Chapter 34 - A New Home (1/2)

The moon retired as the sun rose up into the sky once more. H-108 groggily shuffled in bed and woke up to the sound of muffled voices in the other room. Rubbing her eyes, she scanned the area. A humble little room, affixed with a double bed and old wooden desk. It was definitely not the sterile cell that she had grown accustomed to.

'Ah…' Almost immediately, the events of last night flashed through her mind.

The small girl pulled herself out of bed and made her way out the room. Down the hall she could see the source of the voices. The man who had escorted her out of the laboratory in the wee hours of the morning and an unknown tall figure, his hair the colour of snow and face a glacial iceberg. They both turned to face her, Will with a smile and the unfamiliar man with just a gaze.

”Good morning, did you have a nice rest, Milady?” Will greeted respectfully.

H-108 nodded, her gaze focussed on the stranger. His tall figure and attractive facial features stood apart from the crowd but it was the regal air around him that truly turned heads. He was no doubt not an ordinary person.

”Are you the father of the family taking care of R-143, I mean, Cotton?” A smile adorned her face but her voice lacked the emotion that often accompanied a smile.

Kin slightly furrowed his brows.

H-108's face was unchanging but she noticed the problem and explained. ”This is a side effect. It will go away soon.”

Kin raised an eyebrow.

That same smile on her face, H-108 further elaborated, inwardly wondering how a man could be so impassive yet convey so much with the slightest movement of his face at the same time. ”I have the ability to give round things an ability that I copied and saved. The side effect is that I don't feel as much and sometimes not at all, like right now.”

Will recalled the events of the night and nodded in confirmation. She did indeed become much more demure and quiet after the first instance of her using her ability. After the second time, she had become eerily calm and later passed out. A thought then flickered through his mind.

”Wait, that means you can basically use any ability there is!”

H-108 shook her head. ”I can only give an ability if I've seen it and understood how the ability works. There are a lot of rules that I don't really understand either. However, what I do know is that I can save up to four abilities at a time. If I erase a slot, I will have to copy the ability once again.”

”Is that so?” Will mused, understanding that though not every ability was equal in strength, they all came with their pros and cons.

”When will the side effects wear off?” The ever-silent Kin inquired.

”Around noon.”

”Then meet me at lunch.” He turned to Will. ”Take care of her.”

”Yes, Boss.” At his reply, Kin pointed his toes at the direction of the front door and left without a word. ”Shall we eat some breakfast for now?”

After a quiet breakfast, H-108 let out a yawn.

”I'll clean up here so why don't you go back to sleep? You only slept for a few hours last night.”

The child had no complaints and so went to bed. The next time she woke up, the sun was glaring into the room. Her eyes shimmered with an unknown light and slowly, moisture gathered and tears formed. A drop rolled down the side of her head and then another. Then, like an avalanche, it all came pouring down.

H-108 laid still in the bed, body trembling as she wiped away at the never-ending tears.

”Milady, may I come in?” A short while later, Will knocked at the door and awaited her response.