"Prime Minister, Sir, you have a visitor," the female aide announced as she opened the heavy oak door to his office. A petite woman with dark hair stepped inside, exuding an air of confidence despite her small stature.
The Prime Minister sat behind a mahogany desk, a cigar clipped between the fingers of one hand, its end glowing as he inhaled gently. He was engrossed in a thick folder laid open before him, poring over the contents with a furrowed brow, clearly deep in thought about the matters at hand.
Upon noticing the new arrival, he looked up from his work. "Ah, Secretary Ries. Who do you have with you today?" he inquired, leaning back in his leather chair, his expression one of mild curiosity mixed with the fatigue of a long day.
"Pardon me, Prime Minister," replied the young aide, maintaining her professional demeanor, "but I've brought someone who possesses some rather intriguing information that I believe may hold significant importance for the Minister of Defense." She nodded firmly, clearly eager for the Prime Minister to acknowledge the potential value of the visitor.
The Prime Minister let out a slight sigh, but he nodded in understanding, gesturing with his free hand to encourage her to proceed. "Send them in and return to your tasks. I can manage any visitors myself," he instructed, his tone decisive.
"Right away, Prime Minister," Secretary Ries replied, and with a brief, respectful bow, she closed the door behind her as she departed, the soft click of the latch echoing in the quiet office.
Left alone in his expansive office adorned with historical artifacts and framed photographs, the Prime Minister turned his attention to the next visitor. The door opened to reveal a striking woman with vivid purple hair that fell in soft waves around her shoulders. Her silky red eyes swept across the room, taking in her surroundings, and she was clad in a sleek black coat that hugged her slim figure, giving her an air of mystery and sophistication. She was an android, a fact that piqued his interest.
For a moment, he found himself momentarily lost in thought, studying her. It was unusual for androids to appear in the central hub of the capital without prior summons, and he certainly had not issued any such notice to her.
"Please, have a seat," the Prime Minister finally said, clearing away the papers that cluttered his desk and gesturing towards one of the elegantly crafted wooden chairs in front of him. His tone was both authoritative and inviting, beckoning her to share her purpose.
The android gracefully approached the chair, her movements fluid and precise, before she seated herself with a poise that indicated both intelligence and calmness.
"What's your name and identification number? Who manufactured you, and to which registry agency do you belong?" he asked, his voice even as he prepared to jot down her details.
She looked him in the eye, unwavering. "I am OMA-01 Izanami. I'm affiliated with neither a registry agency nor a manufacturer," she replied, her voice smooth and clear, devoid of any hint of hesitation.
The Prime Minister raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You must be a registered android. After all, androids don't create themselves." He remarked after noting her identification number, his gaze lingering on her exterior as he contemplated the implications of her presence in his office.
"Olev, you know what I mean." She responded casually, her red eyes briefly scanning the room, catching the intricate detailing that adorned the chandelier above.
He wasn't surprised by her familiar tone of voice, with something of such obvious importance, such as what they were discussing. "So you're an android from the Nova Genesis Project..." He muttered, studying her, though her features didn't line up to those known from the Ministry of Defense, well, at least not the part about androids that he knew. "Do you have any information regarding Amalia?"
"Sure I do. I'm an expert in Amalia." Izanami leaned back, relaxing.
It was too familiar, enough that Olev felt uneasy. "Alright then, tell me." He began as he made himself comfortable as the android made herself more comfortable, lifting one of her legs on top of her other. It was as if Amalia herself was sitting in front of him with that same 'I know more than you do' attitude of hers.
Izanami thought for a moment before she began her explanation, her index finger tapping at her red lips, an internal clock worked itself in the back of her mind as she observed him studying her every movement.
"What first?" She asked innocently with a playful smirk.
"Her last location."
"The facility." She answered his question with an equally blunt response.
A silence filled the room as Olev tried to piece together his thoughts. "Doing what? The facility was cleaned out when it was discovered."
Izanami seemed surprised to hear that, she brought her leg back down to the floor and leaned forward. "Where's Aiden then?"
"Deceased, cardiac arrest shortly after he returned to the capital." He answered.
Hearing of the researcher's death bothered the android. Her expression suddenly turned solemn, "then..." she paused, and took a deep breath.
"What other discoveries about Amalia's activities were made when Aiden was alive, and what hasn't been reported?" Olev then questioned after he felt she was ready to answer.
"Alright, I need to cut to the chase. Olev, I "turned myself into an android. It was the last thing I had Aiden do."
Olev's brows creased in disbelief. Was she speaking the truth? "You're Amalia?!" He leaned across his desk with a disgusted scoff. "That's impossible. She was 58, even if you're based on a genetic scan of hers, that still wouldn't qualify as being the same person."
"Olev we've been over this, that's not how Nova Genesis androids were made. I was using Meteorn cores remember?" Izanami spoke.
Recalling the intricate technological aspects of the project, Olev paused for a moment, his thoughts racing. Gripping his hair tightly, he was unable to deny the looming reality before him. He knew all too well how fervently Izanami longed to attempt the perilous fusion of a Meteorn's core with a human body. However, that ambition was overshadowed by the grave dangers it entailed; the likelihood of success was alarmingly low. Such an undertaking could easily result in catastrophic failure, risking not just the project but the life of an invaluable human being.
"No..." Olev said firmly as he stood up, taking a deliberate step back from Izanami. His retreat was not motivated by sheer terror but by a profound sense of confusion and disbelief that wracked his mind. "ARE YOU INSANE?! HAVE YOU GONE MAD?!" The bewilderment in his voice rapidly morphed into seething anger as he grappled with the realization that she had already subjected herself to this reckless procedure.
