Chương 2: Prologue 02 – Testimony

At eight-o-clock, an hour before their assigned time, a big sister came out of the cloning crèche carrying a megaphone and paused to talk to big sis Chisame for a bit. Chloe wondered what they were talking about.

"Stop doing this, please, what is wrong with you, did we not hug you enough when we were young?"

"Look, those memories are really emotional and full of traumatizing memories that will poot them up!"

"Look, we did it at their age and we turned out fin—" No, they were both nodding and Chloe could distinctly make out the words "I'll see you at lunch" and big sis Chisame was giving her some cookies as she sat back. Ah, well, it was funny while it lasted. By then her crèche-sisters had noticed and gotten to their feet. The excitement was rising again, and even with what she knew about what she was bout to get shoved between her ears, Chloe couldn't help getting excited with them.

"Good morning, little sisters. Happy Decanting Day!" There were cheers of acknowledgement, even as all the crèche-sisters started grouping up according to production number. Some of the little sisters tried to join in by standing at the back, but they were gently pulled back to general laughter and pouting.

"I'm Doctor Joie, this is Tansey, and if you'll all indulge me for a moment, I'll give you your instructions now so that I don't need to stop you from getting into the Testimony units when we get there." The words were jovial and joking, but the face was that of a woman who knows that if she doesn't explicitly say it people were going to do it. Ah, big sis Takane-sensei. So sorry for causing trouble in your classroom.

"Before entering the Testimony units, please be reminded that you need to desynch with your buddies so that they can get their legacy package uploaded as well." That dampened everyone's mood slightly, and Chloe saw a few crèche-sisters clutch their buddies possessively. It was understandable. They all grew up with their buddies, and the thought of not having them around…

well, it would a very strange sister who didn't like the company of their buddy, and as someone who was definitely strange and kept an ear out for other little sisters like her, she'd yet to hear of someone like that being decanted. Even Tomoko was close to her buddy, despite the fact Madison was a purely hardware AI and not a nascent spirit. Thankfully, the big sister didn't linger on the subject.

"You have each been assigned to a Testimony unit, which will be told to you when you sign in to confirm your presence. Once inside, please find your assigned unit and empty your pockets. Take off your shoes and socks, and check that there is no loose debris on your clothes before entering the Testimony unit. You may enter the Testimony unit, but once you do, please don't step out again. The restroom is also right across the hall from the Testimony chamber."

This was met with cheers as many sisters were reminded that, yes, they needed to know where the restroom was. Still, it was an orderly double-line of girls who entered the cloning crèche when the big sisters gestured for them to come inside. Older and younger sisters wished them good luck, with a couple of the latter once more trying to sneak in to try to be an adult faster. They were gently sent back, of course. Chloe remembered trying to do the same thing for the last three years. Ah, good times.

Chloe exchanged amiable nods with big sis Chisame, who gave her a look that managed to express both betrayal and disappointment. Chloe shrugged helplessly, and that managed to be the extent of their exchange as the younger girl stepped through the threshold of the building. Sorry, big sis. You have a lot of good points about how this could be put off until later… but on the other hand, everyone knew that you weren't really an adult until you've gotten Kaede's legacy.

And Chloe really wanted to be allowed to finally have a gun that loaded venecite shells and grenades. Not missiles, though. That was just unsporting, and they would take up a lot of Glass Heart's processing to direc—ooh, Glass Heart would be allowed to upgrade his processing capabilities after today, wouldn't he! All right, maybe one mini missile, just in case. Actually, kind of a waste to just carry a single missile, better make it four… or eight… or ten…

There were a hundred and twelve girls in their production batch, which meant that even with everyone trying to keep their voices down so that they wouldn't bother any of the big sisters who were at work, they still made an unfortunate din as they walked through the cloning facility's hallways to the room with the Testimony units.

Fortunately, the big sisters were all very understanding, wishing them a happy decanting day when they passed them in the halls, following the helpful temporary signs directing them towards where to go. Chloe still found it a bit disorienting when she turned right instead of left in the hall that she would normally take to head towards the recovery ward to visit a big sister she knew who'd gotten injured doing ranger work. But that was a good thing! It meant no one she knew had gotten hurt today! …

that she knew of. Ranger work was dangerous after all. The room with the Testimony units were kept in the cloning crèche's second-most structurally secure room.

