I went outside to the park to figure out what’s going on with my mind. Why is there a voice in my head? Some helper, I’m guessing?

“Rei.”

There it was again, but this time, I'll try to communicate using my mind. “Yes? Who are you?” I called out to the mysterious robot voice.

“I am an AI. I'm from your brain chip. I was created to help you make decisions and help you learn new things about your new body. I can operate right now, so ask your questions and I will truthfully answer them.”

“Really? How useful. So, what’s your name?”

“I do not have one, but you can give me one if you would like.”

“Then, how about… Chikou? The chi means wisdom, and kou means steel, because you  A.I robots are pretty smart, and obviously, your systems are probably made from metal.”

“Sure, I would like that name, it has a nice and fine ring to it.” Chikou sounded emotionless, just like me. Well, I guess he was programmed to do that.

“Anyways, why did you come out now to help me? Why not earlier, like, right after I killed Takeshi? Or when I was being tortured? It could’ve used some company.

“I was just put in your brain, so I couldn’t function properly right away. It takes me a long time to wake up.”

“So that's why… anyways, is there anything in my body that I don't know about?”

“There are many things you don’t know about. Like how you don’t know there are many weapons in your body. Missiles, guns, blades, and many more weapons are hidden inside your cyborg body. And you are not half robot and half human, you are at least 77% robotic. Even the skin is partially mechanical. More than half of your organs are removed or replaced by robotic ones. I would estimate that around 55 to even 70% of your organs are either replaced or removed.”

“How did I even survive the experiment if 999 other soldiers died in the process of becoming a cyborg?”

“They decided to use a different method on you instead of doing what they usually do.”

“And what would that be?”

“It's simple, putting the brain chip somewhere else in the brain and making the wires smaller so that it could fit inside the body. They used to put the brain chip around the cerebellum and brainstem. But for you, they put it deep inside the cerebellum, the diencephalon. They also put a second one in your limbic system to get rid of all your emotions.”

“I see… so how do I get my emotions back?”

“You can’t; if you remove the brain chip, you will die. There is nothing you can do about it. It works just like a human brain.”

“Well, I guess that's too bad.”

I stopped talking to Chikou and walked back home to the apartment. I checked the time; May should be here in about 2 hours. I saw a note on the dining room table that said: “I am going to buy some groceries, I'll be back in 30 minutes - Yuki.”

“Oh, are we really that low on groceries?” I went to the fridge and opened it. There was half a bottle of ketchup, a quarter of a sliced onion, and a bag of baby carrots. We really are low on food.

Then, I heard the door open. It was Yuki, with a lot of bags of groceries. The bags had snacks, fruits, vegetables, and more. I helped Yuki carry the groceries and put them on the ground.

At the same time, May came back from school.

“I’m back,” she said while putting her backpack down on the floor, but she looked slightly disheveled and a little tired. I thought nothing of it, probably schoolwork getting to her.

“Welcome back, May. Are you okay?” Yuki greeted her with a smile and with a little bit of concern.

“I’m going to do my homework upstairs, don’t disturb me,” she said, unzipping her backpack and pulling out 5 pieces of paper. Then, she went upstairs and into her room. She left Yuki’s question unanswered, and that made Yuki even more worried.

“What’s up with her?” I said with my poker face.

“I don’t know… I think something is… a little off…” Yuki said. “She hasn’t seemed like herself the past few hours.”

“Probably some teenager stuff she’s experiencing.”

“... yeah…”

“I’m gonna go outside for a bit, I'll come back in a bit,” I said. Opening the door and going outside.

When no one was watching, I flew up to the mountain I almost destroyed yesterday. I landed on top of it and looked around. There were still craters around the mountain. But I needed to train, to get a better hang of my abilities. 

“Chikou,” I spoke to it in my mind, asking for something.

“Yes? I am here. What is the problem, Rei?”

“Remember when you said that I am 77% robotic, right?”

“Yes?”

“Can I still train normally, like regular humans, like doing push-ups and other physical actions that help me with building my strength?”

“Yes, you could still do those activities, but I must warn you, they will be less effective than when you were still human because of your robotic anatomy mixed in with your human anatomy. I would recommend using other things to help build your strength levels. For example, using serums or removing more of your humanity for the exchange of strength.” Chikou explained carefully to me, but I was thinking about something else.

“...”

“Is there something wrong, Rei?”

“No, I think I know where to go to build my strength levels. I think I know someone who can help. Coming here was pointless when I could just go to her.”

“May I check your memories to check who that is?”

“Yes, you don’t have to ask me, do what you want.”

Chikou started to read through my memories from before I went back to May and Yuki. Chikou searched and searched until he found someone who might be the one I am searching for.

“Is her name Ai?”

“Spot on, Chikou. Though I do not know her location.”

“Do not worry, my friend, I have already located where she is just by looking at her face once. She is at 7-14-2 Ishigaki District in Ishigaki City.”

“Got it. I’ll tell May and Yuki I am going to be going there for a few days.”

I flew back to the apartment, and when I landed on the doorstep, Yuki opened the door instantly, as if she knew I was there.