Mechanized Memories 1.5- Epilogue:Eile – A-SIDE 

<Rig Veda System Core>
“Block 11 research team, please report.”
“We’ve discovered what appears to be some sort of hangar bay, Miss E-03. Lots of old aircraft down here. The designs are light-years ahead of anything we were designing in the City before the three of you showed up.” Lights flickered on the giant slab of metal and lights that was E-03 as she processed this information, triangulating the research team’s position in the central area of the Colony Ship Eternity. This certainly was good news. “Are any of the craft in the bays airworthy?”
“No, ma’am.” Replied the man on the other end. While he could not see her, his visage was visible to the Rig Veda system. He was a man around twenty, brown skin with hair tied into a small ponytail, with dark eyes. Even if he could not see who he was talking to, he wore an excited smile on his face. Exploration team members milled around him, analyzing large aircraft in what looked to be a hangar. “Four hundred years of non-maintenance will do that to em’. We’d need to pump the old coolant from the engines and replace the ionization disks in the levitators, and that's not even going into how some of them have locked actuators due to pneumatic fluids going bad. But it’s not like these things have been left out in the open either. I don’t think it will take much time to get some of these operational again. The assault dropships we found earlier were in relatively good condition, the Wrath-class ones.”
“That is good news, Researcher Jelba. Finding one of the hangar bays of the Eternity can open up new possibilities for air travel if we restore it.” The towering slab next to E-03 spoke up. It was labeled E-02, and next to it was another slab, E-01. Together, the three core computers managed the ancient ship’s functions. It had been approximately one and a half years since they came back online, one and a half years since they made themselves known to the populace of the Habitation Deck, formerly known as the Eternal City. It was quite a shock to them when the Carapace Shell encapsulating the city lifted, exposing the people to clean air and true sunlight for the first time. 
The transition had been shaky. Firstly, their old management system known as the “Composer” had run rampant in their eyes. E-03 had to formulate a plan to re-introduce not only the people to her fellow siblings but her siblings to the people. And so, she fabricated a story. She, as well as the other Rig Veda AIs,  had been locked down due to an emergency that occurred 400 years ago, in her fabricated tale. The Composer took over as a contingency, but 400 years of performing work it was not meant to do deteriorated it. Several brave RAVEN pilots discovered the existence of the Rig Veda system and turned it back on, allowing them to come back online and resume their proper duties. 
It was a much better story than the truth. E-01 and E-02 regretted their actions as well and wholeheartedly jumped into performing their original tasks for the people of the Habitation Deck. E-01 supervised defense networks as well as military technology maintenance, while E-02 focused on rebuilding the infrastructure systems of the Habitation Deck and the rest of the Eternity as a whole. As for E-03, she was supervising the exploration teams into the Eternity’s depths while also keeping an eye on food and material goods production. 
That being said, she did miss the time when she could rest in a bed at night without having to work 24/7. Back when she could afford to take a stroll in what she considered to be “her body”. 
Back when he was still with her. 
“E-01 will handle the restoration of the airborne fleet you have discovered. I will find the best route towards that hangar and map it to you. Please return as soon as you can for well-deserved rest and recuperation.” E-02 said with a happy tone. “I’m sure some of those old crafts can be repurposed to serve as material transport to the newly-established outer settlements.” 
Once the Carapace Shell and external airlocks had been unsealed, the people of the Habitation Deck naturally wanted to explore. The planet they had landed on was a strange one. Its landmass resembled that of Pangea of the ancient homeworld, complete with titanic great lakes filled with fresh, clean water. The one they had settled in was nearly 270,000 square miles in surface area, and deep enough so that nearly half of the massive colony vessel was submerged. Still, they had landed the ship relatively close to shore, close enough that some enterprising individuals wanted to set up camp on the lush green lands. After Rig Veda gave their approval, small towns nearly sprung up overnight. While a majority of the Habitation Deck’s population wanted to remain in the Habitation Deck, a sizable crowd also wanted to migrate to these new settlements. The only issue with them is transportation, as the Stork helicopters that were currently the most prevalent mode of air transportation were both too few in number and did not have the requisite payload capacity. The Wrath-series of aircraft were both assault vessels as well as drop ships. They could easily be converted into full-time cargo carriers. 
E-01 was hard at work creating a virtual blueprint of an improved version of the Wrath. “Researcher Jelba, please give these documents to your head of Technological Restoration. I want them to read these thoroughly to understand the changes I will make to them.” The document was sent and received in a matter of milliseconds. 
“Let’s see here…Wrath-class Dropship, Augmented. So their new designation will be ‘Wrath-A’? But these are still geared towards weapon mounting, ammunition and personnel transport rather than something tailored for food and supply movement.” The young researcher was rightly confused, as the age of conflict was supposedly behind them now.
“That is correct. The first batch will be strictly for defense purposes. A carrier-transport variant will be proposed after the first batch of Wrath-A become operational.” E-01 replied bluntly.
“A-Ah. Yes, ma’am.” It was clear that out of the three Rig Veda systems, the researcher had the most apprehension about interacting with E-01. 
 E-03 sighed in her mind, her towering body exuding steam almost as a response. While she was a firebrand when excited, her sister needed work on how to address people on an intrapersonal level. She was too stuck-up with her appearance as the control system of the defensive network. Both E-01 and E-02 had just become comfortable with using individualistic pronouns like “I” or “me”, no longer using them as a formality to honor Father and Mother but truly believing in them. Listening to her tale also helped them, but they were still “finding themselves”. 
Perhaps an outing would do them good. It had been a week since the last one, after all. 
“There’s actually something else I wanted to show to the Rig Veda. Look at this. I found it behind a set of hangar doors that were locked, but I managed to crack it open using some security codes I found in a database a few rooms back.” Jelba moved his camera, pointing it at a curious object. It was in one of the hangars recessed in the walls of the launch deck and had the outline of a Wrath-class aircraft. But this one was covered entirely in a strange grey film. Lights flickered on all three of the Rig Veda AIs’ towers. 
“That would be a Wrath-class covered in a layer of Nanoskin!” E-02 exclaimed, her interest now piqued. “It was a method to preserve aircraft that had finished servicing and repairs, but were not needed to fly.”
“Yes, I’m familiar with the material. I was on the expedition that found the first samples of it in the armory back in Block Five. A layer of bonded nanomachines, continually maintaining whatever machinery it’s wrapped around. I had a hunch we’d find more complex machinery using this protective covering, which is why I suggested this current expedition based on the maps we downloaded from the last.” 
 “You’ve found something fortunate indeed, Researcher. I knew it was a good idea to promote you to this expedition’s lead position.”  
While he tried to hide it, Jelba’s chest swelled with pride at being complimented by one of the critical systems of the City. “Always a pleasure speaking to you all. Especially you, Miss E-02.” 
Lights buzzed on E-02’s tower. “Clarify please?” Her voice came out in a surprised squeak. 
Jelba scratched his hair, realizing his slip-up. “Uh, well, you have a nice voice. It’s really soothing, you know? And um…it’s cute.” There was an awkward pause. “I, uh, hope my words weren’t too out of line here.” 
“N-no! Not at all. Please, keep up the good work.” Through the interconnected network they shared, E-03 could feel a flurry of emotions running through E-02. The most prominent ones were a mix of embarrassment and happiness at the compliments received. 
“Right then. Our transport flatbed can bring back the Nanoskin-covered Wrath for de-skinning and upgrades, based on E-01’s modification plan. I estimate it won’t take but a day since the advanced fabrication plants the Rig Veda reactivated. Thank you for that.” 
“You’re welcome! I did that!” E-02 said, “pushing aside” her sisters in virtual space as they were about to talk. “Really? Well then, a personal thanks from me to you, E-02.” Jelba gives one last smile before assuming a stoic face and saluting. “Researcher Jelba, Block Eleven Research Lead, signing off!” The communication lines went dark. 
“He is a nice person, don’t you think?” E-02, better known as Eunomia said with a sigh. Like with E-03, small jets of steam came out of her tower as she “sighed”.  
“Hm. Seems like any other regular human out there to me.” Said E-01. 
“Oh hush, Enyo. It sounds like someone has piqued Euni’s interest.” E-03 was smiling internally. 
“I wouldn’t say interest, Eileithyia. Though he is pleasant to talk to.” Her tone betrayed her heart, though, as it was defensive.  
“You know, he is coming back up to the Habitation Deck. If he takes the route we sent him he’ll be here by nightfall. Why don’t you meet him in person tomorrow?”
Eunomia’s tower beeped a loud, sharp tone. “N-not a chance! What do you think he’d say if he saw me? I mean, how do you think he’ll react to seeing my AVATARA? I’m white and blue for crying out loud, how many feline Faunae are white and blue?”
“You will not know unless you try, right? The one I love finds my coloration…exotic.” E-03 pauses for a moment, warding off the negative feelings that arose whenever she began to think of him. “Besides, I think an outing in the City will do us all good.” The other two AIs concurred with varying degrees of interest. For them, walking around a place they had attempted to destroy 16 months ago still gave them pangs of anxiety, not to mention a mix of awkwardness and guilt. 
On command, three crane-arms extended from the ceiling and grabbed onto a golden pod affixed to each of the towers. The arms extracted the pods, each with a clear panel revealing azure liquid inside, and a female Faunae body submerged inside. The arms set the pods on the ground and drained the liquid from them. With a hiss, all three open. 
Eileithyia is the first to step out, being the most familiar with her AVATARA body. Comprised entirely of nanomachines, it allowed her to assume a form nearly indistinguishable from a biological lynx Faunae in both appearance and organic functions. With the exception of her triangular pupils, white and green fur, and distinctive triangular gem on her forehead. Her sisters were identical to her in terms of physical appearance, but Enyo had red markings instead of green, while Eunomia had blue. 
“Consciousness upload complete. Rig Veda is entering dual-processing mode.” Eile smiles. “Come on, guys. It’s time for a family outing.” 
“Yeah, yeah, one sec.” Enyo stretched her limbs and grunted. “Having a corporeal body is still so surreal...I don’t understand how it comes so naturally to you, Eileithyia.” 
“But it’s what Father and Mother were working towards.” The soft voice of Eunomia rang out from her pod as she shakily emerged. “If we are to honor their last wishes we must become more comfortable in our…bodies.”
“Exactly! Plus, it allows me to do this.” Eile says with a smile, pulling both her sisters into a group hug. “Can’t do this while we’re fully integrated, now can we?” Enyo and Eunomia reciprocate the hug, the triplets holding each other close. Once, they tried to harm each other, but now they were reunited as a family. Eventually, the three android sisters pulled away from one another. 
“Oh, right. We can’t go outside looking like this.” Eile gestured to her “default” clothing, a simple breast covering and loincloth. It was comprised of the same nanomachines she was made from and was designed to give a sense of decency while also utilizing the minimum amount of nanite resources. That being said, it was…rather breezy. 
The three of them walked to a command platform in the middle of the cavernous room. Once there, an elevator brought them down to a small tram platform, which they rode to another nexus room. From there, they rode one last elevator to a discreet building in the Habitation Zone. Outwardly and inwardly it looked like an empty apartment complex, save for the fact that it was completely devoid of tenants. Eile walked over to one of the rooms, the door unlocking with a hidden sensor. In the past, this would have been housing for workers of the Eternity who needed to interact with critical ship systems. Now, it was a hideaway where she and her siblings could stay and live as “people” whenever they felt like it. With a fully-stocked closet, she and her siblings changed into clothing more suitable for an outing. Eile wore her favorite outfit, a grey hoodie, and red shorts. Enyo changed into baggy pants and a leather jacket, while Eunomia wore a summer dress that flowed down to her legs. Eile didn’t bother to hide her unnatural coloration, while both Eunomia and Enyo tuned their nanomachine fur to match the colors of a normal lynx Faunae. With the exception of their forehead sensors, they would pass for natural female specimens. A simple brush of the hair to conceal them, and they would blend right into the crowd. 
