When the training ended, Tatsuya invited everyone to sleep in a hotel. Since he had money, he would pay for everyone. They accepted the courtesy, as they were tired after such a day.
It was a five star hotel. It was located inside a skyscraper that was used for several different purposes. Some floors were reserved just for the hotel, while the others were shops, bars, restaurants and everything a building could have.
Three rooms have been reserved: one for Yuto and Haji, one for Genesis, Malungo and Charlotte, and one for Tatsuya and Anelise. He needed to keep an eye on that maniac, so he insisted on sharing a room. Malungo would be alone again, but Charlotte and Genesis decided to keep him company.
The receptionist was a less advanced android than Genesis. She had green short hair and wore a suit. She was owned by the association and was rented by the hotel to carry out various works. She couldn't abandon her job, much less leave that building.
If that happened, a self-destruct command was automatically activated. Some people managed to get around this by taking the android's location chip, but had to replace it with a counterfeit one.
Genesis saw herself in that humanoid figure. Like her, Genesis had also been a slave to the association. She was a luxury maid, but couldn't do anything other than what she was programmed to do.
While the others talked among themselves in the lobby, Genesis decided to free the android. That model, although outdated, had the function of eating and drinking anything. It wasn't necessary, but it could be used to detect poisons and other dangerous substances hidden in food. They also had a sense of taste to identify the taste of the food they prepared.
However, the androids never got hungry or thirsty. It was just a useful function for customers. Genesis also had those functions, albeit improved. Everything she ate could be used as a source of energy.
Knowing this, she created a random drink and placed a fake location chip in it. She asked the android to drink, but she refused because she noticed the strange object. That model wasn't supposed to defend itself, so Genesis just forced the drink into her mouth. She didn't resist, as that would be a symbol of aggression towards customers.
Behind the chip, Genesis placed a magnet. When it entered the android's body, it would be pulled to where the official location chip was and replaced it. Genesis left, satisfied. Even though the android still couldn't do anything on her own, she was no longer trapped in that place. She wouldn't explode if she set foot outside the building.
She left that creature to be adopted by whoever wanted it. No one tried to steal an android knowing it could self-destruct. But specialists would soon notice her difference from the others.
They slept in their respective rooms. The first to wake up was Malungo. In the army, he was trained to get little sleep and still wake up rested.
Since he had nothing to do, he looked at his cell phone. He opened the association's app, in case there was something useful on the homepage. And there was: the finals of the official tournament would take place that day.
Initially, the match was supposed to be one-on-one between Caliel and Kiseki. However, Caliel was still missing. She had probably died in the incident at the mall. The Boss called Mifuyu and Revon to fight on that special occasion. Mifuyu soon refused. She didn't want to fight anymore after losing to Caliel.
Revon, however, accepted. She wanted a rematch after that humiliating defeat. Obviously, she wasn't going to use all of her strength on Kiseki. That would be unfair, given the difference between their powers.
Even so, she wanted to win the finals so that her master would be proud of her. He always had been, but Revon was never satisfied with herself. She always wanted to improve and eventually surpass her master.
She knew that was impossible, but her competitive spirit revived when she heard that she could win the finals. Therefore, the agenda had been updated. The battle would be between Revon and Kiseki.
Malungo was interested in the battle. He was obsessed with Japan and wanted to make the most of his business trip. When they got the 7-Up, he sent part of it to his boss, saying that was all he got. It was a lie. He wanted to keep a part for him. Besides, he could stay longer in Japan if he carried out his mission little by little.
Charlotte and Anelise did the same. In fact, Anelise got most of the 7-Up. She insisted that she was the best fit for it, and that the others didn't deserve it. Two boxes lasted a lot longer than they looked. Each bottle had a shelf life of 7 months. They didn't understand why Anelise needed so many, but they didn't question it.
Via messages, Malungo asked the others if they wanted to watch the battle. They hadn't woken up yet, so the messages would serve as a reminder.
With nothing to do, he decides to take a walk around the building. He climbed the stairs as a morning exercise and went to the heliport. The cold breeze was much different than what he was used to. In his country, there weren't many skyscrapers and the weather was as hot as a desert, almost permanently. He looked at the beautiful cityscape, proud of arriving there safe and sound.
His body was way lighter after the 7-Up. He decided to jog on the heliport, do hundreds of push ups, sit-ups etc., since it was easier than ever now. Satisfied, he decided to enter the building again. He didn't know what the schedule of activities was for that day, so he went to reception to ask.
