Each Person’s World: Isis & NB

A shattered city.

The state of the city was more befitting of a giant monster movie than a natural disaster film.

Sparks flew from the exposed cross-section of wires where the exterior had been peeled away, and streetlights and trees were half-folded or broken, strewn across the road.

Artificial tombs existed atop the alien sand dunes.

Such were the Drones that had flown around managing the city until a few days ago, and so was the AI named Isis.

The state of the Drones, which would barely be liftable by two adult men, was not good.

Only a small number of the Drones were disabled by the soil that had entered their seams in the massive Drone graveyard. Half-folded, partially bitten, or sharply cut to reveal their cross-sections, they were scattered throughout the city.

The metallic corpses were silently, nobly asleep, not even uttering a scream.

Naturally, the culprit of this carnage was not the Sandstorm that had raged for days.

A woman staggered in the center of the slaughter.

A woman pressing her head with one hand. Unable to even stand, she soon dropped to her knees in the sand and caught her breath.

“Ugh….”

A headache, a severe one at that, tormented her.

She contorted her face ungracefully, as if severely motion sick, and bent over.

-Ugh

The woman, now face to face with the ground, dry heaved.

There was nothing to bring up since she hadn’t eaten anything, but pain came up instead.

Her retching continued.

And the headache persisted.

“It hurts….”

In Lee Mina’s eyes, which had seemed emotionless at first glance, emotions were clearly etched.

She saw her wavering shadow. Writhing, changing its size and shape erratically, it was grotesque.

“Kkumul-ssi?”

At her call, the shadow writhed even more fiercely, as if responding eagerly.

-Ptooey

The shadow spat something out.

White hair, gray eyes. It was the head of the woman she had been talking to until just now.

It was strange that the cross-section of the person wasn’t visible, but it wasn’t surprising either.

Straightening her back, she looked around.

Smashed Drones and parts of human-shaped robots were scattered around her.

‘All the same appearance.’

White hair, gray eyes. There were slight differences between individuals, but their appearances were identical.

‘Ah, saying their appearances are identical might be a bit of a misnomer.’

Lee Mina thought, looking at the robot parts scattered around in pieces.

She tried to recall the conversation she had with this robot who identified herself as Isis.

She didn’t remember it well, but she definitely exchanged a few words and asked about Kang In-ho.

She confirmed through the shadow that Kang In-ho was not in this dimension.

So she tried to chase after him. It was a natural action since that was what she had been doing.

But that natural action was blocked by the robot.

“——“

The last thing she barely managed to recall was the robot’s face, resolute as it blocked her.

She doesn’t remember what she said.

The headache intensifies.

She bends over again at the renewed dry heaving.

She keeps retching even though there’s nothing to throw up.

Her stomach churns, and something tries to come out.

It’s confusing, like her head is in a fog.

Her memories are unnatural, like a broken railroad track.

Yesterday feels like tomorrow, and tomorrow feels like today.

So who is it? Who is the person I’m trying to find?

After suffering for a long time, the woman disappeared as suddenly as she had appeared.

Nothing remained in Aaru, the graveyard of metal, humanity’s last hope.

The sound of the wind filled the long silence of the space.

[I think she’s gone.]

An android lying on the sand dune stood up.

It was a grotesque sight, missing both arms and half of its face, revealing its insides.

“To think that this is the only body I can move in. The damage is greater than expected.”

[Not just great, but very great,] NB unnecessarily added. But it wasn’t nonsense.

Even though Aaru’s power couldn’t be drawn out due to the Sandstorm, Isis hadn’t calculated that an entire Drone squad would be defeated and 90% of the stored android bodies would be destroyed by a single human.

“I think we need to define her as something beyond the realm of humans.”

[I agree.]

NB nodded at Isis’s words and continued.

[Now we need to prepare to chase after her.]

“What are you talking about?”

Isis retorted.

[Of course, shouldn’t we chase after Kang In-ho?]

“You clearly said that you let Kang In-ho go out of respect for him. What do you mean by chasing after him?”

If the function to express emotions was still alive, it would have frowned.

“You’re only saying contradictory things, NB. I know that mass-produced AIs have inferior thought algorithms, but I didn’t know it was this bad.”

It unhesitatingly cuts down.

[That’s a separate matter. Isis, didn’t you see it too? How dangerous that woman is.]

“I agree that she’s a dangerous being.”

[That woman is chasing Kang In-ho. I don’t know what the principle is, but it’s judged that she’s doing Dimensional Shift.]

“…So, what about it?”

[If we leave it like this, that woman will reach Kang In-ho.]

“……”

Isis remained silent at NB’s point.

This was a concern for Isis as well.

[According to the sacred law, we have a duty to protect humans. And if that human is Kang In-ho, we have an even greater duty to protect him.]

NB fluently expressed its opinion.

[I let Kang In-ho go for the sake of Kang In-ho’s happiness.]

[But….]

[If that woman is next to Kang In-ho, it’s certain that Kang In-ho will be in great danger.]

[We must eliminate any elements that could be a threat to Kang In-ho.]

“…I agree.”

[So, we will chase after Kang In-ho. Fortunately, if we collect all the materials to rebuild the city, we can create a new body.]

As NB said, it was possible if they used the materials for rebuilding Aaru.

The tattered android picked up sand and stood up.

And slowly, with its imperfect steps, it headed somewhere.

“But NB. I have a question.”

[What is it?]

“That woman seemed to have favorable feelings towards Master. You say she’s dangerous, but she might not be to Master.”

[That’s right. I agree.]

“Then why are you so sure that that woman will be a threat to Master?”

There was no such thing as certainty (100%) for AIs. There was only 99.9, which was infinitely close to 100.

[Unstable mind, bizarre creatures not reported in academia, a body unharmed by bullets, superhuman strength to tear apart Drones and androids with bare hands, an inexplicable power that surpasses that strength…. Many indicators show that.]

[But what’s more important than that is.]

[I don’t like that woman.]

“Excuse me?”

[I gave up what I wanted and sent Kang In-ho away. If such Kang In-ho had a suitable partner, there would be nothing better. But that woman is not a suitable partner for Kang In-ho. She’s rude, dogmatic, ugly, and unstable. In my opinion, she’s not a woman who suits Kang In-ho.]

NB conveyed its intentions without rest.

[Kang In-ho needs a worthy partner. At the very least, she must be a woman who surpasses you and me. Otherwise, there’s no point in sending Kang In-ho away. Kang In-ho must live happily with a partner who suits him in his hometown. This is the happiness I want for Kang In-ho, and it’s the happiness Kang In-ho wants.]

“I understand. I’ll ask just one last thing.”

Isis asked NB a question that she felt she already knew the answer to.

“As you said, if Kang In-ho returns to his hometown and meets a suitable partner, will you be satisfied?”

The half-destroyed android entered a factory.

Its center swayed as if it would collapse if touched, but it headed straight for its destination.

[Well.]

Unlike the crazed answer from before, NB took its time to answer.

With its half-remaining head, it touched the factory’s switch, and the lights began to turn on in the stopped factory.

[I think I’ll have to see that partner myself to know. As you know, envy is in our thought algorithm, isn’t it?]

Isis thought it was a meaningful statement and a rather interesting play on words.

She didn’t know anymore.

Whether it was NB that occupied a corner of the thought algorithm, or envy that imitated it and incited itself.

“Factory operation. Project MK1. Start designing a new android body.”

Perhaps if its face hadn’t been destroyed, it would have been wearing a bitter smile.

Isis thought.