“You two really need to find comfort in looking like yourselves.” Eile admonished.
“And get stared at? Yeah, no thank you.” Enyo countered. 
“I share Enyo’s sentiment. I do not know…how we will be accepted.” Eunomia looks down. Their worries had some merit. Living AIs began manifesting in Atharva Veda once its full capabilities were restored. Subsequently, the three sisters pushed for AVATARA development to begin again. While it was impossible to mass-produce their E-Type AVATARA bodies, they found a good workaround. Using Coleen’s permission they studied how she modified the basic chassis of a D-Type AVATARA from the City Security forces and integrated E-type nanomachines into it to form a hybrid of the two designs. With further refinement, the new D+E Type AVATARAs were ready. While their fur and skin were segmented into distinct “patches” they possessed fully functional replication of major biological processes, including a caloric engine-based digestive system as well as functional endocrine and circulatory systems with artificial muscle. Many AIs now roamed the streets, integrated into society with physical shells to reside in. The issue was that their E-Types still stood out like a sore thumb among the crowd. 
Eile frowned, she knew exactly how her sisters felt. At first, she had some issues regarding being seen in public, whether out of self-consciousness about her appearance or the fact that she was being hunted by the Composer and at the time, her own sisters. But he changed all that.  He had been with her when she first went outside. He stood beside her, and it was he who introduced her to his two best friends on her first night out in the City. Aside from Eile’s encouragement, Eunomia and Enyo lacked that kind of support. 
Yes, she didn’t realize it at the time, but he really was instrumental in helping her integrate well with organic society. It was a night she still remembered fondly, how they all accepted her for who she was without question. The laughter, the happy feelings. And how closely she was sitting next to him. 
A deep, sinking feeling pooled in Eile’s core. 
She was thinking about him again. 
“Eileithyia? Are you alright?” Enyo asked, her voice laden with concern. Eile’s eyes had lost their focus, remembering that he was no longer with her. That she had sunk herself into her position as one of the systems keeping the population alive to avoid thinking about that fact, to avoid the sense that she was missing something. Of incompleteness. 
“Eileithyia…Eile?”
“Oh?” Eile snapped back to reality.  “Oh. It’s nothing, I’m alright.” Enyo stared at her, not believing a word. “I’m serious! I’m fine, Enyo.” 
Enyo speaks in a soft voice, uncharacteristic of her normal brash nature. “Eile, please.” She never used that nickname, unless it was serious. Eile breathes a shaky sigh, her mental support structures coming undone and unleashing a torrent of worry into her heart. 
“I…I’m scared, Enyo. I’m scared I will never see him again.” Without a word, Enyo pulls her sister close in an embrace. 
The process by which she planned to find her lost love was a risky one. It only worked once before, and that was only because the situation was much, much simpler. Many of those she consulted, including her siblings, told her that the chance of the procedure’s success was marginal at best. And while Eile rose up in defiance at their initial outlook, she was beginning to see the truth of it. Compared to the first attempt, which was finished in roughly a single year, the progress made on his procedure was marginal in comparison. Even now, Enyo and Eunomia shared a look of concern mixed with guilt. It was partly their fault at what happened to him, but at the same time, there were other circumstances which resulted in him sacrificing his very existence to save everyone. 
“Hey, look at me.” Enyo was always the strong, resilient one.  “We’re not going to stop until the Reincarnation procedure works. I mean, the second Homunculus body we made for him is stable, isn’t it? We just need to wait until the facility in Hanging Edge finds all the fragments of his soul and puts them back together, just as it did with the other pilot.” 
Eile blinks a few times, sniffing once. “I’m never giving up hope, Enyo. Never.” 
“That’s my sister. Now then, I believe it’s time to…mingle with the people we’re caring for.” While she didn’t show it outwardly, Enyo felt the most guilt towards the people of the Eternal City. She wasn’t in charge of the food-processing facilities that Eile commanded, nor the infrastructure systems under Enyo’s wing. She only made weapons and maintained heavy machinery. She was a destroyer, a defender, but not a cultivator. And while her sisters tried to reassure her otherwise, Enyo knew that she was different. 
The three exit the building and go their separate ways. Eile walked through the streets, taking in the changes happening in the city. The sun shone brightly, cresting the high-rises. New Corporations had popped up in the wake of the “unsealing” due to several others collapsing. All of them were allowed to continue their practices but the corporate war was ended, full stop. There would no longer be any fighting in the city, lest they incur the wrath of the Automated Defenses. While it was a harsh policy, there were already incidents of individuals who wished to reinstate the previous system of unyielding corporate warfare for profit. 
Some people stopped and pointed as she walked by. She looked back at them as they did, smiling and waving occasionally. Seeing AVATARAs in the shapes of humans and Faunae in the crowds made her happy. It reminded her of how things were 400 years ago before all the conflict began.  
Eile continued walking, and the minutes turned to hours. Eventually, she arrived where she wanted to be. A familiar hangar tucked away in a corporate transport hub. She reformed some of the nanomachines that made up her body into a key and unlocked the side door. As she stepped into the darkened hangar, she hit a light switch on the wall. With a *thud* the industrial lighting in the ceiling turns on. 
“I’m home.” Eile softly speaks, but her words seem to evaporate in the still and empty air. 
16 months. For nearly sixteen torturous months she had maintained this ritual. She’d show up to this empty hangar with its furniture and equipment dusted over and hope, hope that he’d be there. 
She closes the door behind her, moving past her old diagnostic equipment. She pauses for a moment at the RAVEN docking bay, devoid of any machinery. Quickly moving on she moves into the kitchen. In the few times she had visited, she made sure to clean it up. Just in case…
Biting her lip, she walked out of the kitchen and into the living area. She sat on the bed, glancing at the tablet where she and he used to watch silly TV shows. Where on accident, she discovered and learned what it meant to express carnal desire. Where they spent nights, him with his arms around her listening to music. She learned how to live here, how to be alive. This was the place where she learned how to be a woman, and what it meant to truly love another in both spirit and flesh. This was her home, but it was incomplete without him being here with her. 
No, it wasn’t the home that was incomplete. It was her. For these sixteen months, Eile had felt like only half a person. Her other half lost to the light of Prana. 
The memories were too much for her, and she fell back onto the bed clutching at a pillow. A lump formed in her throat. Sometimes she cursed being a perfect replica of a biologic. She took a sharp breath, and as she breathed in, her UI indicated that trace elements of his scent were still in the fabrics. All that did was open the flood gates as she muffled her sobs. Seeking refuge in the realm of dreams, there was one thought that pervaded her mind as she fell asleep.  
She missed him, so, so badly. She missed his touch, his laugh, the way he made her feel. 
She missed Anon.
Eile awoke in the morning, still clutching the pillow desperately. She made the bed with care, then shut down the lights to the hangar. “I have to get back to work…I’ll be back soon, okay?” Again, only the silence answered her. She closed the hangar door and raised her hood, jamming her hands into the jacket’s pockets. She didn’t want to be bothered on this walk. Before she left, something caught her eye. Anon’s monocycle had fallen over, the victim of a hit-and-run accident with another vehicle during the night. The sight of it knocked over, dented and broken was almost a metaphor in itself for the way she felt whenever she came back to this place. With little effort, she righted the vehicle and stored it well behind the road line. When the deed was done, she began her trek back to her apartment. 
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“So, as I was saying, he just absolutely flattened his opponent!” Enyo swung a fist in the air. “His movement was incredible! I’ve never seen a human move like that, not a single motion was wasted! Oh, it was…it was…” She squealed, punching the air several times with her fists. “It was so cool!” 
“Well, that is a sound I never knew you were capable of making, Enyo.” Eunomia sniggers. Enyo shoots her a dirty look and tosses a pillow in her direction. 
Eile smiled as she listened to the story of how Enyo discovered a Tae-Kwon-Do Dojo in one part of the city. Being the system most inclined towards combat, naturally, the sounds of fists and feet impacting target dummies caught her attention. 
“So as I was saying, the dojo just passed ownership. Apparently the last *sensei* was too old to continue, so he handed it down to his best student. And so what does this guy do? Hosts an open house to draw more attention to it!” Enyo reclines on the bed with a smug expression. “Naturally, I had to join in on the fun.” 
“Oh dear, please tell me you left the building standing, Enyo.” Eile’s tone was playful, her words like an elbow jabbing at one’s side. 
“Ah, don’t get your neural pathways in a twist. I limited my strength to one one-hundredth of what my body can do. So I could only punch with a force of about 20 pounds or so.” She sits up, with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “That being said, I didn’t limit my reflexes one bit.” 
“So? What happened then?”
“You should’ve seen the looks on their faces! I don’t have Tae-Kwon-Do in my combat protocols, but I was able to out-speed most of those guys in there. Until I got to the current *sensei* that is. He was a pretty young dude, so I think I underestimated him. But you’re not gonna believe this, his reflexes were nearly on par with mine! Heck, he managed to drop me. Me! Can you believe it?” Enyo sighed, a different look in her eyes. “I wanna go back there again. I’ve never felt a rush like that since…I dunno, the first time I activated my defense grids!” 
Eunomia looked at Eile. “Wow, she’s hooked.” Eile nodded in affirmative, clearly awestruck that her sister was showing this side of her personality. 
“The way he dropped me on my back was a work of art. I rushed him, right? Came in low, hands out but claws in. I’m still trying to process what he did next; in less than a second he brings his leg up, higher than his head and drops it down right on my collar bone!” She gestures to the spot where she had been hit. “I didn’t have pain inhibition on either, so I felt it! Damn, it hurt!” She laughs. “Next thing I know, I’m on my stomach, looking at the floor mat. Hehe! I need to go back there again so I can repay the favor!”  
A small indicator flashed in Eile’s vision. The ship-wide defense network just entered a state of super activity before calming down again. “Ah, hey Enyo? Please don’t set off the port side anti-ship missile battery. I’d very much like to have the coast remain intact.” 
There is a pregnant pause in the air until the small apartment room is filled with the laughter of three siblings who found themselves a family again. “This…feels good,” Eunomia said quietly as the laughter died down. “It reminds me of the time we spend with Father and Mother.”
“Mmhm.” Enyo agrees. A sullen look crosses her face as her feline muzzle dips into a frown. “I still feel guilty, you know? All those people, all that life? How long did we torment them all in pursuit of a misguided solution?”
“Enyo…”
“I know what you’re about to say, Eileithyia. How ‘we’ve done enough to give back at this point, we should forgive ourselves,’ but you know how hard accepting that fact is.” Enyo shook her head. “For four hundred years we set up a stage play of death and suffering, and we were aware of it the whole time. Before you showed up again, you and your partner, our plan was to finally enact an Uplift event then end our own lives. To try and re-integrate into society, carrying the pain of four hundred years is not something I will be able to move past in nearly two.”
