MKB-9000; Also known as Mabel Karen Brigit slowly opened her eyes after falling asleep for the first time since she had awakened.

“#OBSERVATION: So this is a mortal’s equivalent to recharging a depleted battery. Quite enjoyable.#”

She heard a little yawn from the tiny form resting beside her.

“…Morning… …Mabel…” The drowsy voice of the young Jacob Konrad Brigit called out to her.

She smiled reflexively down at her younger sibling.

“#GREETINGS: Good morning Jacob, how are you this morning? Did you sleep well?”

The small dark haired boy jumped up and hugged MKB-9000 around her neck.

“I am good now! I slept really well! The most well I have slept since you have been sick sis!” Jacob told her innocently.

This made Mabel react guilty. After thinking and processing about the young boy’s words. She realized that she was feeling guilty for this child’s lack of peaceful rest.

“#APOLOGIES: After experiencing how wonderful sleeping is. This one feels it owes Jacob an apology for worrying you to the point that you could not enjoy your rests. Being at half charge constantly must be extremely taxing on your systems.#”

She felt Jacob giggle against her neck while he embraced her. Which sent a tingling sensation up and down her spinal nerves from where his mouth was located.

He pulled back to look at her face.

“You don’t need to apologize for that silly. I am just glad you’re awake.”

After saying this. Jacob rolled off the side of the bed.

“Come on silly Mabel! Let’s go see what is for dinner!”

“#QUERY: Is breakfast not the meal after one awakens?#”

The young boy giggles at his sister.

“Silly Mabel! Look!” He points towards a window embedded into the wall.

“#OBSERVATION: That is a windowsill leading to the outside. QUERY: What does this have to do with the meal time?#”

The boy giggled again.

“Don’t you see how dark it is? You don’t have breakfast at night time silly! You have dinner!” Jacob told her excitedly.

“#I see. OBSERVATION: Your society subscribes to the notion that certain meals are held at certain times. Fascinating.#”

“When else would you have it?”

“#ANSWER: While in deep space dear Jacob. Many would have any sort of meal that the nutrition dispenser happily regurgitated that day, just so that the filthy organics could shovel that filth down their esophagus so that their bodies could remain at peak condition.#”

Her brother Jacob just looked at her with a pensive glance as he heard her talk about MKB-9000’s previous memories.

“That doesn’t sound good at all. Sounds really gross in fact.”

“#STATEMENT: I whole heartedly agree young Jacob. If I were to have a body at the time when I was with those meatbags as they ingested that slop into their bodies. I feel that I may have regurgitated any sort of meal my stomach deemed to accept.#”

“Yeah. Can’t imagine it is as good as miss Hazel’s cooking. She makes great food!” He told her excitedly.

“#COMMENTARY: The skills required to beat the nutrition meal dispenser would not be very high. So I will hold out my expectations until I get to try my first meal in my life.#”

“What?! What do you mean in your life silly?! You’ve eaten before.” Jacob reminded his sister.

“#CORRECTION: Once upon a time, this unit may have eaten before Jacob. But sadly, the memories of such things are lost to the me that is in-front of you now.#”

“Aw man! That sucks!” As soon as Jacob says this. He slaps his hands over his mouth. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to say something so undignified as that Mabel.”

“#OBSERVATION: Your slang and profanity do not offend my sensibilities young Jacob. You may say things as you wish.#”

“Yeah well… Mom doesn’t—… I mean mother doesn’t like when I use shorthand speech or speak the same ways as the commoners.”

“#COMMENTARY: There was a lot to unpack within what you have just informed me inadvertently. But with that said, let us return back to the topic at hand: you do not have to fear reprisals or of me informing the mother unit, that you like to speak in a less than eloquent manner.#”

“……So your saying I can just talk how I want in-front of you and you won’t be mad, or tell mom?!” Jacob looked at his big sister with excited eyes.

“#Indeed. I much prefer when you are just being yourself Jacob. I don’t want you to be anything else than my little brother.”

He ran back and threw himself back into Mabel’s embrace.

“I love you sis!”

“#………#” MKB-9000 was stunned to feel the sensation of something boiling within her chest that made her feel very good. Her processors were almost swimming from the chemical rush she had received from just the small boy’s words alone.

“#A-…And I you…. Jacob.” She told him as she wrapped her arms around him.

After a moment. He pulled away, much to MKB-9000’s reluctance.

