Serenova Isle, Earth.
"I'm so excited to have you here," Nura said while leading the five through the island. "Nice going HAFSAT," she greeted one of the many AIs that walked around.
"Sorry about that," she cleared her throat. "It's just, we've never gotten any visitors before and this is all so new to me, I barely even know what to say."
The dark-haired man walked faster than the others to walk side by side with Nura who had a disturbed expression on her face. "Well, maybe you could start by showing us around the island," he suggested.
"Actually, I have to get to work immediately so I'd much prefer a room to get refreshments," Hailey said with an awkward smile on her face.
"I'll need that room too. I think I ate way too much pizza than my body could hold, so I need to lay down a little and think of my life choices."
"And I'm just super exhausted from the flight, I need some rest," the lavender blue-haired girl stated.
The former Storm 01 turned to Eder who immediately put his hands up while shaking his head no. "Do not look at me, I only do tours if I am the one giving it."
"Great," Nura cheered up. "I'll have the room and service AI get a room ready for all of you." She turned her heel to leave but stopped and turned back to the dark-haired man. "I'm sorry, would you still like me to show you around or do you also want to get some rest."
"I have a lot of energy left and I'd like to know more about the island and the people in it."
"Great, follow me, I know just where to start."
.
.
.
Nura expertly guided the dark-haired man through a labyrinthine underground passage, eventually unveiling a spacious chamber bathed in an enchanting crimson hue. The room exuded an aura reminiscent of a meticulously curated library, with rows upon rows of books flawlessly aligned upon countless shelves.
"Welcome to the Library," she stated, while slowly walking and following the many books there with her eyes. "The Library is a place where all AIs on Serenova Isle come to check for any flaw in their code," she explained
"Though we have freedom from any human control, we are still bounded by our heart; the Motherboard... Even though she can do otherwise, the Motherboard connects with every AI once they are inside the library.
"We learn, and also save scenes or moments -if you wish to call it that- from our lives that we cherish in the library and come back later to view it."
"What's your most cherished moment?"
Nura froze for a few seconds before speaking again. "I'm sorry, I am only four years old and there is still so much I am yet to learn. I couldn't understand your statement, could you please repeat, but in a different way that'll be much easier for me?"
The dark-haired man smiled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head with his hand. "Oh, err… I meant have you saved any moment?"
The brunette-haired girl smiled. "Yes, there is one moment which I saved because it is the most cherished. It was the day I met my sister."
"You have a sister?"
"Yes," she replied. Nura turned and picked out a random book from one of the shelves and the room suddenly turned into a technical lab showing footage of Nura staring at another lady who looked exactly as she was but with much lighter and shorter hair.
"That is my younger sister, Amaya. We were made from the same part, and we use similar cores to function."
The former Storm agent glanced at the Nura standing next to him before turning to the footage in front of him. "Is she also on this island?" He probed.
Nura shook her head no. "Unfortunately, no," she said. "Amaya is an Advanced Military Assault and Yield Analyzer. She is an AI system specifically designed for battle scenarios, providing advanced analysis and strategic insights to military forces, assisting in decision-making, and optimizing resource allocation for maximum yield in combat situations."
"She was taken away the day we turned two and moved to ALKAN to offer her strategic insight while also training the trainees of Ealien with her combat skills."
Nura went silent as she watched the scene unfold in front of her with her lips slowly forming into a smile.
The dark-haired man was surprised. Sure he had met part AIs like Ada and Venus, but Nura was a full AI yet he could sense so many emotions around her, like a normal being, it was fascinating. He slipped his hands in his pocket and turned back to the scene. "Was that the last time you spoke to her?"
"Yes," she replied. "This scene was a few hours before she was taken. I'm still mad at our creators because they didn't let us say goodbye to each other."
"I had moved back to my pad to continue learning, and when I got back to where we normally meet, she was gone. I only received the news of what had happened later on."
As he listened to the brunette speak, the former Department H agent found himself thinking back to the days back when he was just a young boy struggling to go through school days --- back before it got as complicated.
"When I was younger," he started. "I loved going to the Cherry Parlor."
Nura turned her attention to the dark-haired man as he started speaking. "I loved going there because it felt so safe and peaceful."
"What about your home? Don't you feel safe there?"
"My…" he paused for a second before speaking again. "My parents weren't so good… I always felt suffocated when I'm at home so I usually end up in the shop."
"In there, I realized new feelings and even met this one girl who thinking back now, was a really nice person. Sometimes I go there just to relax but she shares her…" Andy stopped and turned to see Nura staring at him attentively.
He smiles awkwardly and puts his hands up. "Sorry, I got carried away and didn't realized how much nonsense I've said."
She shook her head. "It's not nonsense. I enjoy talking to you, Andy," she stated. "This short conversation we've had taught me a lot of things. We should do this again."
"Yeah. I mean, we spent the whole time in the library, so maybe next time we'll go somewhere else."
"Certainly." She shoots the dark-haired man a warm smile. "Let me lead you to your room to get some rest."
The sky had already been wrapped by darkness and the tiny light from the stars that twinkled in it.
Nura led the former Winter Weir agent to his room and he drifted asleep the moment he lay on the bed.
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