Kevin followed in tow, almost enchanted by her. It felt good to be treated as a human for a change. Cassandra didn't view him as a weapon designed to counter the machines. In her eyes, he was just the most charming young boy she'd ever met.
Leading Kevin across the bridge, she stopped in front of a massive glass structure with a roof made of rectangular glass panels attached to one another, and 4 glass walls supported by a framework of thin metal beams.
Inside this protected space were several different kinds of plants and trees, ranging from fruit-bearing ones to flowering plants.
"This is our little orchard in a jar," Cassandra announced, gesturing towards the glass dome. "This is one of the 3 greenhouses in the Residential district. The others are used for growing food crops."
"Don't these plants need sunlight to grow?" Kevin asked.
"We may be living underground, but we do have our very own sun." Cassandra pointed her right index finger at something inside the greenhouse. "It's almost time. Just keep your eyes open."
Kevin followed her finger and fixed his gaze in the pointed direction. A circular panel opened on the greenhouse floor and a glass sphere popped out. It floated up, rising to the highest point, almost touching the glass ceiling.
Cassandra was forced to shield her eyes with the back of her palm as the glass sphere suddenly started glowing brightly and illuminated the entire greenhouse, flooding it with intense white light. After a few seconds, the intensity of the light decreased and the chamber filled with a soothing warm glow.
"That's our prototype artificial sun—Helios 3.1." Cassandra smiled with satisfaction. "I designed it myself about a year ago. Never thought it would be put to use so soon."
"Wow, you must be a real genius to have designed something like that," Kevin gasped in surprise.
Cassandra had already taken a liking to the cyborg boy and now hearing her praise from his mouth, made her even happier. "Maybe I'll give you a tour of my lab soon. I might have something interesting for you," she added with a wink.
They walked across the agricultural sector, passing the two other greenhouses on their path. Each of them had its own automatic temperature control, internal irrigation channels, and fungicide dispersal systems. Kevin marveled at the arrangement. It no longer looked like they were inside a subway.
"How did you build all this inside a subway?" Kevin asked.
"The old subway was just a network of tunnels for trains to pass through, but our chief architect Brant Harris remodeled the old subway system, making space for all the basic necessities. The security station tunnels weren't modified too much, but the rest of it is almost unrecognizable," Cassandra explained, clamping her fingers firmly among Kevin's.
Holding hands with a ravishing blonde beauty almost twice his age felt almost like a dream. If he still had a human heart he was certain it would have jumped out of his mouth by now. Though he was trying hard not to say something awkward, he felt he would end up making a fool of himself sooner or later.
Cassandra was nothing like the other researchers who used to work there. Hell, she didn't even wear a lab coat. Although Dr. Stacey also had a carefree nature, Cassandra was something else. She had a natural feminine charm, but she wasn't just a pretty face. She was intelligent, calm, and collected and seemed to know exactly what she was doing.
"Subsection D-1 to D-3 makes up the security tunnel. The living quarters run from C-1 to C-3 on the other platform. And the one we're currently on is part of the agricultural zone, consisting of food production, storage, and processing facilities. It stretches from B-1 to B-3," Cassandra explained as they walked past the various storage stations and the main distribution hub.
Busy workers wearing rugged old clothes were jogging across the platform, carrying crates and farming implements. Though most of the cultivation was automated, the process of harvesting crops and picking fruits was still done manually.
More than a few onlookers were staring at the odd couple, but Cassandra didn't seem to mind their gazes. She was happy to show off her new arm candy. Kevin, on the other hand, was starting to feel nervous. He'd rather be back out there fighting the machines than being stared at by a bunch of complete strangers.
To relax himself, Kevin decided to change his focus. "You still didn't tell me about the Omni-storage device. What exactly does it do?" he asked, without looking at her.
Cassandra slowed down a bit and replied, "That device is another of my prototypes. As the name suggests it is a storage unit. Whatever you find on the surface can be safely stored by clicking on the Omni-storage device. Just point at whatever you want to carry with you and it will be sucked into a 5D storage pocket."
"So, it's like that server room outside the software lab?"
"A bit," Cassandra replied, hesitantly. "Well, you see that server room is a large-scale working model of a 5D space pocket while mine is just a prototype. Making these things portable is a real challenge and...ahem...there are a few minor problems with this device."