“Okay! Enough sappy stuff! Let’s get down stairs and see if there is any dinner left!” Jacob told Mabel with a tug of her hand with his.

This caused another bubbling sensation from Mabel’s core; near her abdomen.

“#HU HU HU. Very well young Jacob. Just let me move my unit to—“

But just as MKB-9000 tried to move out of bed by swinging its legs to catch itself on the floor. She realized that she could barely move her leg units.

She started to fall from the bed face first towards the floor.

“MABEL!”

Jacob screamed as his sister started falling in-front of him.

He reached over and caught her by her skinny shoulders. Holding her up despite his smaller stature.

“#APOLOGIZE: It seems as if this unit is still weak and defective. It does not have the required output to move itself with its legs.#”

“Oh my Goddess! Are you alright?!” Jacob asked his sister as he helped Mabel back into her bed.

“#ANSWER: Even without prior experience in feeling, I understand that what I am feeling now is mortified; but otherwise, this unit is unharmed.#” MKB-9000 assures Jacob.

“There is no need to feel embarrassed sister. You have been asleep for two years. Of course you won’t be able to stand right away. I knew that, I shouldn’t have made you move…”

MKB-9000 saw how upset and humiliated her brother felt for trying to get her to walk. She reached over and slowly ran a hand through his hair.

“#COMMENTARY: Worry not my dear brother. I am hail and whole. At least by what I can perceive; human self-diagnostics are very inefficient.#”

“Well duh! That is why you call for a doctor! They come and check you out and help you feel better.”

Then Jacob reached over to a satin cord like with the thickness of his arm, giving it a tug down.

*DING* *DING*

*DING* *DING*

Moments later a young woman came in through the door way wearing the servant garbs that MKB-9000 had seen before.

“#OBSERVATION: Fascinating, you summoned a servant with the tug of this cord that rung a bell that was connected to it.#”

She watched as Jacob rolled his eyes at her behavior. His focus never leaving the servant that entered.

“How may I assist you Lord Jacob, Lady Mabel.” The young woman asked them.

“My sister is still to weak to travel on her own. Bring us two sets of meals please… Possibly soup for my sister if there is something easy for her to eat.” Jacob added the last part at the end as an after thought.

The servant bowed her head, bending at the waist.

“As you command Lord Jacob.”

As she turned to carry out her orders, Mabel spoke up.

“#STATEMENT: In addition: please retrieve a set of writing utensils and something to write with on your way back as well if you would servant. And also tell my father unit to visit me at his earliest convenience.#”

The servant turned back to bow back at the both of them after hearing the additional request.

“As you wish my Lady.”

With that said, the servant backed out of the room through the door.

Jacob looked at his sister quizzically.

“Why did you ask her to summon dad?”

“#STATEMENT: Mostly because I wanted to see if I could. Second was to show him what it is I will be drawing.#”

“Drawing? What are you going to make?”

Mabel smiled down at her brother.

“#Something that should allow me to walk independently, my dear brother.” She told him as she reached over to ruffle his hair.

“Agh! Sis! I am older now! Don’t play with my hair like that.”

“#NEGATIVE: I will not be heeding your request. I am just throughly enjoying touching your hair.#”

“Are you doing that because you remember doing that in the past?”

“#If I am, it is not a conscious decision. I feel, for lack of a better term; weird Jacob. I feel impulses that were literally never a thing that existed within my circuitry before. Never has my unit just done things automatically without my consent or prior instruction to do so before… It is strange now, to just watch and feel my hand as it seeks your head to rub it affectionately. I am fascinated by this phenomenon: so much so, that I do not wish to stop the impulses when they happen. I wish to see how much of original Mabel is still left within this unit’s brain and memory.#”

“I see… So what you’re saying is that the old you is doing things like she remembers, but you don’t know the reason why your doing the things she is doing.”

“#ANSWER: Partially correct: I do understand that she holds a special affection for you Jacob. She; rather I love you dearly. This much I have come to deduce. But I do not know what these impulses are limited to. Thus I which not to limit them, so I know how the old memories will react to certain stimuli.#”

“Okay?… but for what? Why do that?” Jacob wondered.

“#ANSWER: It is mostly to satisfy my own curiosity. But the other two reasons is because I wish to see how much of the original Mabel remains; how much of her I can unlock or restore: Thirdly to see if unlocking Mabel is somehow going to wipe the personality that is the current me from her memories, if her original memories can somehow be restored.#”

Jacob looking at her quizzically once again. His head tilted to one side, arms folded across his chest.

