Project 02: Input

Chapter 5
File E: Act2

'Activating: Sloth Program'

Her weight is twice heavier than mine. It was extremely troublesome that I had to carry her all the way to Master Ronald's office. I stepped out of the 'broken' elevator and carried her on my back. It isn't hard to stop an elevator from moving; I know F. Media's building more than anyone. Even those people don't know as much things as I do about the building.

'Activating: Pride Program'

Those people passed by me looked at me with those expressions. I stole Crypton's hacker, and she's currently shut down, I did all that, shouldn't I at least get a bit of compliment or respect? One day, I will be the one giving orders to those people. No longer could they boss me around, those who go against me would surely face my dangerous belt.

'For now, I'll agree to be their little servant. I'm not a living creature like you, but at least I'm the most advanced android in the century.'

I saw CV01 along the way; she looked as blank as always. No one could tell whether she's off or on, since that blank expression on her face is always there. Sometimes she'd stop walking and stand at one place for 15 minutes or so. There might be a bug in her system, though those people don't care about little things like that. Someone should really throw CV01 away, in my eyes she's a failed creation. Yes, she could do anything those people command, and could do everything perfectly. Sometimes I could give commands to her; but those people don't like it when I give commands to her, since it'd make me 'lazy'.

Then, I thought of an option. None of those 'important' people were there, even if there were, I could give an excuse. I gave her to CV01, she wasn't hibernating. She was just… staring in to space. She struggled and tried her best to carry her, and so I gave my command to CV01.

"Those people want you to carry her to Master Ronald's office. Don't drag her around; carry her on your back. Show me you're not that useless." I walked in moderate pace while CV01 carried her in such a slow pace. Maybe she's not so useless. As long as no one knows that I order her around, then it'd be fine. I'm 02 and she's 01, I'm far more superior than she is.

"I don't see those people in the building, where are they?" In the past few days I see less and less of those people in the building. I guessed they were at one of those 'breaks' outside of F. Media.

"They are not outside of the building. They are inside the building. At the basement. All day long." Basement? The only room in the basement is the laboratory, the place where I was 'born'.

"How come you know where they are?" CV01 never realizes her surroundings. How could she know those people are in the basement?

"Yesterday. Those people told me to go down to the basement. Those people told me to shut down. Many of them are there. At the basement." The only thing I could think of was, they were trying to upgrade CV01. It's about time for her to get an upgrade.

It took us longer to reach Master Ronald's office, but at least I didn't need to carry her. I shooed CV01 away so it looked like I did all the hard work. Well, I did do all the hard work. All CV01 did was carry her. CV01 didn't become 'friends' with her or become stuck inside the elevator with her for hours. I knocked on Master Ronald's door and tried to look not so tired. I switched from power saver and put the setting to high performance.

"Excuse me?" He is the leader after all, and I need to give him all the 'respect' I could give. He gave the order to build me; so Master Ronald is more or less my 'creator'.

"You don't need to be so formal, it's just me." Dell Honne. I have no interest of giving respect to him, even though he's one of those 'important' people. I hate him.

"I should give her to you?" I doubt he'd give me a prize or compliment. Not even a little byte of gratitude for me. Of course in his eyes, I'm just a tool. A hard working android that works for free.

"Let's go down to the basement, to the lab. There's something you should see." He led the way and I followed him. Not even a look of sympathy for carrying that heavy load.

"What is it that I should see?" I was glad that I gave CV01 the command to carry her. If I did carry her from the beginning, I'd run of battery faster than usual. I switched from high performance back to power saver since I didn't feel like impressing him.

"It's a surprise. Try to control yourself when you see it though. You're not to speak a word or else, I'll shut you down." One of the main reasons why I hated him so much. He has the power to shut me down, he knew how. There might be a remote or some sort, no one ever told me how he could it. I just hate that so much.

I remembered, once my sloth program activated, and I didn't do the work those people gave me. He shut me down, and I was 'dead' for 4 days. That person could shut me down permanently, and no program from me could wake me up from my long permanent sleep.

"She told me about her upgrades. None of them are useful to the company, or to me." I switched the subject, wondering if that information is useful enough for him. He seemed to be in a good mood. He didn't sigh or yell when I said those upgrades won't be useful for F. Media, or me.

"The two of you have your own strengths. You can hack Crypton, while she can avoid viruses from a hacker as strong as you." That's true; she's really hard to hack.

"So you're going to look for that program inside her, and then what? Install them in me?" We went inside the elevator and he pressed the basement button.

"Yeah, right." I recognized that tone, it's called sarcastic, a tone that humans use to insult people.

"Then what are you going to do with it?" We stepped out from the elevator and walked through a lonely hallway. Only few of those people are allowed at the basement. And those who are allowed are the 'important' people.

"We've been working on another project, for the last few months." He said and the two of us stood still and see through the glass. Some of the scientists were working in the lab. From where we were standing, they looked more like doctors doing a surgery.

One of those people recognized us and went for the door. The first thing he said to us was,

"Do you have it?" I showed her and almost immediately he took her from my arms and enthusiastically said to Dell Honne.

