Jesse returned to Mark’s lab with Allison in tow. Their entry caused Emilia to wake up from her light nap as Michelle and Mark quietly discussed unknown things in the corner.

Emilia sleepily sat up as the nanomachine transfusion process had completed. She inspected her replacement parts, pausing at her left arm. “This feels different. I don’t remember this armorment” she muttered. She paused and focused for a second, attempting to figure out what it was. She aimed towards a blank spot on the wall and made a ‘hand-gun’ gesture.

“Ems, what the hell”? Allison questioned.

Emilia turned to Allison, who was still being held at the wrist by Jesse “Alli, what the hell”?

“Oh… uhm…” Allison shook her hand loose in a fluster. Jesse answered for her.

“She asked what team omega does. I showed her. Afterwards, she just stood still and didn’t really move”.

Emilia nodded approvingly “Wow’d her that much huh”?

“That’s what she…”

“””Shut the hell up Jesse””” Allison, Emilia, and Michelle all shouted in perfect unison. Mark just sighed. And steered them all back to one of the original reasons they were there “So, Jesse you have the stuff”?

“Yeah, here” Jesse handed Mark 2 backs worth of mysterious destructive items and a tablet. “The tablet has descriptions on how these things work, and how each interacts with another. They are categorized by effect. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. Not many know how to use these things without… destroying things”

“Isn’t that what they are for”? Mark questioned.

“I meant that people always destroy things unintentionally when they use them. This is not the kind of situation where you wanna pick 2 things and mix them just to see if you get pretty colors. I have those too, but I didn’t think they’d be useful” Jesse commented.

“Next time bring those too. I’m pretty sure we can come up with a use for rainbow lights and smoke. Assuming is non-toxic, we could probably turn the base into a sweet rave party” Michelle grinned evily.

“I could go get them now….” Jesse suggested, giving all of his attention to Michelle.

“Nah, it’s not a priority right now, and you were gone long enough. Aside from that, Ems, what’s up with your left arm? It’s not working correctly? Mark, what the fuck did you make”? Michelle asked a string of questions, most of which got no answers.

Allison’s eyes widened momentarily “oh, there’s a button here. I don’t normally get things with 1 button…” She paused and turned towards the blank section of wall again, raised her left arm and pushed the button on her lower left arm. She braced for some kind of shock… yet there was none. She opened her eyes and her jaw dropped. Actually, everyone’s jaw dropped, except for Mark and Jesse, who struggled to contain their laughter as everyone looked on at the now identified attachment on Emilia’s wrist.

“Mark… Jesse… you know….” Emilia grinned with a sinister smile.

“Uh oh…. I don’t like the look of that grin” Mark pretended to cower in fear.

“That’s not the face of mercy….” Jesse nodded.

“Careful, she might beat us to death…” Mark could no longer contain his laugher as he fell out of his chair.

“Very punny Mark” Michelle groaned. She glanced over at the fuming Emilia. “Well, it’s not a total loss right? I mean, you DO like to cook…”

“Yeah, I do, but seriously, a fucking EGG BEATER?! You’re gonna fucking get it guys”! Emilia roared as she returned her left hand back into its normal form and aimed. “I figured out the rest of it already too… here, have a rocket fist…”

Allison stared as she aimed the fist at Jesse and pointed her right arm, now a rifle, at Mark.

“Whoa Ems, calm down”! Allison tried to calm her, though it was completely useless. Allison was pushed to the ground, knocked clearly out of harm’s way as Jesse ducked to avoid the projectile. Mark was not so fortunate as to be in a position to dodge as he lay on the floor. His laughing immediately stopped as he stared along the length of the barrel of Emilia’s rifle, following the length of her arm to see a sadistic gaze spread across her lips. He lay speechless.

Seconds passed, clicking and loading sounds could be heard coming from the length of the rifle-arm attachment. No one moved as Emilia fired a single round at Mark’s forehead. Everyone gasped after the sound of a gunshot resounded across the room.

Mark looked along the length of Emilia’s arm, which was now slightly turned to the side so it could be seen. Sitting at the end of the barrel was a simple red flag with the word “BANG!” written across it in yellow letters. “Gotcha mother fucker”!

“You….” Mark barely managed to utter the words before another voice echoed throughout the lab.

<<Unauthorized use of weaponry detected, arming counter measures>>

“What the hell was that” Michelle glanced around the room. Jesse answered “the ceiling…”

They looked around the room. At each corner of the lab, a small gattling-turret lowered itself from the ceiling, aiming at the source of the disturbance, Emilia.

“What the shit”? Emilia glanced around the room as several red lasers appeared, clearly making it known that she was a target of some sort.

“Holy shit” Mark shouted as he got up. “Rinoa, stand down”.

<<But…?>> The unknown voice replied questioningly.

“Apparently I missed… quite a few things actually. Anyways, Rinoa, can you identify any of these people”?

<<Negative. The only one I’m able to identify is you Master Mark>>

“What the actual fuck is going on here? Who the hell is Rinoa”? Allison questioned.

“Better question, who the fuck is ‘Master Mark’”? Michelle asked in reply.

“Fuckin hell…” Emilia lowered her arm-rifle and went to a wall with a cabinet on it. She picked out what appeared to be another left hand, glanced briefly at it, and proceeded to attach it to herself as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

Mark sighed “Rinoa is my personal A.I. assistant. She is partially responsible for safeguarding various data, mostly on Emilia’s armaments. The fact that it took her that long to act is not good. However, she shouldn’t be reacting to Emilia’s weaponry… I think. I must’ve missed something”.

Michelle glanced around the room as the turrets returned themselves to wherever they came from. “That’s pretty interesting, though I’m slightly disgusted by your choice at how you wish for your A.I. to refer to you. So, it’s a ‘she’ right? And I’m assuming she learns”?