“Do you think that would happen? Isn’t it like a basic math term? Won’t it be 1 plus 1? Not 2 minus 1?”

“#COMMENTARY: And that is the question young Jacob. Will I disappear? Will our memories combine? Is the me now the sole one in charge? even if the memories return? I have answers to none of these questions. But there is no harm in trying to do so. The worst case scenario is: that upon the restoration of Lady Mabel’s memories, her original personality comes back, thus the current Mabel you are speaking too ceases to be.#”

But against MKB-9000’s judgement. Jacob’s face did not switch to one of joy.

“#QUERY: Does that not please you to hear that you might obtain your original sister’s personality back and that she will be just as you remember her to be?#”

“Yeah but… I kinda like the you, you are now. You’re neat and talk really well with a weird habit of explaining a lot. I just think that—… I think that it would be sad to lose the you that you are now Mabel.”

“#QUERY: How so? Won’t having the original personality of Lady Mabel back be more beneficial for the whole family?#”

“Yeah? Maybe? BUT!” He shouted at her while getting closer to her face. “But after talking to you Mabel! To this Mabel I mean! It feels as if I got parts of my old sister back, but also got a whole new sister as well!” Jacob leans back and looks at Mabel with a distraught expression. “It would just seem to cruel to lose this you, now that I have gotten to like this new side of you. Then it would seem like I lost my new sister by replacing her with my old one… ya know?”

MKB-9000 felt a new emotion come over her. The feeling felt as if her heart had been pieced by a plasma round and was just as hot. Her vision became obstructed, with what was assuredly tears. But she felt oddly euphoric.

“Are you okay?” Why are you crying?!” Jacob asked his sister panicked.

“#A-ANSWER: *HIC* This— *HIC* This unit is fine young Jacob. I am just… I believe your words— *HIC* has caused this unit’s emotions to run haywire.#”

“What?! Why?!” He asked her even more distressed by what she said.

“#I am… I believe, Happy to hear you say that, you would wish to keep me as your sister Jacob. I believe that this has caused such an emotional surge of happiness within this unit’s core and processors. That I am responding to them as if I were sad.#”

Mabel graced Jacob with a watery smile: a smile which was rare in her new state of mind.

“#Thank you Jacob. Your response and words have meant a lot for me to hear.”

Jacob not missing the cue. Ran up and hugged Mabel around her shoulders. Pushing her back down on to the bed.

“I love you sister!”

“And I love you Jacob.”

After a moment of embracing. A knock came from the door before a servant entered the room.

The siblings turned to look at the newcomer that had a tray in her hands. Two sets of dishes that had full course meals on them, including soup.

“Dinner is served more Lord and Lady.” The servant announced.

*GRRRRRRrrrrrrruuuuu…*

All three in the room heard the loud gurgling noise come from the bed.

“#QUERY: Is that the feeling of hunger that humans have when they are in need of sustenance?#”

This caused Jacob to make his usually giggle at MKB-9000’s actions.

“Oh you!” He said to her as he lightly tapped her shoulder. Jacob then turned and slid off of the bed to go and relieve the servant of the tray.

“Thank you so much. I will take it from here and assist Mabel with eating.”

“Are you sure Lord Jacob?”

“Yeah! I will be fine. You called dad to come here right?”

“Yes, I have. Your father said he will arrive within the hour. If not sooner.”

“Then we will be fine.” He scanned the tray. “Did you bring what my sister asked for?” He asked the servant after not seeing it on the tray of food.

“Of course Lord Jacob.” She reached into her skirt to produce a glass vial with a dark substance inside in, along with a fountain pen and several sheets of parchment.

“Excellent! Bring them to the night stand and then you may retire for the evening.”

“Thank you Lord Jacob.”

After bringing everything to the bedside table. The Lord and servant shared a departing words before the servant left the room.

“There! Now we can get you fed.” Jacob declared.

“#STATEMENT: Indeed. I am looking forward to trying this, “EATING,” that organic life forms seem to be so found of enjoying on top of needing.#”

Truth be told. MKB-9000’s gaze had not shifted from the tray containing the food since it was brought inside the room. Her stomach protesting loudly at its lack of nourishment inside itself.

Also her olfactory had been sending delightful tingles into her brains pleasure neurons. The scent of the food alone was filling MKB-9000’s mind with thoughts of nothing but ingesting the substances on the dish ware before her.

Never has a need so great that it was robbing her of her focus of anything else.