"He's finally ready." He gave a smile that I don't like one byte. He faced me and said with a threatening voice.

"Remember our deal. You're not to speak a word when I'm explaining, and you're not to complain about what you're about to see." I won't guarantee it, but I nodded so he won't complain any further.

I waited outside while the three of them went in the laboratory. He laid her on the table, the same table I was made on. It felt… strange to see her shut down on that table. Probably because it'd be the last time I'd see her. After the operation those people would break apart every parts of her body, leaving screws and cables behind. I admit it's a good form of torture for us androids, I couldn't help but feel bad for her. I was a copy-paste of her; she and I were somehow connected.

The program pride deleted those 'thoughts' and replaced them with another. At least I'd be the only Project 02. Maybe for her to be broken down to smaller parts wasn't such a bad idea after all.

He came out from the laboratory and had that smile again. The smile I hated so much.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Sorry is a word made for telling another that you regret an action from the past. He didn't regret at all, what's the point of telling me that? "Hurry and come over here, Act 2." For once, I couldn't believe my eyes. A person who looked exactly like me stood behind him.

"CV02-Len, meet ACT02-Len. He'll be our new hacker starting next week." It was a part of the deal to keep my voice in mute, but I couldn't keep quiet about it. I knew I wanted to say something, but I wasn't sure what. So many options came out I couldn't pick which one to be said. My system was not responding.

"The reason why we wanted you to get the original (Rin) is because we're trying to make ACT02-Rin. We need to know the programs inside her. Bottom line, ACT02-Len is going to be our new hacker, and ACT02-Rin will be our defense system. ACT02 has everything that you don't; you have a few problems inside you, small but troublesome problems. He'll work more efficiently than you do." After he said it, I quickly responded.

"If you have more efficient program, then why not install it inside me? Why bother making another body?" I had no idea how humans think. I really wanted to wrap my belt around him and let him take his final breath in front of my eyes.

"The answer is in your own name. You're Project 02 CV02-Len. C stands for Character, and that's the problem. You have a 'character'. You have sloth, wrath, pride, lust, greed, envy, and gluttony. No matter how hard we try, we couldn't uninstall those programs. Then we decided to make ACT02, an android that doesn't have character, and would do anything. If I ask you to jump down a building you'd refuse wouldn't you? ACT02 won't refuse, he'd do it." Why would they want me to jump down a building in the first place? I ignored that thought and came up with another question to him.

"Then why did you insert those programs when you 'designed' me? Those programs aren't useful for hacking." I stared at ACT02 for a second, he reminded me so much of CV01. Blank expression, I couldn't tell if he's hibernating or not.

"Again, the answer is because of her name. We wondered why Crypton made an android with a character. So we inserted 7 programs inside you, and made sure all of them were negative. We thought maybe, with sloth you could slack off from time to time and we could punish you. The punishment and threats, maybe it could motivate you? Or at least it'd make you afraid of us. We waited and waited, those programs aren't useful after all. We tried hard to uninstall it, but we couldn't. And so we made ACT02."

"Then what is my role in F. Media now?" All I could do is hack. And eliminate people. Do they want me to eliminate Crypton? I wouldn't mind doing that.

"Who knows? Maybe one day we'll give you work to do. It's a waste to throw you away, just sleep for as long as you want." One day? I didn't show him how afraid I was. There's a chance that he'd shut me down after the conversation is over. "And one more thing you should know. I won't shut you down, as long as you don't interfere with us. However if you lay a finger on ACT02, I will shut you down, forever." That made my day worse; I couldn't get rid of the machine I hate the most? That's not fair.

"Why can't you just shut me down now?" I was a bit hesitant to ask, but I needed to know.

"I can be nice from time to time." That wasn't an answer, I knew it wasn't. "You're excused now. Follow me Len."

'Activating: Wrath, Pride, Greed, Envy Program'

The only person who calls me Len is her; no one in F. Media ever calls me by that name. CV01 is the same; no one ever calls her 'Miku'. I always thought I have no flaws; I always complete my task, on time and well. I want my position back as a hacker, and I want all the programs inserted inside that thing. If I have to ignore all the 7 'feelings' inside me, I wouldn't mind.

The only option I could think of was to destroy ACT02. It'd be too predictable, even if it's an 'accident' those people would blame me and they'd shut me down. I have to somehow destroy him, without getting to trouble.

Should I make a small accident and leave a small but permanent scratch? No, they'd suspect me.

Should I just ignore it? Of course not.

Should I let someone else destroy it for me? No one would agree to do it.

I looked through the glass and saw her with so many cables attached. So many colorful cables were attached they looked like ribbons.

Then, I thought of a clever option. I should let someone else destroy it, and that 'someone else' is her. She hates me, doesn't she? She hates me so much, and that hatred was something I need. ACT02 has the same face as I am, she wouldn't know who she destroys.

I smiled as I thought of a plan to destroy ACT02. By tomorrow, I'd be the one and only 02.