The most secure was where the actual cloning facilities were, while the third-most secure room contained the emergency isekai cache full of seed stock, meat cultures, cloning nutrient fluid, machine tools, power generators, and other things that would be useful if, to pull a completely random example, the town were suddenly pulled into the Void beneath the universe and sent hurling through the primordial source of all matter, energy and magic to pop out on some other planet if they were lucky and some other universe entirely if they weren't.

Of course, everyone lined up to go to the restroom first, because after dinner the night before, a good sleep and a nice breakfast, everyone was a bit full and need to double check that nothing biological would interfere with the upload. Fortunately, the big sister who'd designed the layout of the building had made sure that the restroom in front of the Testimony room had a huge capacity. By the time nine-o-clock rolled around, everyone had completed evacuating and were ready for the procedure.

The first hurdle was having to let go of their buddies so they could get their Testimony unit assignments. Chloe and everyone else had known that while they were in the Testimony units the buddies would be getting their own legacy data upload, but it was still distressing not having their little buddies at their side.

While many put down their buddies with varying levels of reluctance, some girls burst out crying, while a few started trying to reassure their buddy that they wouldn't be long, only a few hours and that they'd be right back and not to worry. A couple had forgotten to remove their buddy from their weapon, and needed to have their sword and chain saw put in the safety locker to keep them from getting lost while they were in the Testimony.

Chloe made a bet with herself that they'd need to come back later because they'd walk out without getting their weapons back. Chloe was proud to say she wasn't like that, and maturely set down Glass Heart without any histrionics.

"You're fully charged, right? Don't need any more magic?"" Confirmed."

"Still got plenty of hardware memory? You can delete anything we have backed up at home if you need to, it's all right."" Hardware memory free space sufficient."

"… all right. See you on the other side, partner."" Destination confirmed. Good luck, shooter." See? Totally mature and without histrionics! Chloe absolutely didn't feel nervous as she watched some big sister whose name she didn't know and had no way of checking for without Glass Heart start attaching hardline connections onto the buddies' external contact nub, using a brush and cleaning fluid to make sure the contacts were properly clean and conductive before slotting them into a long cradle.

Nope, she was completely calm, and absolutely didn't need Glass Heart flashing a coded "OK" message to calm down. Nope, not at all. She wondered if it counted as being a pathological liar if all the lying was happening inside her head to herself. … Eh, whatever. Assigned unit in hand—and needing to actually remember it because her buddy wasn't with her—Chloe went to her assigned Testimony unit and examined it as she took off her boots and put them in the cubby next to it.

She double checked her pockets for any loose venecite rounds, and had to add a pocket knife she'd forgotten in one of her pockets. It probably wouldn't mess with the machine, but better safe than sorry, since it had a little liquid-fuel lighter built into it, and there might be enough energy buildup to set it off. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

The Testimony unit was integrated into a sensory deprivation chamber, both to minimize distractions while the upload was occurring and for the comfort of the occupant. Chloe had expected the water inside to be cold, and found herself wrong on both counts. The Testimony wasn't filled with water but a thick, gel-like vennfluid that shimmered with a rainbow iridescence.

The gel was at a comfortable temperature when she tested it with her hand, and when Chloe entered the long tub as instructed, it had the familiar dry, slimy feel. She lay down, getting comfortable and keeping head elevated as she waited for one of the big sisters assisting them to help her put her helmet on. Chloe waited in the tub, trying to pretend this was a hunting blind and she was waiting for some kind of prey to show and get close-up so she could take the shot. That… didn't really help.

She didn't have the familiar feeling of her gun to ground her, no area scan spell running to make sure nothing was coming up on her from behind, she wasn't wearing her comfy hunting clothes…

"Chloe?" Oh, thank Kaede!

"Here, big sister," she said, sitting up in the tank and feeling her legs touch the bottom as her weight redistributed. The big sister wearing the medic's uniform checked something on her buddy's screen for a moment, probably confirming it was her.