When he got to the lobby, he saw a suspicious person. It was a man who was bending down close to the receptionist android. Malungo approached them to hear their conversation.
— Seriously, lass. Why do all the androids I see have such big breasts?
— It is a service to satisfy customers, sir. This motivates them to come here more often.
— These people are disgusting. Look, lady: you don't have to work for the association anymore. Not even for this hotel.
— But, sir, models like me can't leave this building. We were programmed to serve customers only.
— And what am I, your boss? I'm your client, madam. Listen here: I'm freeing as many androids as I can. I can't bear to see you being enslaved by the damn association.
— But, sir...
— No "but". You come with me. First, let's go to the mall. We need to get rid of these corporate clothes. Then we will decide your name.
The man grabbed the android's hand and pulled her off the reception desk. He knew her tracking chip had already been replaced. This made his job a lot easier.
Malungo was surprised by that scene. It was a fully exposed kidnapping. It looked like that man had already done that several times and wouldn't care if he was found out. Malungo shouted at him:
— Hey, stop it already! What do you think you're doing kidnapping someone like that?
— Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there. So man, I have a reason to do this. So, if you don't mind...
The man ran outside.
— I do mind! Come back here!
Malungo followed him. They ran for kilometers. The man opted for alleys to lose him, but Malungo was used to not losing sight of his target.
The city where he lived looked like a labyrinth, so since he was a child he already knew how to lose his pursuers. The difference was that now he was the pursuer.
Malungo pretended to have lost sight of him and hid in an alley. The man held the android like she was a feather. Everyone around thought it suspicious, but no one called the police.
He stopped at a gas station, tired. Confused, the android said:
— Sir, what are you doing? I cannot leave that building, nor abandon my function.
— But you already left, and nothing happened. Relax, you no longer have the association's location chip. You're free now.
— I'm trapped in your arms...
— Fair enough. I'll put you down.
The man let go of the android and leaned against the station's gas tank. She watched him like a lost child. He took out his cell phone and looked at it as if it was an aberration, complaining:
— What the hell… How do I turn this thing on again?
The android, noticing the difficulty he had in using the cell phone, tried to guide him:
— Sir, may I help you?
— No need… I'll do it myself…
The man finally gave up and gave his cell phone to the android, saying:
— All right, you can try. I recently changed my cell phone, and I still haven't learned how to use this one.
— No problem, sir, my job is to serve you. You can ask me to do anything you want.
— I already told you that you no longer belong to the association, but this time it's okay. Could you select Harry's number so I can call him?
— As you wish.
The android did the task in less than three seconds. The man stared at her as if she were an omniscient goddess. But he did not admit:
— Well… I was almost done. I made it easy for you.
— Certainly, sir. I wouldn't do anything without your help.
The man took the cell phone without looking at her, as if not admitting his crushing defeat in handling the device. He started talking to the person on the other end:
— Harry, I found one more.
— Damn, man. I already told you to stop making a fuss.
— Oh, come on, man. You know I can't stand to see androids in that condition.
— Okay, okay. I don't have many counterfeit chips, so you'll have to get me more later. Where are you?
— Oh, you don't have to worry about that. Her chip was already changed before I found her.
— What? Who could have done this?
— I don't know, but does it really matter?
— It does matter! What if they've already discovered us and are doing this just to tease us?
— Relax, Harry, you worry too much.
— You're the one being too carefree! But whatever… If you don't want the chip, why did you call me?
— I need a car.
— For what?
— I wanted to change her clothes, but the malls are not near here. I had to run away from them to throw a kid off.
— A brat? So it means you've really been discovered...
— Of course not! He stopped chasing me, so I managed to get away.
— I do not believe that. But okay, I'll get you a car. Send me your coordinates.
The android passed his coordinates through his cell phone.
— There it is. Thanks for everything, Harry.
— We are friends, of course I would help you. But stop getting into trouble all the time.
— Okay, I'll try to remember that.
— You won't.
Both ended the call. Malungo could not hear the conversation, as he was far away. The android was poking the man's cheek, trying to get his attention. When he noticed, he asked:
— Something happened?
— No, sir. I just have the feeling that I saw a person in that alley.
The android pointed at Malungo, who soon hid. The man did not have time to see him, but he already understood what it was about. He took the android's hand and continued to flee.
Since he sent the coordinates of his position in real time, Harry would find him wherever he went. Knowing this, he ran as far away as he could from there. He reached a bridge, where Malungo could no longer hide and the man would know where he was.
While he was running, a car approached the man. It was his friend's truck. He jumped into the open back of the vehicle.
— You saved my life.