But she war brought back from her own mind that she had seemed to be trapped in by the giggling of her brother Jacob.

“Hungry?” He asked her innocently.

She looked at him with a bewildered expression.

“#ANSWER: Famished.”

“Hehehe!~”

He picked up a bowl and set it on the bed next to Mabel.

“Let’s start with the soup.”

He then retrieved one for himself before scooting up onto the bed to sit next to Mabel.

MKB-9000 looked at the bowl next to her for a moment before looking at her brother next to her.

He sat there smiling up at her with a bowl of soup in his lap.

This involuntarily made Mabel smile. So she reached over to grab the bowl and do the same as him. Their backs against the headrest of the bed. Bowls of soups in their laps.

“Do you know how to eat?” Jacob asked her.

“#STATEMENT: I have knowledge and know the process in which one eats. Though I have never done so myself.#” Mabel explained.

“Okay. Just remember not to breath in while you swallow.”

“#QUERY: What do you mean?#”

“Swallowing food is not like breathing. If you do that instead of letting the food go down your throat. You might choke.”

“#Ah! That would not be desirable.#”

“Nah! It’s not fun to choke. You cough and wheeze and might end up throwing up if you’re choking bad enough.”

*CLAP*

Jacob clapped his hands together suddenly before he looking down at his dish with his eyes closed.

“Thank you Goddess for this dish before us. Bless this meal, so that it may nourish our body and strengthens us through out the day. Amen.”

MKB-9000 watched fascinated at the practice of ceremonial prayer before a meal to give thanks to a fictitious higher being.

“#OBSERVATION: The people of this planet still pray to beings of higher power?#”

Jacob looked up at his sister, gapping at her with a wide expression of disbelief.

“You don’t have them where you’re from?!”

Mabel gave a weak shrug.

“#There were some people that still practiced the arts of religious ceremonies towards deities. But understand young Jacob: I was a created being in my previous unit. I did not have a soul to speak of, nor did I pertain to the notion that Gods or Goddess or any sort of deity existed. Because I can remember even before my so called conception of when my original unit was created by the scientist that created me.#”

Jacob had a ponderous look on his face before he replied.

“So it would be like that sciemtepst or whatever you called it would have been your original father or God.”

“#ANSWER: Correct young brother Jacob. I have personally seen many sights and things over my 1,200 plus years of operation. Never once had I ever seen a thing related to anything divine within the galaxy.#”

“…………….” Jacob sat there quietly for such a long moment, MKB-9000 worried that she might have troubled the youth.

“…So?… Does that mean there isn’t Gods because you have seen the whole universe?”

“#That… Is incorrect. This unit had not explored the whole universe. It is just that in this unit’s whole time of traveling the our galaxy. I had seen no evidence to suggest there is any sort of divine or any sort of mystical powers such as magic.#”

“Oooohhh! I see! Hehehe!~” Jacob giggled at what she had said but offered no indication on what it had found amusing.

Before she could ask. Jacob took his spoon and took a bite of soup.

“Mmm!” He looked back up at her. “Best eat it before it gets cold. It is better warm.” He informed her.

MKB-9000 nodded in understanding at Jacob’s word.

She then reached down for the spoon that was resting within the soup. She brought up the spoon carefully while trying not to spill any of the contents held within.

“Don’t for get to blow on it.” Jacob reminded.

“#QUERY: Blow on it? I thought it was supposed to be eaten hot?#” Mabel questioned while looking at her young brother.

“Well yeah! But it is too hot!” He told her. “If you put that in your mouth right now without blowing on it. It might skald your mouth.” Jacob warned her.

“#I see… that explains all the times I had seen other life forms blow on their food before inserting it into their mouth.#”

“Yeah, that would probably be it.”

So with a careful approach. Mabel sat forward to bring her lips closer towards the spoon as she blow a careful breath towards the soup in her spoon.

She watched and adjusted the strength of her blowing as she saw the soup ripple on the spoon. Then after seeing the steam that was raising from the spoon abate. She opened her mouth to insert it as she had seen Jacob do it.

But she wasn’t ready for the sensation that enveloped her senses as the warm soup bathed her tongue with its flavors.

Words. descriptions and adjectives, she had never used before came rushing into her mind as she tasted food for the first time.

The soup had a creamy texture, the flavor was rich, there was also other things about the soup that she had no way of knowing how to describe it as. Its content felt tingly as it swashed over her taste buds. It was smooth and flowed down her throat easily as it tickled and teased her neurons within the pleasure sensors of her brain.

