Editing Amaryllis in the Ice Country:Chapter 1 (section)

===Part 4===

And so,

"Why are you following me too!?"

"Don't be so cold to me."

"Seriously, stop touching around! You big pervert!"

I lash out furiously at the man who's hitching a ride on the back seat. The man continues to sneer, saying, "Well well, let's get along." He has no intention of reflecting on his actions at all.

Here's how it happened. I bid farewell, got up onto the icemobile, preparing to look at the 'Snow White'. "I'm going too!" A guy with blond swept back hair leaps into the back seat--the name is Eisbahn Tricrytis.

I slap the filthy hand that's aiming for my butt and accelerate the speed of the icemobile. If I don't hurry there, I don't know what this sex offender sitting behind me will do.

"You're being cold to me."

"Of course. I need to be as cold as possible to a guy like you who starts wooing girls at any given moment,:

"It's fine. We all have sex options installed on us."

This sex option refers to one of the functions installed in us robots that allows us robots to have sex. There are a lot of sex options installed in female robots, and I'm one of them.

"Sex options are prepared to service our masters. Not a good thing to be used on robots ourselves."

"It's because of such words from you that you'll always remain a virgin--guah!?"

[[Image:Amaryllis033.jpg|thumb]]

I smash an elbow into the unruly guy behind me, "Enough with that small talk…!" and growl.

Male robots with sex options installed in them will often tease women of the same kind or do some sweet talk to create some atmosphere. Most of the time, I guess they can't help it because they have such a setting, but Eisbahn, in particular, goes overboard. This guy will get his hand on a woman whenever he sees one.

--Ahh, let's hurry up and reach there already…!

While I continue on this unhappy two people ride, I cut right and left quickly. Finally, the surrounding ice walls become clearer, and the layers of ice start to show a vibrant green. The villagers call this place the 'Ice Plant' zone, and all kinds of plants grow and bloom in the ice like art pieces. The end of this zone of Ice Plants is our destination today--the 'REM Forest'.

Grrr! The brakes cause the vehicle to shave the road, and I park the icemobile. Eisbahn quickly gets off the boot.

"Chief, do you hear me? I'm Amaryllis."

I cover the antenna at my ear with my hand, calling the Chief through the wireless, "Fuuuaaa...saving power, saving power…" only to hear a sleepy voice.

"Stop sleeping and open up."

I chide, "Alright." and the Chief's voice echoes in the Mind Circuit. The doors leading to 'Snow White' is probably about a 1m thick, and nobody is allowed to enter without the Chief's permission. Even I or a 'committee member' like Eisbahn can't do so.

--It's cold…

The moment the door opens, rich cold air resembling a white phantom rushes out. While this underground world is encased in ice, the temperature here is colder.

--External air intercept.

I increase the body temperature conditioning function by about 30%. Robots won't catch colds because of the cold temperature, but the oils or batteries inside the bodies may be damaged. In worse situations, there might be a sudden metallic exhaustion caused 'Metal Frostbite.

"Nothing changed."

I looked up at the ceiling, and the first thing I see is a large 'Spindle'. This is the main computer controlling the entire 'Snow White'. The surroundings of this Spindle is covered with thin blood vessel-like fibres, appearing like a freeze dried fruit with a thin silver dress wrapped over it.

The Spindle continues to spin its massively long, slender body, shining its gentle light upon every corner of the room. This light is a unique 'pulse' that maintains the running of the system and maintains the numerous capsules called 'Cradles' that have become one with the wall. These Cradles are the life supports protecting the lives of more than 300 of the 'Masters'.



This is the cryo facility that allows for life to continue under low temperatures--dubbed 'Snow White'.



A hundred years ago, there was a massive weather change on the surface, and the world went into an ice age. Due to unknown reasons, the 'cold wave' caused the entire land to freeze, and all animals and plants were practically extinct.

But even in such radically harsh environment, humans--our masters never gave up. They built an underground shelter 'Snow White' to evacuate, and hibernate in there until the ice age ends. From babies till old people, 300 hundred humans continue to sleep, their aging process stopped in the process.

And during the days the masters sleep, us 'villagers' are tasked to maintain the running of the 'Snow White'. In this world of ice 500m underground, we create a little village, living for a hundred years. All the villagers are robots, and our only important mission is to protect the Snow White. The Mind Circuit with high autonomy installed in us is to make sure we protect the Snow White while the manual mode can't be used.

--One day.

I wonder as I look up at the Snow White.

One day, when the masters awake, I'll do my best to serve them and prove my value, whether it is to cook, wash clothes or cleaning, anything that I can think of, I'll do it. Also, if I'm allowed to, I want them to hear the songs I'm proud of.

I put my hands on my chest, humming the lullaby as usual.



Sleep well, sleep well, sleep well for today.

I shall continue to hold you in my arms, so sleep well.

One die, even if this country, is wiped out, the morning light,

Everything, and anything is for you.

That is why, sleep well, for today.

Until, the day, you wake up again.



The tune ends, and I hear a light clapping.

"It's a nice tune no matter how many times I hear it."

I turn back to look and find Eisbahn leaning at the wall.

"Ahh, thanks."

"Feel like sleeping when I hear that."

"Are you praising me?'

After a pause, "Of course." Eisbahn answers.

--Master.

I cross my fingers in front of my chest and offer my usual prayers.

--Please, hurry and wake up.



We are waiting.

Tentatively waiting for the day our masters wake up in this underground world sealed by ice.

We have been doing so for more than a hundred years.


<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Amaryllis in the Ice Country:Prologue|Prologue]]
| Return to [[Amaryllis_in_the_Ice_Country|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Amaryllis in the Ice Country:Chapter_2|Chapter 2]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>