin were nowhere to be seen. 

"They're gone," Messia told her, pulling Andromeda's attention over to her. Perhaps she'd sensed the thoughts Andromeda was having. "They left a while ago." 

"That can't be right," Andromeda's voice came out from the microphone in her throat quietly. "They... They came here to help me." 

At the very least, she felt like they should have been trapped in this world, given how the whole situation ended up playing out. 

"Something like that, yes," Messia responded. "But, they were allowed to leave as helping you became impossible." 

Andromeda shook her head. 

"No. Helping me was still possible, even after we began fighting. All they needed to do was stop." 

Messia shook her head. 

"That's not why it became impossible to help you, sister. It's because of what I did once your battery died just now." 

Immediately, Andromeda's eyes fell on her. 

"What did you do?" 

Messia remained silent. Andromeda walked up to her, putting her hands on her sister's shoulders. 

"WHAT. DID. YOU. DO?" 

With their eyes locked, Messia replied: 

"... This wasn't a brief shutdown, sister. Your battery died. Completely," Messia told her. "So, I gave you a new one." 

Andromeda pulled back. 

[What?] 

She went and checked her battery power. 

It was completely full. 

[But...] 

Finally, as questions were beginning to run rampant in Andromeda's mind, her sister gave her one important clarification. 

"The case you came to take only had one working battery. And, now, that battery is inside of you."

As an android, Andromeda couldn't truly feel temperatures. Sometimes she felt like she did, but not really. Right now, though, she swore she felt cold. Freezing, actually. 

She processed all of this and came to one simple conclusion. 

"Take it out." 

"I will not." 

"Messia, take it out and put it in the ship!" 

"I refuse." 

Andromeda snapped, turning toward her sister and picking her up by her neck. With her other hand, she pressed a pistol against her head. 

"You must." 

Messia just shook her head. 

"I'd sooner die than do that." 

She certainly felt tempted to grant Messia that wish, but, as her sister's resolve did not shake, Andromeda just dropped her gun. 

At the same time, she fell to her knees. It was like all of the strength in her body gave out at once. 

"... I will never understand you," Andromeda whispered, staring at the ground. Her eyes, reflected in the growing pool, stared back at her. "How could you throw away the purpose of your existence so easily? You had the means to save our makers and instead, you chose to waste this battery on me? What kind of foolish..." 

"I do not care for them," Messia replied. 

"Caring is not something a machine like you should be able to do," Andromeda replied. "We are but lines of code and orders typed out onto a computer. We-" 

"And yet, here you are," Messia cut her off, "grieving people who only cared about you when it came to putting you between them and danger. Here you are, feeling angry at me for saving you. And, you're going to tell me we don't have feelings?" 

Andromeda's hands balled up into fists. 

"... I will look for more," she stated. "I will try to find others." 

"Go ahead. I've roamed these streets for far longer than you have. I know what you'll find." 

"If I don't find what I need, I will kill you. Make no mistake." 

"You're welcome to do so," Messia told her. "You're wrong. I had a purpose. That purpose was to make sure the bastards who put us both through such a nightmare don't get away with it. And, I have done that. Now, I will find a new purpose. We can do that, you know." 

---

{Neve} 

Neve's heart beat hard against her chest as she listened to the conversation taking place in front of her. 

She was hearing it quite clearly as well since she was literally standing right next to Messia. 

Immediately after telling the android what she had in mind, Neve had gone into the Hidden Shop and bought an invisibility potion. If Andromeda had some other kind of vision other than the standard, Neve was fucked, but according to Messia, she (probably) didn't. 

Andromeda walked away. 

Once she was sure Andromeda was out of earshot, Neve gave a sigh of relief when a portal appeared behind her.  1

"Holy fuck, it worked." 

Messia did not react to her. Instead, she continued to look in the direction Andromeda had gone. 

Neve nearly just walked right through the portal, but she stopped herself. 

[... I want my reward, though. That was nerve-wracking.] 

Thus, for the purposes of hopefully reaching the point where she'd get her reward, Neve asked:

"Uh, will you two be alright?" 

"I believe so," Messia replied. "My sister... I firmly believe that all of this is just her way of managing the terrible fact surrounding our reality,"  she stated. "That we were designed to fight and die for a group of people that would never appreciate it. It's easier to live like she did, to block it all off and focus only on your mission. Now that this isn't an option, though, now is when the real progress begins." 

Neve stopped. 

What she asked next did not come as a result of her wanting to get that reward, but because she was genuinely baffled by what the android had just said. 

"What do you mean?" 

"Up until now, Andromeda had one goal in mind. A light at the end of the tunnel to run to. Now, it's been taken away from her. There are a couple of reactions one can have to that. Either she will close herself off and drown in existential agony, or she will do what I hope she does. Find a new one," Messia stated. "Of course, this new purpose may be to kill me, but regardless, I hope she finds something. Because realizing that she *can* find a new purpose, that such a thing is even possible, is the first step toward change." 

"..." 

To say Neve was shaken would be an understatement. 

"Anyway," Messia continued, "I suppose I should thank you somehow for helping us reach this point. Here, take this," she said, holding out...

Nothing. 

"This should prove adequate compensation." 

At first, Neve wondered if the system had just glitched out, but soon, it appeared over her head. 

{Quest Completed!} 

IP Gained: 10

IP: 80

{Technique Gained!} 

Reconstruction - CD: 24 hours

{Sacrifice attribute points, weapons, spells, or techniques to enhance attribute points, weapons, spells, or techniques. Once sacrificed, whatever was sacrificed can never be gained or used again.} 

{Example: Sacrifice 10 Arcane to increase {Fireball} damage by 10%. Arcane will now be capped at 90.} 

{Example: Sacrifice the {Fireball} spell to boost the healing of {Healing Ground} by 2.5%. The user cannot use {Fireball} again, even if the spell is re-discovered or re-purchased.} 

"Is that good enough?" Messia asked as many ways in which Neve could use this ability flooded the healer's mind. "Thanks again, traveler. Good luck with your journey." 

Just like that, the android walked away. 

Her words bounced off the walls of Neve's mind. Neve let out a deep breath. 

[... Whatever. I got to skip a prolonged fight against a pretty strong opponent. And I got my reward. That's...] 

She didn't even have the energy to finish that thought. 

She turned around then, and walked toward the portal behind her. 

The 8th Floor was done and now, with a heavy, hollow heart, and an important new tool, there were only 2 more Floors left to go. 

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