The two finished eating, Alexa took the plates and the casserole to the sink to wash it. Akino cleaned the table where they ate. After finishing their tasks, like doing a household chore, the two decided to take a little nap. They went to the lobby area where they first stayed while reading the log files. Alexa went up to the desk counter, while Akino took the seat. Alexa layed her back on the counter while looking at Akino who was yawning and stretching her arms.

Alexa: Hey, hey!

Akino: What, kid?

Alexa: You think, were-were still human?

Akino closed her eyes, thinking of something to divert answering her question. She knew that Alexa was somehow blocking her past experiences from that cult where she escaped from. She was emotionally unstable specially on situations dealing with uncertainty. Akino wants to changed the topic, maybe ask her out to flex her abilities or something. She looked towards Alexa and saw her serious face. Then, she knew that somethings must be faced on even it hurts you so much.

Akino: Yeah, maybe…

Alexa: How?

Akino: You want some ice cream?

Alexa: Yeah? Sure, if you manage to find some…

Akino: That’s it.

Alexa: Wait, what?

Akino stretches herself towards Alexa, and Alexa sits down on the counter.

Akino: Look, we still want the things we desire before THIS happened. So, I guess were still human, in the mind…

Alexa: But - but we have these weird powers, right? If other people see us, they call us monsters, right? Specially me! I mean, look at me! I’m all white!

Akino: Hey, knock it off! Both of us still have something in common.

Alexa: Really? Like what? Having no boobs?

Akino: THAT is not necessary. But yeah, other than that, both of us have these weird powers. Look, I can turn my skin metal, you can turn into something awesome, COOL as what you’ve said to me last time.

Alexa: Okay, I get that. But still, just thinking things that we’re humans still make us humans?

Akino: THAT is so deep, kid. I can hear someone rolling in!

Alexa: Hey! I am not joking!

Akino: AND another one!

Alexa: Can you just answer my question?

Akino: Can you first define what does make you human?

Alexa: If I tell you that having morals, or being hungry, or having intelligence that differs us from other lifeforms, then you will tell me that “it doesn’t really make you a human”, I’m gonna smack you!

Akino: Easy, girl. The answer is – is, not really that – ah, goddamnit!

Alexa: See? Even you can’t explain it.

Akino: Wait, wait! Give me another chance! I can answer your question!

Alexa: I’m waiting.

Akino: Okay, so we all know that every living being has its own intelligence, even at the smallest level, right? Even bacteria has its own instincts to survive on different places, making it somehow intelligent, right?

Alexa: Yeah, that’s why we are not that different from them –

Akino: Now, what if we look at the other creatures’ perspective? Take an ant for example, if they saw their own kind, they might befriend it or fight it. Even they are the same specie, they still might not recognize them.

Alexa: That’s like – about being territorial?

Akino: Okay, okay. Hmmm, how do I explain this… okay, got one. Well, I think…

Alexa: What is it?

Akino paused for a while, Alexa was waiting for her, then she yawns at her. Akino looked at her, then her face brightens as if she have thought an important thing.

Akino: You asked if were still human right?

Alexa: Yeah?

Akino: Well, we ARE still human since we still think we are.

Alexa: Wait, hold up. WHAT?

Akino: Think about it. You want a carbonara and ice scream, we still feel tired and wants a nap. It doesn’t make sense, right? We have these abilities to self-sustain ourselves but still, we act like flesh-bags that requires food. AND remember Descartes famous line?

Alexa: I think, therefore I am?

Akino: Yeah! And with that, I still think we are still humans. We still think and act like what we were before. So, we are still humans. We still have the will to choose what we want to do, like a typical human.

Alexa: I am not going to ask you again, but thanks for answering.

Akino: You’re welcome?

Alexa rests her back again on the top of the counter, while staring at the ceiling dome of the lobby. Akino leans back to her chair and was about to close her eyes.

Alexa: Hey, what are we going to do next? I mean, according to the files the time in here is slower compared to outside, right? What if everyone is dead and we are the only ones living in this place?

Akino stared back to Alexa. She was still staring at the ceiling. Akino moved her chair towards where Alexa was resting, and she leaned towards her.

Akino: Just leave it to me, kid. Nothing will happen to us, starting this moment.

Alexa reached her hand to Akino, and she raised her pinky finger.

Alexa: Promise?

Akino also raised her pinky finger and did a pinky promise.

Akino: Yeah, kid. Just don’t be a brat at serious times, okay?

Alexa: Hey! I am not that bratty anymore! May I remind you that both of us were centuries old, so technically I am an adult now.

Akino: Not mentally, though.

Alexa jokingly punched Akino’s shoulder.

Alexa: Whatever!

Akino: Hahahahaha! Okay, okay. Alexa, I’ll call you Alexa from now on.

Alexa: Sounds weird if you’re calling me like that.

Both laugh for a while and went into silence after, Alexa closed her eyes and Akino caressed her face slowly as both fell asleep. Four hours passed, both waked up and stared at each other.

Alexa: So… we leaving now?

Akino: I can’t sleep well in this windowless place, you too?

Alexa: Yeah…

Akino: Okay, pack what you want to bring out, we’ll leave this place.

Alexa took the plastic bag full of canned goods and chocolates that she prepared a while ago, and Akino wore the belt bag Alexa gave to her. She did a little ‘tweaking’ on the bag as her hands started dripping metallic fluids on it.

Alexa: What are you doing?

