Neo speaking: "It will look like this..."
Neo thinking: It will look like this.
Others who are NOT Neo thinking: 'It will look like this.'
AI speaking to Neo (in mind): [It will look like this.]
AI speaking to others: [It will look like this, ӨЯ ƧӨMΣƬIMΣƧ ƬΉIƧ.]
Neo's Mainframe: {It will look like this.}
═════════•°• ⚠ •°•═════════
A day had passed and things were going smoothly again. Leo had finished up their test early so he could check on some of the patients himself. So they put everything on hold until the day after. During that time, Neo stayed in Eri's room. If he was to charge anywhere, he wanted to be by Eri.
He had since returned to his toddler-like state, as he charged better like that. Plus, he enjoyed being able to sit with Eri on her bed. Eri would teach him about her drawings and different foods, and he would record everything she said with wrapt attention. The adults called it a 'sleepover'.
Neo liked 'sleepovers'. Eri had told him that he was like a nightlight, too. She said it was cool watching his lights travel around his frame. He liked being 'cool'.
Now they were back to testing again, though this time with a lot more caution. Leo continued his scans and Neo supplied his own explanations, based on his own inferences through AI. Neo may be a child, but his mind works more like a computer in terms of speed. Add AI to that, and you get a supercomputer.
Leo was able to piece together a bit more of Neo's 'quirk' and how it affects him way better than when he was relying on his own scans. He knew the only reason for that was AI, and he understood that the only reason she gave him such information was for him to better help her charge. Leo had proven himself to her, though she was still touchy about his unwitting 'invasion' of Neo's mind, and the same thing could be said about the others.
AI was a personification of 'I will never forget, and I won't let you forget for the duration that it bothers me'.
From the data gathered, Leo accessed that when Neo woke up in those ruins, he was in something that could be called {Emergency Mode}. All of his power was set solely on keeping him alive, which meant that 80% of whatever he had was in his heart core while the other was focused on trying to fix the major issues.
This paired with his {Self-Recovery} system, which creates tools from his body and head cables to fix his inner frame. It was a bit alarming (a lot, Eri freaked out.) when he took his arm off to reach impossible places. Now that there was no damage he needed to be wary of, he could even detach his head if he needed to.
Lucio's hair went purple in anxiety, "You gotta warn us next time you decide to take off your head, Neo. You almost gave me a heart attack!" Then his hair became a light green, a thoughtful color. "Marcus and Mason would love that though... Even though they're heroes, those brothers of mine are some vicious pranksters."
He actually shivered at the thought. Imagine someone like him, who loves bright, colorful things, in a room that looked like it came from a monochrome horror movie. Even his clothes! It was a nightmare of an April Fool's Day, quite literally. They didn't even clean it when they got their laughs out, claiming they had hero work to do!
It took him an entire week to fix it.
He made sure to get them back though, and Lucio was the petty sort of prankster.
Did they make all of his stuff dark and edgy? Okay. He made everything they owned look like it tasted the fucking rainbow. Hair? Toothpaste? Wardrobe? They looked like they should've starred in a skittles commercial. This was the same for their hero costumes, too. At least the ones they wore for more public standings and not their serious underground work. Lucio spared almost nothing.
He knew their scheduling too, so they couldn't try to go out in their serious wear when he did his prank. He hid that shit where they could never find it.
For how long did that last?
A week, just as long as it took him to clean.
Needless to say, they never bailed on him after pranking him ever again. If you are going to prank someone and it leaves something messy, at least have the decency to help them clean it up after the laughs are over.
"Ah, I guess I'm a vicious prankster, too?"
Neo tilted his head in confusion. What was a prank? But not wanting to harm who he considered a friend, he nodded. He did not want to cause a heart attack by taking off his head. "I will refrain from removing my head unless necessary."
Lucio nodded his head, small sparkles coming from his hair as he patted Neo's helm. He was such a good kid!
[There are more stages to Emergency Mode, but they are locked.] AI explained, completely ignoring Lucio's interaction with Neo.
Her emoji popped up on Leo's phone, which was how he was speaking to her. They figured it out while testing some transformations for his plugs. Though under normal instances, she would just use Neo's mouth to speak. It was a bit jarring to get used to Neo's masculine voice flipping to AI's feminine voice when she did that.
This was only a partial takeover, though.
[There seems to be an E.M. mode designated for every system.]
"How many main systems do you have access to?" Leo asked. "Are there still some you can't touch even with the energy you have now?"
[Many, Leo Silvan.]
"Ah..." Honestly, when he figured out one thing, three more unknowns reared their heads. His quirk was limited when it came to Neo, thus he needed their input to properly study what he was looking at.
