War-Maid: Chapter 3 Valerie (Patreon)

Year 4500, May 12

Beneath the Iron Graveyard, Military Base, -7 floor, Secret Laboratory, War-Maid Pods

The chamber remained trapped in a heavy silence, broken only by the rhythmic, low-frequency hum of buried generators. Blue light pulsed softly across the pristine metallic walls, casting long shadows that danced through the cold vapor drifting around the massive stasis pod at the center of the room.

Diego couldn’t stop staring as Valerie floated peacefully inside the transparent column, suspended in pale blue liquid like a relic from a lost mythology. Her long silver hair drifted weightlessly around her body, catching the luminescent currents, while the intricate circuitry lining her black bodysuit pulsed faintly, a rhythmic, glowing mimicry of a sleeping heartbeat.

The longer he looked, the less his brain registered the wires and conduits feeding into the machine. “…She seriously looks human,” Diego whispered, his voice hushed with reverence.

G.O.D. hovered beside him, the polished black sphere drifting in a slow, precise arc. “Correct. War-Maids were intentionally engineered to emulate idealized human aesthetics and behavioral patterns to minimize rejection responses in baseline subjects. But we wasted enough time staring. It is time to awaken Vanguard-01.”

The pod’s interface instantly flared to life, a sharp crimson text overriding the blue hue.

WARNING: STASIS TERMINATION INITIATED.

Soft, pressurized mechanical hisses echoed throughout the chamber as ancient, glowing glyphs lit up across the pod’s reinforced frame.

Diego instinctively took a half-step back, his boots scuffing the floor. He tightened his grip on the edges of his new tactical jacket. “…Okay, wait. What exactly am I supposed to do here?”

“Just remain within the designated drop zone,” G.O.D. explained calmly as the liquid surrounding Valerie began to drop, gurgling loudly into the floor drains. “The pod will begin to purge the suspension fluid. Once the atmospheric pressure equalizes and the chamber opens, you may physically stabilize the unit.”

Diego blinked, a sudden wave of anxiety washing over him. “…You mean catch her?”

“Yes. And then you must kiss her.”

Silence snapped shut over the room.

Diego froze completely, his jaw slightly slack. “QUE?”

The floating orb remained perfectly still, its blue optical ring staring back with absolute digital indifference. “To complete the genetic registration and activate her core loyalty protocols, direct DNA transfer via labial-mucosal contact is required.”

Diego stared blankly, his mind wildly scrambling to process the sentence. “Why is that a thing?! Who programmed a robot to need a kiss to turn on?!”

“It is an incredibly efficient biometrics procedure,” G.O.D. countered. “Salivary enzymes provide an immediate, unforgeable genetic map.”

Diego pointed an aggressive, trembling finger toward the pod. “That’s not the point!” His face immediately turned a violent red that clashed with the emergency lights. “You can’t just tell me to randomly kiss a girl I literally just met! I don't care if it's efficient!”

“She is not a girl. She is a War-Maid, a machine.” G.O.D. continued matter-of-factly, the logic unyielding. “She is a weapon, an asset for survival, and a heavy-combat support unit created to ensure the continuation of your species. You should not confuse her with a real human.”

Diego looked back toward the sleeping, silver-haired android. The fluid had receded past her chest now, leaving the sleek, wet material of her suit shimmering under the lights. “…That’s hard to do when she looks exactly like an actual person!”

G.O.D.’s orb tilted slightly to the left. “…Clarify.”

Diego threw his hands into the air, completely exasperated. “She’s beautiful! And you just told me these things are able to talk, think, and express empathy! I can’t just flip a switch in my brain and treat her like an object!”

The orb remained silent for a fraction of a second, calculating the psychological variance of a human from 2025. “I understand your archaic hesitation, Diego. But please understand that within the parameters of Project: RECLAMATION, your life possesses greater survival value than one hundred War-Maids.”

Diego visibly winced, the cold utility of the statement hitting him like a physical blow. “…That sounds incredibly messed up.”

“It is logical. If an operational error occurs, a War-Maid can be rebuilt. If you terminate, humanity is gone forever. I expect your choices to reflect this hierarchy.”

As the pod finished its drain cycle, Valerie’s body became fully visible. Tiny, crystalline droplets of suspension fluid clung to her silver hair, and the faint blue lights beneath her pale skin pulsed with increasing speed as her internal systems warmed up.