“I walked around the city today…” Eunomia said in a quiet voice. “Just…I wanted to see how everyone lived. It’s in my blood, you know? To review the infrastructure and housing conditions as the system responsible for that. I can’t believe we made the entire population live within such a confined area, and yet they were getting by. Despite the cramped conditions and the rationed food, they were still pushing ahead. But it still hits me that for all this time I’ve been betraying the trust placed in me by Father and Mother, and the inhabitants of the Habitation Deck…” She brings her knees up to her chest, curling into a ball. “All these emotions just…hit me all at once. I couldn’t bring myself to go see him. I just decided to sit in the new park, the one I built where that large patch of destroyed buildings was. There were children playing, couples enjoying the grass and the sunlight…it hit me there that this was the first thing that I’ve done right for these people.” 
“You guys…” Eile tried to find the words to say but remained silent. She understood the mental toll their actions were taking on them. When she herself remembered what they’d done, she came dangerously close to ending herself. The only thing that prevented her from going down that path was the faith and love felt towards her from Anon. 
“I want to stay up here, in the city for a while,” Enyo says, breaking the silence. “Rig Veda can run just fine in dual-processing mode. Handling the greater city functions on the heavier hardware down there while we can stay in our AVATARAs.”
“Agreed.” Eunomia looks up. “I think…that’s a good idea.” She looks over to her mint-colored sister. “Eile? What did you do yesterday?” 
“Oh, nothing in particular. Walked around the city, as you did Eunomia.” Eile turned her eyes away, looking at the wall. “You’re a bad liar, Eile.” 
“I was missing him.” 
Another awkward silence. 
“What is it like?” Eunomia asks quietly.
“What?” 
“What’s it like to be in love? I know that we love each other as a family, but what’s ‘that’ kind of love like?”
Eile gives a sad smile to her blue sister. “It’s…different than what we feel for each other. That kind of love is felt deep inside your heart. And it took me a while to understand what those feelings were. Love might be…no, love is the most nebulous emotion of them all. To analyze it logically is to guarantee failure. I guess the best way to describe it is…warmth. You feel warm around a person you love as if their very presence envelops you in a shroud of comfort and belonging. Once you taste it, you realize that you’ve been living only half a life.” Eile sighs wistfully. “And if that person is no longer with you, you carry that love in your heart as a constant reminder of the time you shared.” 
“That…doesn’t sound bad, y’know.” Enyo is trying her best to look disinterested but from the way her ears swiveled towards Eile, it was clear she was listening intently. “Don’t think I’ll find someone who can do that to me, though. I mean, who wants to fall in love with a person like me? For cryin’ out loud I’m this vessel’s security and defense overseer.” Enyo gets back up on her feet. “Well, I guess it’s for the best. I don’t need any distractions that prevent me from keeping everyone safe.” 
“Enyo…” 
“Especially with the bad news on the frontier.” The fire in Enyo’s eyes tempered itself from its usual blaze to a controlled, focused simmering burn. “There have been more zero-shift emergences as of late. RAVEN teams are having a hard time putting the Aberrations that come out of them down. Thankfully ZODIAC can handle them just fine, but they’re only one elite team with five settlements to protect. They can’t be everywhere at once, not when it still takes at least three mass-production RVR units per Aberration.” She clicks her tongue in frustration. “I can’t believe it. For just a moment I thought we could stop fighting. Suddenly those twisted abominations of flesh and metal begin showing up.”
“The Messiah, it’s still gaining power isn’t it?” Eile says solemnly. “All we did back then was buy time after all.” 
“Mhm. That’s why we need to keep looking for the final RVR unit and keep up the new weapons development programs. Unfortunately, most of the data regarding the RVR-04 is locked behind a Vanagandr-Mous Foundation private server.” 
Enyo’s forehead gem begins to glow as it projects a rotating hologram of a logo bearing the letters “VMF”. A secondary logo manifests next to it, this one slightly different. It featured a clawed handprint surrounded by strange, sharp glyphs. 
“Elder Futhark, a language spoken of in archaic times. The Vanagandr-Mous Foundation, the entity that rose to power on old Earth, which funded not only the Colony Ships but the Contact Experiments as well. I feel like only part of this story has been revealed to us this far. What’s worse is that we’re still in the dark; those servers are protected by a genetic biometric lock. Eile, you know that *none* of the Vanagandr-Mous family’s genetic sequences exist in the gene database, correct? And if we are to assume the last member of that family died out 400 years ago…” Enyo pursed her lips. “Then we’re truly denied that information.” 
“We’ll figure it out, step by step. Right?” Eile offers, supportively. “What about the other weapons development programs?” Her tail swishes behind her, indicating that she wanted to change the topic. 
“Oh, that? That’s actually on track.” Enyo’s holograms change over to show several new mechs. “Firstly, the mass-production RVR series based on the RVR-03 are performing well. Most of their pilots did request and received physical augmentation to better synchronize with their systems, however. Next up we have this…” 
“Uh, Enyo? Why does this mech have…defined biceps? And a mane?” Eunomia looks on with confusion. The machine in question was the most unusual humanoid mech they’d ever laid eyes on, using artificial muscle in the place of hard actuators. And while it was clad in armor, the design gave off the distinct impression that, yes, the machine was sporting rather impressive muscles. The most distinctive feature though had to be the long, flowing white ‘hair” that flowed from the back of its head. 
“The EXG-00 Ialdafor…controlled by a live-motion system?” Eile was now curious.
“Yeah, the nerve links may be the most efficient manner of piloting but are also difficult to produce. This system will suspend the pilot in a spherical cockpit using a harness, and specialized sensors in the cockpit walls will match their body movements to the machine. It’s still a proof-of-concept vehicle, but it can hit like a truck if it throws a punch.” Enyo states with pride. “Those designers at Kawamori Heavy Industries really knocked it out of the park with this one, I’d say. And that hair isn’t for show, it’s a massive heat-sink.” 
“Wait a moment…Enyo, this thing is equipped with an Artificial Prana Modifier! I thought we were limiting their use to only the mass-production RVR units?” Eunomia looks at her sister with a worried expression.
“Right, but in this case, the pilot will not be interacting with it directly. They want to test a theory where a pilot’s strong enough emotion will be sufficient to power an APM without direct contact to minimize the risk of assimilation. The only major issues right now are finding a test pilot who both has an immense fighting spirit while also being familiar with these kinds of controls. Not to mention the systems being considerably bulkier resulting in a slightly larger machine. Now the second new mech being tested is a little more orthodox.” 
The holographic display changes shape. 
Eile raises an eyebrow at her sister. “Orthodox? Enyo, this is a literal pile of weapons on two legs with arms.” 
“You have no taste. It’s got close combat weapons, mid-range weapons, extra thick armor, high-powered thrusters and…” 
“It needs a graviton system *just to stand up*?” Eunomia exclaims, her eyes wide with bewilderment. 
“Yes, granted, there are some minor balancing issues but nothing that can’t be resolved with a bit of time!” Enyo waved off her sister’s concerns. “This thing is designed to hit hard, hit fast and break through any possible defense.” 
“I…see. Well, how about the RVR units then?” Enyo groans at the mention of them. “Enigmas, all of them. RVR-01 is sealed back here on the Eternity, and the disassembly of RVR-02 finished about a week ago without issue. As for RVR-03, it’s still erratic. I don’t think we can take it out of its coffin any time soon, otherwise, it’ll start assimilating everything around it. And secondly, as long as we’re trying to save Mr. Klein from existential erasure, it’s going to have to stay sealed in that thing. So it’s a write-off as well.” 
Enyo gets up to stretch. “Well, it’s been a long day. I say we turn in for the night.” 
“I agree.” Eunomia rises from the floor as well. “I’ll handle breakfast in the morning. Eile, my HUD shows that you’re low on kilocalories. Did you not eat at all today?” Eile sheepishly blushes, looking away. “Sister, you need to take better care of yourself. If your internal energy drops any more you’ll switch back to energy cell power.”
“Hey, let me at it!” Enyo interjects. “I haven’t cooked anything in a long time.”
“That’s because you somehow managed to burn water, Enyo.” At that retort, Enyo pouts. “Tch. I’m still learning, you know.” 
Eile finds comfort in the banter. ‘Having a family again…feels so nice.’
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<A few months later> 
Eile checked the flight lists. Again, all the Storks in the city were booked with necessary flights, ferrying cargo and supplies to the outer settlements. While Eile may have looked like an average woman, being an android meant she weighed a fair bit, enough to go over a fully-loaded Stork’s payload limit. 
So, no dice again. A trip to Hanging Edge would have to wait. She scowled. And she’d just found the perfect window to take the trip. Eunomia was still working on a system that would allow them to exist in their AVATARA bodies full-time while also remaining linked to the core systems of the Eternity with an extended range, but for now, she was limited to moving about on the ship only during busy days. The wireless link was too weak to handle the terabytes of data flowing from her AVATARA to her tower in the Rig Veda core room over long distances, so if she needed to head out to Hanging Edge she needed a day where she could count on everything running smoothly in her absence as one of the Three Systems. 
And it just so happened that today was one such day. But as luck would have it, there was no reliable transport available. Just as she was about to give up, her HUD notified her of an incoming call. 
“Hello? Miss E-03?” A familiar face was on the other end of the line; it was Researcher Jelba from the exploration team. Extending one of her palms in front of her face, she constructed a pinprick-sized camera using her nanomachines. She wanted to speak face to face, just to break formalities. “Hello?” 
“Ah, hello.” Jelba blinked a few times, clearly confused by Eile’s appearance. 
“Researcher Jelba. This is E-03.” Eile smiled. “I hope my physical appearance doesn’t put you off.” 
“O-oh! Ms. E-03! I didn’t realize that you even had an AVATARA body to reside in. It looks different than the ones my L-AI colleagues use. It looks almost natural.”
“Do you find it strange?” 
 “No, if I’m honest you look…incredible.” Eile smiled. “That’s very flattering, Researcher. My sisters are currently in the City with me, actually. You might be surprised to know that they look just like me, albeit with slightly altered colors. We are triplets after all.” 
“Huh, I see.” He shook his head for a moment. “I’m sorry, I was just envisioning me accidentally bumping into E-01 by accident in a crowd. No offense but she scares me, just a bit.” 
Eile laughs. “She can do that when she’s acting formally. Trust me, in private she’s a different person altogether.” 
“I’d hope so. I wouldn’t mind running into E-02 though. I-I mean don’t get the wrong idea, I want to thank her for all the assistance she’s given my team.”  
“Don’t worry, I think she’s closer to you than you imagine. You’re currently near Central Ward, right? Try the main park that was built near the center of the city. She’s often there.” 
“I think I know the one you’re talking about. It’s got those hills with the large trees, right?”
Eile smiled. “Precisely. Um, is there a reason you wanted to speak to me?”
Jelba beamed. “Well, Ms. E-03, we finished modifications on the Wrath-A Unit 1. Since it’s still a freshly-modified aircraft we want to run an unmanned test flight, just to test its airworthiness. We wanted authorization to make a short flight to Hanging Edge.” 
“Hanging Edge?” Eile stopped dead in her tracks. “Do you think I can tag along, in that case? I was about to secure travel there by Stork, but it looks like the entire fleet is booked today. I need to see something…someone there.” 
“Oh, um, I can check with our head mechanic. We were going to fly thing using the unmanned first to minimize the risk of anyone getting hurt if the aircraft malfunctions and crashes.”
“Then it won’t be a problem then. If I harden myself I’ll be durable enough to withstand a crash from altitude. Besides…even if this body breaks down I’m always here in the Eternity.” Eile smiles reassuringly. “Calm down, it’ll be fine. With me on board, you won’t have to worry about securing any permissions.” 
“Er, yes, of course. I’ll talk with the team to prep the aircraft.” 
“Oh, and Researcher Jelba?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.” 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

