Well I'm glad they didn't manage to shoot the cheekiness out of you.

Memory corrupted.

Attempting memory reconstruction... Memory reconstruction failed.

Skipping corrupted data...

"-solve anything Noa!"

A dozen security androids are aiming their weapons at me. I see the doctors, myself, and the core reactor. I'm seeing through their eyes.

"It will. The information required to create the technology in this place is kept here, and here alone. None of it is put on a network to avoid digital theft. I've confirmed this."

My hand is already hovering on the control panel.

"A miniature sun. Dangerous and unstable. Given a few adjustments..."

I turn a knob and start typing on a keyboard.

"Forget this, shoot it you good-for-nothing machines!"

"No, wait! Noa!"

Memory corrupted.

Attempting memory reconstruction... Memory reconstruction successful.

Sharp, explosive sounds come one after another as my legs and left arm get riddled with bullets. They go limp and unable to support my own weight, I collapse to the cold floor.

"Stop!"

Doctor Watanabe rushes in front of the security androids, getting in the way of their line of fire. The androids are quick to react, ceasing fire and pointing their guns away from her.

"Watanabe, what do you think you're doing?!"

"We still need her. N0-b and N1-a aren't ready yet. Noa's the only working android with a nano-ARC. More importantly we have to do something about that."

She points at the reactor's core. The bright orange light of the miniature sun is starting to pulse red and the room temperature is steadily rising.

"Tch. Fine, take all three to Site K. And might as well tell everyone to evacuate."

"Understood... What about you, sir?"

"Do you really think I'm just going to let all of my life's work be incinerated because of one defective robot?"

The man with the gravelly voice steps over me, glancing at me with contempt. He starts typing at the keyboard, his eyes moving from one screen to another.

"If there's anyone that might be able to re-stabilize the reactor, it's me. Now take this useless waste of resources and get out of here."

"Yes, sir."

Doctor Watanabe moves to my side and gestures for the security androids to come help her carry me. They obediently comply and-

Memory corrupted.

Attempting memory reconstruction... Memory reconstruction failed.

Skipping corrupted data...

Bright white. Searing heat.

End of memory.

The bed is soft and comfortable. I smell a faint floral scent from the pillow I'm resting my head on. Beside me is Milli, eyes closed and still. I recall Deci mentioning how she requires charging more often but perhaps a security droid's batteries are built to charge faster. Or did Gin also replace mine with a better one when he repaired me?

I sit up straight and pull out the charging cable from my nape. Barely any light is seeping through the window. The glass is dripping wet as rain continues to pour. It's not as heavy as before and hardly any thunder passed in the last few hours, but the clouds above are still thick and dark.

I take one step on the floor and attempt to do the same with my other foot, but then I feel an odd tug, as if being restrained. I look to find Milli holding on to my wrist with an iron grip. I carefully pry myself free and stand up.

The room is surrounded by shelves filled with technical books, stuffed toys of various animals, and a variety of disentanglement puzzles. As I move to the door, I pass by a standing mirror. I've changed out of my clothes, but my face is still in Nano mode. My hair on the other hand seems to have hit the dye's time limit.

I touch the damage I sustained on my left shoulder. I wonder what the estimated costs for repairs would be. Hopefully it's not something that needs immediate repairing, since we need to prioritize Gin's replacement arm.

The wooden door opens with a faint creak as I step out of Milli's room. A few more steps forward and I'm standing behind glass railings, looking down on the first floor of their apartment. Their large, wall-mounted television is currently on. Deci, who is sitting on the couch, notices my gaze and waves for me to come.

"How are you feeling?"

"Dry. And a lot more relaxed with the rescue operation ending successfully."

Deci gives me a wry smile as I walk down the stairs.

"Thank you again for saving Milli."

"It's not like I did it for you. I had my reasons. But you're quite welcome."

"Well I'm glad they didn't manage to shoot the cheekiness out of you."

"How are things out there?"

I look to the television screen. It seems to be coverage of the more damaged and affected parts of the city. It seems they even went as far as planting bombs in public places and detonating them. Casualties were minimal but they all happened in multiple places consecutively that the mass panic may have done more damage than the trigger.

"The authorities stepped in and raided District 17 a few hours ago."

"In the middle of the storm?"

"What? Oh, no, the storm ended about an hour after you and Milli came back. This is just regular, depressing rain."

Deci briefly looks out the large windows showing the rainy cityscape before looking back at me with a grave expression.

"Seriously, I cannot thank you enough for saving Milli."

"...Did something happen?"

Deci takes the small, thin remote on the coffee table and turns off the television. They put it back down and take a seat on the crescent sofa.

"It's just like you said. They didn't care about the hostages. The police just marched in with riot gear and weapons then subdued any suspected gangster in sight. In return, the gangsters... gunned down the captive androids."

Their expressions grows dark.

"That could have been Milli. That could have been you... So thank you, for keeping my little sister safe, and coming back in one piece."

"...Mostly one piece."

I tap at my left shoulder jokingly.

Deci gives a brief chuckle.

"You've been through worse. You'll be fine."

"Worse, huh..."

My mind drifts back to my corrupted memories. For the longest time I've only ever thought about how I survived in the first place, but now I'm beginning to wonder who else did.