Heroes and Villains

28 - Nanites

Yumi

This is so frustrating.

I was convinced the robot guard would give me some clue towards what is going on, but so far it looks just like an ordinary robot like the ones we built in Japan.

It’s been days since we grabbed the guard and brought him to my Foreseer base. Days since I opened him up and surprised Daniel by proving this guard really is a robot.

I sigh as I finish taking apart yet another piece of the robot. There’s nothing out of the ordinary here. Frustrated, I look at the clock and wonder how much longer it will take for Daniel-san to get here.

Sitting down on my chair, I remember his surprised face when I first showed him this place and explained I am the Foreseer. After that, he almost made me promise not to go out there and act like a hero. Almost. I will not give up on my mission to bring Justice to this city, one way or another.

I roll around in my chair, hanging my head back and the world swirls around me. It’s ridiculous how my life changed so drastically in only a few days.

I have been revealed that my grandmother is not my grandmother, but an alien robot. Also, my grandfather is a man I never met before coming to Chicago and he too claims we are not human.

I frown at this. If I’m not human, what the hell am I?

The only good thing out of so much drastic change is Daniel-san. He has been a blessing sent from heaven. I smile at all the perfect moments we have shared together in the last few days.

We still can’t reveal we are together because both his father and my grandmother are not here to hear about it. Not that I care much about how they are going to react but Daniel’s brothers could be a problem. Daniel-san holds them in such high regard…

Thinking of that, my thoughts shift to Mia and her miraculous return. I understand she wants to lay low for now and not turn into Kitty Girl at all, but I miss talking to her.

I wonder if it is too much for a girl like me and a girl like her to be friends? Maybe I could ask her to have tea with me. I don’t even know if Mia likes tea.

I so want to tell her about everything that has been going on… Memories of what Daniel-san told me about Itsuki’s plan assault me and I halt in my swirling.

I can’t tell her. I can’t tell her what they are up to. She would not react well, especially considering they need her for it all to work. I still don’t know what I am going to do about that.

In a way, I want to help Daniel-san and the others to accomplish their goal because it is something I also believe in. But on the other hand… I don’t want to betray Mia and reveal her secret identity to everyone. She trusted me with her most important secret. I can’t do that to her.

I have no idea if she came back to the mansion after that day and Daniel-san has been so busy lately that he doesn’t know either.

I glare as I jump out of my chair and decide to go kick the dummy in my pent-up rage, only to have it bounce back at me and hit me in the chin.

My lip immediately starts bleeding and I have to get a cloth to help clot it. That was real stupid, Yumi. Nice reflexes: getting yourself hit by the backlash of a dummy.

I look at the blood-soaked clot in my hands as I gently remove it from my lip. The blood looks so normal… How can I not be human?

Then, an idea hits me. Just because it looks normal, does not mean it is.

Rushing to the scattered robot parts I collect a little sample of the fuel coursing through its small pipes. Running to the microscope, I take a look and am shocked at what I see.

Nanites.

A bunch of them. And they are moving too.

But there is no sound wave source nearby. What could be fueling these nanites to move instead of lying dormant?

I look at the robot parts again and come to a horrible conclusion. If the nanites are alive inside the robot, that means that the whole time I was ripping it apart, the robot has been sensing my every move and recording it.

As quickly as I can, I rush to the memory core still attached to its mainframe and tear it apart, smashing it to pieces against the wall.

These things have been watching me through this robot. Through the nanites.

Not wanting to stay near this thing a second more, I rush out of the base and run all the way to the main elevator of the facilities, ignoring the surprised looks of whoever I pass by.

Once at the elevator, I quickly bypass the access to the last level and sit on the floor, holding my knees, while the elevator goes down to Daniel’s lab. It always takes a few minutes.

I still can’t believe those nanites were inside the robot this whole time. Who is even controlling them?

“Yumi?” I hear Daniel’s voice when the elevator dings and the door opens. He smiles when he sees me, making me smile in return as I get up and get out of the elevator.

“How did you know it was me?” I ask him and approach him placing my arms around him and sighing in contentment for being in his arms again.

“Well, dad is out of town and Ric is in an important meeting” He tells me, placing his arms around me as well, he kisses the top of my head and we remain in our embrace for a while longer.

He is in his human form because of the constant trips to the mansion. He has been helping me with the robot when he has some free time.

 “Did you find anything today?” He asks and I frown, my feeling of contentment gone.