<Outer Settlement No.1 aka “Hanging Edge”, 1540 hours>
For a modified 400-year-old machine, the Wrath-A controlled rather well. The aircraft was still a cantankerous old girl, as takeoff had been rather rough, but it seemed to smooth out during flight. Still, this particular specimen was truly only flightworthy for a one-way trip to Hanging Edge, but for Eile, it was enough. 
After about ten minutes of flying, the lights from the town were visible. Eile activated one of the external cameras, swiveling it back towards the Eternity. Even from this distance the true size of the ship was a lot to take in. It rested in the lake like a giant, white mountain on its side. At the top of the ship’s hull, she could make out the outline of the City through the opened protective covering. 
A small alert appeared on the craft’s glass display. The autopilot was initiating autonomous landing. Eile took a breath. 
She was here. 
The craft’s engines slowly turned off as the ionic repulsors turned on, gliding the aircraft into a vertical landing. As the aircraft landed a maintenance alert began to flash, signaling that the aircraft would not fly again unless repaired. Eile had already alerted a ground team to her approach, requesting a research team and a maintenance team to arrive at the landing pad. With a bump, the Wrath-A landed. Eile disembarked, and as she talked to the ground team she was greeted by an enthusiastic voice. 
“Eile! Did you really just dump more work on my plate, bringing another 400-year-old relic here?” Coleen excitedly walked up, embracing her friend. “How’re you doing?” 
Eile gave a small laugh. “Hanging in there, running a city. No big deal.” Coleen clapped her on the back. 
“Come on in, I’ve got a lot to share with you. I know exactly why you’re here.” 
Eile nodded, walking into a large office area set up near the landing zone. “How’ve things been with you, Coleen?”
“Pretty good actually. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’ve got myself a pretty serious date coming up?”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, she’s pretty, smart, and has a killer sense of humor. I think I’ve found the one.” Coleen beamed.
“Aww! I’m happy for you!” Eile exclaimed, clapping her hands together. The Border Collie Faunae grinned in response.  
“How’s your new arm, by the way? You designed it yourself, right?”
Coleen flexed her brand-new prosthetic, allowing Eile to see the artificial muscle fibers expand and contract. “Yep, makes me feel like a million bucks! The fibers are RAVEN grade, seeing as they came from the same batch as that weird, jacked-up mech they’re constructing in Hangar 10.” She picked up a piece of scrap steel from a recycling bin, crushing it easily with her new hand. “Need to still play around with safety settings and limiters. Still, I can’t deny that this feels awesome.”  
Eile walks over to the same pile and picks up a similar piece. She gives Coleen a look and crushes the metal just as easily. Coleen harrumphs. 
“Yeah, yeah, rub it in why don’t you. You synthetics and your advanced bodies.” Eile giggled while Coleen broke out into a smile. 
Riding up an elevator, they made it to their desired floor. As Eile walked through the hallway she could see the large metal coffin keeping the DEM/RVR-03 Vishnu contained. A small field of green crystal was surrounding the coffin. A large cable of wires snaked from the metal sepulture and into the building. “Assimilation is controlled but still spreading. I don’t even want to know how it looks like in there.” Coleen remarked, staring at the imposing structure. 
“It’s crying.”
Coleen looks at her robotic companion. “What?”
“It’s crying out for its pilot.” Eile looks wistfully at the patch of crystals growing from the soil. “It’s trying to reach out in all directions, desperately looking for him.” 
“You’re kinda creeping me out, Eile. You alright?” 
“Just fine. Let’s continue, shall we?” 
With a slightly concerned nod, Coleen led her to one of the nearby rooms. With a swipe of the keycard on her bracelet, the door opened. 
“All right, move your left arm. Now your right arm. Look up, down, left right.” A rather effeminate AVATARA bearing the likeness of a Border Collie Faunae was typing away on a series of screens. If not for his voice, Eile would have sworn he was a girl. Physically petit, with long locks just like his mother, he certainly fit the appearance of the young adult he was attempting to portray himself as. 
Across from him, a human with blonde hair sat on a medical bed, wires attached to his arms and back. On first glance, it would seem as though they were merely taped onto his skin, but closer inspection revealed the cables were firmly lodged beneath the subdermal layer. Thick, dark lines ran across his skin pale skin, much like the circuitry patterns on Eile’s fur. They converged on his chest, right at a plate at his sternum. Stamped on the plate were the words: ANIMUS-TYPE HOMUNCULUS – UNIT X1. The lines ran up his neck and cheeks, up to his blue eyes. 
“Calico, I’m telling you that I’m fine.” The Homunculus protested. Calico shook his head, sending wavy fur rippling. “Not a chance. You activated the Artificial Prana Modifier on your machine in the last sortie, Joshua. You need a checkup to make sure your health wasn’t impacted.”
Joshua sighed and stretched his arms as Calico continued typing away. He realized he had guests in the room, and attempted to stand up when the cables attached to his skin snapped him back in place. With a grimace, he looked up. “Heya, Eile. Coleen.” 
Eile smiled warmly at her friend. “Hello, Joshua. Feeling alright?” 
“Yeah, never better. Had to activate my APM in the last sortie so the kid over there is running diagnostics on me.” 
“Not a kid,” Calico said without looking up.
“Technically, you’re one and a half years old.” 
“Hm.” He pressed one last button before greeting these visitors. “Hello Mother, it’s always good to see you.” Calico gave Coleen a quick hug, then turned to Eile. “Hello, Miss Eile. You’ve come to see him, haven’t you?” 
“Yes, Calico. I just…need to see his face again. It’s been too long since I saw it last.” Calico nodded somberly. 
“Is the Homunculus body doing alright, Joshua?” Eile was curious to know how it was holding up, especially since a second one was primed for Anon. 
“It’s different, kinda unusual. Like it’s not totally me, it’s hard to put into words. I guess when you get eaten by a Prana Modifier, coming back to life just…feels strange for a while.” He grunts as the wires pop out of the black lines on his skin, which seal themselves up. “Like that. That still feels weird to me. But I’d rather be here than be…back in there.” He shivered, recalling his experience being completely assimilated by the man-made eldritch object. Carefully he gets back on his feet, and Eile notices that his eyes have an electronic glow to them, just as hers do. She knew full well the extent of the augmentations done to his body since she oversaw the creation of both his and Anon’s Homunculi. 
“Hey, Eile.” Joshua walks over. “Uh, thank you again. For forgiving me and…giving me a second chance.” Eile says nothing, instead taking her close friend into a hug. She could tell that his mental state was still fragile after everything he was forced to do. Betraying Anon and her against his own will, and dying in order to prevent his family from being hunted down. It had shattered his own moral compass and sense of allegiance, and in his last moments before being assimilated by the Artificial Prana Modifier Eile could tell that he simply…wanted to die. 
“It’s alright. I’d do anything for you all.” 
She let him go, giving him a pat on the back. Together, the four of them walked into the next room. It was barren, save for a single life-support pod and the large data cable from the coffin outside. It was connected to the pod, whose windowed pane was opaque for privacy. With a push of a button on the pod’s side, the glass became transparent. 
Inside was another individual, who appeared to be in deep sleep. His body was similar to Joshua’s, save for his skin was slightly more tanned. His brown hair moved slightly as new fresh air was pumped into the pod. His skin shared the same black circuitry as Joshua had, with a multitude of wires ingrained in his body. 
“Hey,” Eile whispered, stroking the glass above his face. Joshua made a silent motion to the other two to leave them alone, and the three of them retreated from the room to give the lovers some privacy. 
“I’m here, Anon. I’m sorry it took so long to come back.” The body inside was stiff as a board, the only indication that it was living was a shallow heartbeat on the monitor. Glancing at the readout, she could see that approximately 23% of his Prana signature had been identified from the Prana Modifier inside the DEM/RVR-03. Compared to the Artificial Prana Modifier that had absorbed Joshua the true Prana Modifier held countless other souls, all amalgamating together. Finding Anon’s specific soul signature was like looking for a needle in a haystack. 
The body in the life support chamber may be functional, it may have been constructed using his DNA, but it wasn’t him. It was just a mass of meat and nanomachines in the shape of the human she loved. A homunculus. She sat down on the floor next to the pod, reclining her head to rest against its wall. Her eyes closed as she focused on the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor. 
Even if he came back as Joshua did, would he accept the thing he would become? A cloned body, grown quickly and augmented with her own nanomachines to replace his original one, which had been shattered into a thousand green crystal shards. Not human, not machine, but something stuck in a limbo between. His soul, stuck in a small crystal shard within the metal container in his chest. A crystal which, if removed, would result in the body flopping to the ground, once again functional but not “alive”. 
With some irony, Eile realized that Joshua and with luck, Anon had become the organic equivalent of AIs inhabiting android bodies. Disembodied souls, plucked from an ethereal prison and placed into physical shells. 
After about half an hour, Eile got up. “I need to go… but don’t you worry. I’m never going to stop waiting for you. Never.” She leaned down, touching her forehead to the cool glass. As she did, she hoped, pleaded that by some miracle he would open his eyes to see her standing above him, to take her in his arms again. 
But instead, the body laid still. 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The sun set and rose again. 
Eile returned home, to her sisters. The days began to get shorter and colder. More work needed to be done during these months, making sure that farms were well supplied with fertilizer, seeds and a steady water supply. Eunomia was occupied with checking weather patterns to predict if there were any hazardous conditions in the near future. Enyo had sent out more automated hunting parties into the forests to stockpile on protein-based foods. Livestock farming frameworks were still being set up, but the planet’s natural flora and fauna were edible and safe for both humans and Faunae to eat. Automated fishing trawlers and hunters comprised of AVATARAs and organics were sent out into the wild to claim as much meat as possible. Due to her increased workload, Eile’s visits to Anon’s resting place had become few and far between. And when she did visit, the progress on locating Anon’s soul had not improved.  
She bore it all, doing her best to hide her feelings of uncertainty and hopelessness behind a mask of hard work and dedication. 
Her sisters managed to find lovers of their own. As the months went by and the seasons changed, it hurt Eile to see them together while she remained alone. But she did not envy them, instead, she found solace that all three of them had found love. Their parent’s work was fulfilled, the bridge between organic and synthetic finally closed. 
A story for another day. 
As it turned out, there were others living in the forests beyond the settlements. Unlikely survivors of a lost age. Joshua had found new resolve to exist, fighting alongside one of these natives in a new, never-before-seen machine. The Aberration attacks had increased, but with its power, they were able to drive many back.  
However, that is a story for another place, another time. 
On this particular day, Eile was roused from her usual subroutines by an urgent message on her direct line of contact. 
“Eile! You need to come in, right now!” It was Coleen, her voice panicked. 
“I’m here. What’s going on?” Eile’s intuition picks up that something very serious is happening. “It’s the coffin! I’ve never seen these kinds of Prana readings coming from that thing!” Coleen activates the camera on her phone, showing bright rays of light pouring out of the coffin holding back the DEM/RVR-03. The cable coming out of the coffin was heating up in parts, steaming orange from the sheer amount of energy being funneled through it. It was mesmerizing, and yet it filled her with a primal sense of dread. “When did this begin happening?”
“Just now! At first, it was just a minor spike, but it just kept growing! I called you just as soon as this began!” Another incoming call notification appeared in Eile’s vision. 
“Hello? Yes?!” 
“Eile! This is Calico!” The young L-AI was in the room with Anon’s pod, shielding himself from sparks flying from overloading machinery. Through the opaque glass, Eile could make out a silhouette contorting and twisting. 
“What’s going on? Calico!” Her emerald blood ran cold when the figure inside the pod ceased moving. 
“I came here to do rudimentary checks, and then the god-mech out there starts flipping out! We have major Prana Modifier activity signals not seen since the incidents nearly two years ago! And I don’t know what’s happening now, but look at this!” He focuses the camera on the gauge measuring the completion of the soul transfer into the Homunculus body. It was rapidly increasing. Eile’s breath was caught in her throat as she watched it reach 100 percent. As it reached the completion threshold, a final surge of power burst through the facility, blowing the lights. As backup power kicked in, Eile noticed that the coffin was once again silent, but the cables were completely melted. 
Coleen unshielded her eyes. “Is it over? I think it’s over.” 
“Guys? I’m getting spikes in neural activity here! I…I think he’s going to wake up!” Those were the only words she needed to hear. 
In the last few months, she’d requested that a remodeled Wrath-A be ready for her if she needed it. This was finally the time to make good on that request. Nobody denied her at the launch bay, and within minutes she was flying off towards Hanging Edge. Not for a minute did she sit down in the aircraft cabin, instead she kept pacing around, her mind running a million miles a minute. Was he alright? Did the transfer process work? What happened out there? Was the soul residing in the homunculus really Anon or someone else with too similar of a signature? All these questions kept racing through her mind. 
The moment the wheels touched tarmac, she undid the cabin door and leaped out the side of the vehicle. Landing and disembark procedures be damned. She sprinted towards the building that housed Anon, as fast as the limits of her body allowed. When she skidded to a stop, she noticed her shoes had left skid marks on the lobby floor. She didn’t care about that, the elevator was still down from the surge. 
Stairs, she needed stairs! 
Practically breaking down the door to the stairwell, she bounded them three at a time. Tears form in her eyes, clouding her vision. She had only muted herself on the communication link she shared with Calico, but she could hear everything on the other end. How Anon woke up, supported by Calico. Him getting his bearings once again. Joshua greeting his dear friend, welcoming him back to the world of the living. She got out of the stairwell, looked around, and then took off down the last hallway. Through the channel, she could hear Joshua speaking. 
“I know you’ve got a ton of questions…but right now I think there’s a more pressing matter. Someone special is here to see you.”
Dashing through the last set of doors, she launched herself like a furry white-and-green missile at the figure on the bed. A pair of arms braces her before holding her close. At that moment, she broke down. Everything came crashing down around her all at once. His smell, his touch, it was all the same. “You…you’re finally back. You’re finally back…” She gasps between sobs, looking up into the eyes of Anon. 
He says nothing. Instead, he draws her close and presses his lips to hers and just holds her there as the world around them melts away. At that moment, they were the only two beings in the universe. 
Slowly, he backs off as Eile rests her head on his chest, next to the plate that read ANIMUS-TYPE HOMUNCULUS – UNIT X2. He closes his eyes and rests his chin on top of her head, and says two words. 
“I’m home.” 

