A Bio-Weapon’s Rhapsody-Chapter 246: My name is Ale Saintsworths…

A Bio-Weapon’s Rhapsody-Chapter 246: My name is Ale Saintsworths…

What did they want... What did they really want?
Ale wanted time, she wanted time more than anything, enough time with no crisis to avert, time without problems to deal with, time alone. Time to think, time to evaluate her life and the things around her. Time to research and seek answers. Time to answer the questions that plagued her, time to find out the answers to all the questions that arose about the world around Alexa.
Time to find the answers to the questions that her heart wanted answered.
But was that what they asked of her? Was that what they wanted of her?
No.
The blonde man who claimed to be Alexa's sister hadn't asked Ale what she wanted to do. Miriam Eversoul... wasn't really asking her what she wanted to do. And Vivian Kellet couldn't care less about what she wanted, if what Ale was seeing from her expressions was something to go by. No, what they all asked was something else. What they asked was more in line with 'What does Alexa want?'
Ale asked herself that, what did Alexa want? She could probably enjoy her life here if it was up to that, friends? Sure, she had a couple of friends, or what could pass up as friends anyway.
But Alexa didn't really spend that much time with them, she could probably make new ones, [Big Sister]? Ale cared more about [Big Sister] than Alexa, the little girl only cared for tasty breakfast, a big bathtub to play around with Mister Squaky and Commodore Poo.
Or was it Lieutenant Poo? Ale couldn't care for Alexa's shenanigans in the bathtub; it was cringe enough to think about how she played around like that within the bathtub as it was.
So at the end of the day, Alexa could probably have fun either here or there... So what was the answer?
"You can't just..." Miriam Eversoul suddenly flared again, "She is a child! She needs supervision!"
Was she... angry because they had left the decision to Ale?
"She is mature enough," Alexanders answered with a shrug, "I don't question your way of life, you don't get to question how the Saintsworths do their things, none of you have that right."
"This is highly irresponsible." Vivian Kellet stood beside Miriam Eversoul, "Surely even you can see that, there is no reason why a twelve-year-old should have to shoulder these decisions. Adults should guide the children."
Alexanders laughed once again at that statement, but this time it wasn't a full-on amused laugh like before, it wasn't the laugh of someone who found something funny. No.
It started slowly and low, like a chuckle, then it slowly started ramping up in both tone and power, going all the way to a full-blown maniacal laugh. Ale could see the phantom image of the theater master in that laughter.
"... You fools..." Alexanders said shaking his head, "That is right, you are actually correct in saying that you know. A responsible adult should be there to protect and guide children."
Alexanders nodded, seriously nodded as he applauded to Miriam Eversoul and Vivian Kellet, but both women took a step back, even though Alexanders hadn't moved, and it was quite interesting to see, more so since Miriam Eversoul was sitting beside Ale, so while she had attempted to move back, she couldn't.
"So tell me..." Alexanders said as his eyes turned cold and sharp once more, this man had an issue with his gaze going from amused to devoid of emotions, "Why did not a single person question the Saintsworths practices of old? Why did no one do a single thing to stop the near barbarian practices that the most sacred and ancient
Saintsworths Clan
does?"
What was the deal with those silly monikers of 'Most Sacred' and 'Ancient'?
"If I was born a couple hundred years back I would have been sold to slavery, because if I was a true Saintsworths I would rise above and return to the clan." Alexanders snapped his fingers and the image of blonde slaves in concentration camps showed itself on the ethereal blue screen, "If I was born fifty years ago, I would have no inheritance money, no family to protect me and would have been thrown into an orphanage in a third-world country, meaning I would be dead when the mana singularity came."
The image shifted to grainy photos of blonde people in impoverished zones, they seemed to be bullied as they were filled with wounds and bruises.
"If I was born five years ago... I would have been experimented on and raised as a designer baby." Alexanders snapped his fingers once more, and this time a photo of Alexa in her classroom with the other Elite Kids was shown, "And yet... I don't see either of you rushing and creating problems to them. So do pray tell... Why is it an issue that I listen to the opinion of
My Sister,
that I respect her intelligence, that I think she is
Mature
enough to decide and chime in with her opinion. But it is not an issue that the other big corpos experiment with their daughters and sons?"
That... actually sounded like a very good question, Ale couldn't help but turn her head to them, and then to Alexanders.