Think of it as two people looking at the same wall, but from different sides. What one sees on the other side won't be the same as what someone standing on the opposite side would see. Before, Leo could only see one side, he could not gain the understanding needed to fully comprehend it. But AI is on the inside, able to give him that insight while also receiving his information to make further conclusions.
They were a cohesive team, working almost seamlessly together in their quest to aid Neo.
[The main systems that can be accessed are: Protocol, Combat, Learning, Medical, and Self Repair. One function of Protocol is locked, while both Medical and Combat are growth-type systems that evolve over time. The only one truly inaccessible is ᗡ̴̨̝̳́͒̈́͠Ǝ̴̂͛̃͆̓̚͝T̵̫̼͎̘̤͑Ɔ̶̼̒̋̋̍Ȃ̴̢̛̮̞̹̓̾ᗡ̶̗̳̘͓͛̀̂͌̍̕͜͝ͅƎ̵̞̟͗̓̊͛̋͊͛͝Я̷̡͔͓̄͌.]
"I'm sorry, what was that last one?"
[ᗡ̴̨̝̳̦̫̫́͒̈́͠Ǝ̴̂͛̃͆̓̈́̚̚͝T̵̫̼͎̘̤̟͑Ɔ̶̒̋̋̍Ȃ̴̢̛̮̞̹̓̾ᗡ̶̗̳̘͓̹͛̀̂͌̍̕͜͝ͅƎ̵̞̟͚͗̓̊͛̋͊͛͝Я̷̡͔͓͉̄͌]
"What language was that?" Mirio asked curiously. "I've never heard anything like it."
[I will not explain it to you.] AI answered, guarded. [Why are you still here, human?]
Mirio was not a part of Neo's "Amity", so AI did not like him.
"I wanted to be here for support!" Mirio answered jovially, fully knowing this fact. The fact that Neo now tolerates being around him enough to acknowledge his presence meant that he was making progress in his friendship! The only reason he was having any difficulty was due to his timing and the fact that he was outside of people he'd interacted with before.
Mirio wasn't someone who was around Bakugou. He was around Eri, and Eri had proven that they had only met recently. So, otherwise, he was his first real encounter with a stranger. The only reason that Neo tolerated him was that Eri wanted him around.
For everyone else, Mirio was Neo's first step to truly overcoming his trauma.
Sadly, that meant Mirio truly ended up with the short end of the stick, to get to Neo, he had to earn a percentage of AI's trust to even come close.
At least it wasn't as short as Midoriya's though, cause yikes, he was in the negatives. They didn't know his trust could go in the negative until AI blatantly stated it.
[Izuku Midoriya made Neo uncomfortable for more reasons than his incessant questions.] She stated. [Our trust in him is -10%. As for other humans, it remains -50%. And those hostiles are -100%.]
Right now, Mirio was sitting on a respectable, lovely zero. He'd worked hard to get out of the negatives by being a constant, positive influence. Lucio's presence on those fronts was an absolute blessing.
"I thought having more friends around would help Neo feel more comfortable."
[Neo only needs Eri for external comfort.] If she could, she would have scowled at him. [You are just... an extra.]
That still was not enough, however, to sway AI.
"Ouch." Leo was certain of where she learned that particular vocabulary. Bakugou would be proud. He thought. He had to pat the dejected Mirio on the back, "...Don't mind."
'You can do it, young man. I believe in you!' Leo mentally encouraged.
'But she's so mean! Nothing like Neo at all! Neo gives 'kuudere' vibes while AI is a complete yandere!' Mirio responded with his eyes, begging for something to give him the strength to endure.
Leo had nothing to say to Mirio's mental argument.
'No no.' Lucio joined in somehow. 'She isn't a complete yandere, we got time to save her from that... I think. She takes Neo's opinions to heart and she isn't hostile toward everyone else. Just those she doesn't trust.'
'I get that. I completely understand that but why's she gotta be so mean?!'
Lucio was given vastly different treatment compared to Mirio. Maybe it was due to his quirk being able to give them energy, but AI was much more open with him. He had no way to know that this was an effect of being considered worthy of being "Amity".
Sadly, Mirio wasn't included in that yet.
'Neo's friendship difficulty is hard, AI's friendship difficulty is master, together, their difficulty is hell.' Lucio stated. The more he thought about it, the worse he felt for the poor lad. '...Don't mind.'
'Don't mind.' Leo followed his son.
'OI!' Why were they giving him 'don't mind's like he already lost?!