— So this guy chasing you is the kid from before?
— Yes. I couldn't lose him even after running for a distance. He's pretty fast.
— I can see that. He's almost reaching us. Hang in there, now the intense part begins.
Harry accelerated his truck. It reached 300 km/h. It was a vehicle modified by him, so it could reach extreme speeds even though it was a seemingly old truck.
Malungo was running at 150 km/h. When he noticed the truck accelerating, he stopped to rest. He couldn't run much faster than that with just the 7-Up.
The car entered a tunnel that covered the bridge. Malungo looked back and saw several cars and motorcycles crossing the bridge. He focused his attention on the fastest-looking vehicle: a police motorcycle.
Police cars and motorcycles used to be much faster in Japan than in the rest of the world. They needed to have some chance against the association's heroes.
He stopped a little to the side of the trajectory of the motorcycle, which didn't slow down. He aimed at the back wheel. As it passed him, he grabbed the inside of the wheel as precisely as possible.
If he ran while the bike was at full speed, he would combine their speed while hitchhiking. The policeman, scared, accelerated to the maximum so that Malungo let go of the wheel.
Both were traveling at 500 km/h. They reached the truck quickly. The suspicious man threw several grenades, as well as thorns that punctured tires.
However, the bike's wheels were missile resistant. They would not burst with sharp objects. Knowing this, the man aimed the grenades at the motorcycle driver. He didn't intend to hit him, he just wanted Malungo to protect the policeman and the bike's balance to be destroyed.
And he did it. Malungo stopped running and threw the bike back. Since he was close enough, he jumped onto the tunnel wall to use it as a surface. He hopped toward the back of the truck, falling into it. Looking at the man, he exclaimed:
— I could arrest you for kidnapping an android. But if you hand her over now, I can forget about all that.
— Calm down, man. I already said that I had a reason to do this.
— A reason? Like enslave her and use her as a sex toy?
— Don't mistake me for the association!
The man raged, offended at being compared to the one he hated. Malungo continued to interrogate him:
— And what kind of important reason would that be?
— It's personal, I can't say that easily.
— You want to convince me and you're clowning?
— All right, I'll tell you. I once had an android friend. But he turned into something much worse than I could have imagined. He killed lots and lots of innocent people. If I had been there when he needed me none of this would have happened.
— So you intend to use this android to replace him?
— Nothing can replace him. I just can't stand to see androids like this one serving the association like slaves. Every time I see one of them, I think of my android friend.
Harry, who was driving the truck, opened the window behind him. Without looking at Malungo, he said:
— He's just like that. Trust me, I've tried to talk him out of it, but it's impossible.
Malungo hesitated for a few seconds. He sat on the floor of the truck, stating:
— Okay, I believe in you. But if I find out you lied to me, I'll kill you myself.
— That's good enough for me. You can come to my house if you want to see it for yourself.
— You shouldn't have told me that. Why would I refuse?
— Wonderful. Harry, take us to my house.
— With pleasure.
They went to the mystery man's house. When they entered, they were faced with a crowd of androids practically identical to the one that had just been kidnapped.
The man turned on the light and saw birthday decorations. All of them were wearing cute clothes. They congratulated him:
— Happy birthday, Karma!
The man was called Karma. He, flattered, replied:
— Thank you very much, guys! I didn't even remember that today was my birthday. Ana, did you plan all this?
In the center of the androids, one stood out. She was called Ana and was the first of them that Karma kidnapped. She happily replied:
— Yes, sir! I always wanted to express the gratitude I have for you.
— I should be the one saying this. I owe you much more than you owe me.
— That is not true, sir. You saved my life.
Karma hugged Ana tightly. In fact, the one who told her about her birthday was Harry. He watched everything with a smile. Noticing that, Malungo also smiled. Harry said:
— Congratulations, you son of a bitch.
— Thank you, Harry. I would be nothing without you.
Karma was crying with emotion. He turned back and said:
— Boy, what's your name?
— Malungo. By the way, happy birthday.
— Thank you, Malungo. That's what I wanted to show you. We are a family. Without the androids and Harry, I don't know who I would be.
— It seems you were speaking the truth. You really love each other. All right, you can have the android.
— Thanks, boy.
— I already confirmed what I came to see, so I have to go. My friends are probably already awake.
— Are you sure you don't want to stay?
— Another day we will meet again. Until then, I want to see a hundred androids.
— That's easy! You can be sure I'll get an army.
— But don't use it as an army. They are your family.
— For sure. Until next time, Malungo.
— Until next time, Karma.