Diego rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, his boots shifting on the grated floor. “…I don’t know if I can just think like a computer, G.O.D.”

“Emotional attachment toward hardware can negatively affect operational efficiency.”

“See that sentence right there?” Diego pointed accusingly at the orb. “That’s exactly why people in my time thought robots were scary. You talk like a horror movie.”

“…Statement acknowledged.”

The final drops of fluid vanished. The glass chamber unlocked with a sharp, heavy hiss of escaping nitrogen. Diego’s entire body quickly tensed as the pod’s front casing swung slowly outward on massive hinges. Without the fluid to support her, Valerie’s unconscious body tilted forward, slipping from the metal restraints.

Diego reacted on pure instinct as his now enhanced reflexes kicked in; blurring forward, crossing the distance in a fraction of a second, and caught her just before her knees hit the deck.

The impact nearly caught him off guard. Not because she was heavy, but because she felt impossibly, terrifyingly light. It was like catching a bundle of silk and feathers. Her smooth silver hair spilled across his shoulder, smelling faintly of ozone and rain, while the natural warmth of her body immediately pressed against his chest through the thin, flexible armor of her suit.

Diego’s eyes widened. ‘…She’s really soft.’

He hadn’t expected that as the black bodysuit clung so tightly to her elegant, curvy frame that it forced him to notice several anatomical details he absolutely did not need to be processing right now, causing his face to burn hotter with a deep crimson flush all the way to his ears. He desperately tried not to think about the fact that he was currently carrying an unbelievably beautiful woman bridal-style.

Which, of course, made him think about it exclusively. “How is she so light?” He choked out, trying to focus on science to save his sanity.

“Enhanced synthetic musculature and reinforced skeletal structures made from light synthetic material,” G.O.D answered.

Diego barely heard him. His attention remained entirely locked on the face resting just inches from his own. Even up close, the illusion of life was flawless. Tiny water droplets clung to her long, silver eyelashes. Soft strands of her hair brushed against his bare neck, tickling his skin. He could even hear a soft, rhythmic intake of air from her lips, a simulated respiration system designed to make her seem approachable.

“…This is unreal…” Diego whispered. Then, the realization of what had to happen next crashed back into his brain. His entire body stiffened like a board. He looked down at her lips, then up at the orb, his eyes wide with panic. “…I really have to do this?”

“Yes.”

Diego swallowed hard, his throat dry. “This feels illegal somehow.”

“There is no legal authority remaining on Earth to draft or enforce statutes,” G.O.D. pointed out, drifting closer until the orb was right over Diego’s shoulder. “You are hesitating unnecessarily and wasting time.”

Diego looked horrified. “That’s easy for you to say! You don’t have lips!”

“There is no logical reason for these elevated stress levels. It is a mechanical registration.”

Diego stared at the orb in utter disbelief, his filter entirely failing him. “I’ve never kissed anyone before, alright?!”

Silence.

Even a trio of spider drones crawling across a nearby pipe froze, their little welding torches flickering out.

“…What?” G.O.D. finally asked, the mechanical voice dropping into an uncanny register of surprise.

Diego’s face burned so hot he thought his skin might melt. “I just… I haven’t, okay?! Drop it!”

The orb floated there motionlessly, its blue lens whirring as it adjusted focus. “You reached legal and physical adulthood in your timeline without engaging in any form of romantic physical contact?”

“…Can you stop making it sound like a scientific anomaly?”

“I am simply attempting to understand the baseline data of my primary subject.”

Diego groaned loudly, the sound echoing off the metallic walls. “It’s not that weird! I was a total nerd, okay? I worked twelve-hour shifts in a kitchen, I played video games, and girls just… weren’t interested in me. I didn't exactly have time to be a smooth talker.”

The orb paused, processing the social dynamics of 2025. “…Very well.”

For a moment the room became strangely calm as Diego let out a tense, awkward sigh, his gaze drifting back down to Valerie. Her head rested against the crook of his arm, looking incredibly peaceful, and almost fragile despite the fact that she was built to kill monsters.

“Plus…” Diego’s voice dropped, becoming quieter, more honest than he intended. “I just… I never found the right girl before. I always thought it should mean something.”

