"What?! This can't be!"

According to the data Ryoken acquired from Shelter 032, then it's already the year 699 N.A. If using some basic math for calculations, this means that he has been unconscious for more than 500 years.

After acknowledge this information, he fell down on his knees, feeling like the world doesn't mean anything to him anymore. More than 500 years, who knows what have happened? Is "he" even still alive? The reconstruction project has been done, the only purpose that keep them alive are now buried under many construction of humans. This is why most of the Shelter for his kind are abandoned. In the end, they failed, and lost everything. Is it even worth it to visit Shelter 08 anymore?

But then, Ryoken stands up.

"N..No, I must calm down..."

He knew he lost everything, but that specific person is who he refuses to lose.

"Since I'm here, a little bit of memory check won't be a problem." Ryoken muttered.

=================

Back then, everyday repeats another, with the same routine.

And today is not any different either.

System message: [All units, proceed to the freezing capsule area. Prepare to begin daily routine checkup]

"..."

~~~~~~~~

System message: [All units, proceed to VRAINS mainframe for connection. Initiate emotion synchronization and troubleshoot.]

"The same thing again..?"

"Unit 00, your voice command couldn't be regconized, please repeat."

The unit with white short hair suprised, but then went back to his normal state again.

"...Nothing."

System message: [Unit 00, you are detached from the formation, please return to your work position instanly.]

"...Report: Suspect of hardware error, require maintenance."

"Understood, Unit 06, please take over Unit 00's postion."

Another unit, has deep blue and bright pink hair looked up with his emerald eyes.

"Understood."

~~~~~~~~

Maintenance Area Message: [Unit 00. Check up completed, no error detected.]

Needless to say, the android was a bit shock. Since he believed that his model type are not supposed to acknowledge this kind of thoughts. They just blindly follow orders.

"I...I don't have any malfunctions? But I feel like I'm different compared to other units..."

Maintenance Area Message: [No error detected. Please return to your formation.]

"...Skipping a day...wouldn't matter too, right?"

He then left the area to wander around the Shelter, most places are familiar to him, due to the fact he has to repeat the work day after day. But today he found somewhere special.

"So Shelter has a place like this? So beautiful..."

It's a garden... much more like an abandoned place by the android units and now the vegetation covered most of the floor and the ground. Below at his feet, there blue flowers, their petals shine in the sunlight. Looking at them, his mind is filled with more forbidden thoughts.

"What...am I?"

===========

Another day, the same thing repeats.

But this time is a little bit different.

System message: [All units, proceed to the freezing capsule area. Prepare to begin daily routine checkup]

"..."

System message: [Unit 00, you are detached from the formation, please return to your work position instanly.]

"Report: Suspect of hardware error, require maintenance."

"Understood, Unit 06, please take over Unit 00's postion."

"U-Understood."

"Eh..?"

~~~~~

System message: [All Caretaker units, please proceed to Entrance A to prepare to leave Node 08 to perform routine construction.]

"...."

"...."

Suddenly the unit with emerald eyes lets out a sigh. As if he is fed up with all of this already. But he didn't know, that suprised the person working next to him.

"...You.. Do you feel tired as well?"

"Ah...! Yes, a little bit." He shyly replied, he knew this white haired unit since they start working at the same Node. But this is the first time they spoke to each other outside of commands.

Seeing the silence is taking the atmosphere, the white haired unit continues

"Strange. Our design shouldn't allow us to feel tired. Our energy sources are not lacking either."

"C..Can we talk to each other like this?"

"....We can't?"

"...I really don't know..."

"But the database and the protocol don't contain any prohibitions to our situation."

"But the others... are really quiet."

"....Yes."

Several hours past, they were just working in silence, they are still not familiar with breaking the orders they were given. However, their urge to act and understand couldn't stop them for long. Finally, unit 00 broke the silence again.

"We are the last group of units remaining for this model, which makes our coordination sync rate the highest. Other groups have all been rebuilt due to severe damages."

"Then...what happens.. after the rebuilding?" Unit 06 replied, he is slowly getting used to having conversation with his partner.

"I don't know.. but it seems like we won't be remembered it either. If you look at our records, we are both products of the rebuilt. Do you remember anything before that?"

"....No."

"Then we must be cautious if we don't want to lose this memory."

"But I want to ask... what is the purpose of all of these construct we are doing? Do they... have a purpose?" Unit 06 asked him, his emerald eyes seems confused. He is not the only one who questioned about his own existance.

"I don't know." Unit 00 said, but then quickly add to it "Everything progressed acording to the protocol. After we finish the construction, we wait for the humans to wake up from the freezing capsules. Then we will operate and manage to run the city. That is our solely purpose. No one has ever thought or questioned about it. We only care about how to do our work properly until now."

After hearing it, the other android think a bit, he raised another question

"I wonder... what are humans like?"

The white haired android stopped as well. He personally never think about this, despite the fact he observe them daily.

"...I've never thought about that before." He answered honestly.

"But I think they are definitely different from us."

========

Another similar day comes.

System message: [All units, proceed to VRAINS mainframe for connection. Initiate emotion synchronization and troubleshoot.]

Synchronization time is the time for the units to move from their work position to their capsules to perform check up on their mental and physical status. Unit 00 wanted to take the chance to take Unit 06 to a special place.

"Unit 06, come over here."

"Eh..? But it's time for synchronization..."

"It won't take long, come with me."

The two android were hand in hand, walking pass all the somewhat seems soulless androids around them.