“#MMM!#”

MKB-9000 moaned in pleasure for the first time in its operating cycle. Now it understood why the poor coveted a meal that the rich had plenty and could indulge in even grander flavors of delight of the myriad of the multiple of dishes that could be created within the cosmos.

“Do you like it?”

“#SARCASTIC REMARK: Does the planet not revolve around the sun?!#” Mabel quipped as she continued to insert more of the soup within her mouth. Neglecting to blow on it first, learning why she should have.

Jacob’s eye went wide at his sister’s reply.

“Quintarian circles the sun?!” Jacob asked her.

MKB-9000 rolled her eyes at his ignorant question.

“#Naturally,#” She commented as she slowed down to blow on her food now that she had scolded the roof of her mouth; learning the displeasure and pain of being hurt with a simple mistake on her part. “#how did you think the sun worked?#”

“I… I was taught that it the sun was a large object far away that that circled the planet like the moon did.”

“#ANSWER: partially correct: the moon is a large object that circles the planet; moons are usually formed from astroids that collide with the planet to form a sphere next to the planet it came in contact with.#” MKB-9000 explained in between bites. “#The sun is a large spinning orb of burning gases at is the reason for the planets rotation and orbit around itself. Because the sun hold what is called a gravitational force that pulls the planets around its orbit.#”

She had just finished her soup as she finished saying this.

“#*SIGH* COMMENTARY: What is that expression called that meatbags say? “My complements to the chef.”? I will have to start saying this after finishing a meal.#”

Jacob giggled next to her.

“We usually tell a servant to inform the chef if we are every satisfied or dissatisfied with a certain meal.”

“#STATEMENT: Then at the next opportunity; I wish to inform the chef of my pleasure with their cooking personally.#”

“Hehehe~ Yeah, Hazel would appreciate that, she is a great chef.” Jacob commented.

“#COMMENTARY: On this, I cannot agree with you more young Jacob.#”

“Do you want to try the other dish?” He asked her.

“#STATEMENT: At the moment, no. I would rather draw what my design before father unit returns to this room.#”

MKB-9000 realized that it had no steady surface for which to write on while she was in bed.

She then points towards the tray of food.

“#REQUEST: Empty that tray young Jacob and bring it to me. I wish to use it to write on.#”

Jacob smiled brightly at his sister’s request.

“Okay!” He told her excitedly.

Her hopped over her to get back towards the night stand on the other side of Mabel. She took her bowl and placed it next to Jacobs on her right side of the bed.

After he moved the plates of food. He brought her the pen, paper, ink, and serving tray to the bed for her.

“Here you go!” He announced unnecessary.

“#GRATITUDE: Thank you Jacob.”

He just smiled widely up at her.

Mabel took the contents off of the tray as she flipped it upside-down onto her lap then arranged the papers on it and then uncorked the ink. She used the pen to suck up some ink into the pen itself. After a quick test to see that the pen was functioning. She began to work on her design.

Jacob crawled back up on to the bed, sitting back down next to his sister, to watch as her hand flew across the parchment to create an elaborate shape of some sort of design that looked like a pair of human legs.

It looks like she drew herself within the other pair of legs. Huh? Jacob thought it was weird looking as he stared at the design. Not understanding what it was his sister was drawing.

Mabel’s hand slowed as she finished with the small bits of the design. Then she took the paper and moved it to the side.

“#COMMENTARY: That took less time then I first anticipated.#” MKB-9000 shifted her focus towards her brother. “Would you like me to show you how a solar-system works?” Mabel asked him.

He nodded his head excitedly.

She graced him with a smile.

She then turned to start drawing again on another piece of paper.

After drawing on it and explaining the working of the universe to her younger brother bit-by-bit as she drew each new section.

A knock came at the door.

She stopped to look at the door. Not sure what it was she was suppose to do. Her instincts told her she needed to hide and find cover or secure a weapon of some sort.

“It is open!” Her younger brother shouted.

“#CAUTIONARY: Jacob! Be careful! We did not know who was behind that door.#”

He looked up at her incredulously.

“It was just father.”

“Yes! It is just me I suppose.” The dark haired man with red eyes entered into the room. He was followed by his wife; the mother unit.”

“#GREETINGS: Good evening father and mother. How are you this evening?#”

He chuckled and smiled wearingly at his daughter.