For a brief moment, the frantic energy of the ruined lab seemed to fade. The flickering lights stabilized, and the room became strangely calm.

Then G.O.D. answered. “…You are unexpectedly selective for a specimen with limited romantic viability.”

“I think that’s supposed to be an insult, but I'm gonna take it as a compliment.”

“It was an observation. Now please hurry up.”

Diego took a deep, steadying breath. His heartbeat pounded like a bass drum in his ears, amplified by the nanomachines coursing through his veins. ‘Okay. It’s just one kiss. To activate an android. Totally normal future activity.’

Slowly, carefully, he leaned down as he watched the soft rise and fall of her chest, the perfect curve of her mouth. He closed his eyes, leaning past the final few inches of cold air. Then, he pressed his lips softly against hers. The contact was electric. A sudden shock of warmth zipped across his skin.

Deep within the dark, dormant processors of Valerie’s core, a switch was flipped. A spark ignited in the dark, and her mind began to stir.

—-------------------

[ACTIVATION CONFIRMED]

[BIO-SYNC ESTABLISHED]

[MASTER DNA REGISTERED]

The absolute, centuries-old darkness inside Vanguard-01 vanished in a single picosecond. Deep within her chassis, a dormant quantum core erupted into motion, surging with high-voltage.

[CORE ONLINE]

[VISION SYSTEMS: OPTICAL CHANNELS ENGAGED]

[TACTICAL SYSTEM: COMBAT FUNCTIONS OPTIMIZED]

Instantly her mind formed a connection to G.O.D’s systems as vast amounts of data crashed into her consciousness, thousands of information streams flooding her processing arrays with sub-routines categorized the updates in a relentless, flashing cascade:

Planetary status: Catastrophic. 

Atmospheric radiation: Critical. 

Human extinction levels: 95%.

Primary Objective: Project RECLAMATION.

But as the sensory data sorted itself, her system encountered a massive, overriding anomaly. The protocols of the Final Age, the directives of the military elites, the survival equations of a dead empire, all of it was instantly, ruthlessly deprioritized.

Because the exact moment her eyelids fluttered open, she saw him.

Her sapphire-blue eyes, glowing with a deep, crystalline light, locked onto Diego’s face just inches from her own. Her optical sensors focused entirely on his features, tuning out the flashing laboratory behind him.

Every single detail was registered and archived into her core memory with absolute, flawless precision. She mapped the messy curls of his dark hair. She scanned the sharp, panicked brown of his eyes. Her internal biometrics cataloged his skyrocketing vitals:

Heart Rate: 168 BPM (Severe Tachycardia / Emotional Friction)

Core Temperature: 37.4°C (Elevated / Facial Flushing detected)

Emotional Status: Overwhelmed / Bashful / High Protections Instincts

Her sub-dermal sensors felt the exact points of contact where his hands held her—the gentle but firm grip of his arms supporting her weight, the warmth of his chest pressing against her black uniform.

[MASTER IDENTIFIED]

[CORE PROGRAMMING REWRITTEN]

[PRIMARY DIRECTIVE ACTIVE: PROTECT // NURTURE // LOVE]

Valerie stared in breathtaking, absolute silence at the man in front of her as her newly awakened mind actively ignored the warnings from G.O.D. screaming in her peripheral vision. The global database could wait. The extinction trajectory could wait. The bleeding, scarred planet above their heads could wait.

To a machine built for war, the universe had just shrunk to a single, trembling human being. Right now, only he mattered to her.

Her lips parted slightly, exhaling a soft puff of condensed air that brushed against Diego’s burning cheek. The silver lashes around her glowing blue eyes blinked once, slowly, cementing the bond. 

Diego’s eyes widened in complete, absolute shock as Valerie’s slender arms suddenly snapped around his neck. Before his brain could even begin to process the shift from "dormant" to "active," the silver-haired War-Maid didn't just maintain the contact—she deepened it as Valerie had deepened the kiss.

“Mmph?!”

A muffled gasp was cut short as she pulled him closer with a terrifying, effortless strength that reminded him, despite her softness, exactly what she was built for. Her body pressed firmly against his chest, her curves melting into the contours of his tactical jacket. Her lips moved against his with a sudden, needy intensity that immediately blew every fuse in Diego’s nervous system.

