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After escorting my unusual client to the exit, I returned to shut down all the equipment and activate the turret security system for the workshop. Kiwi had been sitting idle for about an hour, continuing her research on my DNA. She had made significant progress, and there was a chance she'd be able to create a serum based on my blood that was less demanding than the samples I had already recreated. Unfortunately, for now, it could only be successfully administered to children under the age of fourteen. The adult body simply couldn't handle the intense genetic changes, often succumbing during the transformation process.
"Are you done?" The blonde asked, looking bored as she glanced up at me, making no move to get up from her seat.
"Yeah, we can wrap things up. It's been a long day, and I'm mentally drained." I collapsed onto the couch in her office, squinting in satisfaction at the comfort.
"So, home?" Kiwi asked, joining me on the couch a few seconds later.
"Yep," I replied, in my usual manner, hearing her dismissive snort in response.
"Carry me, big turtle," she teased, extending her arms toward me as soon as I stood up from the couch.
"What's wrong with using your legs?" I half-turned to the white-haired beauty.
"Are you really going to deny me?" she asked softly, adding a pleading note to her gaze.
"Who's going to carry me?" I sighed, rolling my eyes as I approached the cheeky brat who never missed a chance to make me carry her — quite literally.
Locking up the workshop, our duo made its way toward the elevator. By now, people had grown used to our unusual dynamic and barely gave us a second glance, aside from the occasional curious observer. Along the way, we ran into a few familiar faces. Some were past clients we'd helped, while others ran their own businesses in the tower. Our workshop had become a kind of lifeline in the megatower — a place where people could get timely and high-quality assistance. Ripperdoc services were notoriously expensive for obvious reasons, as were the services of a good technician. We, however, set our prices much lower than the market rate, and even so, our workshop was covering its expenses within just a week of operation.
"It's still weird seeing so many people at once," Kiwi's quiet voice came from behind me.
"Yeah, I get that," I nodded instinctively, taking slow steps toward the elevator. "But it's not so bad here. Better than I initially expected, anyway."
"Yeah," she muttered, pressing closer to me as we walked.
Even as I approached the elevator, Kiwi showed no signs of getting off my shoulders. I had no choice but to enter the elevator with her still perched there. Luckily, the ceiling was high enough to accommodate us without any trouble. Once we reached our floor, my eyes immediately caught sight of two familiar figures walking around with their cyber-pets.
"Looks like they're not wasting any time," I remarked with a smile, watching the girls in the distance.
The floor was safe enough, so I had no concerns about anything happening to my adopted daughters. At this point, I couldn't even think of calling them anything else. Kiwi had long since taken to the girls in the way a true mother would, and it was clear they saw her the same way.
"Let them have their fun," the blonde waved dismissively, finally sliding off my shoulders. It hadn't been heavy for me, but carrying someone on your shoulders for too long was still inconvenient.
***
After dinner, I retreated to the room I'd repurposed as a small workshop, ready to continue designing my future suit. With the materials I'd ordered from Wakako, I could easily create a suit of armor that was not only durable but also incredibly mobile. I'd need a powerful suit soon to begin expanding my influence in the city. My previous designs, completed over a year ago, had performed decently enough, but that was no longer sufficient. I needed to surpass everyone else by a mile — or even more — if I wanted to succeed in the events that were rapidly approaching. Stealing Vega and destroying that lab set off a chain of events that hadn't slowed things down; if anything, they had accelerated the coming war.
On top of that, the AIs had taken a keen interest in the looming conflict. Rach and I suspected their primary goal was to carve out a zone independent of "Big Brother," where they could continue their experiments on consciousness. Unfortunately, the remaining three AIs had gone underground for now, but we knew that wouldn't last long.
"What do you think, Vega? Will this be enough to make a real statement?" I asked, pointing at the hologram of my upcoming inventions.
"Insufficient data to answer the question," Vega's voice responded from the computer speakers.
"Figures. I expected as much." I sighed deeply, picking up the helmet resting on the stand. I had just enough of the right materials to create this piece of the future armor. "As a kid, I used to dream of something like this." I detached the faceplate and set it aside. "And now, years later, I'm the one making what I once only fantasized about."
"What do you mean, Alex?" my assistant asked, trying to understand the meaning behind my words.
"It's simple... You can achieve anything if you put in the effort," I said, gazing at the results of my work. "It's just a shame it took me so many years to realize such a basic truth."
"Your physical age contrasts with the psychological behavior patterns I've studied. I find myself confused again, Alex. Based on your age, such thoughts usually emerge in people who've lived more than half of their expected lifespan," Vega remarked, projecting her holographic form into the center of the room.