Akino: Enhancing the bag?

Alexa: How?

Akino: Look, I have all the technological stuff in my head, right? And I saw this non-dimensional storage system this institute developed.

Alexa: What does it do?

Akino: You can, anomalously and conveniently, store things inside this storage like a pocket dimension, and you can just pull it out like how Doraemon pulls things from his magic pocket.

Alexa: Really convenient, so convenient it makes me want to unhear what you said.

Akino: Hey! At least we have this thing, right? Now gimme your plastic bag.

Alexa: Ugh, fine.

Alexa gave the plastic bag to Akino and she placed it inside the belt bag.

Akino: Wow, it feels I’m carrying nothing.

Alexa: Stop flexing that bag! I’m supposed to carry the stuff, right? And I am the one who found that bag!

Akino: Hey, hey. Don’t be mad. I’ll carry it for you. So, ummm, you do the scouting?

Alexa: Really? Okay, fine by – wait, you can use your eyes as telescopes, right? So what’s the use of me scouting ahead?

Akino: You can smell better like a dog? And feel vibrations better like a spider compared to me?

Alexa: A super technological advanced semi-cyborg versus the ultimate lifeform, huh?

Akino: You mocking me?

Alexa: Hahahahaha!

Both went to the glass door, seeing the metal plates that was blocking the outside. Akino opened the glass doors and turned her hand into a torch cutter to pass through the metal plates. As soon the metal plates were cut, Alexa used her tentacle hair to move the plates, revealing a dark parking lot. There was a ramp leading to a huge roll up metal gate, also there were four weird grey SUVs that has tank tracks instead of normal rubber wheels parked in there.

Alexa: Can we use the SUVs?

Akino: Let me check.

Akino touched each of the SUVs, and all of them were working. Akino decided to start one, and both of them entered the vehicle. They drove towards the exit, and the roll up gates opened on its own. They were blinded by a light, it was in the middle of the day that time. As soon they regain their vision, they saw the surface world. They saw the city ruins at the north eastern horizon, with the huge ominous black sphere floating at the region’s sky.

Alexa: What the hell was that?

Akino: That must be the void thing they mentioned.

Alexa: Its… huge? The files said it was like five meters in diameter or something. We can see it from here…

Akino stopped and looked on the surroundings. The facility was underground, and it looks like a war bunker from the outside. The ground was covered with unusual grass like plants, made of red crystals but were soft and smooth as silk. The buildings at the horizon, except the ones at the north eastern region, were covered in the same red crystal plants but way bigger. Weird huge nautilus like creatures, five of those, can also be seen floating near the north eastern horizon. There was a small tower beside the entrance, fourteen meters high and a solid sphere six meters wide was sitting on its top. Both left the vehicle to scour the place.

Akino: I’ll check that tower, you go check the whole place.

Alexa: Got it!

Alexa sprinted across the place as Akino climbs the ladder on the tower. There was a door leading inside the sphere. There was a huge silver dodecahedron suspended in the air by some thin wires and pipes coming out of its bottom, a monitoring panel was on the right side near the floating polyhedron. Akino checked the screen.

LAMBDA ATOMIC CLOCK

DATE OF OPERATION: SEPTEMBER 13, 3197

STATUS: OPERATIONAL, CURRENTLY RUNNING ON SELF-SUSTAINING MAINTENANCE

FACILITY STATUS: FUNCTIONAL

NUMBER OF ACTIVE PERSONNEL: N/A

NUMBER OF ANOMALIES DETECTED: UNDEFINED

NUMBER OF ANOMALIES MITIGATED: UNDEFINED

NUMBEROF DAYS PASSED SINCE ANOMALY DETECTION: 609 569 710 Days

Akino: So… that’s over a million years, huh?

Akino sat on the floor, and she breathes out a sigh. Metal clunking can be heard outside of the sphere, it was Alexa climbing up to meet her. As soon as Alexa meets her eyes towards the sitting Akino, she rushed towards her.

Alexa: Hey! Aki! You alright?

Akino: Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.

Akino stands up, Alexa saw the monitoring panel and looks to Akino.

Alexa: Six hundred million days?! What in the world happened here? It must be malfunctioning, right? It can’t be that accurate.

Akino: No, it works fine. So does the satellites deployed by the Institution. I could access their GPS already and their atomic clocks, and it is true that over one million and six hundred thousand years has passed in this surface world.

Alexa: No shit?

Akino: Watch your – you know what, just swear it out. This is a fucked-up situation, I understand you.

Akino saw that Alexa was holding some flowers, it looks like the flower of a hyacinth but made of blue crystals.

Akino: Where did you get that?

Alexa: I uprooted it so we can plant it, it looks cute.

The two went down the tower to go back to their SUV, but Alexa stopped walking alongside Akino. She was staring at the entrance of the facility silently, then she went near it and planted the flower she picked up. Akino followed her.

Akino: Hey, what’s the matter?

Alexa: It’s my way of saying goodbye.

Akino: I – I don’t get it.

Alexa: If they didn’t take us in, we probably still laying on the wasteland, right? Sure, they did some horrible things on us, but hey we’re still alive, and together…

Akino watches her plant the flower. She decided to look for a similar plant, and she found a rose, but the petals were made of soft glass. She uprooted it and planted it beside the hyacinth that Alexa planted. After they finished planting the flowers, both stood up and remained there silently for a minute or two, and then they left the place.