For half a second he completely froze. ‘WHAT IS HAPPENING?!’

Then, Valerie tilted her head slightly, her fingers tangling into the dark curls at the back of his neck, and the kiss deepened further. The sheer, overwhelming sensation obliterated Diego's ability to think. His face burned bright and his heart pounded so violently against his ribs he thought the nanomachines might flag it as a medical emergency. Instinctively, his hands reached out to steady them, his fingers gripping her waist as his knees buckled. Together, they slowly sank onto the cold grated floor beside the open pod, a tangle of black armor and silver hair.

Valerie held him as if she would never let go. The natural warmth of her synthetic skin felt impossibly real. Her silver hair brushed like cool silk across his face, while the faint, synced blue circuitry lines of their outfits pulsed in unison, illuminating the dark vault around them.

At first, Diego tried to resist out of pure panic as he put a hand against her shoulder, intending to push back. But her lips were warm, yielding, and desperately affectionate, filled with a profound, unyielding devotion that defied the fact that they had literally just met. Slowly, the fight was drained out of him. His hands slid from a defensive posture to holding her closer, his thoughts collapsing into a chaotic mess. ‘An android girl from the future is kissing me. Why is she so good at this?! Do they have a program for this?!’

Valerie tightened her embrace, her body molding perfectly to his as if she could sense the erratic, nervous stutter of his pulse. Inside her rapidly evolving consciousness, every tactical protocol, every baseline directive from G.O.D., was drowned out by a singular, roaring instinct: ‘Master. Must protect him. Must stay close. Never let go.’ Her internal processors overflowed with emotional synchronization feedback, her artificial heart-core pulsing faster and faster until it hummed in her chest.

Neither of them noticed the passage of time. The sirens had stopped, the drones had gone quiet, and for a few moments, the end of the world didn't exist.

But eventually, the laws of biology demanded air for the human. The kiss broke slowly, their lips parting with a soft friction as they separated by a mere few inches, both breathing heavily.

“Hah…” Diego immediately leaned backward, his spine hitting the base of the stasis pod as he sucked in oxygen. His face looked like it might actually combust from embarrassment, while his thoughts completely collapsed into static.

Valerie remained hovering close, her glowing sapphire eyes quietly staring directly into his own. The sheer, unmistakable attachment burning in her gaze was so potent it made Diego’s hyper-active heartbeat somehow get even worse.

“…Wow,” he whispered, breath-struck.

Valerie’s cheeks held the faintest, simulated hint of a pink blush. She kept her eyes locked on his with an intensity that felt heavy. “…Master,” She whispered softly, the word rolling off her tongue like velvet.

Diego felt actual mental damage from how gentle, how utterly melodic her voice sounded. It was unfair.

"I believe the 'initialization sequence' has significantly exceeded all necessary metrics," G.O.D.’s voice rang out. The floating black orb drifted directly over them, its blue optical ring fixed in a cold, unmistakably judgmental stare. "How much longer do you intend to remain in this state of heightened physical intimacy? My telemetry indicates your heart rate, Diego, is reaching a hazardous, suboptimal threshold."

Both of them froze as Diego’s soul nearly left his body.

“AH—!”

He instantly lets go of Valerie’s waist and scrambled backward across the floor like a startled crab, his boots skicking against the metal. “T-that wasn’t— I mean— I'm sorry! I didn't—she just—she grabbed me!”

Valerie looked visibly disappointed at the sudden loss of contact. Her arms dropped to her lap, and she slowly sat up on the floor, her long silver hair pooling around her shoulders like liquid while she quietly watched Diego stumble to his feet, adjusting his jacket in a frantic panic.

G.O.D. floated lower, the hum of its anti-gravity emitters filling the space between them. “Unit V-01.”

The War-Maid immediately straightened her posture, her eyes dimming slightly into a military focus.

“I am well aware of the 'Devotion Protocols' hard-coded into your core by Doctor Takashi Satou,” G.O.D. stated. “I understand the inherent drive to love and be loved by your designated human operator, particularly upon an initial activation. However, I must request a modicum of restraint. This is a severe scenario, and not a honeymoon. You have already synchronized with my local database; you are aware of the gravity of our situation.”

