//------------------------------// // Inventing and building // Story: Synthetic but living // by Dark Nightshade //------------------------------// For the next two days Raw Data built and programed a machine exactly to Ultrabyte's blueprints. However, on Sunday night, Ultrabyte started talking about another machine he needed to make. "Don't worry, it's small and fairly easy to make," Ultrabyte was saying. "We need this in case someone managed to track me here." "That would be bad," Raw Data said. He had just finished eat a pizza slice, and was looking at the bottom half of the screen, which showed blueprints for two identical earpieces and glasses. The top half of the phone contained Ultrabyte's face. "Yes, yes it would," Ultrabyte said. "Plus, I could transfer myself into them, so I could hear what you hear, and see what you see." "That would be pretty cool," Raw Data said. "Plus, this stuff is pretty simple. I could finish this within, like, an hour or two." "That's good. I can spend the night getting into them," Ultrabyte said. She had spent time explaining to Raw Data that she could transfer herself into other electronics, but the first time was always the longest and hardest. "You won't need to close up on your head, will you?" Raw Data asked. That was another small issue that existed for Ultrabyte. Only organic matter could enter electronics, and because clothes weren't organic, she was always completely naked. And because of that, she had to keep the home screen picture zoomed in on her face. Not that Raw Data would've complained. But it was a still an issue, because she was getting cramped, always doing it. Ultrabyte lightly blushed and shook her head. "Fortunately, no," she said. "Plus, after I get in the glasses, you won't need to charge the phone with the wireless charger." Raw Data nodded. "Yeah, you still need to explain about that," he said. Ultrabyte groaned and her blush returned. "I will, I will," she said. "But not right now. How old are you?" "16," Raw Data said. "Despite that and me going to a public school, I am probably the most sexually clueless person you will ever meet." "You could say that again," Ultrabyte said. "Doesn't your school have sex ed?" "Yeah, but first of all, you need parents to sign it, and second of all, I just wasn't very interested in it," Raw Data said. Ultrabyte looked impressed. "Wow. What about your hormones?" Ultrabyte asked. "Eh, their pretty much useless," Raw Data said. "Honestly, I don't think that I'll ever get a date, but I don't care." "Wow. Most guys are filled with them, but you're pretty docile," Ultrabyte said. "You haven't tried zooming out on the home screen or anything." Raw Data snickered. "Yeah, I think the reason why my hormones are so docile is because all the blood that would go to a boner instead goes to my brain," he said. Ultrabyte snorted and laughed. "That's funny," she said. "Don't worry, I'm sure that you'll get a girlfriend. Or boyfriend, I don't judge. You're pretty good looking." "Ah, don't worry, I'm straight," Raw Data said with a blush. "You think I look good?" Ultrabyte paused for ten seconds before saying "That's not important. Anyway, can you start on the glasses and earpieces?" "Yeah," Raw Data said. Then he paused, remembering something that Ultrabyte had just said. "Wait, did you say that I could zoom you back out?" Ultrabyte blushed. "No," she said slowly. "You said that I could. I'm not going to, but I could?" Raw Data asked with a mischievous grin. Ultrabyte groaned. "Fine! Yes, you can," she said. "At least you haven't-I mean, nothing." "Wait, what haven't I done?" Raw Data asked. "Nothing," Ultrabyte said. "It's not important right now." Raw Data shrugged. "Ok," he said. "But it will be important later, right?" Ultrabyte groaned again. "Yes, fine, I will tell you later," she said. "But right now it's not important." Meanwhile, several thousand miles away, in an underground experimenting facility, several military generals and scientists were hiding in a building. The entire facility was big enough to hold several cities in them and still have room left over. But that would be if it was safe. And right now it wasn't safe at all. Several mechanical beasts were wandering through the multiple caverns that made up the facility. But back to the scientists and generals. They were all arguing and trying to get the metal monstrosities back under their control. One of them, the highest ranking officer, slammed his hands down on the table, rattling some of the miscellaneous items on the table, and stared daggers at the lead scientist. "Why isn't it working?!" the lead general yelled. The lead scientist was shaking in fear. "Well, it's because of a rather simple reason, really," he said nervously. "What is it?" the lead general yelled, not quite as loud as before, but still loud. "Well, when your soldier shot her, she started bleeding out before she got into whatever she got into," the scientist said. "And the bullet just so happened to hit the tracker that was in her. Besides, she forced her conciseness into whatever, not her body." "I thought she always casted her body into the electronic, not just her spirit!" The general roared. "Sometimes, sometimes," the scientist said. "But either way, even if she hadn't abandoned her body, your soldier had destroyed the tracker." The general rubbed his temples. "How the hell are we going to get her back then?" he managed to ask at a normal volume. "I don't know," the scientist said. "If we knew what device she had gotten into, then maybe we could find her signature." One of the other generals raised his hand. "I say her touch some of those phones before she collapsed," he said. The lead general exhaled with great force. "And why didn't you say this earlier, private?" he asked, trying not to yell. "It didn't come up," the private responded. One of the scientists shook his head. "It doesn't matter anyway," he said. "Those phones were incredible faulty, and were sent out to be destroyed." "So she could still be in here?" the lead general asked. The lead scientist shrugged. "I doubt it, but it is possible," he said. "We haven't been able to scan any of those machines outside, so it's impossible to tell." "You think she could be in one of the deathbringers?" the lead general asked. "She hates those!" The lead scientist nodded. "Yes, I know it's ironic," he said. "But maybe, just maybe, in an attempt to not have to kill anyone, she's willing to kill us." "That is extremely ironic," the lead general said. "But could she be doing this?" The lead scientist shrugged. "At the moment, it's impossible to tell, but if she's not, then we need to get out of here!"