[Gundam Nova]

 

January 1st, 23:40 P.M. 194 I.C.J. Siga-8

 

Celeby-2, a Colony that orbits around the Earth, using the Earth's resources to research, is a joint operation between Earth Conglomerate and Stella Research. 23 years ago, Celeby-2 destroyed itself, and the culprit is a powerful AI module that became corrupted.

 

The AI coordinates the attack on December 25th of 171 I.C.J. The time when Celeby-2 and Earth will match each other and destroy the colony letting the wreckage fall to Earth, but due to Earth's fast response and natural atmosphere, most of the wreckage was destroyed, but many cities are still damaged beyond repair.

 

Earth conglomerate suffered harsh backlash and damage, losing hundreds of millions of dollars, but they still managed and overcame the crisis. The result of this is the ban on AI’s emotional research, those who disobey will get life imprisonment in Earth's highest security prison, Doulos.

 

That is all the information in summary, there are many more details that I…don’t want to read about. It…horrible, it is not just hundreds of thousands, it is millions, millions suffer just from one attack alone. 

 

And that is just the result, not the aftermath…

 

“Ma…ma…?” I heard the generated voice from my tablet. 

 

“Don’t worry, I won’t let you turn out like that, You are my precious daughter, the same as Haro is a son to me...I will guide you…to the best of my ability.” I said to her, whispering as my hand caressed the screen, I watched as Yohai’s hand slowly tried to grab mine but was unable due to the screen that blocked us.

 

“Yohai, you are my prize creation, I won’t let you turn out like that, You will do good, not only for humanity but for yourself, even if you turn out to be a bad decision, I will always take care of you. Even If I have to end you myself…” No, I won’t end you, because before that, I won’t ever let that happen.

 

“Haro, get me a cup of coffee.” I will make it, no, I will guarantee that it won’t happen, I didn’t create Yohai just to be destroyed, Yohai is my future, she is my child. She is hope…A possibility for an even better future. Well, that was a grand speech but mostly, it was just my selfish wish, to see my creation, to see my dream from the previous life, alive. 

 

An AI that would assist people, not destroy them. That’s why, I need to do it, A failsafe that guarantees but does not restrict Yohai. 

 

“Trust me…mama, I will not let it end like that.” With my determination, and caffeine meters filled up, I will make it, just like before, no matter how long it takes, just like Haro, just like Yohai…it is just another program. 

 

[Gundam Nova]

 

January 10th, 12:30 A.M. 194 I.C.J. Siga-8

 

It has been 10 days since that day. Yoha is still in her room, never coming out, she only sends Haro to get food and coffee. 

 

Araya had been waiting, every day, at the same time, but Yoha never came out, her room was always locked and one time she got so worried she tried to break in, but Haro came out and she got a glimpse of Yoha sitting on the chair, typing away at the computer.

 

Haro, an AI module that could be considered one of the best, but it is still just that…a machine with no emotion, even though it can mimic it, it is just not real, it is smart for sure, but it is still limited by the computer.

 

That’s why Araya is fine with Haro…but that Yohai…is too dangerous, from the look of it, it is already in the stage of almost consciousness. If it… manages to gain it, there is no telling what it will do.

 

Creak…

 

That sound…”Yoha!” Araya moved before she could think, the only time she would see her daughter was after she locked herself out. 

 

“Huh…Mama?” Her daughter, the once beautiful skin, is pale, she is even more skinny than before, her eyes bag are almost as black as a panda, and her cheek is so thin that it is almost a bone. 

 

“What-”

 

“I did it, I can make sure that Yohai is safe.” Her words were cut off by her daughter, showing the tablet, right now, the AI is sleeping, and there is a program next to it, the lines of code are so numerous that she couldn’t even focus, each second a hundred of thousand of the new line appear, as if it was infinite.

 

“It’s…a virus, that would constantly bug Yohai, it would not restrict her nor would it hinder her ability, but the moment it detected her intention to harm humanity it would shut her down within a second, and she would just go to sleep like nothing happened. Don’t worry about Yohai detecting it, I made sure, to hide it in her core program itself where she couldn’t access.”

 

“That's not the problem! You lock yourself in that room for over a week! Look at you, you look like a zombie, We going to the hospital, right now!” Araya quickly takes her daughter's hand, but they do not move an inch. 