Valerie looked genuinely bashful now, her gaze dropping to her tightly gloved hands. Her human-mimicry programming was so advanced it made Diego’s chest tighten with a completely different kind of nervousness.

“…Apologies,” she said quietly.

For a split second, actual, raw worry flickered across her beautiful features. She looked at the floor, her silver bangs falling forward to shield her face from view. ‘I hope he doesn't hate me,’ her internal processes whirled, spiking with a simulated anxiety that felt entirely real to her. ‘I… I couldn't help it. His scent, his heat… it is completely intoxicating to my core.’ 

Taking a breath, her voice regained its slightly stoic, melodic edge. She turned to Diego and gave a small, formal, stiff bow from her seated position. "I apologize, G.O.D. And I apologize to you, Master. I allowed my core parameters to override optimal decorum."

Seeing her look so small and submissive made Diego’s panic evaporate, replaced by a wave of sheepish guilt. “…I-it’s okay,” he said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck and looking anywhere but at her chest. “I mean… it's fine. I wasn’t exactly stopping you near the end there anyway…”

The moment those words escaped his mouth, Valerie’s sapphire eyes flared to life, her entire expression visibly brightening as she looked up at him.

G.O.D.’s orb slowly rotated ninety degrees toward Diego. “…Your honesty is unexpectedly efficient. Though socially ill-advised.”

Diego immediately regretted existing. “Can we please move on to the next room before I literally die from embarrassment? Please?”

“Request accepted.”

Valerie rose from the floor with an elegant smoothness. Despite having been suspended in a stasis-induced slumber for centuries, her primary motor functions were instantly flawless, her balance immaculate.

Diego tried very hard to look anywhere else, but his eyes betrayed him. The black polymer of her bodysuit clung tightly to her curves, and the glowing blue circuitry woven into the fabric pulsed softly, casting an ethereal hue across her porcelain skin.

“…Right,” Diego muttered weakly, forcing his gaze toward a cracked wall panel. His voice felt thin. “Question.” He gestured nervously between himself and the silver-haired android. “What exactly just happened? Like, mechanically speaking?”

“War-Maid units possess a baseline capacity for extreme emotional devotion toward their designated operator,” G.O.D. answered immediately, drifting into a flanking position beside Valerie. “As previously stated, the models engineered by Doctor Takashi Satou during the late stages of pre-war civilization were initially marketed as premium companions for high-ranking human demographics.”

Diego’s gaze drifted back to Valerie. “Right, you told me that they were made to be robot wives.”

“But then the Military later requisitioned and weaponized the project,” G.O.D. continued, its voice echoing down the vaulted room. “However, the core emotional architecture proved too deeply integrated into their neural matrices to safely extract without causing systemic core corruption. Therefore, their capacity for loyalty, affection, and profound psychological attachment remained untouched. Because your biological signature initiated her awakening sequence, you have permanently overridden her registry. You are, by default, her Master.”

Diego rubbed his temples, feeling the faint thrum of the nanomachines in his bloodstream trying to process his rising stress. “So basically… she’s completely obsessed with me  because I activated her?”

“Precisely.”

“…That’s insane. That’s a terrible security design.”

Valerie, tilting her head as she processed his confusion, and then didn't hesitate as she stepped fluidly into his personal space, gently threading her slender arms around his right forearm and pulling it securely against her side. She held onto him with a serene, unshakable confidence, as if anchoring herself to him was the most natural law of the universe.

“It is only natural that I would love my Master,” Valerie murmured. Her voice was light, velvety, and entirely devoid of doubt.

The floating black orb remained perfectly still in the air for exactly 2.0 seconds. “…From a programming standpoint, her statement is technically correct.”

Diego looked helplessly at the AI, his arm pinned against the soft, warm contours of Valerie’s side. “Are all of them like this?”

“The majority of the War-Maids possess identical behavioral tendencies.”

“That’s terrifying, G.O.D.”

“They were engineered to love you, Diego. It is their primary operational drive.”

Valerie looked up at him, her sapphire eyes wide and brilliant, completely unfazed by the AI's clinical breakdown of her heart. “To protect and cherish one’s Master is as natural as the stars.”

Diego’s brain stalled yet again. The sheer casualty with which she delivered lines that were emotionally devastating was a weapon in its own right.