That did not sound too good. Kevin never really liked the word, 'prototype,' since these devices were still in the testing phase, and now he was carrying an advanced storage device that had some major flaws.
"What exactly are its minor problems?" Kevin asked, awkwardly.
"Oh, nothing big. You only have to make sure the item you want to store inside is fixed in place before pressing the clicker on top." Cassandra hesitated for a while, not sure whether to add the extra detail, and then finally continued. "To retrieve the items stored inside you have to flip it over, turn a dial in the middle, and click again. This is kind of the problematic part. Sometimes the items stored inside are ripped apart due to the spatial and dimensional distortions. So, be careful that you don't store something too valuable inside."
"I'll keep that in mind. How many items can it store?"
"Infinite, I suppose," Cassandra shrugged. "But I actually stopped counting after 2 million. It was getting pretty boring."
Kevin was quite excited about using this device, but he thought it best not to pull off any tricks inside the Residential District. He knew with his luck he'd probably end up creating a huge mess.
"You're gonna lose it if you just keep carrying it around in your hand," Cassandra remarked, distracting Kevin from his thoughts.
"I don't have any backpack or pocket," Kevin replied.
Cassandra smiled and added, "You don't need a pocket or backpack. You're an advanced cyborg. Just put it inside your gadget storage slot."
Kevin now realized what that gadget storage upgrade was for. He quickly used his voice command to open the exoskeleton upgrade menu and selected the desired upgrade.
// Upgrade successful!
New gadget storage slot added! //
"Access gadget storage slot."
In response to Kevin's voice command, a tiny tray extended from his left wrist. Kevin carefully placed the Omni-storage device inside it, and it automatically pulled it in place. As the tray slid back inside his wrist, a new notification popped up.
// New gadget acquired!
Omni-storage device added! //
Kevin was starting to like his cyborg body now. It certainly had its share of cool features.
When they reached the first bend in the platform, Cassandra stopped in front of the narrow passageway. She turned to Kevin and smiled. "No date is complete without some shopping." Darting her eyes to her left, she added, "This passage leads to the main market. You will find all sorts of shops there and there are even a couple of retro-themed restaurants."
"I...can't eat," Kevin replied with a downcast face. "I don't have the required human...organs."
"We can go to the movies then. I'm sure they'll have something good playing on the weekends," Cassandra replied plainly.
Kevin's face brightened up at the mention of movies. He had really developed a strange liking for Cassandra. She didn't mind him being a cyborg and didn't make a big issue out of his human failings.
Though his heart yearned for a normal life, he couldn't just forget everything that had happened to him.
"I'm sorry; I might not be able to join you. I mean...you are an amazing woman. Guys would probably be willing to kill each other for you, but I...just can't. I need to take care of things," Kevin sighed.
Cassandra gently cupped Kevin's face in her palms and whispered, "You want to visit the surface, isn't it?"
It was like she had read his mind. Kevin stared at her dumbfounded.
"The surface is a dangerous place, Kevin. I know these people all want you to fight the machines and lead the resistance against the android, but trust me when I say this: not all of them have good intentions. Many of them here just want to see you fail. Some envy you for who you are and the others fear you for who you might become. Be very mindful of who you choose to trust."
Kevin lowered his gaze and asked softly, "What about you?"
Cassandra pulled her hands down from his cheek and placed them on his chest. "I'm one of the few who actually cares for you. And I'll do anything to keep you safe."
"But why? You barely even know me. We've barely spent an hour together." Tears came unbidden to Kevin's eyes as he tried to speak. "And I'm just an immature schoolboy in a cyborg body."
"Suzy has told me a lot about you. And I've seen all your core memories," Cassandra replied. "I was the one who helped sync your brain with the cybernetic interface. I think I know you better than your best friend. I've practically lived with you for 3 months."
This sudden revelation explained a lot about Cassandra's behavior towards Kevin. But it was still unclear why she'd grow so fond of him so quickly, despite their many differences. Kevin wanted to ask her more questions, but she swiftly changed the topic.
"You said you wanted to visit the surface, right? I will help you sneak out of here, but you have to return within 2 hours."
Kevin agreed at once. He was desperate to see how things were outside and what remained of humanity.
Cassandra put her arms around Kevin and whispered in his ear, "Meet me tomorrow at midnight at subsection A-3, outside the gaming arcade. And make sure you're not followed."