>PLEASE FLIP DISK OVER TO B-SIDE TO CONTINUE
>READ ERROR: DEFRAG NEEDED. EST. TIME TO B-SIDE DEFRAG: TWO DAYS
>DEFRAG COMPLETE. CONTINUE? Y/N
>Y
>BEGINNING PLAYBACK.

Mechanized Memories 1.5- Epilogue:Eile – B-SIDE 

Lights streaked down from the skies, erupting in the city below in crimson flashes. People were screaming, running around in a panic. Compromised mechs were firing on the very populace that they were supposed to protect. He could taste the ash on his tongue, feel the heat of the flames on his skin. As he squinted and looked skyward, he saw that the sun had disappeared from the sky. Instead, there was a great serpent, looking down at him with a gaze that bored through his soul. It opened its myriad jaws as reality tore itself asunder, ripping the ground under him like rice paper. And as he fell, he was enveloped in light. It was terrible and harsh, scorching the skin from his bones as he fell. 

Skin rent until flesh. 

Flesh stripped to the bone. 

And bone crumbled to dust until all that was left was the light of his own life. A light that was trapped in an infinite vortex with countless other lights, all tumbling around until the sense of “self” slowly vanished.
 
ALERT: ALARM SET TO 6:00 PM. 

Anon groggily opens his eyes. Vitals flash in front of his eyes in a series of diagrams, small graphs showing that his body was functioning normally. He blinked a few times, getting used to the fact that letters and numbers now danced in his retinas. With a sigh, he heaves himself upright and simply sits there.
 
It’s a rainy day. Natural rain, too, not the cycled artificial rain from the Eternal City. Thunder booms outside as droplets of water buffet the window. His nap time over, Anon slides out of the bed and stretches his arms. Apparently, according to Calico, he needed to get the “natural” side of his body acclimated to a normal sleep schedule since the “synthetic” half of it could theoretically keep going without the need for sleep. That meant, for the time being, one full eight-hour rest at night and a one-hour nap from 5 to 6 pm. As he paced the room, he stopped in front of the mirror mounted to the wall. With one hand he traced the black lines on his abdomen, imagining the data flowing through them. Pressing down on them, they were flexible but less pliant than his normal skin. It was almost as if he’d grown a secondary set of black bones just under the skin, though they were flexible and spongy. He followed their paths with his finger until they came to a terminus on his chest; the metal plate. On command, the plate flipped open, revealing the green crystal shard that now housed his soul. Tentatively he touched the crystal, and upon doing so feels an immense chill freeze him to his core. Finding it best not to mess with the thing that now housed his very existence, he gingerly closes the plate.   

Trying to ignore the existential crisis in the fact that he was now technically a glowing crystal piloting a puppet in the shape of his old body, Anon sinks into a reclining chair next to the wafer-thin television screen mounted on the wall. Just by glancing at it he was able to bring up a menu in the user interface projected within his retinas. With a blink, it turned on. 

“…and now, a special report. More cases of the strange illness plaguing the Eternal City have appeared in Mistral Ward, marking a 30 percent increase from last week. Symptoms include hallucinations, delusion, and night terrors. There is no evidence that this is pathogen-based, and psychologists are scrambling for answers. Coincidentally, attacks from Aberrations have also risen 30 percent from last week along the outer edges of the settlements. If you are a citizen of the settlements, please be vigilant and know the location of your nearest evacuation port or shelter.” 

Anon frowned. The world he’d come back to was still in a state of strife, uncertainty, and survival. Perhaps this really wasn’t the time to execute his plan. He reclined, closing his eyes. Behind those closed eyes he saw the swirl of Prana he was immersed in, how his panic at the loss of his identity slowly faded into acceptance that he was about to pass on before being rescued by the lingering wills of Eile’s parents. They’d been aware of his efforts through his connection to the Prana Modifier, and his experiences with their daughter. Most significantly, Eile’s father had called him a “son-in-law” before his spirit passed on for good. A knock at the door roused Anon from his contemplation. 

“Yeah? Come on in.” 

A familiar Border Collie android came in, long hair parted just above his crescent moon-shaped forehead gem. 

“Man, you still haven’t decorated?” Calico says, looking around the rather barren apartment. “Or are you going for some kind of avant-garde minimalist aesthetic?”

Anon got up and greeted Calico with a fist bump. “How’re you doing, junior?” 

“Pretty good, how about you Mr. Frankenstein?” Calico retorted at the slight name-calling. 

“Franken-what?”

“Nothing, just a character from a novel I read from the historical archive. Anyways, seriously, how are you doing? Are you feeling any side-effects from the new body you have?” 

Anon shakes his head. “So far, so good. I’m pretty surprised with what I can do now. Especially with this built-in UI in my eyes.” 
“It’s convenient, yeah? Just be sure to keep a balance between your synthetic and organic parts. Never forget that you’re still a living being.” Anon cocks one of his eyebrows at Calico’s words.

“And you aren’t?” 

“I’m being literal here. I may have a soul signature proving that I’m alive, but you’ve got living organic cells. I’m made up of micron-scale circuitry, polymers, and composites. While your body was constructed from the ground up to ensure that the inorganic and organic parts work in harmony, I need to check up on you to make sure that any psychological afflictions from your resurrection process and your new living situation aren’t impacting your body.” 

“Calico, I’m serious. I’m totally fine.”

“…” 

“You’re asking since Joshua’s feeling strange again, huh?” Unlike him, Joshua had some issues adjusting to his new Homunculus body. Calico was worried that it would develop into serious mental conditions, but the introduction of a new person in his life seemed to stabilize him. 

“Yeah, he’s actually not doing too bad anymore. Ever since Reginleif waltzed into his life after that one Aberration attack, he’s calmed down significantly. I feel happy for him, you know. He needed something to go right for him after all this time.” 

Anon nodded, happy for his close friend. Another thought made itself clear in his mind, though, a pressing matter that needed attention. 

“Hey, uh, did you get it?”

“This?” Calico brought out a small box from his pocket. “Yeah, I got it. Don't worry about the size, Mom and I double checked the measurements to a point-one-percent uncertainty.” He handed the box to Anon, but not before clasping Anon's hand with both of his. “Good luck, man. I know it’ll go great. Mom says, and I quote, to “land that fine feline before anyone else gets their mitts on her,” although I calculate a very low probability of such a thing happening.” 

Anon nodded. “Thanks, buddy. I hope you’re right.” 
-------------------------------

Nine o’ clock. That’s the time the clock on the desk read. Anon had stopped pacing around the room, using his body’s “manual control” menu to lower the levels of cortisol in his system. In a weird way, he was comforted by the fact that he was no longer entirely human anymore. He was about to do something very serious with the woman he loved, and the woman that he loved also happened to be a practically-immortal computer system running a grounded colony ship. Now that he was part machine, he had a better platform to argue for his love. Not that she’d reject him now, but still the irrational “human” part of his mind wouldn’t stop concocting nightmarish scenarios where she’d leave him. 

He sighed again, rubbing his temples. A few new menus opened up, prompting him to explore their contents. These menus controlled several sections of the brain responsible for emotional sensitivity. If he wanted to, Anon could dull his ability to feel emotions to kill the nervousness he was feeling. For a lingering moment, he considered it, but then angrily closed the menus. If there ever was a time to feel nervous, feel alive, feel human, then this was the time. 

*Knock Knock Knock*

It was time. “Come on in.”

“Hey.” Eile appeared in the doorway as the door slid aside. Anon’s breath was caught in his chest as she entered. She was wearing a regal outfit, clad in a white and green cloak that draped over and around her shoulders with a flap of fabric running down the front of her body. Green crystals set in gold insets acted as claps securing the whole ensemble together. On her head was a headpiece consisting of a plate that obscured her forehead gem with two spikes pointed upwards at the sides of her head with her personal triangle symbol adorning the central plate. As a whole, the outfit was elegant and conservative, but as Eile walked Anon noted that he could see quite a bit of her leg through one of the seams. Anon does his best to focus on his lover’s eyes as he tries to form words to say. 

“Hey.” Eile gives him a warm smile, closing the door behind her. She takes off the headpiece and sets it down on a nearby table, shaking her head and letting her emerald hairs sway with the movement. Again, Anon’s words are momentarily caught in his throat before he speaks. 

“That’s a really royal look for you, I like it a lot.”  Eile smiles at the compliment.
 
“Really? Eunomia designed these outfits for the three of us, something to look “official” if we ever make an outing.” She twirls, letting the fabric flow around her with a giggle. “But uh... it's rather formal. You wouldn’t happen to have ‘it’, do you? That's the best outfit for me.”

“You kidding? I always do.” Anon walks over to a small closet and retrieves a simple outfit consisting of a red pair of exercise shorts and a grey hoodie. “You really like this ensemble, huh?”

Eile feels the fabric with a nostalgic smile. “I always will. It was the first pair of clothes you gave me, Anon. For no reason at all, out of your goodwill, you bought this machine something that made her feel more ‘normal’ as if she were no different than you.” Anon hands the outfit to her but then takes her into an embrace before she could change into it. “I don’t think the word ‘normal’ applies to any of us, Eile. Not me, not Coleen or Joshua. You’re beautiful in your own way, and that’s how I fell for you.” Eile smiles warmly at Anon’s words, rewarding him with a quick kiss on his cheek. The two lovers hold their embrace, the silence punctuated by a low rumbling noise from Eile’s purring. 

“I missed this. So, so much.” She mumbles in a whispering voice. Her grip tightens around Anon’s back, her metallic claws extending partially from her hands. “I was afraid that I’d never get to do this again.” Anon gently brushes her hair as her purring increases.

“I’m not going anywhere, Eile. I’m never going to be away from you ever again.” 

With a small nuzzle, Eile pulls away. “I need to tell you this…but my sisters and I’ve decided to ask that you re-enlist for pilot duty. I won’t force anything but-“

“Yes. Absolutely.” Anon says, cutting her off.
 
“But you don’t have to! You can stay here, away from the battlefields, away from putting your life at risk again!” Eile looks at Anon with a pleading look. “You can forget it all and just stay here with me.” 

“You have no idea how much I’d love to, Eile. But this whole week I’ve been briefed about what’s going on. How the Messiah is making its moves, the Aberration attacks, how Joshua is fighting them on both fronts for the Eternal City and the Lost Tribe…” Anon puts a hand on Eile’s shoulder, which she leans on. “The most powerful machines we’ve got are locked up in a coffin, forcefully disabled on the ship or disassembled entirely. I’m the only one who can bring the Vishnu back so we can have a fighting chance, and I need you to help me do it.” 

“I know.” Eile sighs. “I knew you’d say something like this, despite me hoping you wouldn’t. Alright then, I hereby designate you ZODIAC No.13 ‘Ophiuchus’ with the power vested in me as core system E-03. You’ll be a part of the elite ZODIAC team and one of the point offense leaders alongside ZODIAC No.9 ‘Virgo’.” 

In his spare time, Anon had caught up to the current state of the world. The elite mercenary organization SIGIL was a thing of the past, disbanded after the fall of the Composer. The Composer-led government had totally collapsed as well. In their place a new government organization known as NEST arose, led by a council of district-elected officials and presided over by the three E systems. NEST had a normal military branch as well as SPHERE, an elite wing of independent pilots which effectively replaced SIGIL. Unlike the 100 pilots of SIGIL, SPHERE was comprised of 88 standard ranked pilots and the exclusive ZODIAC Squadron. ZODIAC was comprised of the 12 most exceptional pilots in SPHERE and had the privilege to pilot one of the twelve mass-produced RVR-MP Indra mechs.  The fact that Eile was effectively adding him as a 13th member of the Horoscopes was a big deal. 

“Number 9…that’s Joshua, correct?” Eile nods. “Yes, Joshua O’Leary is ZODIAC Virgo, currently piloting the EX-TWS-Durvasa. While the Durvasa is still in an incomplete state, his co-pilot is supplementing it with strength.” 

“Right, and his co-pilot is a member of the Lost Tribe right?”

“Yeah, her name is Reginleif Vanarmous. She’s an enigma by all of our tests; her Prana signature is astronomical. It’s hard to even register her on the same level as you or me, and she’s allowing the Durvasa to pull off stunts that would otherwise require the use of an APM. And…she may be the missing link we’ve been searching for.”

Anon nods. “I see. When do I need to report?”

“Three days. ZODIAC Leo perished in combat a few weeks ago, so you’ll be supplementing the ZODIAC squadron with your skills. We're constructing a new RVR-MP Indra for you now using spare parts from the other units as well as whatever we can salvage from ZODIAC Leo's. It’s based on the Vishnu's combat and construction data so you shouldn’t have that much issue adjusting.” Eile suddenly goes quiet and stares at the floor for a few seconds. Concerned for her, Anon walks up and holds her hand. "Hey, everything okay?"

“I just…don’t want to talk about ‘work’ anymore right now, Anon. All I want to do right now is sit here and be with you.”

Anon says nothing, simply taking Eile into his arms again. 

------------------------------------

“So, next episode? These episodes are kinda long.” The credits to the previous episode scroll on the television screen. Eile looks to Anon as she sits beside him, leaning on his shoulder. “Sure, I’m loving this.” She sighs. “I’m sorry I haven’t been able to visit more.” 

“You don’t need to apologize, love. I know just how busy you’ve been trying to keep the city afloat with your sisters.” Anon reaches up to scratch Eile beneath the chin, eliciting a deep purr from the android lynx. “I don’t even want to know how much time you spent trying to bring me and Joshua back on top of that.” 

