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Something Artificial (Vahn Seele x LunarStar)

Abumi gave a thoughtful tap of her chin as she wondered at the question that Echo presented. How did one find clothes that they liked? Growing up, it came down to "like what is available." Abumi had learned to give an approval of her attire not by what was popular, but by what she had been attached to. If she were being honest, the coat that she wore was something that came from her attachment to the coat her father had worn. Something about it seemed to give of a sense of authority and power, as well as anonymity. Even if her father hadn't been there much toward her later years in life, he'd always had more of an effect on her growing up than her father had.

"Well, Echo, for me, my clothing choices of what I 'like" and 'dislike' come from my past. As you saw, my father wore something similar to this." She said, remembering that Echo had been given access to a lot of her personal information when she was hooked up to the datapad that she kept stashed away from most public networks. "My father wore a coat like the one you have on now, and it left an impression on me. Other than that, you can gauge what you like by what other people wear. Some people like tighter fitting clothes, others like looser clothes. It takes time to develop an opinion, but I think you are capable of it. For now, pick what you know fits and we can worry about the rest later." She said, smiling as she hoped that the explanation that she gave was good enough.

As Abumi gave her explanation, she noticed the small bit of attention that she was garnering as she was talking with Echo. It wasn't much, but it was apparent that she'd drawn enough her way that she'd be remembered. The shop still hadn't picked up a lot of business yet, so they had their small amount of privacy as they walked about, but Abumi felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up when people looked her way. Living a life of watching over your shoulder wasn't ssomething that Abumi would be able to do for too long. She hoped to put it behind her as soon as possible, as it was going to cause her to start seeing things that were not there.
 
The explanation that Abumi gave to Echo did make sense to her at the mention of the mercenary's past and her father, as the short moment she was connected to the pad last night was long enough to have stored some of the information, similar to a back up. Unsure of why, Echo figured it was one of her automated programming related to her learning functionality to be as human as possible. However, it wasn't quite like an explanation that appeared to please Echo as she looked down at the clothing in hand, even without a change in expression, there was something rather sad about it until she spoke to confirm so "I see. Unfortunately I do not have a 'past' like you may have, Abumi. I do not seem to have enough data that would count as me being able to have my own likes and dislikes towards certain opinions." she spoke. Her head soon looking back up, but not back at Abumi, rather at some of the other customers as Echo scanned the style of clothing the others were wearing "I will simply get what can fit me for now."

"Maybe something like that." she added whiles looking over at a girl that hadn't noticed them yet wearing what looked to be kind of goth look, only it wasn't a maid outfit like the one underneath the coat Echo is wearing right now. Simple enough, but with a style to it unlike the kind that Echo had in her hands right now. Though for now the android wasn't going to be too picky about it and stuck to what she gathered so far. Besides, she didn't want to over do it and end up having to make Abumi pay too much for her or trade for things too valuable for the mercenary. According to her data, she did so much for her already. And she's still a source for information that Echo wanted to complete.

"There clothing will be satisfactory for now. And I detect that we mustn't linger here for too long either." Echo stated, and as such, it was true enough. The owner was getting more and more edgy of them being here since Echo did walk in here with a weapon so casually and some of the customers here catching on to Echo's way of speaking and how she sounded in general that she isn't a human. Not to mention they though she couldn't see yet has been walking around the shop like it was nothing. Whispers were beginning to happen along with some dirty looks towards Echo.
 
The look gave Abumi a little bit of a tug at her heart, frowning a little as she heard the way that Echo spoke of having no "past". Perhaps it was better that she didn't? If it was to be assumed by Darron and Berk, Echo had a troubled past when dealing with Abumi's group. It wouldn't be good for her, until she was able to better understand her past, to not have a past for the time being. Plus, to get that past would require getting into OmniCorp's system, a task that was not going to be easy for Abumi. She'd have a hard enough time staying off their radar. To go back to their headquarters, in body or through the net, was a risk she couldn't very well afford. Not until she had Echo working with her to achieve the goal. The thought of what was on the computer chips popped in her head, making Abumi shift her thoughts toward what she'd do when they were in her hidden shop.

"Don't worry about the idea of 'liking' clothing yet. Just find something that fits and we'll work on it from there. This isn't a race, or a pass/fail test of your abilities. Remember, you are learning right now. Give yourself some time." Abumi said. She had to hold back the urge to reach out and rest her hand against Echo's shoulder. She knew that the gesture wouldn't mean anything to her, and the more she gave attention to Echo, the more stares and attention they were going to draw their direction. "You're right. We'd better get these things and get going." Abumi said, gesturing for Echo to follow as they went to the front of the store.

When they moved out of the aisles of clothing and approached the counter, the owner was sitting there with tension showing in his features. "You find what you were looking for?" The man asked, Abumi giving him a polite nod as she gestured to Echo to set the clothes on the counter. "We have what we need. As for payment..." Abumi said, reaching into her pocket. This gesture drew more tension from the owner, which Abumi smiled and tried to wave it off as she drew out a small bag. "I can't pay with credits right now, as my pad is broken. I do have some precious metals, though." She said, taking out a thin card of gold from the bag and setting it down. Printed on it was the rating of its purity, as well as the credit value at the time of purchase. Gold was a commodity that had stood the test of time over the years.

The owner snatched up the card and looked it over, the sight of one rare to find. The card was easily worth the clothes, plus some for his silence on making a non-credited purchase. "This gold will only be good if you stay away. I can smell trouble, and the next time I see you, my finger will either be on the trigger, or calling the authorities." He said, Abumi giving him a nod. "Understood." She said, the owner handing back the katana to Echo and gesturing for the two to leave. "Let's go, before he changes his mind." Abumi said to Echo, drawing them out of the shop and onto the street.

From here, they'd have to get to her hiding place, a spot that was nestled under a nearby apartment complex. She'd done some work giving "privacy" to a nearby apartment owner, earning her a favor. She'd cashed it in for a saferoom, usable whenever she needed it, but only once. "Here's the address. Can you check to make sure there are no threats to us on the way there?" Abumi asked, still feeling uneasy about their situation.
 
Doing as she was told, Echo followed along just behind Abumi, attentively watching the purchase take place before her as the store owner was giving her more and more of an uneasy look. Both of them in fact and he even told Abumi that they weren't going to be allowed back here. Strange, as according to her data, Abumi wasn't a criminal, here at least, he shouldn't have much of a reason. In any case though, Echo remained silent and took her Katana back from the man, along with the goods that were now in a bag to be carried by the android with no issue and leaving the store in relative haste now that the attention was really on them as they left. Her calculations even recommended seeking cover now.

"Affirmative." was all that Echo said on their way out and out to the streets where attention wasn't going to be dragged onto them too much. For now anyway. Echo has her clothes in one hand and her Katana in the other, walking close by Abumi to follow her and the route showing in her vision. It should be a short walk from here now, one in which the apartment should be in view now. At least what would act as a cover for them.