"All right, let's get this helmet on you. Do you want to know how this device works?" Chloe almost nodded, but the big sister was starting to put the helmet on her head.

"Yes, big sister."

"All right, then," the big sister said, gently putting the helmet in place even as she began giving a rote recital that sounded like she'd said it many times before.

"The Testimony uses a combination of electrical signals and synchronizing with your thaumaturgy to first lull you to sleep and afterwards stimulate your senses while you're in REM sleep, essentially giving you very intense and detailed dreams. Please relax and just let yourself drift. Trying to resist will interrupt the upload procedure and cause you to wake up. We'll check up on you in fifteen minutes after the upload process starts. If you're still awake them, we can offer you a mild sedative to help you relax.

Do you understand?"

"Yes, big sister," Chloe said as the last adjustment was made to her helmet, though the visor was left up for now. She could feel metal prongs being extended from the helmet's interior to touch her scalp and skin. They weren't uncomfortable, but just firm enough for her to be aware of them.

"All right. Lie down and test the fit of the helmet. If it moves, we'll adjust it." Finally able to nod, Chloe leaned back, aware that in the periphery of her vision her crèche-sisters were also being assisted. Laying down on the vennfluid, she floated once more, air-filled sections in the back of the helmet giving her head more buoyancy. Once she was sure the helmet wasn't about to shift on her head, she gave the big sister a thumbs up.

"All right," the big sister said.

"I'm going to set the Testimony on standby. You pull down the visor and start synchronizing with it to get it calibrated for you. When the upload procedure is about the start, you'll be given a countdown, but it's all right if you just let yourself fall asleep before that. The machine will do the rest."

"Got it. Thank you!" The big sister waited until Chloe lay back and pulled down the visor before walking away. She could feel the familiar sensation of magic coming from the Testimony's metal contacts, and performed the familiar, practiced maneuver of reaching out from her soul and through the metal against her skin towards the feeling of magic, trying to claim it, to synchronize with it.

However, there was no familiar sensation of Glass Heart on the other end of the attempt, like a familiar hand whose fingers knew how to intertwine with hers without looking. No, this felt more like when she'd been very young and gotten her buddy for the first time, the two of them still learning to synch together, the contact cold and clumsy. This wasn't a hand but a handle, hard and unyielding, something to grip without comfort beyond the stability it offered. No, not a handle.

A hook, mean to go in and get purchase by itself since the Testimony had originally been designed to upload memories with no cooperation or input from the body the unit was being used on, because a freshly decanted clone wouldn't be capable of those things. Chloe tried to imagine how this would feel without synchronization and shuddered. It would probably be unpleasant. Or maybe it would just fail. The big sister had said resistance would interrupt the upload.

Despite the strange feeling, Chloe managed to get herself to relax as she got used to synchronizing with the Testimony unit. Strangely, it was easier to stay still now that she had the helmet on her head. Her heart was beating in excitement again, which was probably bad for falling into the sleep the process required. Well, that gave her something familiar to do. Chloe began to control her breathing, forcing herself to calm down, to not hear the beating of her own heart in her ears.

Deep breath, hold it, let it out slowly. Deep breath, hold it, let it out slowly. Deep breath… The familiar rhythm let her relax, even without the feeling of her gun in her hands and the stock against her shoulder. Just breathing… She felt the magic she synchronized to change, a sensation like the hook turning in her hand. The visor in front of her eyes came to life, the quality of the black changing before muted grey letters appeared. System Initializing…

The excitement began to rise again, but Chloe kept it under control. Deep breath, hold it in, let it out slowly… Testimony, Online. Initializing REM sleep. Please relax. Chloe felt the subtle, electric feeling of signals moving though the electrodes in her head as the visor before true black again. The vennfluid she was lying down on began to vibrate, a subtle feeling she felt on the fine hairs on her arms and legs, the vibration changing until it became… relaxing, somehow.