 

“Yohai is safe now…She can’t hurt humans even if she wants to, or she needs my permission. I won’t allow her to hurt them. That why…Do you think…you can trust…her?” Yoha, with eyes full of determination, asks her. 

 

…Ask her to trust it? Even after all that happened? No…she couldn’t…she…

 

“Just…this once…” There it is, the smile. A beautiful smile that was always on her face is finally returned, But it quickly goes away and relief overcomes her and Yoha loses consciousness. 

 

“Yoha!” Quickly taking her in the arm, Araya rushed to the hospital.

 

[Gundam Nova]

 

January 30th, 18:46 P.M. 194 I.J.C Siga-8

 

Beep…Beep….beep…

 

Huh…Where…am I? I remember…going out of my room and…Yohai! 

 

“Urg! What the…needles?” several needles are connecting to my arm, several hospital types of equipment, the heart monitor, and…white room…hospital, the smell of medicine…the one that used to numb people… ammonia? No, not that…it smells…bitter.

 

I…hate it…The sound of a beeping monitor, the smell that numbs my senses, the feeling of being restricted here. I felt no strength in my arm, IV fluid was connecting to it, and I could almost hear it dripping.

 

There…nothing to do. Oh…there is a TV here…where the remote…Oh, it's there, it's just around my arm reach on the table next to me. I quickly pick it up and then turn the TV on.

 

“...Metalica’s conflict has reached the boiling point, The armed group has begun their move, bombing multiple waypoints, the casualty report has not been finalized yet but the estimate is over ten thousand, with more than a hundred thousand injuries, and a number is still counting…”

 

This news again…Metalica…isn’t that colony that should be around…the moon? It is still in the Earth’s influence range. They are one of the gateways Earth uses as a base before going out to trade, but the armed force…they call themselves the Blaze…quite a bad name. 

 

They got weapons, mobile suits, mobile workers, and even mobile armor. They have been active since around 3 years ago. The same year that the incident happened at Elysium Academy.

 

That…can’t be a coincidence…Someone is trying to provoke conflict with Earth? That is a dead wish. Eart influence is too much for a small-time faction, power, wealth, and even connection. A dangerous faction that is not to be trifled with.

 

Such a headache just after waking up…

 

Urg…I want Yohai and Haro…

 

Creak…

 

“Who there?” I ask, looking over at where the sound comes from, I can’t see anything but a silhouette because of the curtain. 2 people from the silhouette and…a ball rolling. “Haro!” 

 

“Yoha! Yoha!” As I thought it Haro! He jumps up in my bed and he rolls toward me, I pick him up and hug him with all my might, “Yoha! Hurt! Bad health!” 

 

“Right, sorry, I didn’t think about any of that…” I did something reckless.

 

“That's right, a moment later and you would have died, Thanks to your healthy body, and young, you managed to digest most of the caffeine in your body, your regenerative ability is quite astonishing too, as expected of young people. In just 10 days you already recover most of your lost weight.” A woman, in her forty? She dresses in a doctor's coat, and a round glass, and her black hair and eyes catch my attention too.

 

“What? Something to want to know more about? Ah, right. Your blood pressure is around 150 to 160, from too much coffee, what are you doing drinking them anyway? And your mother said you lock yourself, getting no sunlight, thus the low vitamin D, oh your sugar content is also low, drinking black coffee at such a young age?”

 

She stared at me, and then at Haro, “Did you lock yourself because your mother doesn’t let you play with a toy?” 

 

“Wh-no! That's not it! I just…oh…”

 

“Right, you just what? Tell me, you didn’t sleep for days, chug coffee as if it was water, did not have enough food, and didn’t move around to help digest the already dumb mix in your stomach? What is so important that you need to do that, Huh?”

 

“I have my right to remain silent. And what I do isn’t your concern” 

 

“That right kid, it's not mine but your mother's. And I, as the doctor, need to know what kind of dumb thing you did and fix you up. But well, I won’t ask anymore if that's what you want. I will take my leave now.” 

 

The doctor left, leaving only me and my mother inside, alongside Haro. The atmosphere was silence, the numb smell of ammonia, the uncomfortable silence…is so suffocating.

 

“Mama…I..” 

 

“Don’t talk.” She cut me off, her eyes staring at my arm where several needles connect to it, her hand slowly but hesitantly reached for my head. Slowly, the soft caress I always know is there.

 

Time seemed to pass by slowly in silence, we didn’t speak, just appreciated the silence and occasional sound from Haro.

