Layered Plans

The three ran down halls following Yuu in the lead who knew where they needed to go. Asami remained with Satoru holding tightly on to his hand. She looked over to him trying to get filled in on the rest of what happened while she was under the programming's control. "Didn't they finish Adam in Qintech? That's where it was hidden since its creation."

"Apparently it was hidden somewhere else." Satoru looked out of the corner of his eye at Yuu, remembering the exchange that he had with the General in the tent. He still didn’t know what they were talking about completely, but he knew enough. "They didn’t find it there, but it explains why they wanted the facility at all costs."

"Then where is Adam?"

"That's all I know." Satoru turned his head away looking forward at Yuu who seemed to be ignoring them for the most part. He was never sure what was going through his mind and knowing what he knew now it only made him question him even more. There was no doubt that he had some motive, that was clear from the beginning, but he could not tell what his angle was. "Yuu knows more, or should I call you Malakh?"

"Malakh!" Asami said in shock coming to a stop holding Satoru back. She stared forward at Yuu who came to a stop as well turning towards her. All of the stories that she had heard and reports that she read about Malakh made her question if he was even real. "You mean that this man is…Malakh? The Malakh?"

Yuu walked forward slowly approaching Asami and bent over bowing to her. "Yes, it is I my dear lady."

"Who are you trying to impress?" Satoru said pushing him back a little annoyed by the casual and forward nature of Yuu just now. He seemed to enjoy reveals and keeping everyone unbalanced. It appeared to be his only talent.

It took a couple moments for everything to sink in for Asami, but she quickly put it together. All that Seraphim believed would have to mean that Malakh was connected to Adam. "If you're Malakh that means you know where Adam truly is then."

"Yes, I do," Yuu said, straightening out his shirt preparing to carry on a long explanation that was a long time coming. "Qintech was just a front created big and obvious that would make everyone believe that Adam was hidden within it. Even if it was meant to be obvious I made sure that it was secret enough that it stayed hidden. It made it only seem more like it was the real location."

The long account of Yuu's scheme to trick everyone was starting to grate against Satoru. He fought to keep himself in control, not interested in knowing every detail right now. It was more important in stopping the others seeking it. They had to get out of the building and to the location that it was actually hid. "I don't care about fluffing your ego with how well you fooled everyone." Satoru stepped forward, slicing his hand through the air to cut off Yuu and get him to the point. "Where is it actually?"

"Now really, that is rude. Yuu stepped back as though he was offended by Satoru. A quick shrugging from Yuu focused his words as Satoru had requested. "Fine. Adam’s hidden here in this building."

"What? Why is it here?" Asami felt the same as Satoru about not wanting to drag this out, but knew there were still some missing pieces. He was acting far too casual about the whole matter when all of machinekind's lives were at stake.

It made him smile a little, but Yuu continued his explanation for their benefit. "Decades ago this was actually an engineering facility for the creation of Isaac and Adam, but it had been covered up and rebuilt several times that no one even remembers when this was the center for advanced computer research."

"What?" Satoru said, now shocked, remembering what he had learned in school about the Isaac Project. This went against everything that he knew, the world in fact. How could something this big all be a lie that was being taught to every child. "But public records and video from the time place the construction of Isaac in England."

"You still got a lot to learn," Yuu commented with a small smirk to Satoru. Even knowing what he did the man was still making assumptions that he knew the truth. There was so much that he didn’t know that he had to stop believing to be the reality. "Those were all part of the cover up. The Isaac Project was considered dangerous at the time and until the success of Isaac everything was held to complete secrecy. Even after the success most of the records weren’t released as they used mock up documents in any releases. They were truthful enough, but most of the secrets remained with Isaac and his creators.

"However, that's not as important. When Isaac was completed Adam was nearing completion as well. General Yoshima was correct when he said that Adam is completed and is potentially the most advanced computer intelligence ever created. Since Isaac was considered a success they kept Adam in reserve until the time was right. He was stored here in the underground facility."

Yuu walked over to a wall touching it with his palm. "That was why I picked this location for the summit," he said with a smile looking back at the two of them. Light glowed from around the corners spreading out into a rectangle surrounding his palm. The wall suddenly vibrated, kicking dust from ages past into the air.

Satoru stepped forward a little with Asami still wanting to be cautious with Yuu. Everything that he was hearing sounded like he had every minute detail planned out. He was going to have to watch his back around him. "What do you mean that you picked this location? All of that was done in secret between the world leaders in assembly."

"I'm the one that arranged for the summit." He turned around and swung his arm out in a grand fashion. Behind him the wall lit up slowly waking up from its long slumber. "I was contacted by the Malakhim Faction and Isaac. I convinced them to have a summit with all of the world leaders. This was in part a ploy on my half to smoke out all of the conspiring groups. I knew that they would try to make a move on the summit. They are exposed for the world to see. All of this has to come to an end today. They are all gathered together in one place."

The two of them stepped away from Yuu feeling an almost crazed presence from him. It was uncertain, but they both knew that there was something going on with him. He was acting in his own interests becoming the third side to this conflict. "You've planned all of this to happen? What about Asami and me? Did you plan this too?" Satoru held her back away from him.

Yuu turned back towards the wall as it opened up for him, producing an elevator that while looking its age still had power running through it. He stepped through the threshold turning quickly to the two standing back against the wall. "No, you two were an anomaly. But I wonder if it was fate. If it was not for you two then everything that I planned may not have happened."

"What are you planning now?" Satoru said not willing to follow him any further. He began to wonder if he was going to need to stop Yuu's plans in addition to the plans of everyone else in trying to reach Adam. Adam was something that could never be activated, no matter how much of a cost it would mean to the world.

"Come and see the birth of a new world!" He spread his arms open wide inviting them into the elevator to take them to the moment that everything changes.

Satoru looked over at Asami as she did the same. They were both feeling the same things from Yuu. It was clear now that he had his own plans in mind that weren’t the same as what Isaac or the Seraphim were wanting. "There's something not right about him."

"Malakh is supposed to be a neutral party, or so I thought," she said softly out of range of Yuu. Everything that she knew about Malakh was turning out to be proven false at each step. She was no longer sure what she should believe, being forced to think for herself now.

"I don't trust him," Satoru said with certainty even while being confused and lost with everything that was going on around. There were powers at work all seeking one thing. He couldn’t let any of them reach it.

Uncertainty was high for Asami knowing that Yuu had helped them before and repaired her, but it might have all been in his designs. She wasn’t sure if she could trust herself to make a decision. There was so much at risk that she couldn’t afford to make a mistake. "He has helped us this far," she said, still not confident, but knowing that this was their only way to Adam.

"Maybe he's planning on using us in his plans as well." Satoru could see what Asami was thinking. They didn’t have any choice in the matter. Yuu was their only lead to Adam and without him they would never find Adam. The two walked forward into the elevator tightly holding hands while looking at each other. They were in this together and would stop Yuu if it came to that point.