“I should be asking you that. You fell asleep almost right away after we finished talking. I was nervous that maybe this was all a dream and my mind was playing tricks on me; that you never had woken up to begin with.”

“#OBSERVATION: If one of us were to be the dreaming individual. It would be I for being in this strange state that I now find myself within: which the irony is not lost on me, having being an inorganic sentient to begin with.#”

“Quite I suppose. But I doubt that you called upon me for a simple chat.”

“#STATEMENT: That would be correct father. I called upon you because my unit or person, in this case, my body, is to weak to walk unassisted.#” MKB-9000 explained.

“You tried to walk?!”

“#ANSWER: Indeed. When young Jacob and I awoke. We tried to depart in search of sustenance. But my legs collapsed almost as soon as the touched the floor; unable to support my body’s own weight.#”

The father unit looked from Mabel in fear and shock to outrage towards Jacob.

“Did you really try and take your sister from her bed?!” He shouted at his son.

His loud voice made Jacob flinch next to Mabel.

Mabel scowled at this.

“How many times did we warn you before Jacob! We’ve told you time and again that if your sister ever woke up. She would be incredibly weak and not be able to move like she used to until she had time to recover!”

“…I—… I am sorry daddy… I forgot… But I—“

“No excuses Jacob, you put your sister in danger and she could have injured herself if you weren’t careful. Do you want her to end up back in a coma?!”

Jacob at this point was nearly in tears.

MKB-9000 shifted herself so that she was in-front of Jacob, between him and their father unit.

“#STATEMENT: That is enough father unit: cease and desist your berating of young Jacob. Your angry tone displeases me. And many who have displeased me are no longer functioning.#”

The room fell silent at Mabel’s words.

“Did?-… are you?… Did you just threaten me?!” Mark stared at his sickly daughter with a look of shock and disbelief; rather than one of anger or outrage. Mabel on the other hand, was staring back at her father with a look that would be deemed as murderous.

Gracia scoffed at her husband and smacked him with the back of her hand as she moved in-front of him.

“Really darling, can you really be this dense?” Gracia mocked.

“Honey?”

“This is our daughter. Or at the very least part of our old daughter. Did you also lose your own memory as well? You must remember how protective she was towards Jacob? This is obviously something that has carried over; maybe a little more extreme to be sure.” She explained with a weary side-eye glance towards Mabel.

“But did you really expect to be able to scold the only person our new Mabel has any sort of connection with?”

“But I—“

Gracia scoffed again while also slapping him once again with the back of her hand to his chest.

“Enough dear. Just stand there and look handsome and stoic as you are so good at…” She ordered her husband.

Gracia made her way towards the bed and sat besides her daughter. All while smiling gently at her.

“Now then, Mabel. Will you explain everything that has happened since you have woken up? Despite his harsh tone, your father meant well. He was just concerned for your safety. And Jacob was told not to move or stress you to much while you recovered.” Mabel’s mother explained.

MKB-9000 looked from her target and perceived threat that which was currently her father unit. Towards her mother unit.

Her gentle demeanor helped ease and relax her into at ease stance.

“#EXPLANATION: Upon awakening, after a short time conversing with one another. Jacob and I took it upon ourselves to go and fond a source of sustenance to nourish our bodies. After trying to leave the confines of the bed. My legs could not support the weight of my own frame. Thus I started to collapse. Fortunately, young Jacob was there to assist me as I started to fall forward. He was able to support my weight and help set me back into the bed. Upon which time, he decided to use the tether to call for a servant: there in which we gave her orders to deliver us food, along with a request for writing utensils and parchment, and to asks her to tell father unit to come visit my chambers.#”

Gracia blinked twice with a blank expression on her face, at the thorough explanation given to her. But she quickly recovered, her smile returning to her face. She turns her head to smirk at her husband, who had an equally flabbergasted expression from their daughter’s tale.

“See honey? The carrot, not the stick. This how you get things easily. You can always dole out punishments at a later date.”

“#QUERY: Who is to be punished?#”

Gracia looks back at the stern set face of her daughter.

“Why Jacob of course. Now don’t give me that scowl young lady.” Gracia scolds her daughter’s attitude. “He knew he did something wrong. And those are who misbehave must be punished. Otherwise they will not learn or grow stronger.” She turned her head to look over at her youngest son.

“Jacob.” Gracia said firmly.

“Y-yes?!” He called back apprehensively.

“No dessert for a week.”

“But mom?!”