"I can." Echo confirmed "There are no authorities currently in this location and I do not detect a signature nearby that is following us. A few looks from passerby's but nothing to be deemed a threat to us and the location. We can proceed as you see fit, Abumi." Echo spoke, giving the mercenary something to be relaxed about at least for however long they may get to stay there. As they would near the complex, Echo did a quick x-ray scan to see what sort of signatures were in the building they're about to enter. She detected one that turned up belonged to an elderly lady, an empty address belonging to someone who isn't home right now and one of a middle ages mad that showed has a criminal record for drug use. However, what Echo spotted that was of more interest was under the apartment building, a forth space that showed no current address that she suspected was where Abumi is intending for them to go. And knowing that it is meant to be a secret, the android made no mention of it as they reached the front door of the building, with Echo stood to the side, patiently waiting for Abumi to let them in "We have arrived, Abumi. I shall be right behind you." she said. If Echo wasn't covering her maid uniform because of that coat, she may have ended up looking like a legit servant. Now there's a though.
 
Abumi felt a little of the tension ease off of her shoulders a she heard the status update from Echo. Sighing, Abumi smiled and nodded. "Thanks. If that should change, let me know. I don't want to drag any onlookers that would expose the saferoom." Abumi said. As they walked, Abumi did her best to try and lean on Echo for her capabilities. She had proven her usefulness in the mission earlier, that wasn't something to be called into question. It was more of the thought that the two of them were invested in the escape now. Well, Abumi was. All it would take would be Echo being reprogrammed to have her back in the grip of OmniCorp. That fact left her uneasy. She'd need to work out a plan to safeguard any information that Echo had come in contact with in her time with Abumi. Not just for herself, but for Berk and Darron.

When they approached the apartment complex, Abumi walked along the sidewalk, quietly counting to herself as she stepped up to the main entrance of the apartment complex. Looking around, she made sure that there was no attention on them as she stepped up to the entrance and pressed through the door. This brought them into a hallway that had a small skylight above them, the glass filtered so that light came in, but never out. Without saying a word to the office, Echo moved up to a panel and pressed her fingers behind a small crack. With a click of sound, the mechanical bindings came undone and the panel slid up. Tapping in a code on the metal door that was revealed, Abumi ushered Echo to go down the stairway as she locked up the panel behind her.

The revealed stairway led down to a door that opened into a larger room. one that had two beds, a livable set of furniture and various tables spread out with spare electronics. There was a small refrigerator that held no food at the moment, a light layer of dust spread around the room in some areas. Once Abumi had sealed the hallway back up, she went down the stairs to see if Echo had followed into the room. Though the room was somewhat small, it was well-ventilated, had adequate lighting and it gave Abumi the anonymity she needed if she were to get online. She'd be avoiding that for the time being, though, as she took a seat on one of the beds, a small puff of dusts rising up from her seat. "This is going to be our living quarters, at least for a few days. Once OmniCorp starts to look for you, we're going to have to do some work to get out of the city. As long as we are down here, we'll be fine for now. If they have any trace of our trail, though, we'll not be able to linger for long. While most city scans cannot find this spot, a quick in-person scan will show that we're down here. I'm not feeling okay to bring that level of scrutiny on the owner here, so I don't imagine we'll be able to stay too long." Abumi said, showing a small bit of her exhaustion. She hadn't slept since before the mission she'd undergone with Echo. She needed to get some sleep.
 
Entering the apartment complex, Echo had remained silent throughout, patiently staying by Abumi's side as the pair entered a hidden entrance within the wall of this somewhat run down looking wall, having made sure that no one else had seen them of course. The staircase leading down to the tucked away address of Abumi's safe-house was a little more up to date in technology, but still held some age to it as well, more so when Echo had gone on ahead and entered the relatively small room that was being considered a lining quarters. Having stopped vaguely in the middle of the room, Echo gave this place a scan to determined that this did hold up to be acquit enough for a human being to live in. 2 Beds, a variety of small tables that she deduced we're mostly to be there as a work place, considering the mechanical parts there were on them. A small fridge that she found had nothing in it, the electricity in here worked on minimal voltage and she even detected a small space in the back that she found was a pretty tiny bathroom.

This place held the essentials a person would need, something Echo would be able to confirm can be classified as a safe-house.

When she was joined by Abumi whom Echo watch sit herself down on a bed while the android herself remained standing where she was, she listened to the game plan about how little time they can afford to stay here, especially when talk of OmniCorp was brought up almost right away. It was true, with a company like that likely to go after them, even if Echo lacked the registration code, she still belonged to them and they would come after her and Abumi to get back what they want. It would spell trouble for the both of them. However though, before Echo could agree to any of what was being said and suggest a little info of her own, her readings were showing that Abumi looked more exhausted than before. She could even read that some of her movements had become sluggish. A sign that the human body was reaching it's limits.

"Abumi." Echo spoke out, her voice carrying a sense of demand to them as if asking that she is listened to, setting her bag and Katana down, the android waled up to the mercenary and set about removing the coat to reveal her maid outfit and placing said coat around Abumi's shoulder "Your functionality is beginning to drop, I detect a lack of sleep is the cause of this. You must rest if you are to remain healthy. You may do so while I watch over you and will inform you if any threat comes our way. I recommend a minimum of 6 hours sleep. Shall I wake you in that time?"
 
There were a thousand different thoughts that were buzzing through Abumi's mind. Everything that had happened in the last 24 to 36 hours was rolling around, as if it were a puzzle that was needing to be solved. There were the microchips that she was carrying, which likely held some dark secrets from OmniCorp's past, along with figuring out how to get to a safe spot at the edge of the city. OmniCorp, while it was a large company, didn't have enough resources to rip the city apart looking for her. that was the hope, at least. Even as she was sitting there, slouching to one side, she couldn't help but feel that there was too much to think about. Rest was imminent, even if she wanted to fight back against it.

When she looked up at Echo's abrupt movement, she couldn't help but smile a little. Even Echo could see that she wasn't in good shape. Rest would do her some good, and help her to make some sense of the choices she had been making up to this point. Had she made the right call? Until Echo had some semblance of her own mind, or OmniCorp was no longer chasing after them, the two of them were in for a fun ride. The advantage came with the level of technology that was built into Echo's systems. OmniCorp had spared no expense at figuring out what they should or shouldn't put into her. She'd seen enough of that when it came to the removal of the tracker.

"Six hours should be enough. If someone comes down, wake me before answering. It could be our benefactor." Abumi said, lightly rubbing at her eye as she looked around the room. "Do what you can to monitor some of the online feeds. OmniCorp is too big not to put out some hint as to what they are going to be doing next. Even silent operations can leave hints. Postings on bounty boards, chat communications from OmniCorp to encrypted addresses. The only way they can keep silent effectively is through paper, and they've been taught to do things online. They'll find paper too slow to get any effective response on us."

By this point, Abumi was rambling as she moved to lay back on top of the covers. She didn't pull the blankets up around herself, letting her head rest against the pillow as she sprawled out on the twin mattress. "I'll talk to you in a few hours." Abumi said, eyes closed as she began to doze off almost immediately. The strain of everything fell away, leaving only the dreamscape to occupy her thoughts for a short while.
 
