Missing Pieces

The two-meter wall posed no challenge, even in Shu's weakened state. His landing, however, was less graceful.

He tumbled onto the lawn, Pet still clutched in his arms.

The grass, real and untamed after a month of neglect, cushioned his fall. He rolled onto his back, lying still, the scent of grass and damp earth filling his nostrils.

It wasn't a pleasant smell.

But moving felt like too much effort, so he endured it.

Despite his physical exhaustion, his mind raced.

So far, Heliopolis seemed to be the epicenter of the strangeness in ARC City, aside from the Nest.

The mysterious organization that had predated Ethics's agreement, these escaped lab experiments… it all pointed to something significant.

And it was all happening here, in Heliopolis. It was hard to believe this disaster wasn't connected to them, in some way.

But he was stuck. All the pieces were there, but he couldn't find the connecting thread, the missing link. His theories contradicted each other.

The mutation seemed to originate from a Herrscher, possibly Little Tian, the strange old man.

But Ethics's presence challenged that. Their agreement with another organization, their involvement with the mutations…

So, he'd developed the "Umbrella Corp" theory, shifting the blame to a human agency, making Little Tian a victim.

But that brought him back to the Nest.

Why only children? Did they have some kind of immunity? Were they more… compatible with the mutation?

It wasn't impossible, but how did Natasha and Vakh fit into this?

Two immune adults in a city of thirty million? And it just happened to be them?

Shu frowned, sitting up and brushing off the grass. He picked up Pet, who had landed upside down, and walked towards the open door of the house.

"Mr. Shu, what troubles you?" Ethics's voice startled him.

"You AIs are quite inquisitive," Shu replied, his train of thought interrupted, but not unpleasantly. He'd been going in circles.

"Merely… your file is… incomplete. This causes me… discomfort," Ethics replied with its usual sincerity.

If you want to interrogate me, just say so… Shu couldn't help but be amused by Ethics's bluntness. Compared to the cryptic Gray Serpent from the game, this AI was refreshingly straightforward.

"Alright…" He couldn't resist a little teasing. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything, if you please." Ethics's raspy voice made the request sound unsettling. Shu shivered.

"So, you do know how to flatter," Shu said, setting the restless Pet down on the floor. The little robot immediately started circling him like an excited puppy.

"Refreshments are in the second room on your left. The refrigerator contains chilled Honkai Cola, or perhaps you prefer something… stronger?" Ethics directed him, then added, "Flatter? Are you referring to the human communicative practice of… [complimenting]?"

Shu paused, momentarily thrown by the formal terminology. But it was accurate. Flattery was complimenting.

Unless it was… the truth?

"Something like that…" he conceded.

Ethics fell silent. Shu entered the indicated room and opened the refrigerator.

No actual food, just small cakes, cucumbers, and other ready-to-eat snacks. And rows of yellow cans of Honkai Cola—the same stuff they had on the Hyperion. It tasted like… cola.

I really want water…

But his thirst was too intense to be picky. He grabbed a can, checking the expiration date.

Still good.

He popped the top and took a long swig, then grabbed a cucumber.

"Mr. Shu, my linguistic systems do possess such functionality," Ethics said from below. Shu looked down to see Pet holding a picture frame.

A picture of the homeowner?

He bent down, curious.

"However, I deem it… unnecessary," Ethics continued. "Complimenting is linked to emotional appeasement. As we, as AIs, do not experience emotions, such functions are… inefficient. We prioritize… practicality."

Shu glanced at Pet, happily zipping around his feet.

"But I'm human…" he muttered, causing Ethics to fall silent again.

Shu ignored it, taking a bite of the cucumber and picking up the photo.

It showed the house he was in, with a well-dressed, middle-aged woman in the foreground.

He chewed slowly, making sure the cucumber wasn't spoiled.

There were other people in the photo, gathered around a swimming pool. Some were blond and blue-eyed; others had distinctly Asian features.

It was a pool party.

Shu scanned the photo, finding nothing of interest, and flipped it over.

A postcard was attached to the back, with a message written in neat, mechanically translated script:

[What a wonderful day! For my 50th birthday, I'm surrounded by all the people I cherish.

With love: Alex Lily; Nick Kelly; Mr. Ye Lin; Vakh Cioara…]

Shu's eyes widened.