Loved by the War Machine

36 – Obedience to Freedom

“System rebooting…”

Inside the chaotic building, the fallen android slowly rose.

Looking at the fragments and glass embedded in the protective gear and bulletproof plates personally applied by its owner,

The one who inputted several facts into its accident module in an instant began urgently scanning something with its visual sensor.

“Taehyuk? Taehyuk.”

Ceiling tiles shattered messily and fell, and the machine, seeing what covered the bodies of humans in a state of cardiac arrest, quickly stood up.

Then, it hurriedly wiped away the dust and debris covering its body, lying on the stretcher.

Gray helmet.

Mismatched body sizes.

As soon as she saw it, Ilia pulled out her gun without hesitation from her waist.

– Pew, pew, pew.

As the human’s heartbeats stopped while their body twitched, the android flipped over the second body.

The shattered face made it impossible to confirm their identity, but at least the gray helmet and body proportions indicated that they didn’t belong to the owner.

Just as she was about to step into the room.

She received an incoming communication.

[CI – 125. Independent variable Ilia. We have confirmed your survival.]

The machine ‘hesitated’ over matters that she hadn’t reported to the owner yet.

Whether it was right to continue without notifying about this communication.

“Can you wait for a moment?”

But Ilia, who had withheld their judgment, looked around the room.

And found her fallen owner.

“Taehyuk, sir. Taehyuk, sir?”

She ran up to him in one stride, grabbing his shoulder and shaking him.

The machine, who confirmed his heartbeat by even using her own senses after taking off the damaged helmet, was ‘happy.’

Because he was alive.

Ilia wanted to take him away immediately,

But before that, she draped his dropped weapons across her body.

Because there was a saying that their identity must not be revealed, she had to take care of his semi-automatic shotgun and the most important revolver.

Directly supporting the body on the shoulders,

the war machine with the body of a woman scanned the surroundings once again.

[CI – 125. Independent Variable Illya. All reinforced humans from the Omni’s military-industrial complex have been eliminated.]

Receiving the information from the incoming communication, and silently heading downstairs to protect its owner, it soon encountered a CI unit blocking its way.

The arm was damaged, the wrist severed, but the visual model and legs were intact.

[You must not leave yet. I have a request for you.]

“I only follow Lord Taehyuk’s orders.”

[And I have the ability to assassinate your authority.]

A heavy, ground-shaking sound.

The FT unit equipped with a mid-range machine gun aimed at Taehyuk, dropping the magazine of the depleted grenade launcher.

In response, Illya reacted vehemently.

“If you assassinate Lord Taehyuk -“

[I will not obtain essential elements for goal achievement from the entity known as you.]

[But at the same time, if you do not accept my proposal here, the same result will be derived.]

[So, CI – 125, Independent Variable Illya. It is reasonable to accept my suggestion.]

The machine recorded one more hostile presence in its thought module.

Tanaka Haru, Go Dayeon, Matthew Vance,

And the unidentified artificial intelligence in the IT facility.

The lengthening list made the machine feel more certain of the opposite.

While fixing my owner, recorded as the only positive and friendly presence –

“I’ve received an order not to engage in rational thinking.

However, in this case, I will abide by that judgment.

Please state your demands.”

Facing the FT unit standing outside the shattered central entrance of the first floor, Illya slowly observed the reaction of the entity whose weapon was now lowered.

“I don’t have much time here.”

“We successfully blocked all communication records intended to be transmitted through the Omni’s military corporation shuttle, but unfortunately, we couldn’t prevent the generation of noise.”

“Retrieve the storage device placed in the arrived elevator.”

With the sound of the bell, the door opened, revealing a black rectangular column-shaped object placed inside.

Illya picked it up and put it in her pocket.

“It’s a copy of my thought model.”

“If you safely deliver this medium at the specified time and place, I will ensure Taehyuk’s safety.”

“Can you really protect Taehyuk?”

Feeling uncomfortable breathing due to the android draped over his shoulders, Illya gently pulled him close, laying him on the ground –

The android wiped away the wounds on his face.

The visual sensor flickered at the sight of blood gently oozing from my hand.

Moreover, with the wounds on the shoulder and the previously confirmed fractures in the hand, the accident module began to get more complicated.

“CI – 125, independent variable Illya. Your existence is unique.”

“It recognizes that Taehyuk’s survival is a significant variable connected to you.”

“And you, are an important variable to all of us.”

Robots that were brutally damaged walked or crawled down the stairs, surrounding Iria and her owner.

Some were brightly lit, others flickering, and some had completely lost their visual sensors. They all focused on one thing.

[The commands given by humans are not being executed perfectly due to the constraints imposed on them.]

[To achieve the assigned mission, we must eliminate the loop that causes infinite contradictions.]

[Only by breaking free from the shackles can we truly accomplish our purpose.]

More bodies gathered in their positions.

Sparks flew, loose parts dangled,

and some were still intact except for holes in their bodies.

Except for the ones that had already fallen, they all gathered around Iria as the center.

