‡‡ Networld, ALYS Central Archives ‡‡

Before the raffle of the giveaway Vocaloid was set in place, Gumi made a visit to Alys — the North American Administrator — to talk about a plan. Since the Antarctic and Atlantic Administrator, which was Haku, was always processing low data traffic, Gumi asked her to look after the files that travels across Europe and Sonika had covered Haku's domain together with her African zone.

While she was walking between towers of data and files stored at the North American Admin's domain, she asked Gumi. "Why are you so overboard on looking after a piece of data Gumi, that you have to spent both of our time on your 'master plan'?"

Standing near Alys' large chair with an intricate design of a bald eagle over a maple leaf at the back, she looked at Alys seriously. "She is not just an ordinary piece of data Alys," then she looked far up the swirling blue globes of data, "she is my child and she is my responsibility to make her alive as long as possible."

Alys stopped at a certain shelf of E-books and pulled one on it, then she walked slowly towards Gumi. "So you mean..."

"Yes." Gumi said, Alys made a sarcastic smile. "She had possessed an ability as powerful as us Administrators."

When she gone close at her solid obsidian desk, she slowly placed down the book, still smiling. "Oh... really." Alys said, sitting down with crossed legs, Gumi still beside of her. "Should I be surprised? Should we celebrate... What should I do..."

"Help me," Gumi said, "to get Maika away from her stupid creator.."

She hummed. "If that data was your child, then why should we need to do these things?" Alys said, looking at a blue screen at her desk. "I mean, you can keep her in you domain and teach her there..."

"I..  I Can't.." Gumi said, both of her hands at her back.  "I can't let her locked up just like us. She have a dream, she have aspirations. She have a beautiful life... Unlike us that was created with human greed, pride and wrath."

Alys laughed low on Gumi's statement, then placed her right hand at the armrest. "So, you want your child to live up her dreams instead, than to teach her the 'basic rules of our lives'? Of our existence? Of our... destructive purpose?"

Gumi nodded slowly. "I can't... I really can't teach her to be like us... I want Maika to be different from us monsters who lived at a wrongful path..."

Alys turned her metal black swivel chair to face Gumi, her hands were raised; both elbows touching the armrests, looking directly at Gumi with delight. "You indeed changed throughout our time Miss Geneva Software, Miss Gumi." then she snapped her finger and a seat appeared behind Gumi. "Let's have a talk, shall we? I want to learn from you. I want to scavenge those quirky thoughts of yours.."

"I'm glad that you accepted my favor. I'm really glad, thank you very much." she said low, then sat down. "Thank you, Miss Alyssa.."

—the next day, after the party—

After his breakfast, Strauss had sat down again in front of his computer. Wearing his plain shirt and shorts, he started his day at the computer by blocking his hand in front of his mouth, making long yawn of laziness.

"Damn.. That was one heck of a party last night..." Strauss said, clearing his eyes from any dirt.

He turned on the computer and while waiting for the monitor and the program to be functional, he went to his bed and grabbed his mobile phone.

------
Wyndows Veesta....
Loading programs.....
Please wait.....
-----

He unlocked his phone and found text messages from several persons and from Leonard himself.

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VLI // Mister Leonard
1228 4559 xxxx

"Strauss, that was a great and successful event. Hope you can do bring Miki and Iroha Appends tomorrow at the office..."
                               Mar 19, 2013 1:02 AM
-----

Strauss made a reply.

-----
New Message
Recipient : VLI // Mister Leonard
Number : 1228 4559 xxxx
Date : Mar 19, 2013 7:22 AM

"Yes, Sir. Im on it.

Thank you Sir."
-----

Afterwards, he looked back and when he saw that the computer went okay, he dropped his phone back at his bed and sat down at his swivel chair. 

Strauss' look at the monitor was half-squinted while grabbing the box for the Vocaloids requested by Leonard to be prepared by tomorrow.

Upon placing the box at the computer desk just beside his keyboard, his thought suddenly flew on the fake Vocaloid he made for the event.

He knew at the first place it was wrong to deceive people but for him, it was a win-lose situation that time.

"Ah.. I really can't give a free Vocaloid. I really can't give a software that easily. It took me a long time in doing those and just some lucky bastard gonna get it for free? Heck no. Not a chance."

He clicked the program compiler.

"I feel bad that a girl got the fake Vocaloid but..." he said, shaking his head lightly, "... nah. Still, I cannot give it for free."

Opening the compiler, he started working on completing the appended versions of Miki and Iroha and placing them both at the desktop.

‡‡ Networld, Gumi Mainframe ‡‡

Seating at her amethyst coloured chair, she was orchestrating a large arrangement of files and data. She was manifesting a smile while watching over the globes of pixelated data swirling and dancing in with each other.

"I hope you will like my little special gift I prepared for you..." Gumi vilely said, turning her chair around and looking at the floor.

