The wait was surprisingly brief. Ge’s Noodles and Subs knew how to treat their high rollers. Oyintsa was sure to thank them with a generous tip, with a little extra for the cook. He grabbed the bags and they were out the door.
The trip out of Bosstown was a lot quicker than the trip to the restaurant. For one, Oyintsa and Royal used a directional system to know exactly where to go. They also had purpose enough to get there quickly.
Even though she held no equipment or bags, AD7 lagged behind. The thoughts of her closest companion stuck deep in her mind. The war was finished but Eighty-Seven would not consider that possible until AD7 told her directly. So, as far as Eighty-Seven was concerned, she was deep behind enemy lines. AD7 could only guess what Eighty-Seven would do to get out.
—–
Rubin’s Trail: Main Research Lab
Adrianne was still a little shaken by the Gankers’ attack. They were probably bandits trying their luck; testing the strength of Rubin’s Trail’s defense. She couldn’t begin to guess where they came from but they were very well funded. Cloaking devices and hover-hunters were not easy to come by.
However, those thoughts were for another day. She was back in her element now. Sitting in her laboratory office, she listened as best she could to Chaeri’s reports on AD7’s treatment and responses. The researchers had waited as long as they could for Dr. Yu to return. After too long a time they had to take some actions. She wanted to know as much as she could about this mechanical chisho before they met.
Chaeri explained that after AD7 woke up, she had shown near crisho responses to almost all stimuli. She was thus deemed near crisho and moved from the research facility to one of the observation apartments in the lab. It would be rude to treat a crisho in any other way, even an enemy. A semi-prison, there was no way out of those apartments. An electromagnetic field and other precautions prevented any contact with the outside world.
AD7 didn’t seem to need any sustenance, possibly the result of her mechanical state. She also seemed to have an involved interest in the mechanical devices as she touched and stared at them often. That was all they decided to do without Dr. Yu’s approval.
Dr. Yu was interested in everything AD7 did. It was her childhood dream to meet such an iconic former Champion. She had given pause to the greatest nations in the area. Her Mech Fortress was strong enough to cause them to negotiate peace, combine their forces, and even ask for worldwide aid from Champions.
She started as a simple builder who wanted to defend a city. Now she sits in their lab. What was she now, a prisoner, a project, an example, a secret weapon? All that would depend on her reaction to questioning.
Adrianne stood at her desk, “I would like to meet her,” an understatement. She almost bolted out of the room with excitement before she remembered her status.
Chaeri stood and bowed trying to ignore her leader’s excitement, “I will take you to her.”