Darling in the FranXX: The Lost Prodigy

Chapter 25: Umbra

"Your new... Master?" you repeat in confusion, "What?" "Indeed," Umbra replies.

"Hey, isn't this the AI that Ryoken and Misaki told us about?" Goro inquires. "Yes, he is," Ryoken responds, "Umbra, how did you find us?"

"Find you? On the contrary, you came to me!" Umbra states matter of factly, earning him confused glances from everyone, "Ah, I see that I need to properly explain the situation to you. If you'd all follow me."

"Follow you where?" Ichigo asks. "You'll see," Umbra answers as he starts walking.

"Hey, can we really trust this... thing?" Zorome whispers. "Well, he saved Ryoken and I from APE, so I'm willing to at least hear what he has to say," Misaki answers before Squad 13 collectively follows Umbra towards one of the nearby skyscrapers.

"You see, it was expected that you would arrive here," Umbra elaborates as you walk the city's streets, "At least, I calculated the probability to be 99.98%, resulting in an acceptable margin for error." "Can you be a bit more specific?" you request.

"Let me answer that with another question. How exactly did you discover and decide to settle here of all places?" Umbra responds. "Well, we analyzed the maps in the library at Plantation 13," Ichigo begins, "And-" "This place seemed perfect because it was far enough away from the Plantations but not so far that you would run out of fuel before reaching it, correct?" Umbra interrupts her.

"How did you know?" Ichigo asks perplexed. "Dr. Franxx, my creator, put the maps there you know," he explains, "To help your little rebellion along." "Wait, he knows of our rebellion?" Hiro interjects. "Of course, the two of us have been helping you out behind the scenes when necessary this entire time," Umbra continues, "After all, the goal is the downfall of APE."

"So, why did you decide to show up now and not when we first arrived?" Zero Two inquires. "A good question," Umbra replies, "I was tasked to observe until you were deemed ready for the next task. In other words, I had to see that you could survive on your own out here and resupply yourselves with raids on other facilities. That way- Ah, we're here."

You enter the lobby of one of the skyscrapers. A few centuries ago, it might have looked really impressive with its modern style. However, now it's mostly covered in dust and rubble lying around wherever you look at. Umbra walks up to the elevators, then presses a button on his wrist. Two elevators open in response, their interiors, in contrast to the rest of the building, are in very good shape.

"Hop in," Umbra announces, "I've called two since we won't fit in a single one."

You split up into two groups before entering one of the two elevators. The trip downwards is accompanied by an awkward atmosphere due to the elevator music that is playing during that time. Finally, you come to a halt and the doors open before you step out.

You're greeted by another lobby that looks like something straight out of a science fiction movie. A sleek design colored in white and blue with many intricacies on the walls along with a terminal in the center that is currently on standby with several doors leading further into the facility. You can also spot a human standing in front of the terminal as if to welcome you here. He wears an extravagant black suit complete with a royal blue tie. His dark hair is neatly combed to the back and upon closer examination, you can see that his eyes seem somewhat unnatural. They give off a faint light blue glow and look more technical than organic.

"Who's that?" Kokoro asks shyly as you exit the elevator. "That is also me," the Umbra unit next to you answers, "This body, my finest work, by the way, is just one of thousands that I can control simultaneously. In fact, this entire facility is run by me."

"Thousands of... bodies?" Ikuno repeats. "Of course, there are many different models for different purposes, that's what happens when you have decades of time to pass by like I do," the Umbra unit in the suit elaborates while the other one goes back into the elevator, "That one is one of my earliest combat models and is now used as a scout in this city. Now, if you'd come closer to the terminal, I can give you a rundown of this facility and its purpose."