~~~~~~

After they arrived to their destination, the blue haired android just gasped with suprise, he never seen this place before.

"Ah..! This is..."

"Do you like it? Whenever I feel stressful, I come here. Visiting here helps me a little bit."

Unit 06 turned at him, gave him a gentle smile.

"I do, this is a beautiful place."

Unit 00 freezed for about 5 seconds, he was unsure if that was a malfunction in his protocol or not. But then he bend down and picked up a flower placing it on his partner's hair.

"Eh...? Unit 00, what are you doing?"

"Placing a flower on your head. Take a look of yourself in the water. Looks pretty, right?"

If androids were designed to blush, unit 06's face might burn red right now.

"Yes... but... is there anything for this action?"

"I don't know... But in the database, I saw humans doing this. Two people will look closely at each other. That should have some sort of important meaning, I think."

Looking at his reflection in the water again, unit 06 almost feel... happy. He raised his hand up to touch the blue flower on his hair.

"This flower... it's so beautiful, what is the name of it?"

"No idea. We don't have the knowledge of that field."

"Maybe the units who related to gardening will know something?"

"Maybe, but I don't want to interact with the others."

"Why...?" The blue haired android tilted his head confusing.

"No particular reason. I have you, it's enough for me." - His partner replied firmly.

Unit 06 stayed quiet for a bit, however something important came through his mind.

"Do you remember that you asked me that whether or not I remember anything from before my rebuilt? Afterward, I tried to run a detailed research on my core..."

This make the white haired android a bit curious, he knew little about himself and his partner.

"So what's the result?" He eagerly asked.

"Well..." Unit 06 almost let out a sigh. "As expected I didn't find anything. However, there is one thing, I can't connect it to any other files, nor I have any impression of seeing it before so I am not certain what it is..."

"What is it?"

"...Yusaku. And whenever I see this term... I get this feeling that I can't describe.."

Unit 00 is a little confused by this. However in his memory database, he also has the same term that he discorved during his time skipping from work.

"Sounds like a human's name"

"Name?"

"Humans all have names, given by either themselves or by someone else. It's a method for them to identify eachother."

"They don't use serial numbers or code?"

"It's for personality and uniqueness. I suppose? They believe that every single humans is one-of-a-kind individual."

Suddenly unit 06 look at him, his eyes shine bright.

"One-of-a-kind... then it's a bit similar to us!" Unit 06's voice raised high, as if he discorvered something

"...?"

"I think Unit 00 is one-of-a-kind too." He continued with a smile.

Unit 00 freezed for about 5 more seconds. He is going to do another malfucntion check up after this.

"....Yes, you are very special to me too. Ah how about we start referring each other using names as well? Just like the humans did. From now on, I'll call you Yusaku."

"Hmm... I'm okay with it. But what about you?"

"I actually have this term for awhile as well, it stated in my file is Ryoken. So... call me Ryoken then."

"Okay! So Ryoken~" He hummed the new name that he just learned.

"Yusaku."

Looking at his partner, Ryoken feel at ease, the world become a bit less dull to him.

==========

The memory check ended up, all of his precious memories are still intact to his core. Those are the one he cannot ever forget. However, there some are left unchecked. But there is no time. His left arm are gradually losing sensation due to being shot by the gunshot earlier. He need to hurry.

He got the coordinates to Shelter 08. Also he want to witness with his own eyes the current human civilization.

Coordinates show that Shelter 08 is just nearby. Time to move.