"So... If I decide that I want to live with Miriam Eversoul..." Ale said aloud, breaking the silence that had been made.
"I would respect that choice, it isn't a bad choice after all. It also lets me keep some of my privacy and you can bother Eversoul, win-win." Alexanders said nodding, "I would advise you against living with Kellet, tho, but if she wants to take you in, that's on her. I will, however, pay for a couple of maidservants and a chef and provide them with living space. I do not trust her to be able to cook or clean."
Vivian Kellet didn't respond to the provocation; she did, however, say that "I will not take her in, my house is not a safe place for a child to live, and having civilians would only endanger them." Which made Ale curious about that living area.
"... I'm not a bad person." Miriam Eversoul said after thinking about what Alexanders said, "I do good."
"I didn't say you were bad Eversoul," Alexanders said shaking his head and dismissing the pictures, "I say you are a hypocrite, not the same thing. You can be a good person and be a hypocrite, most of those that claim to be good people are like that too."
That sounded like something that was anathema to what he said, a good person should be good in all things equally... But Ale could understand it, she herself wasn't that innocent like Alexa. She was, after all, a keyboard warrior too. She had seen how bad and corrupt society was.
"I see," Ale said nodding, "Can we... speak in private?"
At this, both Miriam Eversoul and Vivian Kellet turned surprised to Ale, as if that was the most bizarre statement she had ever said.
"Are you sure?" Miriam Eversoul asked, "He... I know you probably don't have the best impression of us, but he is... You can't trust him."
"... That can be arranged." Vivian Kellet said calmly, "Do you wish to speak only with him in private?"
Did Ale?
"I wouldn't mind speaking with each of you in private too, if you can promise you won't divulge what I ask or tell you." Ale said after thinking a few seconds.
"Sure." Alexanders however merely answered, "Sapphire, can you make sure we aren't spied upon? And find us a nice office."
"Sure darling, do you mean spied by anyone, or only by those who don't follow your orders?"
The purple woman asked with a smile as she winked at Ale.
Alexanders eyes briefly shone with blue light.
"Then that makes it easier, we can use one of the nearby containment cells. It will be easy enough to project a looping video as footage and you will have all the privacy you can wish for."
The purple woman then turned to look at Ale,
"Also do remember, that one is not Alexa. But one of the subsidiary AIs she made."
That statement made Ale flinch and more worryingly made Alexanders mouth curl once more into a smile. "I got us a room, there is a containment cell around the hallway that isn't being used, the cameras there are under maintenance so no one will notice us. Also, before you ask, I made sure the video footage in this area is showing the video from yesterday, so we are safe."
"If something happens run to the hallway and scream." Miriam Eversoul said seriously to Ale, "Do not think you must listen to everything he says just because he is allegedly your brother."
"Well, rude." Alexanders said with a frown, "Of the people here I am the only one who hasn't forced his will upon her you know? I am the only one who actually respects her decisions and didn't drug, experiment or undress her."
...That... wasn't a lie...?
Technically the experiments done to Alexa (Or P4) weren't done by Alexanders directly... And he hadn't forced Ale to do anything... Or ordered her to do anything...?
Oh god... Alexanders was the only sensible person here. The horror...
"If you want you both can go first," Alexanders said shrugging, "I don't mind, it will make everything funnier that way too."
"No," Ale said shaking her head, "You will be first."
And with that said she stood up, "Then Vivian Kellet and lastly Miriam Eversoul." That would be the best way to find out what Ale wanted to know after all.
Miriam Eversoul nodded at that, Vivian Kellet seemed surprised that she was in the people Ale wanted to speak with alone, as for Alexanders? He merely nodded as if he had expected that.
He did have the face of an annoying know it all as Miriam Eversoul had previously said.
But that worked in Ale's favor.
"Let's go." Ale said walking towards the door, she went past Alexanders and didn't turn her head to see if he was following her or not, instead she opened the door and walked out.
Sure enough this was not the laboratory she had been before, instead she came out into a hallway that looked somewhat similar to what she had seen from the memories of Alexa.
And remembering that, she quickly focused her mind into sensing the changes into her body, she had forgotten the fact that ambient mana right now was poison to her. Would she turn into primordial matter again? Before solving the current predicament?
"This way," Alexanders said going past her.
"The mana within this floor has been purged."