"Affirmative. I will wake you if necessary." Was one of the last things that Echo said to Abumi as she helped the mercenary lay down on the bed and used the coat as a cover rather than the actual ones, trying to make sure the latter won't feel too cold during the resting period even if the room itself was fairly warm, the ventilation still brought in some cool air in here. And it was the time of year where the summer was coming to an end in about a few weeks time. Better to be save than sorry.

After making sure that Abumi was asleep, having remained crouched by the bedside and staring at her intensely as she looked over her readings until she deemed Abumi to be truly resting, Echo would watch over the mercenary as it had become part of her new purpose. Every since that mission she had with her, Echo has had more thoughts about the events than she ever felt she could, what with her limiter being moved to make room for more active commands that Echo can perform freely. She was given data she never expected to be asked about, such as the whole deal with 'Heart' and 'Soul'. A topic that is still peeking her interest. The number of choices she was allowed to have throughout the mission and even during the time when they got the android some new clothes. Now, she could go through them and maybe try some on, or even wear it outright, but... her programming insisted to follow through some of the commands set by Abumi as her vision moved on to one of the pockets where the chips were being kept.

Making sure not to wake Abumi up, Echo took those chips out as gently as she could before getting up and turning to walk over to a nearby chair next to the assortment of tables, setting them down before she'd scan some of the equipment laid out here. Hmm. She could make use of some of that, but it would take time, time that she currently has with Abumi sleeping and she herself not needing to rest at all.

--

Roughly 5 hours had gone by since Echo started working on a device to be able to connect into the data stored withing those chips, but because those things were so old and out of its time, it made the job for Echo extremely difficult. It wasn't just the lack of certain material parts that were missing which forced the android to compromise on a few bits, but the software skills needed were out of Echo's range. Besides, with what she calculated, Echo would be too busy acting as a server for it to work. Abumi would have to do the digital labor in breaking in.

Though that wasn't the only thing on Echo's wall of text that had the android thinking of waking Abumi. As asked, the maid looking android has also been multi taking by connecting herself remotely to the net using one of the transmitters nearby the area and filing through every bit of data she could in relation to OmniCorp, making sure remained 'undercover' as it would compromise this location otherwise. One of the first concerning bit of news she came across was an image of her in OmnCorp's private feed, complete with her registration code and the word "[MISSING]" across it. Contrast to her image being private, there was a public image of Abumi registered as a wanted criminal, wanted 'Alive'. It seemed they weren't going to be messing around and dispatched a search and rescue team designed specifically to find her. However, with her tracker no longer active and removed, the chances of them finding her are very slim, still, these news seemed to be hours old now, chances are they knew of her 'disappearance' the moment the tracker was taken out. Maybe even when Echo didn't call them the night before.

Along with that, there were miscellaneous articles and chat feeds within the company that talked about improvements to security coming soon, upgraded skin tissue, upgraded A.I. prototypes to name a few, however, there were also some deeper, more secure servers that Echo dare not mess with for too long, but one of the things she got out of it was a recent transfer of 'volunteer' candidates for a new Android project that OmniCorp have been trying to kick start for years now and are finally able to accomplish. Now, while that can be good news because that means not all their attention will be on them, the bad news is what outweigh the good. A part of Echo's files flashed for a 'match' that forced Echo to disband her surveillance on the company and check what this match was all about and what Echo found was something relating to Abumi... and a missing girl that she got a glimpse of when she was connected to Abumi's pad once.

Shutting off her connection to the net, Echo also ceased her work and made her way to the still sleeping Abumi with the intent to wake her "Abumi. Abumi, please wake up. I have urgent news that I must share with you." she said, placing a hand on her shoulder to try and shake the woman awake. And once she'd manage to do so, Echo would allow the mercenary to get her bearings in line first while also apologizing about not having let her sleep for the 6 hours first, though when she got to explaining about why she woke Abumi up to begin with, there was reason as to why she did. Even going as far as to include the news about Echo being classified as missing while Abumi got a bounty on her.
 
Though her sleep was short, there were vivid images recounting the previous days. There were flashes of imagery of the plasma creatures they had come across, as well as the chips that had been concealed in the ancient research laboratory. Her mind had always been unable to let a puzzle go, even in sleep, and she began to wonder what she was looking for. There were a lot of things to weigh in on, and her drowsy mind did not have enough time to be able to fully piece everything together just yet. Hopefully, though, she would find the answers to help her and Echo get to a much safer place.

Feeling the stirring of touch against her shoulder, Abumi would slowly begin to rise up from the bed. She hadn't bothered to cover herself, but she found that she was laying beneath her coat. Strange, she hadn't bothered to pull anything on, too tired to even consider something to keep herself warm. "What is it, Echo?" Abumi said, her body shifting and swaying enough so that she could put her feet on the ground, looking over to Echo. It was still strange, looking at the android. What had she seen in Echo that had shaken her foundation so much to warrant a change in her core principles and beliefs?

As she waited for the reply from Echo, Abumi began to stand and gave a faint stretch of her shoulders and arms. With a bit of a show of movement, Abumi brought her arms down to rest at her side, carefully putting the coat back on the bed. "Nearly six hours. You must've found something that was quite worth waking me up. Is it OmniCorp? Have they caught a trace on us?" Abumi asked, showing concern for their safety first and foremost. If this spot had been compromised, Abumi would have to dig up a new one. Safehouses were hard to come by, but she could always find someone else who was willing to put her up in a new place. She'd gained quite a few favors, but it was a problem to expose her and Echo to try and change locations. Perhaps, if she had better planned it, they wouldn't have to hide out in this quiet room beneath the boarding house, hidden beneath the grid that she'd learned to live in.

Whatever the news was, Abumi was done with her "wake up" routine and devoted her attention to her. There were wisps of hair that were tugging up, showing their rebellion after having been slept on for several hours. It was almost comical the way her hair was standing up, at least to those who could find humor in a desperate situation of hiding from the authorities after stealing a valuable asset with the intentions of teaching it what humanity was.
 
Ignoring the state on which Abumi was in upon waking up, Echo was more than patient to wait for the mercenary to get her bearings since she could tell on her data that news of this importance would need the one receiving them to be ready for them. In doing so, Echo requested to have Abumi be sat down for this, telling her it was ok to remain seated on the bed since, worryingly, the android talked about how people are likely to collapse when given information that could be 'emotionally taxing' for them, especially when the strength in their legs isn't at 100% after sleeping. Only when Echo was sure of herself that Abumi was seated, with the android opting to remain standing before her, she started off answering the question regarding their location.

"Negative. OmniCorp do not have our location, I ensured my time was limited while connected to the net to acquire any information that you requested. I also did so entering the net undercover to minimize the risk." Echo started with, speaking with clarity and little pause that separated her from being human like. Not that such a thing should really matter at this present moment when soon after, Echo moved the conversation on to the given task she had been given hours ago.

