Zeta was sad why? She was in that place again. The endless dark, but this time she was alone; however, on the bride's side, Top Gear wasn't here to torture her, but still, this place just felt empty.
Looking around, all she could see was darkness for Miles. It just felt so isolated. She didn't know what you could do. All she knew was she wanted someone to keep her company, anyone.
Then the world shifted, the next thing she knew, she was in a new place, still dark and empty, but this place was filled with gears. She looked around, either to take in the change. Hoping that this will prevent her from being driven mad. Then she spotted him sitting down, leaning up against a wall of unmoving gears was a being. She knew all too well. High gear, he was sitting down, feet planted on the ground, knees up in the air, with his arms resting on his legs, staring upwards.
She approached him one. Some form of conversation. Someone to make her feel like she exists, so I'm going to take away the loneliness. He only spared her a single client before continuing to look up.
She appreciated that he acknowledged her existence, but still wanted more. She wanted connection, consumed by a need to connect to something or someone. She boldly sat between his legs and lay back on his chest.
Realizing what she had done. She closed her eyes and feared that he might reject her and push her away. Send her off somewhere but instead she simply had her on the head. Then he pointed out the direction he was looking at for so long.
She's scared and recognized. Another thing she knew very well., a gear, and she was greatly familiar with it after all. It was the saving grace keeping her power in check, the stop gear, but something was odd. There were three more spots where gear should go. She wondered what that was about. Were there more gears? She didn't have any more gears.
High gear: Password
Then he pointed even higher, and she followed his pointing, looking even higher up. There was a sky, but not a sky with sunshine and white clouds of blue scenery from Miles on in, no, it was a dark, desolate sky with a violent purple energy growing ever mightier with Ann, a series of clouds.
High gear: find Edgar.
After those two statements, he brought her in for an embrace. She thought that someone who is purely armor would be cold and uncomfortable, but in fact, it was warm and safe. Then, before she knew it, her eyes opened, and sunlight was coming in from her window.
She remembered the dream clear as day. Although it didn't feel like a dream, she looked at the bracelet on her left arm. The gear Riser is stored inside. She then remembered the word password.
Wondering if it was what she thought it was. She pulled out the phone she inherited from her father and turned it on. This phone carries His will, which is password-protected. When she first got the thing, she pondered what the password could be. But couldn't figure it out. Instinct urged her to just try everything she could think of, but logic insisted they not do that since they don't know the password attempt limits or whatever rules apply to the password.
She typed in the password gear then a red x appeared with the words incorrect she let out a sigh. And then she turned off the phone and stuck it on her desk.
Logic: Might I ask what that was about?
Zeta: I think high gears AI is trying to tell me something, but I'm not quite clear what for a minute. I thought it might have been the password to the will, but I guess I was wrong.
Logic looked at her, thinking about something.
Zeta: Earlier, you mentioned that everyone in the research facility was killed, right?
Logic zoom backed in.
Logic: I did, but that was mostly due to the confirmation report. I do have my doubts, though.
Zeta: What do you mean?
Logic pulled up a few files from the Motor City database.
Logic: the employee Purge was confirmed one day before our Awakening; however, a week before that, an employee had taken sick leave. Susan Edgar was her name.
Zeta: Could you try running a search for her?
Logic nodded at that request. Then the two dropped the conversation, and Zeta got dressed for school. She looked at her clock. It was almost 8:00.
Instinct soon appeared, demanding breakfast. Zeta decided she'd stop by a convenience store on her way to school to pick something up, but before she could, the landlady was in the room to her apartment with two containers.
Landlady: Since you're Marins charge and that fool couldn't take care of a plant in a woman's child, I figured I'd help you out with lunch and some breakfast.
Before Zeta could say anything, the landlady had put them into her hand and then walked off.
Logic: It's customary for humans to say thank you when they do a nice thing.
Zeta: Thank you!
She shouted in a somewhat awkward way, not being used to this sort of interaction. Then she placed lunch into her bag and started eating the breakfast out of its container while she walked out of the apartment building. She was stunned. She spotted Mia standing outside the apartment building, clearly messing with her phone.
Mia: Oh, you're finally awake. I was tempted to go in and try to get you up, but I didn't know which apartment was yours.
Zeta then remembered the agreement she made yesterday.
Zeta: Sorry to keep you waiting if I was about to make you late. You should have just leave me behind and gone on ahead. I wouldn't have been bothered by it.