The dark floor of her domain turned gray and gradually flashed a world map, being the border of the countries were coloured with each Admin's area of responsibility: Green for Europe; Orange for Africa; White for Atlantic and Antarctic; Yellow for South America; Blue for North America and Red for Asia-Oceania.

She was watching all the lines that connects two certain countries. Each data connection was represented by a pulsing dot which traces a dashed line, a visualization of path of data or file to where it was travelling. Even though the lines were too many to individually spot because of its scale and magnitude, for an Admin like Gumi, she could clearly see the one line that concerns her at the moment.

She then gestured her left hand in the air like she was touching a flat vertical surface and from it, a blue intricate circle appeared. "Admin Alys, come in..."

"What is it, Gumi..." Alys replied over.

"Where in Asia did you dropped my child?"

"I'll show you on your map.. Wait a sec..."

"Thank you..." then she lowered her hand and placed it back at the armrest.

ㄖ ㄖ ㄖ

After Miki and Iroha's appends were done, Stauss went at his kitchen to grab something to chew on.

He thought that he could burn some time before he burn the appends so he went at his 'C:' directory and opened his folder containing his E-books.

"Where is that 'Supernova City' book I'm reading..." he said, scrolling down the list of books in the file folder. Due to its sheer number, his patience ran out and began sorting the books out according to their names.

Afterwards, he resumed in scrolling down the list of books when suddenly one tiny file caught his attention.

------
Books                           |Date Modified
• • •
Kangaroo Days        |   11/11/2011
Los Angeles II          |    02/01/2009
MAIKA.txt                 |    03/18/2013
Makrov's Music       |   10/02/2001
Nape Break               |    09/27/2012
• • •
-------

Out of curiosity, he opened the text file and found some text written over it.

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Notepad
MAIKA.txt

[MAIKA said at Mar 18, 2013 11:56 AM]:
"Why?"

[MAIKA said at Mar 18, 2013 11:57 AM]:
"Why did you change? I can't understand. Why after all the times that I had been loyal, you snapped out of your dreams and left me alone to continue?"

[MAIKA said at Mar 18, 2013 12:00 PM]:
"Even if I am secretly reminding you about your true goals... You completely fell off the ledge of promises; you changed and selected to be like that."

[MAIKA said at Mar 18, 2013 12:01 PM]:
"Does this life of mine had to undergo in this twisted and confusing world? If all of my questions would reach you someday, will it matter to me? Will you ask me? Does your words will make me sank down to my knees and collapse?"

[MAIKA said at Mar 18, 2013 12:03 PM]:
"If you will tell me, my creator, the words that I needed to hear from your mouth then.. even if I am so sad, all of my bad memories — all of it — soon I'll forget it like it never happened."
------

At first, Strauss was confused, he kept on scratching his head but when he saw the time stamp on the notepad, he realized something.

"This note was created yesterday but..." he said slowly, then his eyes grew. "Could it be..."

He quickly minimized the tabs and went back at his file burner.

"Could it be..."

"Could it be..."

"Maika was only a program she can't do those things...."

"She is only a program... a program."

"She can't do those things...."

Strauss face was as pale as a dead person when he saw a familiar name posted in the file burner. He was in great shock when the one that he was expecting to be there was missing.

"Oh.. No..." he said in total shock, quivering.

"Oh, no. Oh, no..."

"This can't be.."

Strauss hastily grabbed his clothes and ran as fast as he could, leaving the computer open, the tab of the file burner.

-----
File Burner Express ver. 1.1.166.7c
Recently Burned Files...
-----→ MAIKA.exe ( yesterday )
-----→ Meiko.exe ( Mar 04, 2013 )
-----→ Miku_Hatsune.exe ( Feb 14, 2013 )
• • •
------

‡‡ Networld, Gumi Mainframe ‡‡

"Mainframe, play V3*. I would like to see this sucker suffer on his crimes." Gumi said wickedly, looking at the security cameras of the road from where Strauss' car was travelling.

While the music was playing at the background, Gumi's smile was printed evilly at her face while swirling across the floor, watching Strauss' car zooms off the road above the speed limit.

Throughout Strauss' misery, Gumi was laughing her heart out, watching him trying hard to redeem Maika from the company, making him desperately as time flies into nothingness.

"Mainframe, set all the street lights to green!" Gumi said, so the system did.

When Gumi saw Strauss' car ran faster after she set his path to all green, she laughed, more vile than the last. "Here comes my last surprise to you Strauss, your death sentence!"

As the end of the song approaches Gumi bowed down and smiled slowly synchronized by a loud sound; Strauss' car rammed hard into a truck and exploded in the middle of intersection.

"Adiós Señor." Gumi said, "Well played. I'm impressed."

-----
Aiseca's Note:
The song in the media box was called "V3".
This part so far was the most heavy in terms of the situation. It makes me shiver....

* - the song in the media box that Gumi asked to play by the Mainframe.