We Are Similar

Rebuilding the Beast

Evangeline Mech:

You are okay with this, right?

It'll be interesting, that's for sure. But what about you? You can always turn back.

They came all the way here because I asked them to. I want to make sure their trouble was worth it.

Hm... You know... This is probably the first time you broke the rules.

Well yeah, but I... Nevermind.

I sighed. I looked back and saw the others peeking through the bushes. There are guards surrounding the enterances, but there doesn't seem to be anyone going inside the research lab.

"Once inside, we have to be careful. I know those guards aren't going in there but we still have cameras and laser alarms to dodge." Philicia is the one arranging the plan. "Me, Lillian and Susan will guard different sectors from the entrance, to the center. Izayoi, you stay and guard inside the lab. Ken and Eva, finish as fast as you can."

"Time limit?" Kenneth asked.

"Are 30-40 minutes enough?" She asked.

Kenneth and I cast a glance and nodded. "We'll make sure it is."

"Good luck, big bro." Lillian said with a smile.

"Yeah. Be careful, Lily." He replied.

Then, I felt something twist. They sure can get along well...

We set off. Philicia stayed near by the secret enterance, Lillian stopped by the elevator and Susan waited in the corridor in the lower level. Once inside the lab, Izayoi stood by the door and Kenneth and I set to work.

I touched the control panel and I felt sparks dancing on my fingertips. The dark room is now filled with green light. Mizel appeared on a seperate screen.

Without greeting, he sent the files for us to work with. "Here's all the data you need to rebuild the Killer Droid Pegasus."

I looked through them. "You modified some parts..."

"I'm the one moving into the body, so I should at least have a say on what it should be like." He retorted.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, but weapon features are restricted. Only when I give you permission, alright?"

"Fine, fine. I'll help put the rest of the pieces together."

"And I'll assemble the parts." Kenneth said. "Eva, you just focus on rebuilding them."

I nodded. "On it." More sparks flew from my fingertips. The blueprints all spread around the holographic screen. Mizel arranged the pieces and put them in place, while I match the data with the design and started connecting them to each other.

Kenneth had each piece transfered to a machine and he build the parts one by one. Assembling the core skeleton, connecting wires, frame adjustments. Everything went smoothly.

Before we knew it, 30 minutes passed and we're done. I sighed and rubbed my hand together. "It's done. Mizel, give it a try."

The holoscreen with Mizel in it disappeared and I saw sparks connecting the machine to the droid. When the sparks are gone, the droid's eyes glowed green, indicating it's online. It jumped down and looked up at everything. Kenneth took a step back, he clearly doesn't want to be in the way.

"Mizel? Anything bothering you?" I asked, stepping forward.

The droid had its eyes on me. "I feel so... inferior..."

I smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, that wasn't exactly the idea... But I guess with that in mind now, you're sort of my... pet?"

He nodded. "Yes. I literally saw the thought crossed your mind." He looked down at himself. "I may have to mute myself..."

"What about the artificial voice box? You can switch it from your own voice to the droid's original voice." I explained.

"You mean roars and growls?" He asked with sarcasm dripping from it.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm trying to make this convincing."

"Will they even let you have a Killer Droid for a pet?"

"Sure. I mean Niara always thought they were really scary but really cool too, so she'd be okay with it. And that is a good thing because she's my roommate."

"Alright, I'm sorry. Let me rephrase my question. Will Jin be okay with it?"

I froze. "Oh... fudge."

"So close to your first time saying a curse word."

I cast him a blank look but then shook my head. "He'll probably make sure that everything is legit about the body."

"Rather than a pet, what about a toy?"

I blinked. "Like an action figure?" I nodded. "Sure, but are you okay with that?"

"Not as if we have options."

"You won't be able to move freely."

"If I'm your pet, they'll most likely put a leash on me anyway. Besides, as long as we're connected, your eyes can be my freedom."

Kenneth cleared his throat. "Now that it's settled, let's get out of here before any of us get caught."

We went out and Izayoi just blankly stared at Mizel, who I was carying. He stopped when Mizel turned to stare back. We picked up Susan and went up the elevator. She reverted her eyes as soon as it landed on the droid. We were met with Lillian at the top, who barely payed any attention to him. Philicia merely nodded and we got out as soon as we can.

We got into the car Kenneth rented and rode home. Along the way, Mizel fell asleep. Once we were far enough, Izayoi turned to face me. "So Eva, you do realize how... Awkward the situation is now, right?"

I blinked as Philicia continued. "The one who tried to destroy the world, is literally in your hands right now."

Susan looked down. "You have to take a lot of reponsibility..."

Kenneth sighed. "I know I said I want to learn more from the guy, but I also want to know if he's trustworthy. We all agreed to do this because he is important to you, but that doesn't mean that we all agree that what you're doing is right."

"It's just like my big brother said." Lillian stated. "We can't bare seeing someone having to face their problems on their own, but you have to understand our feelings too."

I didn't listen to the second half of what she said. I felt my hands gripped tighter around Mizel's new form. Big brother... my big brother... My breathing suddenly became uneven. I took deep breaths as I shook my head.

"Eva, are you okay?" Izayoi asked.

I used one hand to rub my eyes and shook my head. "Yeah-no... I'm not okay... Definitely not okay... I don't want to talk about it either..." I gently slap my cheek. "Okay just... I just want to get back... Back to the dorms..."

Lillian frowned. "Did I say something wrong?"

I shook my head. "It's not your fault. Don't mind it."

The rest of the ride back was silent.

~~~~~

Please tell me if there are any typoes or spelling mistakes and I'll fix 'em.