“Yes, something terrifying” I say, pulling away from our embrace. He looks inquiringly at me. “Nanites”

“Nanites?” He repeats, confused.

“Yes, a whole bunch of them moving in the fuel driving the robot” I say, still a little terrified. “I’m honestly surprised that thing didn’t move while I was tampering with it”

“Are sure they were moving?” He asks.

“Yes, I saw it through the microscope” I tell him. “There is no way sound waves can cross my base, Daniel-san, and I have no device that generates sound waves in there either”

He frowns as I say this and starts leading me further into his lab, surprising me. He leads me to one of his super-advanced microscopes and I look intrigued at him.

“Look inside” He tells me. “Do the nanites you saw look anything like these?”

More seriously, I look into the microscope.

“They’re the exact same, Daniel-san” I tell him. “Where did you get this?”

He sighs and rubs his eyes with his thumbs. For the first time, I notice how tired he looks.

“Come with me” He says. “I need to show you something”

“Something other than the machine your father told you to build?” I ask.

“Yes” He says, surprising me. “It’s… a complicated situation. It’s best if you see it yourself”

I nod, not wanting to inquire any further when he is sounding so serious. Holding my hand, he leads the way to a part of his lab I have never been to before. He opens a sealed door and smoke emerges as the door moves.

Stepping into the room, I gasp at what I see: a woman.

A woman trapped inside a glass tube filled with liquid. Her entire body is surrounded by tubes that lead to monitors on the side of her containment. Approaching the monitors, I realize why Daniel-san wanted me to see this.

Nanites. This woman has nanites coursing through her veins and it is this machine on the side that is controlling them. From what I can understand, the nanites are functioning to keep her alive, constantly healing her body from inner damage.

“Who is she?” I ask, looking at the pale face of the woman. She looks Japanese. I wonder if she is a Yoshiro.

“Her name is Mara Yoshiro” He starts, confirming my suspicions. “She was… is… a childhood friend. She and her parents were sent here to help train us after Itsuki adopted us. We became fast friends during our harsh training sessions”

“What happened to her?” I ask, looking at Daniel.

He avoids my look and stares at Mara’s face instead. “An accident, five years ago”

“An accident?” I ask.

“Mara has always been headstrong…” He says. “When she found out what Itsuki’s plan was, she vowed to destroy the meteor”

“But that’s impossible” I say.

“Mara didn’t care” Daniel continues. “She barged into the secluded area of the facilities and managed to open the main door leading directly to the meteor. She was using a protecting suit, but not even that saved her from the strong radiation”

I look back at the woman in the glass. So, it is the radiation still in her body that is causing constant damage.

“She is Hikari’s mother” Daniel reveals and I look at him in shock.

“Ricardo’s daughter?” I ask and he nods.

“She and Ricardo had been dating for almost 2 years before the accident” He says. “She only found out about Itsuki’s plans because Ricardo let it slip accidentally. He still blames himself for what happened to her”

“But it’s not his fault” I say. “She shouldn’t have tried to reach the meteor”

“Ricardo doesn’t think like that” He says. “Ever since he lost Mara, he hasn’t been the same anymore. I thought that if I could save his daughter, I could help him, but I guess that wasn’t enough”

Noticing the change in his tone, I reach to hug him tightly. He too feels guilty for what happened.

“Is that why you are trying to find a way for the nanites to be controlled by the person wielding them?” I ask, holding him.

“I thought that if I could save Mara, then maybe I could have my brother back…” He says, sadly. “If you say those robots didn’t need soundwaves to function, maybe there’s a chance”

“I’ll help you” I promise, looking up into his eyes. “We’ll bring Mara back”

He smiles gently and touches my cheek tenderly.

“I’ve seen firsthand what love does to people. I never wanted any part of it” He says. “Until I met you, Yumi”

I smile in response and we lean in for a much-wanted kiss.

“Now that you’ve shown me this, I think you are needing to get some rest” I tell him, poking his nose teasingly.

“I’ve had coffee” He contests.

“Coffee isn’t enough” I say. “You need sleep”

When he still doesn’t look too convinced, I kiss him again, more deeply this time, then trail butterfly kisses down his temple.

“I can always help you fall asleep” I say, trying to put on a seductive voice.

He smiles, his arms pulling me closer to him.

“I like the sound of that” He tells me, smiling. That smile can always make my heart melt.

“Have I told you how perfect you are today?” I ask.

“Not yet” He says, his smile growing wider.

“You’re perfect” I tell him, sealing our love with yet another amazing kiss.