"I can confirm that OmniCorp have had a search and rescue team dispatched 10 minutes after the time my tracker had been removed, though I suspect that they were onto us before when you jammed my system to contact the company prior to my operation. You have been listed on the public list of criminals, ranking you in the top 25 of the most wanted. Requested to be taken in 'Alive'. Your chances of receiving new work as a mercenary have been decreased by 83%." she noted, throwing this piece of information out that so far, things aren't looking too good for Abumi at how serious OmniCorp have been taking the loss of their android. It was also unnerving to see Echo state such things so casually due to her lacking the need for emotional expressions when needed. This, however, did not stop there as the most important news were coming up still "I must also confess, that while you had your data pad connected to my systems at the old facility, my search had registered a 'match' of some kind that required my attention. I deemed it to be a top priority to wake you as it involved one of the few people that had been sent to OmniCorp, classed as a volunteer. A girl you had on your pad titled as missing. Your sister."
 
When Echo had begun to insist that Abumi take a seat, she did so to appease the android. Something about the news seemed very dire, and it warranted Echo to worry for Abumi's mental and physical health. At the first bit of news, Abumi was thankful to hear that she had been taking precautions. There were a lot of things that could topple her plan of how she was going to endure the uproar that abandoning her job for OmniCorp had done, as well as stealing their property. Being caught by something as simple as laziness or poor security measures would prove taht she couldn't cut it at as a person of her skills. Hearing that she was ranked top 25, though? That was something to be marveled at. "I'll find a way to work around it. There's always someone or some corporate entity who will see my betrayal at OmniCorp and either see value or distrust. Don't worry much for my sake." She said, not even certain if Echo could feel the same level of concern quite yet that Abumi did for her future.

Hearing the percentage, 83%, made Abumi give a faint chuckle. Leave it to Echo to account for all the variables and give out a percentage. It was kind of cute. Echo was making quite the companion, and, if she had the ability to, she'd have passed Echo's AI into something that Abumi could wear to try and better conceal her from OmniCorp. Perhaps that would've been hard to do, given the complexity of her android body and its circuitry, but it was something they could come up with in the future, should the two survive that long. Having Echo jacked into her datapad for remote assistance might prove useful in the future.

What hit her hard, amongst the news that Echo had to share, was the mention of her sister. She had anticipated that letting Echo use her datapad to try and circumvent some of the security measures put in her physical body by OmniCorp was going to lead to some data leaking back into Echo. What she hadn't expected was hearing that her younger sister's identity and appearance would match something that was found at OmniCorp. Visible confusion showed in her features as she tried her best to keep herself from getting up and running out the door that moment. It would do her sister no good if she were to be taken in by the authorities. She'd be stuck alongside her sister, probably, another "willing" subject for their future plans, whatever those might be.

When she felt that her breathing was finally under control, Abumi looked from the spot on the wall she had been staring at back to Echo. "I don't know what you saw in my files, but, if you saw something that exhibits a match for my sister, that's something I can't ignore. My sister is stuck at OmniCorp, and I'm on lockdown for violating a contract. Fan-fucking-tastic." Abumi said, her fists clenching in the sheets of the bed. Her mind was scrambling to form a plan, but all of them ended with her being captured and of no use to saving her sister. There was too much she couldn't account for. Sweeping a bit of hair out of her face, Abumi looked back to Echo. "I need to get her out of there, Echo. If there is any way you think that's possible, no matter the risk to myself, would you help me do it?" She asked. It wasn't an order, but a heartfelt request for assistance. "I know you understand the concept of family, with parents and siblings. Having my sister taken away, all to settle a debt, was the hardest thing I have dealt with growing up." It was obvious that Abumi was on the brink of tears, that hardened mercenary exterior finally cracking. Perhaps it was a lack of full sleep, or a mixture of stress from the situation, but there was nothing left in her reserves at that moment to keep her from falling apart, aside from her sheer will to keep pushing.
 
Watching the mercenary closely, Echo's reading quickly picked up on signs that Amubi was suffering from emotional distress since the moment she told her about the missing sister actually being in the hands of OmniCorp at this very moment. Or for however long ago it may have actually been. That emotional distress, according to her data, has to be addressed and taken cared for, because as far as she was aware when doing her calculations, Abumi is only going to get herself caught or even killed if the authority deems it necessary. Unsure of as to why, but Echo felt that she knew that sometimes, orders are changed on the fly. It made her wonder what else she may have done besides kill someone that was Berk's friend.

After some careful analysis, Echo's head lifted a little to look right back at Abumi, or at least the direction it was facing. Even so, the look behind those folds would likely be blank even with the mentions of a family, something that Echo unfortunately has no real understanding of for obvious reasons. But first-

"I'm afraid I cannot comply with that request." Echo started with, telling the mercenary exactly as is "You are currently under some serious distress about the news of your sister. I saw in your files that she must mean a great deal to you, I was programmed with the data that humans tend to do that, so upon acting on that data, I feel it is best that you remain away from OmniCorp. Let what I have said to you register fully and you may plan to get her back eventually. You will be at too much risk if you let yourself run irrationally. So please, rest here still. I can even offer to make you something to ease your mental state. Perhaps some tea." Echo said, even making a little hand gesture towards the 'kitchen' area of this singular room like she really was a maid. However, she did not stop there, even taking a glance at the two chips from the old facility that the android failed to even come close to getting into what they might contain "I must also remind you, I was not successful into breaking into the data left in the facility. I have it marked as a high priority that I believe we should look into solving first. It is unfortunate, but we lack the means to breaking into those here. The tools you possess here are not sufficient enough."

Looking back at Abumi, Echo paused for that brief moment, to come up with a sentence that may sound harsh at first, but should make sense for it to be caring if anything "So in conclusion, I will not help you get to OmniCorp any time soon, I do not want to let you risk your well being. Be it by my programming to have you as my priority from our mission prior, or of my own choosing. We should rescue your sister when we have minimal risk. Are these propositions acceptable?"
 
Abumi wanted to be angry. She could feel the visceral hatred beginning to bubble up in her chest. Who was this android to tell her "no"? This was her sister, the whole point that she'd even gotten this far. To tell her that she couldn't pursue her sister was almost a betrayal of everything that Abumi had been investing in Echo up to this point. She was treating Echo like a human, but Echo couldn't fathom something so important. Her hate built up in her chest as she prepared to fire back with any and every excuse she had to go against Echo's reasoning. Logic did not have a place with Abumi at the moment, especially with her sister involved with OmniCorp.

Even as she wanted to let loose, something tugged at her, perhaps the realization that no matter what she said, Echo was her only hope of getting into OmniCorp to save her sister. Not only that, but Echo was making a solid fair amount of points, things that her judgment was blinded to at that moment. She'd even begun to forget the humanity that she'd seen in Echo earlier, all because she wouldn't comply with what was far from a simple request. It was a suicide mission that Echo was keeping Abumi from doing.