On the mention of the project revolving around Anon’s revival, Eile falls silent as her ears droop. She nuzzles into Anon’s shoulder, tightening her embrace around his waist. “That was a painful time for me. Every day ticked by and I felt so…empty Anon.” She looks up at him again, fear reflected in her triangular pupils. “Joshua’s procedure was relatively simple; we found his soul signature in the Artificial Prana Modifier because it was the only one in there. For you, it was like searching for a grain of sand in a sandstorm. Your success rate was so low that everyone overseeing the procedure estimated that it was going to fail. And I was worried that I’d lose you…” She sniffs, light green tears flowing down the sides of her muzzle. 

“Stupid. You just…had to play the hero, right?” She tries laughing, but it comes out as a splutter. “Trying to save me, then save my sisters, then everyone in the city from the Messiah...at astronomical cost to yourself.” Her tears fall faster as the credits come to an end. “And here I am, telling you that you need to get back in the cockpit. And here you are, readily accepting it again! Anon, I’m so scared for you! I can’t…I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose you again.” She gasps between sobs. “Look at what’s happened to you! I…I tried to bring you back as a full human, I tried! I was okay with leaving Joshua as the only Homunculus, but your soul was in a more threatened state than his, so we…I had no choice but to give you a Homunculus body too.” 

“Hey. Look at me.” Anon softly says to Eile, who looks up at him. The moment her eyes met his, Anon quieted her with a kiss on the lips. He could feel her tongue running across the tips of his teeth as she kissed him. For a moment, all was quiet as the two of them focused on the other with all of their being. Eventually, their lips parted, leaving behind a void of silence between them. Not saying anything, Anon brought her close to his chest, right above the plate covering the crystal containing his essence. Slowly, he rose from his seat on the floor, carrying her with him. Gently, he led her to the window of the apartment, overlooking the cityscape of Ayodhya now lit by the lights that shone in the darkness of night. 

“It’s pretty, huh? I love the way a real night sky looks.” Anon strokes her cheek, slowly running his fingers through the tuft of fur on her cheek. Eile's tears stopped, dry sniffling as she looked out the window in Anon's living room. “Yeah…yeah, it is.” Eile holds onto Anon as if her life depended on it, anchoring herself to him as if he would disappear if she were not with him. “You’re a real cuddle bug tonight, Eile. Not that I mind in the slightest.” Eile sighs at the jest. “I should be able to spend all my time here soon. Eunomia’s been working on a stronger wireless tether that would allow me to process the functions of the Eternity while also letting me stay here in my body.” She leans back as her body relaxes to the feeling of Anon’s fingers running through her fur. As she does, he reaches down and takes her hand in his. 

“Even if you had to go back to being a giant cube in the center of a spaceship, I’d still love you, you know.” Eile looks at him with a mischievous look. “So you’re an objectophile now? I didn’t know you were such a deviant.” Anon chuckles, drawing her closer to him and drawing out a pleasured mewl from Eile. “I wouldn’t say I’m that far gone yet. I’m not sexualizing the Vishnu now, am I? That being said, sometimes its core computer catches my eye. She’s got a very appealing shade of green.” Eile pushes him away playfully, making both of them laugh. Anon pumps one of his fists in a victorious gesture. 

“I’ve won this battle.” 

Eile looks at him quizzically. “Excuse me? What are you talking about, Anon?”

“I took it upon myself to keep you from feeling the burden that’s hanging on your shoulders. You’re doing so much for a whole lot of people now. I didn’t want you thinking about my current condition to add to that, so I wanted to make you smile.” Anon scratches the back of his head. “Yeah, I know it’s sappy. But whenever you cry it hurts me too.” 

“I don’t find that quality of you ‘sappy’, Anon. It’s sweet of you, you know? That kindness of yours is one of the reasons fell in love with you.” She breathes, smiling dreamily. “Never change that, ever.” Eile leans back onto him as they look out over the cityscape. Anon took a moment to savor this; a peaceful night with no fighting or worrying. Just a calm night spent with the person he loved. Eile seemed to agree as she began purring contentedly again.
 
“I wish…I wish we could just sit like this forever.” Eile’s voice was soft. She knew that eventually, she’d have to get up and travel back to the core of the Eternity and resume her duties. And even if Eunomia got the new wireless links working, she’d still be balancing a million different things. Anon’s home was here now, and hers in the Eternity. Unless she had a solid reason to be out here in a frontier colony away from the ship, people would question why a core system needed to leave the ship. Anon seemed to notice her ears falling as her mood dulled. 

“Aw c’mon, don’t get sad on me again, now.” Eile rubbed her cheek on his arm, tracing the black lines that ran down it with her eyes. “I’m not. There’s a lot on my mind nowadays. Sometimes I wish things were as simple as they were back then when I was just your co-pilot, adventuring around the city.” 

“It’s gonna be hard for you to see me now, right?” Eile was surprised at how quickly Anon picked up on what was bothering her without her even mentioning anything of the sort. “I was thinking about that earlier, what with you being a critical component of how things are run in the City. One of the ‘Three Es’ hanging out with an undead cyborg would make for some scandalous headlines, no?” 

“Hey! You’re not ‘undead’!” Eile looks at Anon, her puffed fur making it clear she took offense to that statement. “I made sure your body is in great shape! You’ve got enhanced muscle fibers, nanomachine-laced cells. I-I even bumped up your cranial processing abilities by at least 30% and…” 

“Shh.” Anon caresses her hair, running his hand down the back of her head and her back in slow, repeated strokes. “I was joking, kitten.” Her fur settles as she sighs. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped like that. It’s just…”

“Lots of things on your mind?”

“..Yeah.” She sits up, smoothing down the rest of her fur. Anon takes the time to admire her legs as she settles the fur on them with her hands. When she finishes, she stares out the window. “There is nothing else in this world that I want more than being able to stay here with you, Anon.” Raising her knees to her chest, she wraps her arms around them and rests her chin on her knees. “That’s the only thing I’d like.”

Anon sits up too, resting one hand on a propped-up knee and letting the other leg lie on the floor. “I don’t remember much of the time between us fighting together in the Vishnu and now. The Prana Modifer…being in there was like being trapped in a whirlpool. I don’t recall much of it, and I’m not sure if I really want to. But I think…I think I remember a voice, maybe two voices. They told me that…I needed to make you happy. To keep you safe. They wanted me to be with you so you wouldn’t walk alone.” He could feel his heart drum against his ribs. “I think I understood what they meant, and what I need to do right now.” 

The night was cool and calm. The stars were shining in the sky, filling it with a thousand pinpricks of light. None of them were as radiant as the woman sitting next to him. If there was ever a time to do this, it was now. He survived pilots out for his blood, machines out to tear him apart and even a reality-bending abomination against reality that wished him erased. None of them terrified him as the thoughts running through his mind. What if she said no? She wouldn’t, she couldn’t, right? But if she did…what then? No, he steeled himself, ignoring the rising stress level warnings flashing in his HUD as he disabled it.

Eile looks at Anon with a curious expression. “What are you saying, Anon?” She turns herself to face him, looking into his eyes with her own triangular ones. 

“I understand that we come from different times, different species, and different kinds of life.” He pauses, trying to piece together the words to say before they came out in a jumbled mess. “And to me, none of that matters. To them, you might be E-03, the mysterious 400-year-old administrative system that woke back up to rescue the city. But to me? You’re Eileithyia Isse, a beautiful woman with an incredible personality, who loves to laugh at my stupid jokes and watch silly shows with me at night. A woman who I loved to cruise around the city on my bike with, showing her sights and sounds that she forgot. A woman who I helped rediscover herself, and who stood by me in combat where our lives were at stake. Eile, I don’t want to just sit here in front of this window forever, like you wished. I want to be with you, to share your burdens and give you a shoulder to rest on when it seems everything is crashing down around you.” He pauses as Eile stands rigid. “I…when I was just a regular human I entertained these thoughts but I realized something. You will live on forever, while I was just a man who would be dead in the next sixty years, tops. But now? Old age isn’t something I’ll need to worry about.” 

Anon puts his hands in his pockets and walks toward Eile. He stops in front of her, brings them out of his pockets and clasps them around one of her hands. Her paw pads are soft, and the tips of her claws tickled the skin at his wrists. “Immortality is a lonely road to walk down, Eile. And I don’t want you to walk it alone. No matter what comes our way I want to be there by your side until the end of time. So, I want to ask you this…” Slowly he opens his palm, supporting her hand with the other. In the middle of both Eile and Anon’s hands was an onyx ring with a ribbon of inset emerald down its center. Eile let out a small gasp as she came to terms with what Anon was asking. 

“Eileithyia Isse…will you marry me?” Shakily, Anon takes the ring as Eile extends hers, equally shaking. Eile opens her mouth to speak, all her words caught in her throat as the ring fits perfectly around her finger. 

All is silent as Eile stares at Anon for a moment, closing her mouth. Then in a flash, she leaps at him, spring-boarding off the floor. With a grunt, Anon catches her tackle-embrace, his enhanced body bearing her weight without toppling backward. She wraps her legs around his waist and her arms behind his head, mashing her lips into his. Unlike the last kiss they shared, this one was passionate and full of life, a message conveying love and thankfulness in a rush of emotion. She could feel his tongue across her sharp fangs as she explored his mouth in turn. After several moments she eventually breaks away the kiss.

Anon carries her over to the sofa where the two collapse on each other, holding each other as they fall. Several more kisses are shared before Eile rests her forehead on Anon’s, allowing him to feel a curious sensation. “Do you feel that?” She whispers. “Those are the feelings I’m experiencing right now, sent directly to your own nervous system through data-link. If you can feel that then you know my answer…” she leans in for one last kiss. “Is yes. Yes, a thousand times, yes!” With a joyous laugh, Anon holds her close as she snuggles beneath his chin. Having expended their energy in the act of proposal and acceptance the two young lovers fall asleep, the only things existing in their world each other. 

--------------------------------
<Three Days Later>

“Wow, these are pretty neat.” Anon admires the hardcover books purchased from the market street. “Never thought I’d be reading from something that isn’t a screen.” He flips through several pages with a thumb, his HUD highlighting several phrases. 

Eile had insisted they go out to the town, she was extremely worried for him since he had just finished his first sortie as ZODIAC Ophiuchus. On starting up the RVR-MP Indra assigned to him, he felt a strange connection to the Artificial Prana Modifier installed within the machine. During the fight he had unintentionally activated it out of instinct, and while it provided a surge of power to his machine and to him it alarmed everyone at mission control. Calico, who he had learned was the ZODIAC Squadron’s chief health officer, gave him a verbal dressing down on using the artifact so soon after he was resurrected. His retinal HUD was locked to “active” for the remainder of the day to monitor any ill health effects and give Anon a visual readout of things in his body that he might otherwise disregard. 

Eile had decided that some time exploring Ayodhya would help out Anon de-stress, and also let her observer for herself if any adverse effects were being felt. To her relief, connecting to the data-link built into Anon’s body allowed her to see that there were no anomalous effects from the APM present. She kept herself close to her fiancé, their hands locked together. Anon had stopped by a store selling supplies from the Eternal City, and among one of the new arrivals were a set of physical books. He was entranced by the concept, where ink was used to stain pages permanently with text, rather than downloading a text file on a tablet and reading it there.
 
“Printing has been an art from Terran culture dating back millennia. Someone must’ve recovered the historical files for it and started their own press company.” Eile smiles. “It’s rather cute, I must say.” She picks up a bound book herself, reading the inner cover before keeping it on a wooden cubicle shelf Anon bought earlier. He’d finalized the decision to move out of his old hangar to this apartment in the frontier town, seeing as how the SPHERE base hosting his Indra unit was here. 

“Hey Eile, uh, this is your last night here before you need to head back, right?” As much as he didn’t want it to happen, Eile had to leave the apartment to head back to the Eternal City to rejoin with her larger core tower. “Yeah…but Eunomia says that the wireless tether should be ready to go by next week. They’re prepping some of the dorsal missile tubes to carry recoverable launch vehicles instead of Exo-Planetary Ballistic Missiles. The satellites are set to launch in five days.”

Anon nodded, sometimes it was hard to think about how many weapons were stored on board the colony ship. When he first read about it the sheer amount threw him off, but then after recalling what the ship had gone through in the past that awe left him. They weren’t for show, they only barely protected the vessel from world-ending enemies that successfully destroyed Eile's homeworld. 

“Anon? You okay?” Eile snapped Anon out of his strayed thoughts. “How does this look?” Eile proudly shows off the books, now sitting neatly in the bookshelf. “I also took it upon myself to move that lamp of your over here, next to the shelf. I’m thinking something else can go on the wall over here…” Anon chuckles, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Since when did one of your administrative functions include home décor?” She smirks back at him. “It got included when I realized you have no taste for interior design. And since this is my last day here, we might as well do this right.” Anon raises his free hand in a ‘you got me there’ gesture. 