"Maybe I'm special." I smiled, slipping the helmet on and giving the puzzled AI a playful wink.
Vega froze for a moment, giving me a bit of space to collect myself. I often found myself wanting to vent, but an AI isn't exactly the best listener for these kinds of conversations. More likely, she'd interpret my confession as the ramblings of a madman and hand me over to Kiwi's care, rather than believe what I was saying. I wouldn't blame her. If someone told me they were a visitor from another world, now living a second life, I wouldn't believe them either. Maybe the problem lies with me, but right now, I'm just not ready to reveal the truth to those close to me.
"Alex," Vega's voice broke through her thoughtful pause, catching my attention. "I want to have a body." She waited patiently for my response after making the request.
"So, you're finally on board with the Gemini project?" I asked, my gaze shifting to her, studying her rather unique expressions.
"Yes," her avatar nodded in agreement.
"With your help, I can build it in about two weeks, but I'll need to develop a new reactor and backup power sources. We'll also have to run a lot of tests with Kiwi, using her as a donor to fine-tune the sensory systems, including those that mimic human senses."
"Thank you, Alex," Vega said with a surprisingly warm smile.
"First things first, we need to decide on the foundation for your appearance. Do you have any preferences?"
"Logically, it would be easier to create a human-like platform that closely resembles Kiwi."
"True, that way we won't waste extra time calibrating or adjusting to a shifted center of gravity." I started sketching a few designs in the virtual simulator, using old data I had from modeling Kiwi's body.
When I created the "Icarus" suit, I used Kiwi's body as the baseline, and now those files came in handy again. After a few minutes of working on the future design, I finally produced a platform that looked similar to her. In the end, I couldn't resist and dressed the model in an unusual black dress.
"What do you think?" I asked, awaiting my synthetic assistant's final judgment.
"The appearance of this platform is 87% identical to Miss Engel. The analysis shows that this platform could be presented as a close relative of Kiwi."
"Well, I did my best," I said, grinning at what felt like a compliment.
"Al, are you busy?" Kiwi's voice came softly from behind the door as she entered. "She looks a lot like me," she observed with curiosity, her eyes immediately catching the resemblance between the projected model and herself.
"I'm designing a future platform for Vega. I plan to use your sensory imprint as the foundation for the Gemini project. Are you okay with that?"
"Of course, I'd be happy if I had a sister," Kiwi said unexpectedly, making me pause in surprise.
I mean, I expected her to agree, but this quickly? And to call Vega her sister, just like that? They're definitely keeping something from me. Strange — really strange. But then again, everyone's entitled to their secrets, and I'm not about to start prying. That wouldn't be right.
"Well, okay then. Honestly, I was expecting a different reaction, but I'm glad you're so on board with our plan." I pulled Kiwi onto my lap, holding her firmly around the waist. "It's going to be tricky to legalize Vega in our society, but I'll figure something out. Worst case, I'll ask Wakako for help. I don't want to rely on her too often, but it's unavoidable at this point."
"You've always found the right answer, and you'll manage this time too," Kiwi said, leaning her head on my shoulder, amusement twinkling in her eyes as she looked at my face.
"Miss, you're treading on dangerous ground," I hinted with a smirk.
"Maybe that's exactly what I want?" she shot back provocatively.
"Alex, I cannot provide an analysis for this type of behavior between individuals of different genders. Could you clarify?" Vega's unexpected voice broke the tension, snapping us back to reality.
"Kiwi will explain it to you later," I cleared my throat, struggling to hold back laughter. Vega sure knows how to kill a moment, but we'll definitely make up for this interruption later.
"Throwing it all on my delicate shoulders, are we?" Kiwi pouted, lightly punching me in the side. Not that it mattered — my body is tough enough that it's not worth hitting.
"I'll make it up to you later," I said, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead before lowering her back to the ground.
"I'll be waiting," she murmured, giving me a final hug before heading to the door.
"Vega, in moments like these, it's important to be tactful. Personal relationships are an intimate subject, and questions should be asked afterward — preferably an hour or two later," I gently explained to my curious AI, trying to handle the situation with care.
"Apologies, I didn't account for the key factor of intimate proximity between a man and a woman. I will make adjustments to my protocol…"
"Don't worry about it," I cut her off, waving it away with a relaxed gesture. "I know you're curious about a lot of things, so don't take everything we say too literally. My main goal is to teach you how to understand people, right?" I winked at her hologram, which was now standing still in the middle of the room. "Now, let's focus on the task at hand — designing your future body."