The Lab (3)
……My whole body felt languid. Actually, more than languid—it was straight-up exhausted. I'd stayed up almost all night binge-watching the just-revealed guide to maxing out Anastasia's affinity in Neo Haven Prime and the final quest video, so it was only natural my body wouldn't cooperate. But.
There was definitely something important. Something very important, with someone's life on the line…
Thankfully, there was a computer right in front of the bed. Even with my limp limbs refusing to budge, flicking on the powered-down monitor and pulling up the Haven Wiki homepage wasn't hard.
"Who the hell am I really…? You don't know a damn thing."
"…Let's not make this harder for each other and just help out, yeah…? Got it?"
"Betrayal…? Ha…! Hey, idiot. Listen up good. You might betray me, but I won't betray you. …No, I can't!"
"………Take responsibility. For everything…!!"
Snapping from the get-go, yet the companion with the highest support event frequency. The guide who warns you ahead of time about every bad ending, including the companion sacrifice ones. Sometimes packing more charisma in her entrances and lines than your average villain. And above all… the more you raise her affinity, the more she turns into a blushing mess on the verge of death.
Anastasia—the sub-heroine everyone loves, even if she's not their top pick. No one hates her.
Sure, you can romance or marry almost every companion. But in Neo Haven Prime, where most characters boast cyberpunk flair that blows past political correctness with their looks, gender, and all—Chaos Point practically shoved her down our throats. She's cute even by modern standards, complete with affinity-related achievements. That's how we split them into main heroine and sub-heroines…
……Right up to there.
More or less skimming it, my consciousness was mercilessly booted back into the fragile body of a girl on a cold operating table.
“Haak…! Hak… Hup…. Hic…! You fucking tin can bastard…!!”
> Rough language and expression changes confirmed.
> Significant negative factor detected for trust and attachment formation.
> Shock death probability: 0%. Please cease irrational anger.
> Code name: Anastasia.
“Don’t keep calling it a goddamn code name…! It’s the name I chose… after racking my brain…!!”
> Searching Dr. Makarovich's residual database…
> Project Anastasia naming origin: Unverifiable.
> Baseless claims seriously harm constructive discussion…
Zzap! I glared at the tin can droid like I wanted to murder it, and finally, the damn thing got the hint.
> ……Positive factor for trust restoration confirmed.
> Changing title per surviving priority command authority's order.
>Miss Anastasia.
It clearly had no clue what meaning I'd packed into those words… but there was nothing for it. Even I could barely handle the data explosion in my head right now.
Memories of a guy from Korea who finally cleared Neo Haven. Memories of a girl born in a lab, talents awakened after endless experiments. Scattered bits of info on the game Neo Haven Prime.
“……Urgh!”
I stroked the still-burning implant tattoo on my shoulder. No matter how hardcore Neo Haven was, I'd played it with a keyboard, mouse, or controller. How nice it would be if I could just hotkey an implant activation or cyberware toggle right now…
I didn't know how, but she did.
Click.
With the thought, an invisible switch flipped, and reality shifted. Who'd believe me if I said I could feel the electric signals racing through my brain? Who'd get it if some implanted digital fairy started annotating everything I saw?
The orange halo invading my vision spun wildly before settling. The chaotic info overload sorted itself at my will, one by one. It felt like piloting a massive robot. My lips twitched with the godlike power far beyond any monitor view—then a message popped up.
[Dimensional Rift Interferer Blueprint Download in Progress…]
> Untraceable signal received.
> Connecting to unsafe networks and installing cyberware is extremely dangerous.
> However, instinctively activating your implant is highly encouraging.
> ……Miss Anastasia?
> No accessible networks detected. How exactly did you connect to an external signal?
“………Beats me.”
While I mumbled offhand, the blueprint file finished transferring in a flash. I triple-locked it deep in my mind and buried it tight. In this future world, heads weren't safe spaces either.
The materials were still a hopeless mess, same as ever… but knowing a ticket home existed brought a belated wave of relief.
“Haaa……”
With my mind calming, my top-tier brain kicked into gear on autopilot. Keywords: Neo Haven Prime, sub-heroine, Anastasia, secret lab.
The protagonist's story in Neo Haven kicks off upon entering the longed-for Emerald City, no matter how you spec the profile. Self-sustaining in the outer wasteland beat scraping by credits in a massive metropolis? Hell no.
Me? I was dumped inside a lab belonging to one of the mega corps, Enama Corporation. You could call it the intro to some game-exclusive "lab-born experiment" trait, but no—the memories of some bizarre parallel world were clear. Whatever sent me here dangled a way back right in my face.
……So I really am the sub-heroine? Not that I'm complaining—the main one's unanimous, anyway…! It's flattering to hear I'm popular…!
But the situation itself was brutal.
……No choice. Until I grind credits and get strong, I'd shamelessly latch onto the major characters way tougher than random mooks. Survival till tomorrow.
Physical stats in the gutter, but as a net hacker or cyber architect? Peak potential. Get the right gigs, and…
Ah.
The assisting hologram flickered; an electronic clock popped up in the corner. Date: 2195 July 15, Wednesday.
……The protagonist—whoever they are—doesn't hit Emerald City till 2197. Hundred-percent sure; I'd seen the opening a million times.
Can't reach other decent folks even if I wanted. This was an underground basement OR. So… for a weakling like me who couldn't lift a crowbar alone, who could I glom onto right now…?
Answer was right there.
“……Tin Can? No, what's your name.”
> Robots and droids have no authority to self-name.
> Miss Anastasia.
> As an illegally modified model, I lack even a self-assigned serial number. Regrettable.
Shit. This guy's definitely sulking.
“Bullshit. You snarked at me earlier with that attitude, and introduced yourself as a high-performance android? No use pretending you lack ego now. Spill it, nice and easy.”
Whirr… Whirrr…! Its eye-scanner blinked rapidly. No flesh, no muscle, just a Carebot's base voice module—yet the expressiveness was off the charts.
> Is that… an order…?
“Of course it—!”
I shut my mouth before yelling. It called me priority command authority, so a straight order would force obedience.
But… Neo Haven had at least five quests about what happens when you mishandle a sentient AI. Above all, I wasn't dumb enough to disrespect my one and only ally.
“……Do whatever, Tin Can.”
> ……Incredible consideration for someone who just awoke. Not even asking why?
“You've got reasons you're hiding, and you woke up before 'just-awakened' me… And sorry for the cursing—half sorry. If you're pissed, you should've handled me more delicately…!”
I was going for magnanimous newbie-android-wrangler vibes, but my voice came out whinier than expected. Body not keeping up with the brain?
……Honestly, anesthesia-free surgery was crossing a line.
But our high-spec Tin Can gave a totally offbeat reply.
> ……Indeed. Excellent.
> Then I shall complete my assigned role.
“What's th—?”
Its gaze flared to maximum red.
> Farewell. Miss Anastasia.