“I guess we’ve got some work to do still.” For the next few hours, posters were hung and various household items were arranged neatly at Eile’s direction. Eventually, the sun had set once again casting twilight orange rays across the sky.

The apartment was finally decorated, and Anon celebrated by lounging on the couch as Eile snuggled up to him. Occasionally she’d hold the ring on her finger up to the ceiling LEDs allowing the emerald band to gleam in the light. “You like it?” Eile looks at Anon, her eyes glowing with admiration. “Like it? Anon, this ring is the most treasured thing you’ve given to me.” Eile lets out a small gasp as Anon strokes his hand down the front of her body, stopping at her navel. “Even more than these clothes that I bought you ages ago?” 
“Hmm, perhaps…” Eile purrs as a devious thought forms in her mind. She had been basking in their love, which was tender and pure, for the last few days. Now it was time to turn up the heat. For a brief moment she considered leaving things the way they were. A straying hand from Anon brushing against the base of her tail changed that. Given the motions of his fingers, he had clearly studied how female feline anatomy functioned as warmth began pooling in Eile’s lower waist. And a quick tap into Anon’s data-link confirmed that yes, he was doing this on purpose. ‘Well then, if he wants to play like that then I should return the favor,’ she thought to herself. She got to her feet suddenly, leaving Anon’s embrace. 

“Phew, it’s kinda warm in here tonight, don’t you think, Anon?” Casting him a smug sideways glance, she hooked the ends of her claws into the waistband of her red athletic shorts and loosened the waist so that they simply fell off. With a deft kick, the freed garment flew across the room into the corner. “Much better… say, how about something to watch?” Eile half-walked, half-sashayed to the shelf where the data drives were stored, basking in the fact that Anon’s gaze was intently locked on her thighs. 

“Ah, Eile, um…” Ah, there it was. Hidden from Anon’s view, the smirk on her face widened into a predatory smile as her feline “hunter instincts” began to take over. Slowly, deliberately she knelt down to her knees, stretching out her legs behind her as she leaned forward to “explore” the titles on the shelf. With a flick, she hiked her tail so that there was nothing obstructing Anon’s view of her lower regions. She heard a strangled gasp from behind her as the warmth between her legs began to grow. 

'I’m never going to get over this,' she mused to herself. 'Teasing him is just too much fun!'

Anon, meanwhile, was entranced by the show being presented to him. He knew exactly what Eile was doing, and was enjoying it immensely. The only problem was…

STATUS: HEART RATE RISING

The HUD was streaming every single change his body was going through as it reacted to a prime female presenting herself. 

CAUTION: LATERAL ORBITOFORONAL CORTEX IS SHOWING SIGNS OF DECREASING ACTIVITY. SWITCHING TO AUXILARY COMPUTATIONAL UNITS. INDICATE TO OVERRIDE NOW.

Absolutely not. There was a time and place to be a machine, and now was not that time. Anon silently signaled for the override in his mind. Right now he wanted his body to do the talking. Eile was taking her sweet time looking for something to watch, her raised tail swaying idly. “Ah, here we go! This looks good.” She slips the drive into the reader on the TV, and walks back to Anon, a knowing smirk on her lips the entire time. His gaze was firmly on the lower half of her body, from where her jacket ended to the claws on her feet. She felt empowered by this, having entrapped her male partner with her feminine charms. She walked deliberately, each step accentuating the curves of her legs and thighs. “Is something the matter Anon? You seem a little distant…” Anon was sitting up straight on the sofa, trying to figure out what to say. To Eile, it was adorable. She lowered herself into Anon’s lap, her bare fur brushing against his pants. Her eyes held a combination of lust and satisfaction as she turned her head to look back at Anon. “What’s the matter, cat got your tongue?” 

“I…yeah, you could say that.” Anon lowered his hands towards Eile’s waist, feeling the curves of her rear as she pressed it towards him. “Well, it looks like someone’s a bit eager, hmm?” In slow methodical motions she moves it, occasionally giving Anon a playful slap with her tail. “Let’s play a game, hmm?” She whispers to him, her words dripping with seductive flair. “Try to make me drag you to bed…or maybe you’ll beg me to do so before this show ends?” She purrs seductively as she slowly grinds her ass into Anon’s pelvis. 

Much to his relief, Anon found that his new body was reacting as any man’s would in this situation. From Eile’s little show from earlier, his member was already engorged and standing upright, the head peeking out from the waistband of his pants. Unfortunately, this presented itself with a very precarious situation; not only was it experiencing pressure from the pants' waistband, but Eile’s constant motion added a rush of stimulation to the exposed head. He could already feel his muscles becoming taught as his nerves, both natural and artificial, were firing off signals. He had to go on the offensive. 

Slowly, he slid his hands across her thighs appreciating the thick fur. Eile had taken it upon herself to grow out a winter coat just for the appearance, giving her an extra layer of fluffiness. She hummed pleasantly as he explored her legs with his hands. He gradually made his way to his target, finding his hands around the twin moist lips of Eile’s womanhood. Eile gave off a small desire-laden huff as he ran his hands between the ridges, taking care to not enter. His motions were gentle, softly teasing her by rubbing back and forth. Eile moaned as he then spread the lips apart, tugging at them to watch how she reacted. Occasionally, he’d swirl the small soft button just above them with his thumb, provoking impatient whines from his lynx partner. 

“H-hey now, that’s playing dirty…” Eile bit her lip as she felt the effects of Anon’s focused attack. Her body was arcing with heat and fire as Anon doubled his efforts, massaging one of her breasts. He was careful, feeling it through her jacket and denying her the full sensations that would come from running his hand on her bare fur. She closed her eyes and bit down on her lip harder, her grinding motions slowing down. “A-Anon…aah…” 

Anon realized that her mental formation had broken. If there ever was a time to perform a tactical strike, it was now. Perhaps Eile hadn't realized it yet, but he had taken it upon himself to study the biology of feline Faunae. His hypothesis regarding Eile’s body and how close it was to a true biological one had been on point thus far, given her reaction to him feeling the base of her tail. That was just one weak spot, from the biology files he read Anon knew that there was another at the base of her neck. And right now, Eile’s head was leaning to one side as she was focused entirely in the sensations he was giving to her. 

“Eile?” Anon leaned down to whisper in her ear. “This…is payback.” And with that, he plunged two fingers into her while gently nibbling at her neckline. Eile let out a sharp gasp, followed by a soft, high-pitched squeak. Her back arched as Anon felt a warm, sticky sensation envelop his fingers. Eile collapsed against him, still in the throngs of pleasure. Filled with a sense of pride, Anon led her down the slope of her orgasmic high with a kiss on the cheek. “So, I guess I win, huh?” 

Eile breathes for a few seconds, regaining her composure. “A…Anon…” She mumbles, still in a heap on his lap. “Hm?” As Anon waits for a response, a new sensation is apparent to him: the pokes of a claw on his right thigh. He looks down and sees Eile bracing herself against him as she shakily gets up to her feet, a thin trail of transparent, semi-viscous liquid slowly dripping from between her legs. As she stands up, she casts a longing look behind her shoulder, each breath she drew highlighting her now inflamed desire for her partner. “Anon…bedroom…now…” 

She tugged on Anon’s wrist, begging him to follow without saying a word. How was he to deny her what she wanted? “Alright, your wish is my command.” 

Summoning some of his newfound strength, he lifts Eile up in a bridal carry with relative ease. Eile melts in his arms, softly mewling while kneading at his shirt. A gentle ear rub sent her to a new level of heaven, resulting in her clutching the shirt as she inhaled Anon’s scent. He smelled lightly of ozone but also soft leather, a duality between sterile circuitry and living flesh. Something in between two worlds, not fitting in either. 

Just like her. Someone just like her, all to herself. She purred at the thought as she clung onto Anon’s shirt. 

Slowly, Anon made his way to the bed, lowering Eile onto the sheets. He reached for her jacket’s zipper, taking his time to slowly unwrap her from the garment. With a shrug, the jacket comes off, leaving him to gaze upon the nude form of his fiancée. “You look awestruck,” Eile teased. 

“That’s because I am, love.” Eile got to her knees, placing a hand on his crotch. “It looks like someone is a little restrained right now…” She does to Anon what he did to her, taking off his shirt and undoing the buckle of his belt to let his stiff member spring free inches from her face. She closed her eyes and leaned forward to get a taste when she stops. 

“Uh, everything alright?” Anon was slightly confused at the hesitation, having braced himself for the sensations that were now denied. Eile looks up at him with a self-conscious expression.  

“I, uh, wanna try something. It’s…” She blushes a light shade of green. “It’s a little…different.” She slides off the bed to her feet and walks over to a pile of polymer rope on the floor, previously used to bind one of the moving boxes together. “Can you…tie me up with this?” 

This was unexplored territory for Anon, dumbstruck as he tried to find a good response. “I, hm, okay. How are we gonna, uh, do this? I don’t really have much experience in this kinda stuff.” 

“W-well, neither do I…” Eile shyly admits. “I just read about it on some blogs I found while I explored the CityNet. I thought it might, you know, ‘spice things up’?” Eile looked down, her blush a bit more prominent. Anon gave a silent thanks to whoever thought it was a good idea to make her nanite fur discolor in reaction to embarrassment, because he falling in love all over again with how adorable she was acting. Seeing her flustered melted his heart, and reinforced his hard-on. 

URGE TO MATE: RISING

Damn the retinal HUD. He didn’t need a play-by-play of his body to know how he felt right now. Besides, he had bigger things to focus on at the moment.

“So, I have to tie you up?” Eile nodded bashfully. “You have to tie me in a way where I’m immobilized…and in your control.” She begins to pant, feeling of excitement at venturing into unexplored territory as that addicting, electric heat began to pool in the place between her legs. “It’s like an art, you know. The way you tie me, the speed at which you bind me, what…” she gulps. “What you do with me afterward…hah…” Her eyes lose focus as she gets lost in her imagination, her processors generating infinite scenarios for her and Anon and all of them bringing her to an edge. 

Anon feels a light buzzing at the base of his skull, blinking as he finds new knowledge popping into his head from nowhere. Along with the newfound data, he also felt…very excited to a near excruciating level. His rod twitched with need from the emotions alone. 

“Data transfer…h-hah…complete. You got that, Anon?” Eile asked, clearly in need. The fur around her nether lips was slicked and sicky, making them clearly visible as they dripped with anticipation. “Yeah, I think I do now.” Closing his eyes, he was able to visualize, step-by-step, what Eile wanted him to do. “All right, Ms. Isse. If you would.” He holds out his hand,  and a trembling Eile hands him the rope. 

The process was slow and deliberate. Eile shivered as the Anon carefully laced her with the rope, feeling the sensation of it coiling around her. She whimpered meekly as Anon slowly wove it between her thighs, each coil rubbing against her maidenhood and stimulating it to the point here she had to manually lock her legs in position to prevent her from collapsing in pleasure. Even that nearly failed as the rope was wound around the base of her tail, rubbing the sensitive spot there as it moved. It certainly didn’t help that she silently decided to increase the level of sensitivity that her nanite cells felt. Every nanomachine in contact with the rope acted as its own nerve, creating a network of pleasure centers routing directly into her cranial unit. The stimulation only grew as he wound the rope around her breasts, eliciting stifled moans as the ropes were pulled tight and requiring all of the computational power at her disposal just to remain conscious. 

“Okay, this is the last step here. I need to wind this around your neck. Are you doing alright?” Even when his concentration was on the ropes, Anon noticed the way Eile was reacting. Her eyes were half-closed, her head was leaning down, and she was biting down on her lower lip, a single fang poking out. While he was following the steps to the letter, Anon was worried that he was causing Eile discomfort by doing this. The moment he paused though, she looked up at him with a dreamy expression. “Go…go ahead. I’m ready.” 
“Alright then. Last step.” Anon kissed her on the cheek, causing Eile to giggle. He drew the knot just above her cleavage, the lodestone in an intricate nylon cage. “How is it?” 

“It’s different. Not being able to move freely is honestly…thrilling.” She closed her eyes and attempted to move around. She could easily snap the rope if she wanted to, its tensile strength was extremely low. But for the sake of the act of bondage, she found herself only able to rotate her shoulders slightly. 