Just like that, all of the hatred fell apart, and all Abumi could do was feel the recoil of hurt and pain that wanted out. It didn't come out all at once, but Abumi couldn't think about working at the moment. "I think some tea would be good, yes." She said, her voice on the verge of cracking as she clung to composure as best she could. "If I can calm down, maybe I can think of something we can do for the chips. I don't even know what's on them that's so important, but I can't think about them. There's a lot-" Her voice started to cut off as she felt a few tears escape her eyes, leaving a defined line from the edges of her eyes down to her jawline. Trying to wipe at them, Abumi curled her knees up to her chest, settling her eyes on the floor.

"Thank you, Echo." She said, acknowledging the reasoning as best she could as she silently cried to herself. She'd never known herself to fall apart this easily, but her sister would definitely be a point of weakness that someone could always use against her. Who would've thought that even the smallest glimmer of hope could bring her up, then cause her to go crashing down. The only bright side was that this was the closest she'd come to information on her sister. If she didn't let that thread go, perhaps, she could get a firm grip and make the hurt in her chest go away.
 
There was a warning light of a moment as Echo was reading what sort of response she would get from Abumi regarding her sister and then being denied to go for the rescue at the soonest possible moment, yet at the most riskiest. It had Echo anticipate getting yelled at, which in all honesty, she completely expected to happen and take it at face value. Even the thought that she might understand the importance of family was expected of the android and all she knew of such words were the definition.

Though when Abumi appeared to calm down and agree to the offered tea, Echo didn't even hesitate for a moment to get up from her seat and walk on over to the excuse of a kitchen area and see what she can make of this, starting with placing a mug on the counter and scanning through the cabinets for any herbal ingredients to make a reasonable tea with and turning on the kettle to boil the water. After a short minute or two of searching, the android was able to find one lone teabag and was able to deem it safe enough for consumption. Working on fixing up a drink for Abumi, Echo allowed for her to take some further time into thinking about her sister and also about what they could do for the chips. What to do with then and who to seek out that could work with tool capable of hacking into those things. Because whatever they hold, must be valuable enough to have been in a facility that, over time, got run over by beasts never seen before.

It sure made Echo calculate if these monsters have anything to do with the chips some how. No idea why, just a hunch.

Once the hot drink had been made, Echo proceeded to hand it over to Abumi with the heads up that it's hot, along with the apology that she couldn't find any milk or sugar to add a bit of taste to it.

Standing before the mercenary, she once more saw a side of Abumi that went against what she initially knew of her prior to meeting each other, her blinded expression starred at her with an unreadable yet curious intent. The word 'Sister' became her focal point of her data to try and read about its definition and trying to connect its meaning with the way Abumi is feeling at this moment. Her self learning self working overtime to work towards understanding the position she's in. The position her sister is in. If the sibling is actually alive and the news from OmniCorp may be fake. Who knew. Perhaps saying such alterations won't be wise, so instead, Echo tried her hand in a more comforting approach. Starting with reaching out her hand to wipe that single tear threatening to escape Abumi's eyes with her gloved finger "You are upset. That is not the impression I would have expected given your profile when we first mat. It is uncommon for mercenaries to be so attached on something, as being non-bias is key to their work." Perhaps that was too much of an obvious pointer to start with... "Forgive me if... I lack the necessary skills to emotionally support you. I have never dealt in this 'family' matter before. It was never a task I was programmed in mind with. My creator deemed it unnecessary for me to know anything but it's definition." she paused for a moment, trying to see if she can say anything that will definitely help in this situation "Abumi. You asked me to help you, correct. My answer is yes, I will. But I must stand by what I said, not to pursue going into OmniCorp. Not yet. I must make it known that, should you make it into the company and are caught, you may never see your sister there and all chances of rescue is lost and I... I may be shut down."

Lowering her head a little, now Echo was beginning to sound saddened by what she'd say next. Not so much like she's about to cry, but rather that the reality of it has her mood lowered "For good."
 
Abumi's mind was a mess. There was too much going on in her head at that moment to try and figure out her own emotions. The cold and calculated mind she had spent years honing was falling apart under an emotional weight she was far from ready for. Hearing her sister's possible location, as well as her involvement with OmniCorp as a "volunteer" was threatening to rip every part of her rational being apart. Her mind began to go numb as she focused on details of the room. The space was sparsely furnished, little was in the space that could be of use to them beyond basic survival. Colors of various pieces of furniture began to filter through her thoughts. By focusing on those facts, Abumi could try and get a grip on herself. It was a coping mechanism she had learned early on when it came to getting overwhelmed.

As she let her mind slowly focus on details, she heard the sound of warning from Echo that the tea was hot. Taking the tea in her hand, Abumi let her fingers focus on the warmth the tea gave. It was nice to focus on something more physical than color. It was tangible and searing. Add to that Echo trying to soften the earlier blow with her words and Abumi was slowly becoming a bit more calm, more collected. "It is easy to maintain the appearance of calm when you are doing work that isn't related to you. I've spent the majority of my free time working to try and find a hint of where she could have gone after my parents traded her away to cover some debts." Abumi said, looking up to Echo before taking a slow sip of the tea. The bitter heat of the tea was unpleasant, but the shock of taste and heat helped to give her mind more to focus on.

Something startled Abumi as Echo began to speak of her intangible fear. She didn't want to be turned off permanently. She wanted to live. That was essentially what she was saying. That was something that Abumi had never heard an AI or machine ever say. There had been many tests where AI were posed with various questions, essentially an advanced version of the Turing test from years ago, and none of them had ever broached the subject of what they thought about the possibility of being shut down without a chance to be rebooted. "I would cease to function." There had been no emotion, no hint of what they preferred. Hearing Echo say that she didn't want to be shut down, especially for good, made her focus shift from her own wants, to the wants of her friend.

"Echo, I won't let you be shut down. We'll do everything to keep that from happening, no matter what." Echo said, smiling up at her as she reached over and patted the bed beside herself. "Sit down, please? I feel weird talking to you while you stand over me." She asked. Whether Echo sat or not, Abumi realized that she owed Echo. She had been working to give her sentience, to help her fill in the blanks that OmniCorp had chosen to omit. It made Echo her responsibility, giving her more priorities than simply saving her sister. There was a lot to do.
 
Whatever the case may be when it comes to keeping one self emotionally checked, as Abumi described it by 'doing work not related to you', this was something that Echo needn't practice with, already looking as calm and unmoved by the situation at hand as is. Be it that androids just aren't capable of acting upon certain reactions unless programmed to, or, like Echo, just weren't build with these things in mind. Which gave rise to the question, what was she made for? As it was made known while they were at Bert's for the night, she had a mission that required to kill someone and that this likely wasn't Echo's only one. For whatever reasons, she's capable of combat and is even granted some knowledge of things any normal human shouldn't be having like it was at the old facility. Yet, even with all of that, Echo's limitation on her self learning program prevented her from fully questioning her own being. Yet. So it was quite difficult for the Android to place herself in the same shoes as Abumi right now, only able to look utterly indifferent about all of this.