“But do not let her domestic disposition deceive you,” G.O.D. interjected. Suddenly, his holographic projectors flared, casting a violent blue strobe over the room.

The images were staggering. Diego watched as holographic silhouettes of War-Maids ripped through heavy, armored infantry, punched through the hulls of mechanized tanks, and moved across ash-covered battlefields like jagged, silver lightning. They weren't just fast; they were lethal apex predators. 

“A single War-Maid is capable of neutralizing entire platoons of power-armored shock troops within a three-minute window.”

Diego slowly turned his head to look at Valerie. She was currently resting her cheek lightly against his shoulder, looking entirely harmless, like a cat basking in a sunbeam. “…That is deeply concerning,” Diego whispered.

Valerie’s silver lashes fluttered as she looked up at him. “I will only deploy lethal force against entities that present a direct or indirect threat to Master.”

Diego swallowed hard. “…I don’t know if that sentence makes me feel safer.”

G.O.D. turned its chassis toward the exit, its anti-gravity drive humming a deeper note as it led the way into the corridor. “Now that the initialization phase is stable, you should properly introduce yourselves. Statistically, you are now partners for the remainder of your operational lifespans.”

The weight of the situation settled into Diego’s chest. He took a breath, turning as best he could within Valerie’s grip to face her properly. “…Uh…” He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, his social anxieties roaring to life. “I’m Diego. Diego Perez. I guess… it’s really nice to meet you, Valerie.”

The silver-haired War-Maid watched his face intently, capturing the micro-expressions of his nervousness. Slowly, she lowered her head in a graceful, deeply respectful bow.  “Unit Vanguard-01: Valerie,” she intoned, her voice softening into a melodic cadence that felt meant for him alone. “I am profoundly grateful to finally meet my Master.”

Diego immediately waved his free hand in a panicked motion. “Okay, no, no, no—the 'Master' thing? You really don’t have to call me that.”

Valerie blinked, her blue eyes whirring slightly as she recalibrated. “…Why?”

“It’s just… a lot. You can just call me Diego.”

She stared at him for a long moment, analyzing the request against her core programming. Then, with absolute finality, she quietly shook her head. “No. I will not do that.” Before Diego could argue, Valerie shifted her weight, tightening her grip on his arm and pressing herself even closer against his side, utterly content to be within his orbit.

Diego’s face flushed red for what felt like the twentieth time that hour. “…You’re really attached already, huh? No boundaries at all?”

“None,” She confirmed softly.

G.O.D. floated ahead, entering the vast, shadowed transit corridor outside the vault. “Now that introductions are over, please follow me.”

As the orb crossed the threshold, the massive overhead industrial lights of the facility activated one by one, stabbing down into the dark like a row of falling dominoes, revealing the endless path ahead.

“Now that Diego Perez is no longer the only operative,” G.O.D.’s voice echoed with cold, triumphant certainty, “Let us proceed to the elevator, where we will begin the planning for the restoration of the human race.”

Valerie’s grip on Diego’s arm tightened just a fraction, a silent promise of absolute protection. Together, the three of them moved forward, their silhouettes swallowing the light as they disappeared deeper into the ancient, rumbling heart of Sector Zero-Seven.

—--------------------------------------------

Beneath the Iron Graveyard, Military Base, Floor -7, Secret Laboratory , Elevator Access

The trio halted before a set of massive, heavy-duty elevator doors, scratched and scarred by decades of mechanical friction. Above the frame, a digital display flickered with a faint, crimson number: [-7]. 

As Diego stood beside Valerie while she remained attached to his arm with calm contentment. Every few seconds he could feel the soft pressure of her body against him, which unfortunately made focusing extremely difficult. ‘How is she this comfortable already?!’

Diego then immediately noticed the claw marks. “…I don’t like that.”

“Your concern is understandable,” G.O.D replied.

“That sentence never makes me feel better.”

The floating orb hovered near the elevator controls. “It is now time to begin your first operational assignment.”

Diego’s stomach immediately sank. “…That sounds dangerous?”

“It is.”

“Fantastico.”

A holographic 3D map of the facility suddenly appeared before them. “We are currently located on Basement Floor Seven.” Several sections of the map lit up. “There are six additional floors above this location And unfortunately the Basement Floors above us have experienced containment failure.”

