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6. The Final Pain of Being Human

With the deft movements of a professional, Jasfer installed the chip on Alexa's shoulder according to Harlan's instructions via a communication device connected to Jasfer. Harlan emphasized that if Alexa was not immediately installed with the chip, the girl would die of starvation and lack of oxygen. If so, Alexa would not be able to bring peace to Bintang, the world where robots lived.

Alexa's screams of pain made Dean wince for the first time, and his gaze immediately fell on Alexa who was holding Dean's hand tightly. If Dean were human, the man's hand would definitely be injured by the strength of the girl's grip, maybe even the tips of Alexa's nails could scratch the man's arm.

Alexa's breathing began to become irregular, sweat poured down her face, and the girl even cried because of the excruciating pain. It felt like her whole body was being cut, her bones were crushed, or it was a picture of excruciating pain as if her life was being taken away.

"Her consciousness is thinning," the snowman-shaped robot assistant beside Jasfer informed. "If she passes out, the chip will be damaged," the robot continued while sucking Alexa's blood that continued to flow out of her body.

"Do something, Dean!" Jasfer said.

“How much longer?” Dean asked back.

“It won’t be long. Just keep her conscious,” Jasfer ordered without diverting his attention at all.

Dean looked confused and started to approach Alexa, calling the girl’s name softly.

“Can you hear me?” Dean asked.

“It hurts,” Alexa groaned as she tightened her grip on Dean’s arm which was hard but looked like Alexa’s fingers.

Dean didn’t care if his arm might be damaged, and he had to be treated. Compared to the pain Alexa was experiencing, Dean’s wounds were nothing. That could be Alexa’s last pain as a human.

“It’s over!” Jasfer shouted and took a few steps back.

Alexa’s breath was now weak, her vision was blurry, and she stared at Dean’s face which was starting to blur. The girl’s face was wet with sweat and tears.

“Keep her conscious, Dean. I’ll check her.” Jasfer ordered again.

“Hey, Alexa. Can you hear me?” Dean asked as he cupped the girl’s face whose eyelids seemed half-closed.

Alexa didn't answer, just stared blankly at Dean who forced her to stay conscious.

“You want to go back, don’t you?”

The word back made Alexa open her eyes.

“If you want to go back, hold on a little longer. You’ll find a way out if you can hold on,” Dean said.

Alexa’s head nodded slowly.

“But, I can’t.” After saying that, Alexa’s head drooped in front of Dean with her hair covering her face.

“Alexa!” Dean called the girl’s name but she didn’t answer.

“She lost consciousness,” the snow robot reported. “The chip installation process was successful,” the robot continued.

Jasfer sat on the chair after handling Alexa.

“I’ve never seen that red liquid before,” Jasfer said looking nauseous.

“That’s blood. If humans lose blood, they will die,” the snow robot said.

“What?” Jasfer was shocked as was Dean who stared at Alexa in his hand.

“However, the blood that came out wasn’t too much to be life-threatening. So Alexa is still safe, she just needs to rest and recover her strength,” the snow robot explained again.

Jasfer closed his eyes. If he were human, he would look relieved to hear that.

“I’ll take her to my room,” Dean said while looking at Alexa’s face which was still covered by her hair. Dean slowly brushed aside her hair, Alexa’s face looked pale.

“But she needs to be treated for recovery,” Jasfer said.

“In my room. I’ll take care of her,” Dean said again. “You come with me, Snow Robot,” he continued to the robot.

“My job is done, right?” Jasfer asked.

“Yes.”

“Okay. If you need help, just let me know,” Jasfer said.

Dean just nodded and then carried Alexa in front of his body.

“Be careful with her wounds. After all, the girl is human even though there is a robot chip installed in her body. Her cells haven’t worked to accept the foreign object so maybe Alexa will still feel pain,” Jasfer said again.

Once again Dean just nodded and started to leave Jasfer’s room while carrying the unconscious Alexa.

Azura greeted him in front of the room.

“Alexa will be in my room, come later,” Dean said before leaving there.

Laying Alexa's body in a long box in her room, Dean activated several buttons connected to Alexa so that the girl could recover well. The snow robot watched over Alexa and also monitored the girl's condition.

"I always believed, Alexa would survive and be strong. Not like before," said Harlan who also came to Dean's room to check the condition of the girl who was now lying in a long transparent box. Its shape was like a coffin, only accompanied by a system.

There was a secret that Alexa didn't know there.

"Recovery takes time. You have to go back to the front lines once in a while, Dean. Alexa will be fine now," said Harlan. "Then I'll go first. Take care of the girl."

Harlan left the room again with the help of the snow robot. After making sure Alexa's life was stable, and the girl just needed rest, they left her with Dean staring at her face in silence.

On the planet Star, there is day and night. Currently, night has enveloped the robot world. In the distance, explosions were still clearly audible. Dean stared out the window, towards the West which looked tense and occasionally emitted light because of weapons launched by the enemy.

How to stop the war? There have been so many victims, even the deaths there have made the robot citizens live in fear every day. As a commander, Dean has to do many things, giving instructions while protecting those behind him. Now, Dean's burden increases with the presence of Alexa, making Dean unable to freely go to the battlefield.

After a while, Alexa finally woke up. Her whole body felt very sore. For some reason, the chip in her body made Alexa hurt. The girl slowly sat up where she was lying. The sound Alexa made Dean turn his head and immediately approach the girl.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked.

“It hurts,” Alexa complained.

Dean immediately grabbed the girl’s hand to help her sit up.

After making sure Alexa was okay, all the examination results that were visible on the transparent screen showed quite good progress.

However, Alexa now felt fine even though the pain in her wound was still throbbing, but she did not feel thirsty or hungry at all like a human who had just woken up from fainting.

“So, now I’m a robot?” Alexa joked a little, but Dean did not respond at all.

Silence. No one spoke for a few moments until Alexa moved to lower her legs. Dean immediately helped her stand up. Alexa staggered a little and luckily Dean moved quickly.

“Thank you,” Alexa said softly.

The girl’s body was indeed weak, but after a few minutes, Alexa suddenly felt strong now, even her previously pale face was now flushed. Alexa began to feel the strength that came from the robot uniform and the chip embedded in her shoulder.

“Overall, your condition is stable,” said the snow robot who was now in Dean’s room.

Alexa's smile slowly widened, the girl looked happy and even moved freely as if nothing had happened, never feeling pain in her body.

"Wow! This is great!" Alexa exclaimed happily. The girl felt something strange inside her but quickly changed.

From his place, Dean just stared and watched the girl's behaviour who was now playing with the snow robot like a child.

"That means you're ready for the next step," Dean informed.

Alexa's pleasure stopped and she looked at Dean.

"Next step?"

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