When asked to sit down besides, it didn't take long for Echo to comply, probably doing so under the obligation that her programming required her to still follow directions given by Abumi and to do so almost immediately without question. With that, Echo stepped up to the bed and gently sat herself down as she was asked to, sinking into the mattress a little more than Abumi due to her heavier weight from being mare of mostly metal.

For a moment or two, all Echo did after that was simply sit there and almost just stare ahead, having the faintest clue as to what she should be doing in this moment. Let alone if she even has any other permission she's allowed to act on. Recalling the moment she realized how strange it all is for her to no longer have any set commands in place from OmniCorp, she was, by all means, free to do as she so chose, outside of Abumi's saying so of course. Though while Echo was lacking anything else to really do, she did end up speaking up when she wanted to respond to her own situation. A situation brought upon her because the mercenary chose to take command of her existence, to not be let back to OmniCorp and thus saving her another reboot she would never remember happening. In turn, she too felt that she owed Abumi a great deal for the trouble she's going through even with the missing sister case.

"Abumi, if I may have a say in this. A request if you will." Echo started out, still looking ahead rather than to her side at Abumi "I would like to ask your assistance and allowing me to learn about humans. It is, in spite of OmniCorp methods, my primary function. To learn. I would greatly appreciate you doing this for me while I in turn help you in saving your sister at the soonest possibility. And also... I would like to give my thanks to you. As flawed as Humans may be, you are a kind person, to be willing in keeping me from being shut down. It must be a soul think, correct?"
 
Abumi felt the weight of the bed as Echo began to take a seat, the bed giving a little more under Echo than her own body. Come to think of it, Abumi had never considered that Echo might be a fair deal heavier than herself. It was fortunate that Abumi had not had to pull Echo out of that building. She did not have the implants, or the physical strength, to be able to lift her. Her thoughts would shift from the observation to what Echo began to request from her. "Of course, Echo. I don't mind in trying to help you understand humans. You are free to ask me whatever you want to help achieve a better understanding of us. As for the idea of a soul, that concept eludes even the most inspired of us." Abumi said, smiling at Echo.

"I appreciate your gratitude, Echo. However, I do not want you feeling any bit of guilt over the choice I made to aid in your escape from OmniCorp. I made my choice, and there should never be any reason that you should feel responsible for that." Abumi said, reaching out her hand to take Echo's out of habit. Giving it a careful squeeze, Abumi took another sip of her tea before setting it down with her other hand. It left a very bitter aftertaste in her mouth, something that was only slightly unpleasant in comparison to things that she had been given before. Turning to focus again on Echo, Abumi let her thoughts drift back to the next steps the two would have to take.

"We can focus on ways to get to my sister once the heat has died down. For now, we need to see what is on those chips, much like you said. Perhaps there is something on them worth bargaining to get my sister back. Maybe there's even something valuable enough to take to another megacorp to assist us with getting her out without risking your life." Abumi said, her hand moving to intertwine her fingers with Echo's. The notion of saying that Echo had life felt natural, as if it were true. Perhaps she was losing her grip on the distinction between human life and robotic life, but Echo had been blurring those lines from the moment the two had begun to talk about hearts and souls back at the complex.

Not drawing her hand back, Abumi looked over to the worktable. "The biggest hurdle, though, is getting us to a place where I have better tools. This is the closest safe house I had, though, from the shop. Even trying to reach out to another source will be tricky, but definitely doable." Abumi said, sighing as her shoulders began to sag a little. "We'll have to stay here for at least another day. Once we've stayed her 24 hours, you can put out feelers to see if there are any teams scattered throughout the city looking for us. Once we have more information, we can shift out of neutral and make our move then." Abumi said, her eyes seeming distant as she was in planning mode.
 
Guilt. If there was ever a time that an Android actually managed to loose even a little attention of what's being said, it would be now as Echo silently and without so much as showing it, contemplated on that one word. Did she actually express that on a verbal level, that she's feeling guilty or having Abumi branded as a criminal now because of the choice the mercenary had made? Her data had little to no issue looking at the definition of it, but to have accurately expressed such where another person would notice was what kept her running through the numbers of it. And it was difficult to get a sense of whether it's a good thing to feel, or not. On one hand, it made Abumi appreciative for the concern of her well being, but in that same moment, Echo failed to come to the result that it would benefit her own 'feelings' in the matter as the concern she felt was leaning towards negative.

As though this was all her fault.

Though as to not ruin this moment, and because she picked up a touch registering in her sensors located at her left hand, Echo tilted her head down to look at the joined hands. The gloved one belonging to her and the warm, natural hand belonging to Abumi. With a single click as her eye lids blinked under her blindfold, Echo took a scan at this action to start analyzing it.

"I predict the OmniCorp will be after you and I without rest." Echo responded, leaving her analysis to run in the background of her processor while simultaneously responding to some of the plan laid out by Abumi "My existence is too valuable to be ignored. And for you to be the primary cause of this, they will demand for you to be taken into imprisonment. Best case scenario. I recommend finding a way to leave the city, Genesis is not safe to be in, OmniCorp holds too much influence here. It does not have to be a city far from here, or any remote location, just not within Genesis. I may assist in seeking safe transport to do so." Taking a glance over to the other side of the room where the chips were, Echo made no visual indication about the next notion relating to using the data within against OmniCorp, or to use other operations to go against it "I calculate a high probability that involving other companies is a risky tactic. We have no knowledge of what resides within these, even just us finding out could result in our disadvantage. I'm not dismissing the value the data may have inside, just that such an unknown factor makes it impossible for me to make an accurate calculation of best probability in saving your sister."

Giving what she had just said a moments rest, almost without pause, Echo once again looked down to their hands joined together, her own hand having not moved at all in response to Abumi intertwining their fingers. Only when she felt a sufficient enough time passed at the end of her response, Echo brought up a question as she was deemed allowed to do so "What does this signify, Abumi?" she asked, "This action. Your hand holding mine."
 
Abumi watched the way that Echo's eyes drew down to the contact of their hands. The movement seemed so natural and human to Abumi, but it was something she realized she had never explained to her android companion. Debating on whether she should draw her hand back or keep it there, Abumi let the thought settle on not drawing it away. She felt an attachment, something in her heart that was about as irrational as it could be, given what Echo was. Regardless of what capacity that Echo could care or feel, Abumi couldn't deny that she had grown very fond of her. It extended beyond whatever physical qualities that they had given Echo. Sure, she was feminine, very much dressed in a manner to provoke a response in men to be appealing. For Abumi, though, it was that intangible quality of having a heart, something that made Echo seem very much alive, that she wanted to both nurture and grow. Not for her own sake, but for Echo's, even if it created tension and turmoil for the both of them.

Echo's calculation of their current position, where they stood between OmniCorp and freedom, made Abumi feel a little overwhelmed. There were tons of variables to consider, and the longer that the two waited, the better their chance was to get away. "You are right. Involving another company would be a bad idea, now that you clarify its risks." Abumi said, eyes tilted down in thought as she weighed more options in her head. Getting out of the city was their best shot at surviving and living to fight another day. "Then getting out of Genesis must be our primary objective." Abumi said, face settled into a neutral expression.

