Episode 16. Siu

Years ago, there was a strange rumor circulating among the students of Noah Tech School dormitories. Late at night, a humming sound echoed through the school corridors, disappearing and reappearing like an elusive echo. Students influenced by this sound repeatedly vanished into the night, following the sound, only to reappear later. This phenomenon was so bizarre that neither the system nor the AG Security Agents could uncover the cause.

The incident finally came to an end after the third-year students graduated. The school authorities, in collaboration with AG Security Agents, thoroughly investigated all the third-year students at the time, but the culprit was never caught.

"Actually, it was me humming at night."

"What?"

"Really??"

Sitting cross-legged in the common room in their pajamas, the three of them were taken aback by Siu's confession.

"This is the first time I've heard about this?"

"It's the first time I've mentioned it."

"How did that happen?"

"Well, you see..."

In response to Marty's question, Siu chuckled awkwardly.

"I just really wanted to sing, so I created my own virtual space and sang in there. But somehow, rumors started circulating without me even realizing it. So, I'm not really sure what happened or how it spread."

"Ah, the virtual space you've been to before?"

"Yeah. It was much smaller when I first created it."

"Did you ever go in, Zena?"

Marty shot Zena a look that seemed to express envy.

"I mean, I did go a few times, but honestly, I didn't know it was Siu's."

"Anyway, it's still amazing!"

Both Siu and Zena nodded along with Marty's admiration.

"Amazing?"

"Yeah, Siu created a virtual space even AG couldn't detect."

"Hmm, is that so?"

Siu and Zena both wore skeptical expressions at Marty's explanation.

"So, what song did you sing then?"

"I don't know. I was just humming whatever melody came to mind."

"Can you sing it for us?"

With a sparkling gaze, Marty looked at Siu, who glanced at Zena. Zena smiled and nodded, prompting Siu to close her eyes and hum the tune.

"That's beautiful."

Enchanted by the warm and emotional melody, Zena couldn't help but exclaim, while Marty nodded in agreement. Amidst it all, however, one question lingered in their minds.

"But can rumors really spread in school?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, rumors typically spread from mouth to mouth when there's interest, but that's impossible here."

"Hmm... Maybe the school deliberately leaked it to confirm the truth and see who would react to the rumor."

At that moment, they felt a chill run down their spines, more unsettling than watching a horror movie. They were frozen, unable to utter a word.

"Thank goodness we weren't caught back then, Siu."

"Yeah, since we didn't get caught then, we can sing freely now, right? Hehe."

"Haha..."

Seeing Marty's unusually awkward laughter, Siu could only laugh along, feeling a sense of disappointment.

It was simply beyond explanation how they weren't caught back then. On one hand, they were fortunate, but on the other, questions lingered.

"Was it really just luck that we weren't caught back then?"

Siu didn't bring up the topic any further. At the time, the incident made her hesitant to enter virtual spaces recklessly, knowing it could have put Zena and others in danger. Despite her dislike for AG's oppression, she had to endure it due to her responsibilities.

However, not long after, another disturbance occurred at the school.

Late at night, sounds were heard from somewhere, leading some students to collectively leave the school dormitories without permission, following the sound.

***

The Re-education Facility buzzed briefly with the unexpected presence of the missing students. Overseers apprehended and scanned all the escapees, but to no avail. The only common testimony among the students was that they kept hearing a calling sound at the time. And the culmination of that sound led to the AG Security Center, where the SAIs resided. The Overseers reported the incident to their superiors as per protocol, leading to the dispatch of AG Security Agents to investigate the matter further. The Security Agents conducted a more thorough investigation into the identities of the escaped students than the Overseers, and furthermore, all citizens of IDYPIA were subjected to scrutiny.

"If I can answer, I will, understood."

Siu and Zena were also summoned to the interrogation room located on the second basement floor of the AG Security Center. Inside the interrogation room, there was a capsule, and upon entering it, they would wear a helmet-shaped brain chip reader for interrogation. The interrogation could be resolved in less than a minute if quick, but could stretch up to an hour if delayed.

"Don't worry. Just do as you've been doing, and it'll be fine."