Mia shook her head fervently.
Mia: Nonsense, we agreed to go together and we're going to go together. I don't break promises.
Zeta nodded in understanding. Not really getting it.
Zeta: understood. I will try to be more punctual in consideration of your needs.
Mia: Don't worry about that.
Mia's stomach then started to growl. It was clear that she ran out of the house, not eating breakfast, and had waited for Zeta. Feeling sorry was a form of apology. She offered up some of her breakfast.
Mia was tempted to refuse, but Zeta, guided by instinct, took a spoonful of eggs and chopped them into our mouths, then she ate them herself, and the two continued to share the breakfast on the way to school.
At school, first through third. Was uneventful. It was mostly just boring classwork logic. I loved it and took notes diligently, but Zita and I spent the whole time watching a movie through the mental link. The teachers were none the wiser.
But then came forth. PE, zeta, and Mia were walking to the gym lockers to get changed. You couldn't participate yesterday since she hadn't gotten a uniform yet, but today she'll be participating in uniform.
While heading to the locker room, the two were stopped by 3 guys blocking the path.
Big guy: Hey, new girl.
He said to Zeta, towering over her, but Zeta ignored him and kept walking. He grew agitated and actively tried to block her path.
Instinct: faint right? Then grab Mia and I left. They won't be fast enough to catch you.
She did just that, diving left with incredible speed as the big guy on the left, right side, came together to block her path. She then vanished from you, only to reappear with Mia on her left arm around Mia's waist.
Without looking back, the two walked towards the girls' locker room. The big guy harassing her followed, trying to get her attention.
Big guy: Hey, I'm talking to you.
He said he was annoyed that she was ignoring him, but the two managed to enter the girls' locker room. He was close to almost entering it, but soon stopped noticing the teacher giving him the death glare.
During class, everyone was doing stretches and performing the warm-ups. Then, the guy was staring at her along with his goons.
Instinct: those are staring at us.
Logic: ignore him. He's not worth our time.
Instinct: No, don't ignore him, punch him in the gut, guys like him. They don't learn the lesson until they know the pecking order.
Logic: Please stop comparing school to prison. It's not good to give Zeta bad ideas.
Zeta actually agreed with the instinctive feeling that punching the guy in the gut nice and hard would be more than enough to dissuade him from bothering her.
They're diverting the antigen away from the obvious problem. She noticed something else a group of girls sitting out.
Zeta: I think Mia called them popular girls. What's up with them?
Logic looked where she was looking.
Logic: It's likely they're sitting out due to not feeling well. If that many are sending out, there's a slight chance a bug is going around.
Instinct: or they're just faking it because they don't want to run around exercising since it's a pain in the neck.
Zeta continued to look at them, but noticed one of them was missing. She glanced around and spotted the girl doing stretches not too far away from her. She couldn't help but feel curious.
The gym teacher ended the stretches to start a game of dodgeball. Of course, he made it boys versus girls. Mia started to look nervous at the prospect of the game. Clearly lacking athletic ability from how much you struggled with doing stretches earlier. The boy from earlier was laying daggers at Zeta and Mia Zeta, then spotted the girl from earlier. Completely getting ready along with her. Their team seems to consist of mostly athletic people, minus Mia.
Zeta went over to the popular girl, Mia, following behind. Not trying to get separated.
Zeta: Hi.
The girl looked at her, confused.
Popular girl: You're the new girl, right? What's up?
Zeta looked at her, then looked at the group of a couple of girls sitting out.
Zeta: Why aren't you with them? Aren't they your friends?
The girl looked over at the group she usually hangs out with and smiled a bit awkwardly.
Popular girl: Wow, that is tempting. I am unfortunately not doing well in the other subjects. I need the PE credit to ensure I have a good graduation score.
Logic nodded in understanding, Zeta nodded in logic's understanding, which the girl took as normal understanding.
Zeta pointed over to the large guy, steering daggers at her and the two goons remaining at his side. Then said something she didn't expect her to.
Zeta: I know this is Saturn, but I want to team up with you. I've got Mia, who isn't capable of running half a corridor, and I've got to watch her back, so it would help if there were three of us, so that two of us can watch each other's back, and both of us can watch Mia's back.
The girl was shocked. The sudden invitation, then smiled and said.
Popular girl: Sure thing.