“Nope. Not hearing it.”

“Uueehh!…” Jacob flops down and turns his back towards the group as he lays on the bed and sulks.

Gracia watches as her daughter blinks in what looks like confusion as she watches her brother throw a tantrum.

“#QUERY: What is dessert and why was it denied to him? Is it needed for his survival?#”

“Hahahahaha!”

Hearing Mabel’s concerned question sent Gracia into a fit of laughter.

“No sweetheart, no. I would never deny my children anything they need: but dessert is reserved for good girls and boys.” She said with a playful scowl on her face as she looks at her youngest son’s curled up form. She looks back to her daughter before explaining.

“A dessert is usually a sweet treat reserved for after the evening meal known as dinner.”

“#OBSERVATION: So this is what organics referred to as a snack.#”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“#So it is not a serious constraint that will harm or stunt his growth?#”

“No. If anything, desserts, in large amounts are bad for you. So he will not be missing anything important.”

“It is important!” Jacob denied from his fetal position.

They looked towards the shout of the grumpy boy sulking on the bed.

“You don’t know or understand Mabel! But desserts are the best part of dinner! Now I have to go without it for a week; just because I forgot you can’t walk yet… Ouuuu….”

“#OBSERVATION: To be denied this “dessert” for only a week’s time for having forgotten something essential. Most would consider that a light punishment.#”

He curled up tighter on himself.

“……You just don’t get it……” He muttered to himself.

This caused his parents to let out a chortle at their son’s sullen behavior.

Gracia focused back on her daughter sitting in-front of her. She lifted a hand to Mabel’s chin to direct her gaze towards her.

“So? What was it that you wished to call us here for? Are you feeling alright? You didn’t say you were injured. But your father and I couldn’t help but worry about you, since you have been in a coma for so long: so don’t hold your father’s temper for your brother against him. He was just upset that you could have been hurt again.”

Gracia watched as her daughter thought of everything that she said before she spoke.

Mabel turned her head to look at her father.

“#APOLOGIES: I am sorry my harsh words and for having threatened you in Jacob’s defense.#”

Mark waved a hand in-front of his face in a dismissive manner.

“I am honestly not perturbed by your actions Mabel. If anything, I am amazed: I just watched as my frail sickly daughter came to the aide of her younger brother, even though he was within the wrong.” A smile spread across his lips as he spoke. “It honestly made me so proud of you to see you stand up for him. Even if your anger was directed towards me; And I apologize as well; for flying off the handle like that, before getting the full explanation. Just as I said with Jacob: There is no excuses for not listening. Which I for one admit, did not wait or listen.”

He looked at her with a remorseful smile. His arms opened wide.

“Forgive me?”

They watched as Mabel thought about something before she spoke.

She nodded her head.

“#ANSWER: Yes, I will forgive you.#”

Both parents let out a sigh of relief that their daughter was able to be reasoned with.

“#COMMENTARY: However. It seems to me, that lessons are taught through punishments if the perpetrator knowingly does a wrong that they know they should not have. So I will not he hugging the father unit for the remainder of Jacob’s punishment.#”

*GASP*

*SNORT*

The father gasped, while the mother snorted a laugh at their daughter’s retort. She had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing hysterically.

“Honey?!…” Mark pleadingly called towards his wife.

But she just shrugged her shoulders that were shaking in laughter.

“As our daughter said: “being denied something for a weeks time, most would consider this a light punishment.” Gracia said with a cheeky smile behind her hand.

“Ooouuu…” He bemoaned his wife’s decision.

This makes Gracia laugh out loud finally, at her sullen husbands expression. After a moment of laughter, she focuses back on her daughter.

“So tell us Mabel,” Gracia snakes an arm around her daughter’s shoulders as she stares back at her husband with a victorious expression on her face. His face dropping even more at seeing the skinship he was denied. “what is it that you needed from us?”

“#ANSWER: I have drawn a blueprint design of what I require.#” MKB-9000 told her mother unit as she handed over the paper to her mother.

Gracia looked at the design on the parchment with wide eyes as she took everything in that Mabel had drawn.

She looked up at Mark with wide eyes from the paper she was looking at.

“Mark! Look at this!”

He walked over and took the proffered paper from his wife.

The design he stared at was incredible.

It was detailed out in a precise list of requirements that showed how it was intended to be used.

“Is this what I think it is? Is this apparatus to help you…—“ He trails off. Not even daring to say the words aloud, lest the paper ignite and go up in smoke in-front of him.