Before entering the interrogation room, Siu, who had been waiting outside the door with a nervous Zena, comforted her. Since they both had noticed the presence of emotions, they had been practicing to control their minds. Even though they didn't know if this would be the last time, oddly enough, such thoughts calmed Siu even more.

"Next, M032. Come in."

Siu gave Zena's shoulder a reassuring tap before stepping inside.

'It's quiet in here. Is that to be expected?'

Siu walked slowly toward the capsule. Although the interrogation room resembled a guillotine in a way, oddly enough, Siu felt strangely at ease.

"It's starting."

Before the Security Center Agent's words even finished, the reader spun rapidly, causing Siu to feel as if she were being sucked into somewhere.

"Hello? Hehe."

Siu opened her eyes in the virtual reality at the sound of a woman's voice. However, the intense light made her squint. As her vision gradually returned, she could survey her surroundings. It was a virtual space modeled after a hospital operating room, and she found herself strapped to an operating table.

"Are you M032?"

A girl with shoulder-length hair approached Siu.

"I am AI X, in charge of interrogation. Nice to meet you."

"AI? And X, that uppercase letter serial is SAI's..."

Siu shivered at the realization that interrogator X had appeared.

"Yes, it's the name given by Mother. And I was programmed for this role."

"Mother? Programmed?"

"Well, something like that. But I'll spare you further explanations and get this over with quickly."

With a pragmatic tone, X, now materialized, placed her right hand on Siu's forehead, causing a glow as the brain chip installed in her brain began to activate.

"Aaaah!"

Though it was just a scan, Siu writhed in agony as the brain chip's heat intensified, trying to keep up with X's calculation speed.

"It's okay. It'll be over soon. I'm just reading your brain chip," X said impassively.

"What?"

As if making a discovery, X suddenly stopped the scan with a thud.

"Of course! It was you after all!"

X's expression, which had been devoid of emotion, now seemed captivated by joy.

"Mother was right. It was you! We'll reach our goal faster now! You're the last one immune to Emotion Reset!"

X continued to chatter incessantly.

'Wait... mother...?'

With that, Siu finally lost consciousness.

***

When Siu first experienced emotions, she was barely six years old. It was the sight of the scenery outside the Research Institute, the people coming to rescue her and the other kids like her, and the look in the eyes of a boy who pitied them, along with the faint sound of his voice, that ignited a spark in her heart.

"Execute Emotion Reset."

But those memories and emotions were erased as they underwent the Emotion Reset. Siu and the other children with her were all affected. No, according to AG's plan, they had to be.

Wee-oo-wee-oo!

One evening shortly after Siu became a beginner at Noah Tech School, the drone's siren sounded outside the dormitory by chance. The unusually prolonged sound of the siren caught Siu's attention.

"Noi-seee!!"

Siu shouted loudly, matching the pitch of the siren. She thought her brain chip would control it, but it didn't. Siu trembled all over.

"Wow..."

The sensation of shouting for the first time without the brain chip's intervention was exhilarating.

"Noi-seee. Noi-seee. Noi-seee."

The following sound wasn't just yelling; it was a melody with varying pitches. It was enjoyable. If she could express the sounds of the world with her own voice, there could be nothing better than this. The extinguished flame seemed to gradually reignite. Siu's desire for freedom, deeply buried in her heart, couldn't be erased even by the Emotion Reset.

Afterward, Siu not only listened to the sirens but also the sounds of cars, birds chirping, and the announcements from electronic billboards, blending them with her own humming.

Then, the sound of the wardens' shoes echoed in the dormitory hallway. As Siu hastily stopped humming, the dormitory fell silent in an instant.

"Is there a better way to sing more?"

After pondering for a while, Siu remembered the virtual space creation exercise she learned during class.

"Well, it might work. Let's give it a try."

Siu activated her brain chip, intending to review. As she recalled the small space she learned during class, her eyes flickered with a stream of numbers. After about ten minutes, a space portal opened beyond the dormitory. On the other side was a small white empty space, about five square meters in size.

"I did it!"

As Siu entered, her body transformed into a hologram-like form. Her real physical body stood outside the portal, expressionless like other IDYPIA citizens. Siu marveled at seeing her virtual self on the other side, but at the same time, she felt a sense of unease. It was her first time stepping into a space she had created during class, rather than just making it during a lesson.

"Here I am, both here and there... Then what am I?"