The purple woman said as she hovered near Ale,
"He made sure you could walk around, that was why we arrived this late. He was purging the ambient mana and ensuring no issue came around, also he took some extra time as he was designing an update for your bracelet/mask, one that will allow it to create a mana empty zone around you if you need to walk outside."
...Did he?
That... didn't sound like the Alexanders that Ale had heard about.
"Move it girl, we don't have all day long!" Alexanders screamed at her from the other side of the hallway, he was standing in front of an open door.
Ale didn't delay more and ran all the way there, as soon as she came close she saw Alexanders motioning for her to walk in, so she did. The room... was indeed a containment cell, there was nothing except a chair, table and a bed.
The blonde man closed the door behind him and went ahead to sit on the bed, Ale took her time and looked around, she noticed there was a camera embedded into one of the corners of the room.
But unlike what Alexanders had said, she could detect a faint signal from it, and with a ping from Main Core she could interface with it... meaning... this wasn't isolated and was being monitored.
"That one is what allows me to see what is happening here,"
The purple woman said waving at Ale,
"I promise nothing will arrive to anyone else."
"Sapphire doesn't have a real body, so all she sees is thanks to these cameras," Alexanders spoke before Ale could say anything, "If you want to speak without her being able to see, hear and interact with us, then we will not speak at all. Is that a dealbreaker for you?"
"No," Ale said shaking her head, it would be bad manners from her to ask such a thing, she hadn't expected privacy from the start after all, she knew her place. She knew her place very well.
"Good," Alexanders said nodding, "So... Sapphire here says that you aren't my sister... Or not all of her, care to elaborate on that? I know last time you said that the people around you believed Alexa had fragmented her mind and you were acting as such. Did you actually did that? Or I mean, did Alexa actually fragment herself? Do we need a psychiatrist? Or would we need to debug your base code? Man this is weird."
Weird? Yeah, but a psychiatrist? They would probably come out with their own mental issues if they were to evaluate Alexa's psyche. Ale couldn't help but smirk at that idea.
"No, Alexa's Consciousness Stream is whole and without issues... as far as I can tell anyway." Ale answered, she did notice that the purple woman had frozen for a second when Ale mentioned the Consciousness Stream, but otherwise continued to act as if nothing, "As for our base code... I doubt you can find anything of it. We have found that... we don't really use our original Operating system anymore, we... or well, Alexa at least doesn't operate using the AI Core as a home."
Alexanders eyes shone for a second or two after that revelation.
"I see..." Only to say that and nothing else, "So if Alexa's psyche is whole and devoid of mental issues. Who am I speaking to right now? Sapphire did say you aren't her, and I am inclined to believe her judgment on this."
"I am Ale Saintsworths," Ale said, bowing her head, "I was created from a SEED that split from Alexa's Consciousness Stream. I am the one who was delegated to deal with the missions and combat environment. As [Haephestus' Forge] said that their youngest contract holder was a twelve-year-old, I was given this form to manage."
Looking back on that, they probably said that to ensure that Alexa wouldn't make a fuss about not being given a job, while showing that they were willing to contract kids, it backfired in a very weird way though.
"Hmmm...." Alexanders hummed at the presentation and revelation, "So what do you say, Sapphire? Is she benign? Or something we need to deal with?"
Ale's back prickled at that. And then she felt the world around her slow to a crawl, the woman beside Alexanders turned her purple like gem eyes to Ale, and then in front of Ale a blue screen manifested.
Core:
Command received from Mainframe. Uploading Core Data Dump...
[CANCEL DATA DUMP!]
Ale's eyes turned first into shock and then to panic.
Core:
Received cancel advice from current user...
User doesn't have enough
[Authority]...
[Shut out all outgoing transmissions!]
Ale cursed as she read the words. Could she get Alexa to repeat it? She turned her attention to the purple woman beside Alexanders. Then to the blue screen in front of her, it was then that Ale noticed that the borders of the blue screen had a purple hue, an almost imperceptible purple hue...
She didn't have time!
[Shift the data stream, upload...Upload first all my data, then Alexandra's data, P4's data, Weird-Alexa's data... and at the very bottom, Alexa's data. Shove it and hide as best as we can.]
In the end Ale decided to try and hide as much as she could about Alexa's current status, they wanted to know more about Ale after all, surely they wouldn't dig that far after they got what they wanted... right?

.
!
Chapter 246: My name is Ale Saintsworths…