The mention of her hand in Abumi's, fingers intertwined, made her smile. Time for another human lesson. "Usually, for humans, physical contact like this can mean a lot of things. It can be a means to try and comfort someone who is upset, like a touch to a shoulder. It can mean more, too, as couples, or those who are dating, can hold hands." Abumi said, hoping that she was explaining herself clearly. "As for why I'm holding your hand, it is mostly because, well..." This caused her to pause and give a faint blush. "Trying to show you how to be human has made me care about you, more so than I would have expected." Abumi said, admitting it more to herself than to Echo.

"If you want me to draw my hand back, I can. In a stressful situation like this, I guess my nerves are a little shaky, and a bit of human contact is calming." She said, drawing her eyes up to where the blindfold lay over Echo's face. Whether she could be seen or not physically, she knew that Echo could sense her embarrassment with heat remaining in her face.
 
No sooner had Abumi spoken the commands to make leaving Genesis the primary objective had the android registered into her data to do so, making it one of the very few others primary tasks along with learning and obeying Abumi herself. It may seem like detour when it comes to rescuing the mercenary's sister, or anyone for that matter by leaving town, but calculations are calculations, something that Echo is made up of the majority of the time in her decision making. To ensure the success to be as high as possible, they need to take the appropriate steps for it in order to do so, even if it means needing to take longer to do so. As she had stated before, rushing in won't do either of them any good.

Once that was settled though, Echo's attention then drifted to the answer to her question, in this case being right at Abumi when she processed the answer about what holding hands signified.

Though it was unseen thanks to her blindfold, Echo could make out the reactions Abumi was having. After all, it wasn't like she was blind blind under this cover. So she could detect the little increase in temperature rising to the cheeks of the mercenary, though minor enough that she felt it was unneeded to mention that. What did leave her occupied though was the somewhat emphasis on humans that are a pair. A couple. Be it romantically or otherwise, Echo could honestly only guess, as sad to say she had absolutely no data on such forms of acts. Possibly due to OmniCorp having wiped it during one of the many reboots. In any case, this was a whole new thing that Echo could start collecting data from and it was that what may have gotten the most reaction out of the android "I see." she stated plainly, yet focused at her hand holding Abumi, remaining to be careful about it "I am willing to assist in calming you down via this course of action. Do fee free to correct me if I make any incorrect inputs. I would feel 'guilty' as you say it if I did not help."

The android once more paused while she watched ever so carefully at their hands holding each other as the numbers in her processors worked on as usual, her mind working and calculating any other things she needed doing. Her top secondary objective remaining active at all times allowing her to ask any questions she wished. One of which, and so far the last one perhaps, was one that weighed on her software since Bart removed the tracker.

"Abumi. One more question, if I may." Echo spoke, her tone quiet this time and almost sounding worried if it wasn't for the digital echo in her voice "If... If my self awareness level reaches critical and I am no longer limited. Will I be human, or still machine?"
 
Abumi smiled at the eagerness that Echo had to keep the gesture. While it seemed very minor, it was something that was keeping Abumi from falling apart at the moment. Some kind of physical contact helped to keep her rooted in reality, even if she knew that the contact was only being reciprocated in an experimental fashion by Echo. "Thank you." She said, running her thumb gently over the top of Echo's knuckles. The motion of her thumb along the android's knuckles was soothing, as it gave Abumi something to focus on that was more given to the contact that the two had.

The question that Echo asked made her give a flinch. Looking away, Abumi gave a frown as she thought about it. "Echo, that's a hard question. Please don't take it the wrong way how I answer." She said, as if worrying about her feelings like she would another person. How was she going to explain the extremes of soul, of what it was to be human? At her core, she would always be a machine. That was a fact that she would never be able to explain. That said, all of mankind was nothing more than a biological machine. Blood flowing through veins and arteries that supplied oxygen and kept the body from falling apart. If she were to be honest, Echo was better than a human, if she could attain self-awareness.

"The simplest way I can put it is this: You are always going to be a machine." She said, raising her other hand and pressing it over the spot where Echo's heart might be if she were a human. "You can't change what you physically are, without a change of your body." Abumi added, trying to raise the edges of her lips into a smile. "But, if you think about it, I'm just as much a machine as you are. The only difference is I am biomechanical, while you are strictly mechanical." She said, verbalizing her thoughts as she kept her hand against the spot above her left breast. "Remember how I spoke about the soul? If you can free yourself to know what you are, to have a purpose beyond what you are programmed, that is what will make you human."

While the conversation was rather cheesy to say, it was the truth that Abumi could explain as easily and plainly as possible. "Does that help?" Abumi asked Echo. Even as she asked, her hand remained over Echo's chest. She didn't want to pull her hand away. Whether it was her attachment, or something more, Echo was always going to be more than a machine to Abumi. Her cheeks flushed further, realizing how she was now very close to Echo at this point.
 
As harsh as this may have come out as when Abumi did her best answering such a rough question that even Echo herself decided may have been premature or just downright wishful thinking on her part, she didn't hold it against the mercenary for putting things like that. If anything, the Android could agree to even respect her for it and appreciate being this honest about that. It is only factual after all that Echo is and likely always will be a machine, no if's or but's. It'll certainly not hinder on the thought that this could well be a case of a human trapped in a metal body sometime down the line, so there will need to be issues worked out as they went along, but over all, Echo had little reason to be dissatisfied by this.

Lifting her free hand, slowly enough to even hear some of the mechanism hear beneath the flesh, Echo looked at her gloved palm as though she was examining her own existence between human and machine. Contemplating about the reason she was even made to begin with by a company trying to make an android as human as possible.

Try as she might, she can't find the answer in her files.

"Your answer is satisfactory." Echo answered in her usually plain manner, at least sounding more reassured than a moment ago "Once I am no longer burdened by the programming, without the lack of it causing me to cease function, I may find the answer with a new purpose. My purpose to be." she said, making emphasis on the idea that she'll one day learn to make up her own mind on what to do, plan and eventually live out her days without a pre-made pathway most if not all robots follow. For a mercenary, Abumi sure made good on her end to help Echo thus far and she calculated an ever increasing rate of success if she continued staying with her from here on out if it means learning to be human just like she was supposed to but was never allowed to by the company that made her.

"However, for now I am content with following your commands, Abumi." Echo spoke up, turning her head to look at the girl besides her, their hands never separating still "For as long as the primary objective remains to rescue your sister, I will remain by your side to the end. By then I may have found the answer I'm seeking." she stated, making it quite clear that she'll be intent on following through with her words as androids are much more likely to do so than a human might, as the path they are set on will be walked on for as long as they can function for. For however long Echo can function for. She suspected it would still be many decades down the line even if she stops being worked on by OmniCorp during every one of her reboots. Those inner thoughts concerning the company was soon to be interrupted by said company as a warning icon flashed on the corner of her vision and forcing her to snap her head to look upwards and to the corner of the room in the direction of the front side of the building. Soon after that, Echo had to leg got of Abumi's hand where she then pressed her fingers against the side of her head where a light 'beep' could be heard of her shutting off her detection system she used to scan the area.