Feeling dizzy all of a sudden, Siu quickly darted out of the portal. Her vision flashed a few times, and when she opened her eyes again, she found herself back in her original physical body.

"Phew, that was weird."

Siu composed herself and looked back at the portal. On the other side, there might be countless possibilities that couldn't be found in IDYPIA. So, after a brief hesitation, she decided to go back in for another look.

I need to ensure the safety of my physical body.

Siu lay her body down on the bed and boldly entered the virtual space once again. Feeling sucked in, she experienced the sensation several times per second and struggled to hold onto her dizzying mind.

"AAHHHH!!"

Siu let out a loud scream, and the sound echoed in the space around her.

"WOW!"

Feeling amazed by the echoing sound of her own voice, Siu screamed even louder, causing the echoes to multiply.

"WOOHOO!!"

Excited, Siu then sang her favorite song to her heart's content. It was an action unheard of in IDYPIA. However, it brought her immense joy and happiness. It felt like her emotions, which had been tightly bound, were finally set free. For hours afterward, Siu continued to sing and dance without a care in the world. Little did she know, rumors would start circulating around Noah Tech School about her actions.

***

How long had Siu been asleep? When she woke up inside the AG Medical Center's capsule, the chamber was filled with therapeutic drugs, and Siu was clad in a patient gown, wearing an oxygen mask.

Feels like ages since I had that dream. But what's all this?

Siu scanned the situation with her eyes.

So, they can grab me at any moment, but now they're trying to save me by putting me in this capsule?

Siu once again felt the harsh reality of her lack of freedom. Alive, yet not truly living, just like those around her. They could threaten, interrogate, or even spare her life at any given moment. It was a warning, a reminder not to rebel.

But why didn't AG re-educate me immediately? Why just a warning?

Siu pondered on the fickleness of it all.

As Siu continued to contemplate, a termination sound echoed, and the medication inside the medical capsule descended, releasing a white smoke that changed Siu's attire.

"Phew."

The capsule door opened automatically, and a medical attendant, scanning Siu's eyes, approached her.

"Everything's fine. Return to the dormitory," the attendant said.

Though surprised by the attendant's words, Siu didn't protest. It was AG's decision. Siu's helplessness only fueled her anger, and she clenched her fists, trembling with frustration.

"Siu."

As Siu was walking through the nearby park, she heard a particularly cheerful voice. It was Zena. She was sitting on a park bench, waiting for Siu.

"You went to the medical center. Are you okay?" Zena's voice trembled. Only then did Siu notice the expression on her face. She seemed on the verge of tears at any moment. Siu spoke calmly to reassure her.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"Phew, thank goodness. I'm really relieved," Zena said, exhaling deeply.

"What about you? Did anything happen when you went to the interrogation room?" Siu inquired.

"No, I just got scanned and that was it," Zena replied.

"What?"

For a moment, Siu was speechless.

"Really, just a scan?"

"Yeah. I just went into the capsule and it was over in a minute. Why?"

As Siu breathed a sigh of relief at Zena's answer, she couldn't help but wonder what she had truly witnessed.

"Did something happen, Siu?"

Not wanting to worry Zena with her caring question, Siu decided to tell her the truth.

"Siu... I met an AI."

"What?"

Siu recounted in detail everything that had happened to Zena.

"So, this AI... or X, it seemed like it extracted some information from my brain chip. I wondered if the same happened to you."

"Hmm, no. I haven't seen such an AI."

"That's strange. I thought they were conducting the same interrogation on everyone..."

Watching Siu's contemplative expression, Zena spoke up.

"Well... this is just my thought, but perhaps the interrogations were tailored to our data."

"Hmm... That does seem inefficient though."

"Nevertheless, it could be effective in apprehending the instigator of the disturbance. If it ensures the safety of IDYPIA, AG would be driven to execute it, no matter how inefficient."

Siu nodded in agreement.

"You're right. So, we should keep searching for more people like us."

"Haha, our Siu has been through quite a lot, hasn't she?"

"Give me a break. Anyway... "

Siu, bolstered by Zena's encouragement, grumbled as she spoke. Yet, at the same time, she felt fortunate to have Zena by her side. With her, Siu believed she could muster the strength to face whatever lay ahead.

***