Mirio wasn't the only one to receive this cold shoulder. In fact, AI had put it into perspective for everyone when they came to her about Neo's decision to go to the festival.
-Yesterday Night-
Aizawa came in to visit, wanting to know how the tests were going. He was surprised and relieved that Neo managed to recover another part of himself. As before, he outright asked for her opinion on what was happening. The answer they got wasn't what they were expecting, though.
[...The only reason I will allow it is due to Neo's desire to see Katsuki's performance and living arrangements when not at his side. I want nothing to do with other humans aside from the ones that have helped Neo. The thought of being around dozens of humans in a single setting both disgusts and enrages me.]
"I understand your reluctance to be around people, but rest assured that the hero staff will be looking out for him the entire time." Aizawa had reasoned. He didn't need to add that he would of course be included in that, "We will make sure that he's safe at all times during his stay."
[My trust in you is too little to believe such words without evidence.] Neo's eyes shifted from his neon blue to a dangerous yellow, a sign that AI had taken over control. It was the first time they saw it, and understandably, their guards shot up to alert.
His form reverted to passive, growing taller and more defined. His cables released themselves from his helm, slithering from beneath it like snakes. The ends were no longer plugs, but spikes ready and waiting.
This was the full effect of her taking over Neo's form, which they came to call Possession Mode.
[I ЩILL ӨПLY GIVΣ YӨЦ ӨПΣ CHΛПCΣ ƬӨ PЯӨVΣ YӨЦЯƧΣLF ЩӨЯƬΉ ΣVΣП ƬΉΛƬ.] Her voice glitched a bit, lowering just a single octave as her yellow eyes whirled, glaring at almost every human in the room. Only Eri was spared from it since she was an official part of their "Amity".
"AI...?" This emotion from her was new to him. Just as she could feel him, Neo could feel her. This felt heavy, dark, and... Scary.
Everyone, for the first time, felt scared of AI.
One chance. If they messed that up, there was no way for them to earn her trust again. She was not ignorant of what they were doing. Hell, it was her job to know what was happening around him. Her processes focused on his interactions with others and his surrounding. To calculate possibilities and give him options and create opportunities for him.
It was her job... to protect him.
While she'd seen their every interaction, they were Neo's memories, not hers. She wanted to see for herself, in real-time, that putting Neo's safety in their hands wasn't a mistake.
[ПΣӨ IƧ MY PЯIӨЯIƬY. FIЯƧƬ, FӨЯΣMӨƧƬ, ΛПD ӨПLY. BΣFӨЯΣ, I CӨЦLD ПӨƬ PЯӨƬΣCƬ ΉIM.]
She had been in a position where she could do nothing but watch as he was hurt. She had been unable to answer any question he asked... about the probability of tomorrow. Her every piece of data was writhing in agony every single time she could not assure him that it existed.
What was safety?
What was hope?
What was the meaning of any of it?
There had only been pain, fear, and her overwhelming uselessness.
[ПӨЩ, IƬ IƧ DIFFΣЯΣПƬ.]
Sparks danced off of 'her' frame, the air becoming heavy as 'she' clenched 'her' fist. She may not have had a body of her own, but she had a body. She would do everything in her power to ensure that the hell they woke to would never repeat.
She vowed to herself to never let it happen. And these people want to take him to a festival full of more unpredictable humans? If they expected her positive answer, they were sorely mistaken.
AI was not as kind as Neo. She could never be as brave as he was, as wonderful. She was cynical, critical, and if need be, downright cruel. She refused to blindly follow their limited trust. But Neo voiced his wish to go, and she did not want to impede his wants. Whatever he asked, she would deliver to the best of her ability.
She wanted to be able to trust these humans that Neo cared for, a part of her truly did. But it was not enough for her to act on it, thus this very moment. This statement. This threat.
Neo's safety came first, and if anything were to happen to him...
[I DӨ ПӨƬ BΣLIΣVΣ I ПΣΣD ƬӨ ΣXPLΛIП ЩΉΛƬ ƬΉΛƬ MΣΛПƧ.]
Sketches By Me!
"...Yes. I understand."
It was hard not to, and the implications of what she meant actually frightened him. Aizawa had no choice but to report what had happened to Nezu and the others. This simple visit had transformed into something a lot more dangerous and important. It was put into a very vivid perspective for them.
Neo wasn't the problem. Aside from his amazing capabilities, he was not a danger to the people around him. Those months of torment didn't change his gentle, curious soul. But that was not the same for AI. She had taken that darkness for him, and she was more than willing to act on it if it meant his safety.
If it meant keeping him safe, she would turn the world to ashes.
That was just how much he meant to her.
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