She closed her eyes letting her breathing grow even, trying to relax, trying to— … … … REM sleep initialized. Beginning data transfer. Chloe dreamed. She dreamed of a girl named Kaede, in a place called Japan. She dreamed of a world she'd only heard of in bedtime stories told to her by her big sister. She dreamed of— … a young girl walked on hot sand, cries of excitement turning to pain before she was picked up and saved. Mama let out a laugh and carried her to the water, and it felt so good after the sand.

The sky above was wide and blue, the sun shining down bright and hot instead of shrouded in impenetrable darkness… … a young girl sat at home all alone, slowly drinking from a juice box. Mama and papa were doing important things, and Kuya and Ate were at school. She sat all alone in the house, small and cramped compared to where they used to live, and waited for everyone, for anyone, to get home… …

a young girl nervously tried to talk, struggling to only use Nihongo words and not slip into English or Tagalog or the few phrases of Hawaiian that she knew.

"W-watashi w-wa… Kaede… dess". Did she say that right… … a young girl wished they could go back home… … a young girl stepped forward to stop one of her classmates from getting bullied, punching the bully in the face. The bully punched her back… … a young girl faced the bully, who had been pulled there by the classmate she'd been bullying, and accepted her apology. The young girl apologized back. The bully became a friend, and turned out she wasn't really a bully, and the classmate became a friend too… …

a young girl and her friend, and another friend played with some kind of small animal covered in fur. It only had five limbs (no, that was a tail, not a limb) and was covered in soft fur instead of metallic plates and tough skin… … a young girl sat on the sofa next to her papa and mama, watching TV with everyone as a woman on the screen floated in the air, carrying an airplane on her back. Was that how airplanes flew? They had people carrying them?

Everyone was quiet, and the man on TV seemed to be having trouble talking about this thing that was happening in some airport… … a young girl talked to her classmates excitedly about what had been on the news yesterday. Shin—Shin-kun—said she was an alien from outer space, and Suzu—Suzu-chan—said she was some kind of magical girl. Everyone laughed. Magical girls weren't real… … a young girl watched as a beautiful girl whose face she kept forgetting fought monsters on the news.

She waved her hand and sparks like fireworks came from her fingertips, tearing the monsters to pieces… … a young girl talked to her classmates excitedly about that had been on the news yesterday. All the girls cheered. Magical girls were real after all. All the boys started praying for cool kuyas—cool onii-samas—with belts on motorcycles… … a young girl got older, and what had once been wonderful news became fearful. Just because magical girls fought monsters didn't make the fact that monsters existed not scary.

The young girl checked under her bed and in her closet, and her papa—he would always be papa—taught her how to use anything as a stick to hit monsters with… … a young girl was walking home from school after a perfectly average day when she heard a voice in her head calling for help… … a young girl met her buddy and learned that she had the power to be a magical girl… … a young girl flew for the first time, laughing in delight as she was buoyed up by magic (venn).

She stretched out her hand to reach for the night sky, and the night rushed to meet her… … a young girl stared in awe at the woman with the gentle smile who floated among the clouds with her, clad in loose red slacks and turtleneck sweater under a short yellow cape… no, it was one of those sweater-shaped things that wasn't actually a sweater, and was tied around her shoulders like a cape.

There was a little red stain on one of the dangling 'sleeves', like ketchup had splattered on it while the woman had been eating. For some reason, that stood out.

"Mortal-sama," the young girl breathed… … a young girl— … a young girl— … a young girl— … a young girl— … a young girl— … a young girl— … a girl— … a girl— … a girl— … a girl— … a girl— … a girl— … a girl stared into a reflective surface of what looked like some kind of laboratory. She was older now, her green eyes tired and filled with guilt as she met the eyes of her own reflection, a strange helmet on her head that trailed thick wires into some kind of computer.

"I'm sorry. I know what I'm doing is wrong. I know that I shouldn't bring you into the world just to force you to fight, but I can't see any other way. You know what we face. You know why I'm doing this. Without an army, an army with the power to fight these invaders… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I wish there was a better way, but we can't think of any, and if I don't do this… The girl looks away from her reflection in shame as tears fall from her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'm so… so… sorry…" She reached up to the side of the helmet and touched a swi— … … … Data Transfer complete. Testimony shutting down. … … … Chloe woke up crying.