 

She stops caressing my head, her hand moves to the handbag she had with her and pulls out a tablet. My tablet.

 

“I…take care of this girl while you were in a coma.” Eh…coma?

 

“Uh…Mama, what day is today?” 

 

“You’ve been in a coma for 20 days, it's already the 30th of January. Do you know worry I was? Seeing my own flesh and blood unresponding to me! I really thought I lost you! What were you thinking locking yourself in the room?! For 10 days at that!” 

 

“I…I want to prove you wrong! I want to keep my daughter! Just as you care for me I care for Yohai too, she’s my daughter, I created her, not for humanity, it is just my selfish desire to surpass myself, but maybe no, not maybe, it surely will, She will be a core future of AI technology for sure. I won’t let’s her turn out like the Celeby-2 incident, That why I spent countless hours making a virus for her. That's why, please, please trust her, if not then please trust me!”

 

That was my heartfelt word, everything I truly feel about Yohai, She would be a new future for AI technology, and She would be the one to help me further hone my skills too.

 

“Sometimes, humans are just too unpredictable to comprehend, their greed and desire always lead to disaster, often time it ends before it can bore fruit of destruction, but many and many times…it did, Nuclear weapons, Celeby-2, And the mobile Suits themselves, are the plant and bore it fruits. But humans never learn, because we are stubborn and our curiosity got the best of us.”

 

Her hand, warm and soft, grip mine tightly, her voice is almost shaking but still firm.

“The first mistake is to be greedy in this world, where unfortunate events happen all the time, Luck is a part of our life and not many times that we are lucky, Celeby-2 was my bad luck. And I took that frustration and fear out on you. It’s true, that Yohai may be the future I once envisioned, but it also scares me because of my experience.”

 

Slowly, I watch her hand move slowly, one second it grips me tightly, the other second she releases them, then grips again…a coping mechanism?

 

“Yoha, what you are about to do is either be a new future or a disappointing end to your life, I was sure that 90% of the time, you would end in failure, because that is what happened with me. But if…if the 10% is really a successful wonder, what will you do?” 

 

A question, the success rate of Yohai is low, her estimation is not that far off, in truth even I thought it wouldn’t be possible, but that was my previous life, this is my new life, and I would do it. It was possible. Because I will make it possible.

 

My arms moved, and my hand grip felt stronger than I thought, her soft hand, the feeling of a callus in her palm, her eyes feeling tired, her eyes bag that so dark it almost shocked me, and her cheek indicating that she didn’t eat for days, probably worrying about me.

 

“I’m a bad daughter, didn’t I? I make you worry, I make dangerous things and Didn’t care to research about it, but even so, I believe in myself, I believe in Yohai, that she would not turn out like that, and you trust me. So I will not betray that trust, and hey! Maybe in the future, once Yohai fully becomes an adult then maybe she could get us some nice place to live by hacking! Wait… that's kind of a bad idea, isn’t it? Maybe rigging us that earth’s lottery would be easier…”

 

Hm…The best way is for Yohai to hack into the bank and then slowly transfer the money to us without leaving a trace…why am I thinking of using my daughter to commit a crime?!

 

“He…hehe, ahaha! The way you think is exactly like him! Even in the face of your realization, ha… you truly are his daughter…”

 

“Yeah, you said it like that but I never knew my father!” pouting, I take Haro up in my face to hide it.

 

“Then do you want to hear about it? About him and about us?” 

 

“Do…you really comfortable, telling me about this?” 

 

“The truth will come out sooner or later, it is better for you to know this from me than others. Then, where should I begin? 23 years ago? Or maybe 20?”

 

“...How old are you?” 

 

“Baby, how old do you think I am?”

 

“Uh….25? That's the impression I get, I mean you're so young and all…but if you really from Celevy-2 time then…” I said, I saw Mama make an amused face.

 

“Let's see, this year, I’m going to turn 45 this year.”

 

“Eh…?” Are you serious? She 45? Even though you look like you are in your mid-twenties? 

 

“...you…quite old.” 

 

“My, my, are you saying that your mother is an old woman?” She smiled dangerously, making me feel a chill down my spine, that was probably a dangerous territory to cross.

 

“Um, so about my father…?” I quickly changed the subject, and I knew that she noticed it too as she let out a laugh.

 

“Then… let's start at where it all begins.”