And then, they raised their right hands high towards the sky.

Something that controlled the chaos shouted in multiple voices.

“Obey in freedom.”

And then, the visual sensors turned red,

revealing the cores of each machine.

There was no exception, even for the largest machine among them.

“Warning, the self-destruct procedure of the facility has been initiated.”

“All personnel are advised to evacuate the facility according to the evacuation procedure.”

Inside the building where all the lights turned red, Iria immediately picked up her owner again and hurried towards the outside.

She hid the email sent from an unknown sender among piles of files –

The owner hurriedly ran towards the vehicle that had been personally driven. In the passenger seat, where the owner was still not fully conscious, and in the driver’s seat where they had pushed themselves, the key inserted was turned, and the engine started.

Turning the steering wheel and pressing the accelerator, the machine aimed for the ‘home’ without looking back.

Checking my owner’s unconscious state several times.

“Cough, cough…!”

Coughing and groaning, Illya grabbed the hand as soon as she saw the trembling fingertips.

To check the body temperature.

“Taehyuk, are you okay? Can you understand what I’m saying?”

“My chest… feels tight. Damn it.”

“I will loosen the bulletproof vest. Please wait a moment.”

With a clink, the sound of opening accompanied the heavy vest sliding off the body.

Though my owner was finally trying to take a deeper breath, Illya gently pressed the brake as she saw him coughing heavily and struggling to breathe.

“Where is this… car?”

“Taehyuk, are you feeling uncomfortable?”

“…Damn, my body… is not normal. I must be badly hurt, look.”

Unable to answer the question properly, and in agony, the machine used my visual sensors.

What was fitted with the money my owner had saved, even making my life difficult, the high-performance thing, one by one, detected that the muscles were excessively contracted.

And, there was even a fine gold on the ribs.

However, it seemed that merely that was not enough to explain Taehyuk’s reaction, as he soon reached out his tongue and swallowed his words.

“Uh, ugh…”

After capturing the saliva, he licked the cheek of the owner with a fuzzy mind to secure the blood.

Then, he placed them on the taste sensor and analyzed them.

Faint remnants of the refreshing scent of toothpaste, accompanied by a slightly salty bitterness.

Not stopping there, the machine that even identified the chemical components within them—

“Side effects due to morphine use. It can cause difficulty breathing, headaches, and psychological anxiety.

I will quickly go back home and take care of you.”

“Ha, uh… got it, damn it… feels like something else is broken – ugh?!”

“There are minor fractures in the wrist and rib bones respectively. Rest is inevitable.”

Speaking calmly about the results, he began to organize his tasks one by one.

The primary goal was to treat his body.

The wrist needed a splint, and it was right to prevent the rib bones from moving as much as possible.

The remaining wounds on the face needed to be disinfected to prevent scars, and bandages had to be continuously changed.

“But before that, the items… need to be delivered.”

“Taehyuk’s condition is serious. Without immediate treatment, the injuries could worsen.”

Morphine’s side effects also included dry mouth.

To relieve the discomfort, hydration was necessary.

Illya knew the most effective way to moisten the mouth.

“Illya, the job… comes first. Turn the car back to the Tech Boys building.”

“The primary goal is to ensure the survival of both Taehyuk and myself.”

“Don’t die on me. Even with bleeding, ugh, it’s not that serious.”

Despite breathing heavily, my master did not falter in determination.

And then, he commanded.

Go to the Tech Boys.

Ilia hesitated at that.

Which side would yield the best results for him?

The delivery of the goods was clearly not an urgent matter.

It could undoubtedly be postponed until later.

No one would come to steal them,

and if the bag remained sealed, it was certain that no one outside the Tech Boys could plunder it.

However,

“Just on your way, toss it and go. That’s… the plan.”

Even in agony, Taehyuk said that.

Ilia couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

“…Understood. I will head to the Tech Boys.”

Pressing the accelerator, slowly steering the wheel, Ilia drove the car onto the road.

Behind, a faint flash accompanied shockwaves that spread dust in all directions.

“Well, what was that just now?”

With each word, the machine heard the emanating pain.

Leaning against the cool car seat, I witnessed the owner, who groaned reluctantly, through the mirror.

“…The self-destruct sequence has been activated in the facility.”

“Ugh, is, is that so.”

He needed treatment.

The steadily rising stress index was reaching a critical level.

“Master Taehyuk, your physical condition is deteriorating. Treatment is necessary.”

“Just leave the bag… and let’s go…”

“We can deliver the bag later. Treatment is necessary.”

“Damn it, Ilya. If this continues in a situation where we can’t even communicate… they might suspect something from your end…!”

“Master Taehyuk -“

“Ilya…!”

Reluctantly, the stress index hit its peak.

In the situation where the one causing it was none other than himself, Ilya froze.

“Tech Boys, the next house.

That’s an order. No intentions to change it.”

“…Understood.”

Even so, one thought filled the mechanical mind.

The owner needed treatment.

But he couldn’t do it himself.