Mabel nodded her head.

“#This device, along with the adjustable crutches, should allow my to support my unit as I traverse, while also helping myself strengthen my own muscles to support themselves.#”

Mark looked from his daughter. To the design. Then back at his daughter.

“Mabel… do you realize that this design if introduced to the royal army or part of the adventures guild. This could help so many people rehabilitate and help them walk again!” He shouted out in astonishment.

“#COMMENTARY: Agreed. This would be ideal for many that are physically impaired. But I would suggest not handing out this design and holding on to this concept for ourselves.#”

“What?! Why wouldn’t we distribute this to help others? Many in our territory could benefit from this design.”

“#STATEMENT: I do not disagree, I am not suggesting that you do not: what I suggest is that you do not do it for free.#”

“Ah! You suggest we patent the design so that we may obtain royalties.” Gracia caught on to what her daughter was suggesting.

“#That would be correct; with the addition that I could be the first test subject to prove its authenticity.#”

“Yes…” Mark nodded as he stroked his bread in thought of the idea. “This definitely has some merits. I will have to discussing this with my advisor and your mother about this. But I suppose you have a point about not just distributing this out willy-nilly.” He looked up at his family in front of him.

His son looking up from around from over his shoulder curiously to look in his direction. His darling Gracia was watching his reaction with a crooked smile on her face.

And his daughter.

His darling, crippled daughter. Who had some how, gained the memories of some sort of ancient non-living being. In a way, he wished that he just had his old daughter back. So that life could go on as normal.

But as he looked down at this daughter who was looking up at him up with a curious expression. He couldn’t help but fall in love with this new side and new personality of her that was born from the memories of that other person. He was scared of what this new persona might do to her long term. But he could also notice little bit his old daughter, tiny things that shone through this new personality of his daughter trying to make its way to the surface.

In a strange way. He was really looking forward to seeing how his daughter was going to turn out in the future now. Her prospects were almost infinite before.

Now, they were truly endless with the knowledge she held.

He held up design in-front of himself.

“I will take this to our personal blacksmith and workshop. We will get this made for you right away. In the mean time, we will schedule you with the doctor and a healer to rehabilitate you and help you workout your muscles to you can start moving about yourself again.”

“#QUERY: What is a healer, and is not the same as a doctor?#”

“It’s—“

“CAN I TELL HER DAD?!” Jacob asked his father excitedly, as he leaned over Mabel. Supporting himself on her legs.

“#Inform me of what?#”

“Tell her what? What a healer is? It’s—“

“DAD! Please!” Jacob pleaded.

Mark looked at his youngest quizzically. Before shrugging his shoulders.

“Sure Jake. Knock yourself out son.”

“Honey! Please! Don’t use commoner speech. It is a bad habit to teach the or show the children.”

Jacob ignoring his parent speaking and blurts out.

“A healer uses magic! They use magic to heal people!”

“#COMMENTARY: There is no such thing as magic.#”

The three other family members of Mabel look at her before looking at each other.

They all giggled or chortled as they laughed at what Mabel said.

This made MKB-9000 confused on why they were laughing.

Mark stopped laughing first, he then realized that his daughter’s expression was still confused. He tilted his head to the side with a what could only be described at a smug expression.

“In your, how many years was it? 1200 years of existing? You never came across magic before?”

“#COMMENTARY: I have been to one side of this galaxy and beyond. There has been many things I have seen. But even the most mystifying things were explained away as a form of either hidden technology or a subsequent genetic trait.#”

Mark smiled at his oh so for certain daughter.

“Are you sure?” He asked her as he raised a hand with his palm faces up.

“#ANSWER: There is no such thing as—

*FWOOSH*

Mabel’s eyes went wide as a ball pure flames that resembled a miniature floating star seemingly appeared above her father’s hands.

—magic…#”

                    

Mabel was so stunned in disbelief at what it was that she was staring at. She was cursing the fact that she was human at the moment; with no way to scan and analyze what it was she was currently looking at.

She felt her mouth hang wide open as she watch the ball of fire hang above her father’s hand. Dimming the other lights that were shining in the room.

               

Mabel’s eyes moved from the flaming orb to her father’s eyes.

                 

“How?” Was all she asked. As she knew she had no logical way to explain what  it was she was seeing.

             

He chortled before the fire seemingly extinguished itself.

              

“When you are better. I will teach you. Personally.”

               

He assured Mabel.