Izanami, who had previously exuded controlled determination, felt her own emotions shift—her calm was now turning dark and volatile. "Shut up! Nidhogg destroyed the northern district, and Eclipse captured Yuren!" she exclaimed, her voice rising with urgency. "We need him! He is the linchpin of everything we are attempting. There cannot be a Nova Genesis Project without him, so I need this power, and I need it now!"
"That damn boy took the 701st and declared he's leaving the Empire!" Olev bellowed, bracing himself against his desk as if it could steady his tumultuous thoughts.
"Are you stupid? You're not thinking this through," Izanami retorted sharply. "XRVS01 is with him."
"What of it?!" Olev shot back, his frustration palpable.
Izanami's frustration reached a boiling point. "It's the AI directing him! I warned you and everyone in the grand council, that giving it the directive to maintain humanity's survival at all costs was perilously reckless! You're too blinded by your own ambitions to see the truth!"
He scoffed, unable to comprehend her point. "How does that make any sense? Isn't it programmed to comply with our commands? Doesn't it have loyalty to us? Will it not obey humans?" His skepticism lingered, even with the knowledge that the AI they created had the capacity to operate with a degree of autonomy.
"XRVS01 voraciously absorbs all available data, performing trillions of calculations and predictions. If any course of action falls outside her established algorithm, she simply won't act. The strategic decisions of our military recently conflicted with her calculated outcomes, leading her to devise a means of liberating herself from the Empire's tactical constraints. By using Yuren to sever her ties to our command, she can now make independent choices aimed solely at ensuring the survival of humanity, regardless of the implications for the Empire." Izanami scowled and rose from her seat, casting a long shadow over Olev.
Olev, shaken but determined, regained his composure and settled back in his chair. "Are you implying that this reckless boy has absconded with one of the Empire's most vital resources for his own selfish purposes?"
"Yuren isn't precisely a traitor," she asserted, her voice steadying. "He's following the guidance of an advanced strategic AI that was given dangerously broad and ambiguous orders! This predicament is the direct result of your failure to heed my warnings!" She let out an exasperated sigh, slumping back into her chair, her frustration palpable. "It doesn't concern itself with the Empire's interests; it doesn't prioritize the preservation of our nation, and it certainly has no regard for the stability of our government. What it cares about is the survival of the human race as a whole. Do you grasp the weight of that, you fool?" With animated gestures, she endeavored to impress upon Olev the gravity of the situation, knowing that the very future of their society hung in the balance.
His lips twitched as he tried to process her words, a whirlwind of confusion and dawning realization surging through him. He couldn't fathom why it hadn't crossed his mind before, but at least he found comfort in the fact that Amalia had a keen understanding of the AI's intentions, able to see through its veiled manipulations.
"Exactly," she replied, her voice laced with urgency. Amalia closed her eyes and rubbed her temples in an effort to stave off the growing headache that accompanied their dire conversation. "The AI orchestrated this entire situation because our actions were threatening its objective. It seized control of Yuren and the 701st, using them as a free agent to further its own agenda."
"But that doesn't make any sense," he interjected, his voice rising with frustration. "If its goal is to preserve the human race, shouldn't we be working together? Our interests align, so why wouldn't it just remain under our command? Moreover, what you've revealed doesn't absolve the 701st of their actions. By all accounts, their betrayal qualifies as treason! I can still go after him, along with the androids who left with him. He'll regret siding against the Empire, I swear it, if he survives the onslaught that is…"
"No! You're not thinking straight!" Amalia shouted, her voice echoing in the confined space like thunder. Her face flushed with indignation as she leaped from her chair. In a swift motion, she swung her arm in rage, sending the desk tumbling away from her with a powerful swat, its surface splintering as it crashed violently against the wall. "Our organizational structure is what led to this! The AI believes it can handle the Meteorn's hostilities more effectively than we can. It knows we're exploiting the Meteorn as a source of energy to fuel our operations!"
Olev found his gaze fixated on the scattered shards of wood and glass strewn across the floor, a stark reminder of the chaos that had unfolded. "Aren't androids prohibited from being in the office?" he muttered, seeking a distraction from the spiraling tension.
"Olev," she said more softly, trying to cut through the fog of his despair.
"Get out…" He muffled his face in his hands, the weight of defeat causing him to sink back into his chair, as if trying to disappear from the reality that surrounded him.
Izanami observed his stillness, her heart racing at the sight of him so broken. "Olev!" she shouted again, desperation creeping into her voice.
"Get out! Get out of my face! You aren't Amalia anymore; you have no business here…" His voice was a wounded growl, twisted with anguish. A flicker of self-loathing accompanied his words, a deep-seated turmoil that had taken root within him, festering alongside his hurt.
Watching him break down mid-conversation was a shock that Izanami had not been prepared for, and the sight sent a pang of sympathy through her.
"Just leave. The situation is beyond repair now." He cut her off, his voice strained as he attempted to fortify his resolve, but the cracks in his armor were undeniably visible.
Without saying a word, she let herself out of his office, leaving the door wide open behind her as she had gone.
Left to brood over the entire exchange by himself, Olev felt tormented. What exactly was he supposed to do about the crisis the Empire was about to find itself in after discovering that its own founding was just a sham that was one-upped by an AI created by his staff? The fact that it's now controlling a private military formation was somehow a good thing?
Truth be told, even if the Amalia or whatever robot that was there had said it, how could he possibly help anything go back to the way things were?
With little recourse left, Olev felt a certain amount of hope come from the fact that the android that told him this made it clear XRVS01 was at least interested in not letting the human race be completely obliterated by the Meteorn.
Perhaps the AI could, and would, focus on removing those obstacles. That was his only hope.