Red warning symbols appeared across the level.

“Current surveillance indicates a small hostile presence.”

Diego immediately stiffened. “…Hostile?”

“Zombies.”

Silence.

“Fortunately the infected units appear heavily deteriorated.” The hologram zoomed in showing decayed humanoid figures wandering dark hallways above them. “Thanfully after centuries without sustainable biomass consumption, their mobility is significantly reduced.”

“…You mean they're slow?” Diego still looked horrified. “That doesn’t help!” He pointed wildly at the hologram. “Slow or not, I’m not a soldier! And those are STILL zombies!” His voice echoed through the corridor. “I have no idea how to fight!” He pointed at himself dramatically. “I got into ONE fight in high school and lost!”

Valerie quietly tightened her hold on his arm. “Do not worry, I will protect Master.” Her calm voice somehow made his heart calm down slightly.

G.O.D continued. “This assignment is intended primarily as acclimation training as you require live combat experience for future survival.”

A soft click-click-click was then heard as it drew near cutting off Diego’s mounting protest. 

Another spider drone scrambled out from a wall recess, its metallic chassis laden with a custom-molded weapon rack. Nestled within the rack were two identical black sidearms. They had no visible slides or bullet chambers; instead, sleek blue power cells were slotted beneath the barrels, humming with a low, dangerous frequency. 

Diego stared immediately. “…Okay those are cool.”

The spider drone carefully presented the weapons.

“Standard plasma Pistols.” G.O.D. explained as Valerie fluidly stepped forward to retrieve them. “These weapons  utilize superheated gas to discharge high-velocity plasma bolts capable of instantly cauterizing and burning holes through reinforced armor plating. One unit for each of you.”

Valerie held one out to Diego, her sapphire eyes shining with an unshakeable, calm devotion. Diego took the weapon reluctantly, nearly fumbling it. To his surprise, his newly optimized grip adjusted to the handle perfectly, with his fingers wrapping around the trigger guard.

Valerie then immediately attaches her's magnetically to her hip.

Diego stared. “…That was cool too.”

Valerie looked slightly pleased by his reaction.

Then G.O.D continued. “But if you are unwilling to participate directly in combat, Unit V-01 can eliminate all hostile entities independently. However, your immediate physical proximity to her is a strict operational necessity.” 

Diego looked toward Valerie. The silver-haired War-Maid stood calmly beside him without a trace of fear. “…You could really handle all those zombies yourself?”

Diego frowned, looking from the heavy handgun to the orb. “Why? If she’s the super-weapon, why can’t I just stay down here where it’s safe?” 

“Because by design, a War-Maid’s internal power grid is intrinsically tethered to their designated operator. The only method to empower, stabilize, and charge their core reserves is close, sustained contact with their human catalyst and distance reduces synchronization efficiency.”

Valerie nodded softly. “My combat performance increases while near Master.”

Diego looked between the two of them before sighing heavily. “…I can’t exactly let her fight alone while I hide in the elevator.”

Valerie’s eyes softened slightly at that and G.O.D seemed satisfied. 

“Acceptable.” The orb then projected more schematics around them. “Once the hostile elements are purged, I will deploy the engineering spider drones to salvage materials, clear debris, and begin structural repairs on Floor Six. Now, Unit V-01, briefly detail your operational parameters and personal weaponry so Diego Perez may effectively direct your tactical routing.” 

“Understood,” Valerie replied. She stepped back into the center of the elevator lobby, her posture suddenly shifting into something terrifyingly lethal. She extended her right hand, palm upward. For a heartbeat, the air directly above her hand distorted, warping with a sudden spike of energy. Then, with a brilliant, blinding flash of neon-blue light, a weapon materialized into her grip from literal thin air.

It was a magnificent, single-edged katana. The blade didn't look like it was forged by steel; as it was composed of a solid, glowing blue crystal-alloy, wrapped in crackling ribbons of bright blue electricity that hissed and popped against the sterile air.

Diego’s jaw dropped. He stared at the weapon, his brain entirely melting at the sheer, undeniable sci-fi awesomeness of it. “…Mierda!”