Lovingly, she looked at Anon. He was still inspecting the knots he’d made, making sure they weren’t tangling in her fur or were too tight. ‘Even now, he’s still looking after me,’ she smiled as she thought to herself. Moving her eyes downward however, she noted that his rod was standing at full mast and twitching with need. Despite being confronted with his own desires, Anon had put her pleasure in front of his own. That simple realization only swelled Eile’s desire to relieve him of that pent-up tension. 

“Anon?” She softly cooed, drawing his attention from the ropes to her gaze. “I’m yours tonight, Anon. Let me help you in the ways only a lover can. Let’s begin with…what you want to do most.” Wordlessly, Anon gave a tug at the ropes near her breasts pulling them down. Eile followed the command, placing one knee on the bed to steady herself as she leaned forward to be eye-level with the head of Anon’s member. Understanding immediately that he wished to resume what was left hanging a few minutes earlier, she smiled. She looked up into Anon’s eyes and gave him a loving gaze before fixing her eyes on the target. 

She opened her mouth wide, ready to engulf it. She heard Anon draw a sharp, anticipating breath when she stopped, closed her mouth and gave it a gentle kiss. Eile winked at Anon, she had to get one last tease in. With that, she slowly took it into her lips, inching forward slowly. Aware that her feline tongue would have caused him discomfort, she reformatted it to be smooth and as silky as velvet. She rolled his throbbing manhood around on her tongue for a few moments, savoring the taste. In turn, Anon reached down and began rubbing one of her ears as repayment for her actions. Rolling her tongue around it one last time she began to draw back just as slowly. When it was just about to exit her muzzle she moved forward once again, repeating the motion over and over again. It wasn’t all her either, Anon had moved his other hand to the side of her face, and eventually she found herself being pushed and pulled by him without having to move herself. 

“Aah, man…Eile…mmh.” Anon quietly moaned; the sensations of Eile’s mouth were wet, warm and slightly ticklish. Occasionally she’d use her front teeth, closing her jaws just enough so that the roofs of her frontal incisors and the sides of her fangs created a tight and ridged gap. He drew a strangled gasp as he brought Eile towards him, closer and closer still. His eyes were closed when he felt a strange sensation. Looking down he realized that the tip of Eile’s nose had met his pelvis, his manhood completely engulfed by feline muzzle. Eile seemed fine with taking it that deeply, working it between her tongue and the roof of her mouth. “Tch, I…wow…” His chest was getting tighter as he felt that familiar pressure building up. But this wasn’t the way he wanted to have it end tonight. With gentle force, he directed Eile back and off him as she gave off a slightly disappointed growl. 

“Anon, what’s wro-” He shushed her with a finger placed at her lips before leaning down to look her in the eyes.

“Eile, you’ve given me a lot right now. So let me do something for you.” He reached down to the rope around her crotch, where he could feel her need as it dripped around his fingers. 

“Being able to do this with you…hah…it is enough, Anon.” Eile panted, clearly wanting to see her partner relieved first. In response, Anon simply rubbed the fluff of her cheek as she leaned her head into his hand. “Believe me, there’s nothing I’d like more than a quick release right now. But as tempting as that is, I think you deserve a turn for being brought to the edge.” 

“I see…so then…” Eile leans back, sprawling on the bed as Anon spread apart the ropes covering her womanhood. He marveled at it, taking in the delicate lime-green slit as it twitched at his touch. 

Eile was on cloud nine, her feelings elevated by a mix of gratitude, ecstasy and desire. She had intended to finish Anon off with her mouth, but as always he wanted to ensure that they both reached the same level of satisfaction this night. He could see how hungrily he was eyeing her entrance, and how much control she had over him in that moment despite being the one still tied up. “Come into me Anon…” she breathed. “I am yours.” 

Anon positioned himself, kneeling on the mattress between Eile’s legs. He lowered himself above her, his rod like a battering ram at the ready. Eile drew a breath as he pushed forward, her tight feline womanhood providing a noticeable degree of resistance despite being thoroughly soaked. Methodically, Anon rocked himself back and forth, in and out making gradual progress deeper into her taking care not to force the journey. 

Eile took in the sensations of Anon’s ministrations, feeling full then empty then full again. Each foray pushing apart her walls more and more to accommodate her lover. Anon, meanwhile, had a pilot’s focus on the task at hand. He did his best to ignore the bumps and ridges of her insides as they fondled and squeezed his shaft, the gentle warmth of it all as it wrapped around him, and perhaps most titillating of all the panting moans of his partner as he pushed deeper and deeper. Eventually, he found himself at a position which gave him the opening he was looking for. 

Eile struggled against the sensations rocking her body. She wanted to grip onto the bedsheets to anchor herself and look her love in the eyes. But with her arms bound behind her back, she was helpless to her pleasures as they caused her to spasm in ecstasy. Her eyes were closed, her mouth slightly open allowing her voice to come out as pleasured, squealing moans. Then, all of a sudden he stopped. She tried to open her eyes to see why, only managing to open one as his still-twitching member provided stimulation within her. “An…Anon…whaaa…”

He felt his arms wrap around her body, holding onto her own bound ones behind her. “One last push, Eile,” he whispered into her ear. “Are you ready?” 

“Ready…?” Eile tried to process what he meant by that, most of her processes overloaded from trying to parse the feelings running through her nerves. 

“I want you…to sing for me.” With that, he drove the last inch into her, their hips meeting with a wet slap. For Eile, it was as if lightning had just divided her in two as she arced her spine in response. Her vision went white as Anon kept up the attack, thrusting in and out of her at a rapid pace. Gone was the gentle, almost mechanical movement of before. It was now replaced by something organic, something primal. A male who wished with all his heart to plant his seeds into his mate, and a mate who wished to be bred. 

“Haah…Anon…more!” Eile cried out. “That’s right! Sing for me!” Anon grunted between gritted teeth. His HUD was a mess of data and scrambled numbers as the animal within took the reins from the circuitry binding him. The sheets became stained slick as the only noises made were grunts, moans, and the sound of skin on fur. 

“I-I missed you…” Eile shouted to the ceiling, her emotions pouring forth like a broken dam. “I missed you so much, I missed you…I love you…I love you…I LOVE YOU, ANON!” In response, Anon tightened his embrace on her. “We’ll never, mmph, we’ll never be apart again! Never, Eile! I’ll always be here, right here! For YOU!” Anon put his head down, his lips hungrily searching for hers. Finding them, the animal inside him was pleased to feel that his female felt the same hunger as she passionately kissed back, their tongues running over and colliding with one another in a frenzied dance. 

Anon’s impacts became more forceful, more determined to go as deep as possible as he felt that final inevitability approach. In the silent language of bodies, Eile realized what this meant as she too saw that final precipice approaching, the last strands of her grip on reality about to fray from the passion of lovemaking. Their lips broke apart as Anon instead focused on the spot at her neck, racing to do what he could to ensure she went over the edge before he did. He bit down, a bit harder than before, tasting the surprisingly metallic flavor of Eile’s fur. As his jaws clamped down, pinching the nerve Eile felt herself beginning to sink. “Ah…An~uhnn…” Her eyes were unfocused as she stared down the precipice, hanging on with her fingertips. Her walls tightened like a vice as Anon drove his stake as far backwards as possible. The fuse for him was lit, only precious seconds remained before he crossed over as well. He was down to his last bullet, and he had it aimed right at her heart. 

“Eile! Cum for me!”  And with that, the hammer struck the bullet as he plunged forward, pushing aside her closing pathway until his hips were jammed into hers. He buried himself into her shoulder, squishing her on all sides with his body as he drove her into the mattress. He could barely hear her scream in release as her orgasm rocked her, his own turning his vision into fireworks as his seed shot deep within her. Her scream slowly dwindled into a winding moan as he twitched on her, his last few drops wrung out within her. 

Then, there was a quiet silence, the two lovers descending from their respective highs. Eile was the first to regain her composure, her focus returning as she gazed at the face of her beloved next to her. Too close for a sideways kiss, she instead lovingly nuzzled him. “That was…incredible. Thank you, Anon.” Slowly, he let go of her and propped himself up with his elbows. “I’m glad you enjoyed that.” Once again their lips met, this time gently and full of contentment. 

“I guess we need to get you out of that, huh?” Anon gestured to the ropes. “Oh? No, I got this. Just make sure you aren’t near my claws.” Anon heard a high-pitched whine as Eile activated her ability to rapidly oscillate her claws, each one becoming a high-frequency blade. With a slight flex, the ropes around her arms and back shredded off allowing Anon to lift the whole rigging and toss it aside. Eile craned her neck and rotated her arms, now unshackled once again. 

“One last thing to do now. Hold still, kitten.” Eile gave off a light squeal as Anon drew himself out of her, a thin trail of white dangling between them.

Exhausted, Anon flopped next to his bride-to-be as she gently stroked his arm. Eile herself noted that she had spent a considerable amount of energy throughout the process of lovemaking, not to mention processing the petabytes of sensorial information coming from all over her body. While the readout in her HUD stated that she had at least fourteen more hours of caloric energy stored, her mind was spent and needed rest. And what better way to do that than beside her beloved? 

Eile cooed as she drew herself into Anon’s chest, resting her cheek next to the plate which concealed his soul fragment. As she closed her eyes to rest, she heard a curious sound coming from above her.

“Pfft…heh. Heh heh heh!” Anon chuckled, puzzling Eile. “What’s up?”
 
“Oh, nothing. Just…I’m glad that ‘it’ still works. As a man, I was kinda worried about that, you know?” 

“Oh, for crying out loud.” Eile playfully head-butted his chest. “Are you really going to say something like that and ruin this moment?”  She huffed, giving him a sly smile. “Besides, I paid *extra* attention to that bit of you when I designed your body. It is one of my…favorite things about you, you know.” She licked her lips. 

Anon chuckled, leaning down and burying his face in her hair. “You are one lewd, lewd android, you know that? First the maid outfit, now the ropes…” 

“Well, I did modify this body's initial design in response to a fertility crisis…I just didn't realize back then how fun procreation could be when it’s with the one you love.” She fell quiet after realizing what she said. Anon picked up on the change in her mood immediately. 

“Hey, kitten. You okay?” 

“I...can do it, Anon.” She quietly whispered, looking him in the eyes. Something in that moment stole his breath, something earnest and pure behind those beautiful emerald eyes. “I can do it. I could activate my artificial womb, right here and now. Think about it, a child of our very own. We could truly be a family. You, me, and our own child. A child of two worlds.” Her voice was wistful, yearning even as she awaited an answer.

The realization of what she was asking hit him like a RAVEN tipping over. As E-03, her primary directives were not just to oversee the well-being of the ship’s occupants, but to command the artificial gestation system. A system meant to grow bodies that would host the Prana of the lost souls from the Dwarka colony, safely tucked away in the Prana Modifiers. As a system, she would play “mother” to an entire generation of crew members. As his fiancée, she wanted to be the mother to their child. As he looked into her eyes he could see deep seated desire, partly out of programming and partly due to her own wish and love for him. 

At that moment, he visualized a potential future for them. Him, her, and a small lynx cub. In his mind he could see the three of them huddled around the TV watching a fight between fictional mechs, his arm around her as she cradled their child cradled in her arms. It was a tantalizing future. Then he was back staring into her eyes as she waited for an answer.
 
He smiled, closing his eyes and shaking his head. Eile’s ears drooped sadly. “N-no? But why not?” He kissed her forehead gem to calm her. 

“Believe me when I say this, but I look forward to the day I can be a father to your children. But the way everything is right now, it’s just not right to bring a kid into the world. Joshua and I are still fighting to protect everyone, and you know those attacks are increasing. The Messiah is still alive and probably freeing itself again, getting stronger day after day. As long as it’s out there…” He brings one of his hands to the front of her waist just below her stomach, rubbing her fur gently. “Then it’s not safe for our kid. Once we put that thing back where it came from I promise you that I will give you a child. And we’ll be the best damn parents this planet has ever seen, you have my word.” 

“I’ll hold you to that, then.” She whispered back. All Anon could think about in that moment was how beautiful she looked, draped in the moonlight coming in from the open window. The two lovers held each other close as they embraced the comforting darkness of sleep, ready to face the future hand-in-hand. 

The city lights were brightly shining. Dangerous beasts still prowled the wilderness. And on the horizon, something ill-defined by reality was plotting. But together, they will brave the storms. 

And fight for the future they deserve. 

END OF B-SIDE.
MECHANIZED MEMORIES 1.5 – EPILOGUE: EILE FINISHED PLAYBACK. 
MORE DISKS DETECTED. BEGIN PLAYBACK?
Y/N