"Abumi, I must inform you that the OmniCorp retrieval squad is making their rounds." Echi informed the merc, to warn her about the company that are still after them on hot pursuit "However, while they have reached this section of the city, the do not know of our exact location. And they will continue to not find us so long as I keep some of my systems offline that are traceable at short distance. We must remain here for a while longer, then I must suggest we leave once I can inform you it is safe to do so."
 
Abumi was expecting a negative response, some kind of kickback for her rationalization of what Echo was. All that she had said to her had been true, but it was not without its sting. The truth had always had a way of carrying a quality of being enlightening, but cutting deep. Seeing that Echo had not taken her words as negative, or even as patronizing, Abumi felt a bit of weight lift from her heart. She had wanted to be honest with Echo, as telling her that she would be human was too much of a fantasy to promise someone. It was almost like promising a child, prior to the implementation of implants and cybernetics, that they would walk again after having lost their legs.

"I am happy to see your enthusiasm." She said, smiling at Echo. Unfortunately, the world was going to intrude on their moment of connection. With Echo pulling away, seeking to shut down some of her functions that allowed for short distance detection. Settling back, realizing just how close she had put herself against Echo, Abumi tried to right herself. "If there are any things I can do to help you keep from being detected, please tell me." Abumi said, smiling weakly as she moved to stand up. "I've put some work in putting some material to help with blocking signals, but I never thought I'd be using this hideout to mask an actual android." Abumi said, chuckling as she looked over the various connections she had cut and rewired.

While she waited for a response from Echo, Abumi opened a drawer. "I'll gather up everything of use and get ready for us to leave. I can try to reach out to find a better hideout, something outside of Genesis." Abumi said, taking out a black bag and stashing a few things into it. Basic electronics, miscellaneous items of use, anything that she felt could be of use in the future. Pulling out a hard case, she stashed the computer chips into the case and set it into the bag. They would not be able to get the data out of the chips here, as Echo had pointed out, so it was best to store them in the bag to be quickly grabbed on the way out.

Setting the black bag near the door, Abumi moved to take a seat beside Echo once more, taking a glance over her to see how she was doing with some of her systems being shut down.
 
Echo remained unmoved by the relieved compliment, physically anyway, about how the mercenary was happy for her because of her having enough awareness that she can't be a real human no matter how she may try later in the future, but rather, can content with it on a level of at least having a 'soul' of a human. More so why Echo had kept still was that in all honesty, now that she had said those words to Abumi, she had been letting her processors working out the philosophy of it and found it to be quite a complicated matter. Like, seriously. It was no wonder to her now why Abumi couldn't really answer her other than giving her the cold hard truth, a necessity at that, because it really is something one simply can't answer for you. So, silently, Echo added in a personal objective for herself to complete whether or not she will consider herself human over time.

Unknown to her how this may actually effect her later on.

By the time that she had done that following the need to close off her functions made for close range detection and nothing else, Echo found that Abumi had gotten up to begin packing away equipment deemed vital for their journey out of Genesis, including placing the chips in a secured case that will prevent them to get damaged along the way. A good move on the mercenary's part as any damage done to these might result in them never finding out its contents. They are too valuable to be lost.

In all honesty, had she known that Abumi was going to start packing already, she would've offered to help out with that, yet she had failed on that front due to her having tried sorting something else out internally. No matter, this was only a minor job, one that Echo will make up for serving Abumi over the course of the coming days. The gaze of her head followed the mercenary all the way up to the moment she returned to taking her seat besides the android, who herself hadn't moved at all yet. Hearing the offer in what she can only assume was a form of jamming system around the hideout, Echo's vision scanned over the room on a more thorough level, seeing that the wiring indeed was set up to prevent notice "That may not be necessary." Echo started, trying to return the favor about being honest and see how this'll go "Truthfully, increasing the security to preventing targeting signals from penetrating certain area's, they also disrupt mine from in here to an extend. Right now your hide out is still allowing us to remain undetected without my own detection system active, however, if the security is made absolute, I may be able to reactivate my detection system without being traced but I myself won't be able to detect anything outside here. For the time being, this must do."

After having said that, Echo, like Abumi is right now, looked over her human companion and her systems could tell how she appeared to be more relaxed now than she was a moment ago when the news of her sister was given. No longer did Abumi seen struck with an emotional vortex, but is now, as far as her data can tell, happy now. This was something that, as an Android under the command of the mercenary here, needed to be put into the open "You appear happy. Have my answers so far been satisfying?"
 
Abumi was finding the way that Echo processed things to be very mechanical. What was she to expect from a machine, right? Logic would always take the forefront, as binary as 1s and 0s could be. This didn't bother her, though. Abumi liked to have someone that could help her crunch the numbers. Life was a mixture of probabilities and uncertainties. If they were to survive this, it would take her fast calculations, as well as her ability to analyze a problem and find a solution at lightning speeds. So far, the two made quite the pair. As Echo rattled off the pros and cons of the situation, specifically to the option of opting for a better jamming field, Abumi gave her own nod. "It would also be odd for them, too, if they were to see an area that had too strong of a jamming area. Being able to read through walls is customary, and finding any bounce back or impenetrable areas would show our hiding spot much faster than letting some signals in." Abumi said, liking the way that Echo could make Abumi better analyze a situation without letting her cloudy thoughts get in the way.

At the mention of her mental state, Abumi gave a little shrug of her shoulders. "It is hard to say that I'm 'happy'. I am more under control. I don't cope with my emotions very well. I've left them in check for so long that, when they flare up, I don't know what to do about them. I've always been a person of action, wanting to get the job done as soon as a problem rises up. Waiting has never been my strongest attribute." Abumi said, admitting her flaw openly to Echo. "It does help to have something to focus on. Getting out of Genesis, getting into the chips to find out what OmniCorp was looking for. These things keep me occupied." Abumi said, letting the tension in her shoulders start to sag.

With the two of them now stuck in the hiding spot, unable to move during the local sweep, Abumi was finding that she didn't have a whole lot she could do in the hideaway. She hadn't expected to end up in this one so soon, as she had only started setting it up in the last few months. A thought occurred to her that made Abumi raise a brow. "This is going to sound like an odd question, but are you able to play games, like chess and checkers?" Abumi asked, turning on the bed and shifting back a bit. "If we are going to be stuck here, might as well do something that exercises my mind. Distractions help." She said, hoping that part of Echo's programming could learn games of skill and chance.

The more she thought on things that she could do and teach Echo, the more excited it made Abumi. She'd learn things fast, and even could learn things on the open network in the blink of an eye that would pale in comparison to the manual process of learning that Abumi could offer her. Even so, the small bit of bonding could be fun, especially to see if she could outsmart an AI.
 
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