“Rinoa, you can answer this right. Let’s see how you do with a conversation…”

<<As you wish Master Mark. Indeed, I am the A.I. Rinoa. I am to identify as a female A.I. and yes, I can ‘learn’ or at least remember and apply information>>.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that count’s as learning. So, you can identify Mark, but not his teammates? What exactly is it that you do?”

Rinoa continued to answer Michelle’s questions. <<Yes, I can identify Master Mark, who is the first person in my data registry aside from myself. I also have incomplete scans of 5 people. I’m assuming 2 male and 3 female based on body proportions. My primary role is to assist Master mark with lab work, appointments, and cataloguing various projects’ information>>

“I see. So, it would probably be wise to be able to identify his teammates. What would we have to do to be identified? Also, where did those incomplete scans come from”?

<<User “Bubba” accessed and used the special scanning equipment in the firing range and the scans were added to the agency database, which I also network with. I am the largest A.I. in the agency and have accessed essentially all others in some way or another>>.

“That fucking hillbilly pervert…” Michelle muttered.

<<Master Mark. ‘project Emi’ Item LA MK 5 was recently activated, and some number of moments later, destroyed. The time coincides with the occurrence of weapons disturbance in the lab. Also, LA MK 3 has just been removed from inventory, it is going online now>>

“Wait… what”? Emilia paused at this, then proceeded to deactivate and remove her left hand.

<<LA MK 3 has gone offline>>

Emilia reconnected her hand which activated in the process.

<<LA MK 3 has come back online>>

“Mark, is ‘project Emi’ something that has to do with me”? Emilia glanced at mark as she pointed her left hand at him in a gun gesture.

“Emilia, don’t aim that thing at me. I’ve had enough of that for a day. Also…” Mark was cut off.

<<Unauthorized weapon activation detected…>>

“Stand down Rinoa. Prepare for scanning and ID procedures. We’re gonna solve this problem today” Mark seemed mildly annoyed. “Rinoa, send a message to those who have a team ID of ‘Lambda’ and request that they report to my lab immediately”.

<<As you wish Master Mark>>

Michelle groaned again “For fuck’s sake, do something about how that thing calls you”.

“Rinoa, match that voice pattern to Michelle. She’ll be the first for the ID process. I’m entering the data I have now”.

<<Understood. Parameters received. Subject ‘Lady Michelle’, please step into the other room, I will issue further instructions there>>.

“Lady Michelle huh? Well, I guess I can live with hearing ‘Master Mark” if I get ‘Lady Michelle’ as a name” Michelle muttered those words as she followed the directions and began the ID process.

~~~

Within the following hour, Michelle, and the remainder of team Lambda, with the exception of Emilia, were all registered within Rinoa’s database. Hand and finger prints, footprints, retina scan, full body scan, height, weight, and voice recognition scans were completed. Emilia was another story, as most of those biometrics didn’t actually apply to her.

“What about me” Emilia whined. “How does this work for me? I don’t exactly have natural hands you know”

It was Michelle who followed up with a question. “Is Rinoa capable of using the system herself, or can she instruct someone on what to do”?

<>

“Good. Rinoa, did you know the reason for what I assume to be called ‘project Emi’”?

<<I was not made aware of the purpose of this project, nor the other project which most of you are registered as members of>>

“Other project”? Allison questioned.

<<I apologize, I am not authorized to share that information. You do not have sufficient security clearance>>

Mark groaned. “Fuck that. Override security clearance protocols. She’s a member of this team, and she’ll probably need a particularly high clearance for that project anyways. We just have to deal with that whole investigation thing. Michelle, I see where you’re going with this. I’ll leave Emilia to you and the girls while you explain the purpose of ‘project Emi’ to Rinoa and Allison”.

“Got it. Jessica, Alli, gimme a hand here. Guys, get out”.

The guys, except Mark, looked like they wanted to object, but between mark’s memories of being at gun point, and the death glare the girls were giving, they all quickly vacated the room.

“Alright, let’s get started”. Emilia laid on the table/bed she was on before. After confirming that various measurements could be taken at that location, Emilia was stripped of her various appendages, and clothes. The process went quickly, since various prints couldn’t be taken. Her previous biometric data was put in place of the missing data.

“Alright, now the last part. ‘Project Emi’ was a project to create and test various cybernetic implants and attachments. Though the results of the research can theoretically be applied to anyone, this project is specific to Emilia herself. All of the augments are balanced to her natural size and weight. Rinoa, can you calculate eight modifications based on specs and combinations of those augments”?

<<Affirmative, and the calculations are complete. There are many combinations. Do you wish to see them Lady Michelle>>?

Michelle giggled and replied with a simple “nah”, before continuing. “For future reference, there is no need to consider Emilia a threat, even if she constantly carries heavy weapons. You wont need to activate counter measures for her. Also, you may want to do that a little faster, or it’s kinda pointless. Just a tip”.

<<Understood. Thank you for the information. On an unrelated note, the squad games event listings have been posted. They start on Monday, 76 hours from now>>

“That’s good to know. Which even is first”?

<<infiltration and sabotage for 2 days, followed by objective destruction for 1 day, evacuation for 1 day, objective capture for 3 days…>>

“I’ll probably forget all of that. Can you just email it to me”?

<<Message has been sent to [[email protected]]>>

Allison’s yes widened as Michelle roared “You heard nothing”!

“Aww, and I was thinking that address was cute. Can I send you a message too” Allison giggled.

“I’m not sure if you’re being serious or making fun of me… but… fine” Michelle grumbled while red-faced.

All the girls giggled as they made sure they each had the others’ contact information, even Rinoa was included.