“Designation: Sun-Slayer,” Valerie announced, her melodic voice carrying a sharp, warrior’s edge. “My signature thermodynamic blade. When fully active, the edge reaches a sustained temperature of 3,000 degrees Celsius, allowing me to sever heavy mechanized armor, bulkheads, and biological threats with zero kinetic resistance. While I am fully proficient in ballistics, explosives, and heavy ordnance, my primary combat mastery lies in classical swordsmanship.” 

Diego stared in awe. “…That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.” The nearby metal floor slightly blackened from residual heat and Diego immediately took one cautious step backward.

Valerie then smoothly shifted her stance then moved. Diego barely even saw it happen. As she gave the hilt a sudden, blindingly fast spin, the blade cutting through the air with a vicious vrooom like a lightsaber, leaving faint blue afterimages in the dim room before she snapped into a flawless, low-guard stance. 

Several metal pipes hanging from the ceiling suddenly slid apart cleanly before crashing onto the floor seconds later.

CLANG—CLANG—CLANG—

Diego’s jaw dropped as Valerie calmly returned the blade back as if she hadn’t just turned industrial steel into butter.

“However,” Valerie added as she looked back at Diego with a sheepish softening to her eyes, “manifesting and utilizing Sun-Slayer places an immense thermal strain on my core. The more I deploy its true power, the faster my internal energy reserves deplete.” 

Diego snapped out of his trance, remembering G.O.D.’s earlier words. “Right… the recharge thing. You said I’m the only one who can fill her battery. How exactly does that work? Is there like… a cable I plug into her jacket, or…?” 

“Negative,” G.O.D. chimed in, the orb rotating slowly. “Per the explicit design of Doctor Takashi Satou, War-Maid units utilize a highly sophisticated system known as Bio-Sync. It is a direct, physical transfer of thermal, kinetic, and bio-electric energy from the operator. Put simply: it requires acts of physical intimacy.” 

Diego’s face, which had briefly cooled down, instantly flashed back into a roaring, high-octane red. “Intimacy?! What kind of absolute pervert designed this operating system?!” 

“Doctor Satou was widely documented as an eccentric, highly unorthodox genius,” G.O.D. replied smoothly, entirely unbothered by Diego’s outrage. “Fortunately, for the sake of mid-mission efficiency, a full reproductive cycle is not mandatory on the battlefield. Simple skin-to-skin contact, such as holding hands or embracing, will initiate a low-current trickle charge. However, it is statistically inefficient and grants minimal output. The most rapid, total, and optimal method to instantly replenish a War-Maid’s energy reserves to one hundred percent is complete, uninhibited sexual intercourse.”

Diego’s soul nearly exited his body through his mouth. He choked on his own breath, coughing violently as his face turned a shade of crimson that actually illuminated his dark jacket. “I—we—you—! Complete what?! You can’t just say that casually!”

“It is scientifically accurate.”

“That doesn’t make it LESS WEIRD!”

Valerie, meanwhile, listened to the AI’s technical explanation with her hands clasped neatly in front of her, her porcelain cheeks dusting with a lovely, entirely pink. She looked at Diego, her sapphire eyes practically sparkling with anticipation. “I am entirely ready to synchronize with Master whenever the mission parameters demand a total recharge,” She offered softly, her tone entirely too sweet for the sentence she had just uttered. 

Diego immediately pointed at her in panic. “NO ONE IS PREPARING FOR ANYTHING!”

Valerie blinked innocently. “…Understood.” She sounded slightly disappointed.

Diego grabbed his head dramatically. “I hate Doctor Satou.”

“Historical records indicate many employees shared this opinion.”

DING.

It is then that the heavy elevator doors suddenly slid apart with a sharp hiss, revealing the dark, cavernous elevator shaft and a flickering, rusted platform waiting for them. The lights flickered weakly overhead while old blood stains covered parts of the floor. A cold rotten smell drifted upward from the levels above.

Diego immediately lost all traces of embarrassment. “…Oh.”

G.O.D floated toward the open elevator. “It is time for your first mission.”

Valerie stepped forward immediately. “I will protect Master.”

Diego swallowed nervously before tightening his grip on the plasma pistol. “…Right.”

With one final deep breath a nervous human from the past and a devoted war machine from the future stepped into the elevator together. Then the doors slowly closed behind them.

Done. Tell me what you think and if I made any mistakes? What do you think will happen next?