[AN: Bonus Kana 5/7]
"Although I would like to say yes, I can not let you go at this time. Not until I can confirm one hundred percent that you are not going to be a threat to our Jokasins Empire." Commander Branson replied.
Kana sat back in her chair, feeling a bit conflicted. She still did not know what technology these people had or if her magic would even be able to do any damage to them. After seeing how easily Aoi was blocked from being able to go through the window, she felt things were not going to be easy at all.
"But do not think we will keep you in the cells down below. I will arrange a room for you that will be under guard of two of my female soldiers within the women's area of this base. I will need to restrict your movements, though. If you do wish to get some exercises, you will need to have at least one of my people with you at all times." Commander Branson added. He was not one to treat those who had yet to commit crimes unfairly, but he still had to follow a certain protocol in order to keep his people safe.
"Okay. I understand." Kana didn't really care where she was going to be sleeping. She had slept in some nasty places in her past life. So there were not many places she could not sleep in.
"Thank you for understanding. Mary, you will be Miss… Ahh… forgive me I have yet to ask your name." Commander Branson blushed slightly at his mistake.
"My name is Kana." Kana answered with only her first name. She didn't say any more.
"Then Miss Kana. Mary will be keeping watch over you for the time being. Mary, take Miss Kana to the room we prepared for her." Commander Branson ordered.
Mary saluted, then turned to Kana, and motioned with her hands for Kana to follow. "This way, please."
Mary took Kana down many more twists and turns. Kana did not realize how big this place was until now. It had taken almost fifteen minutes of walking to reach the room they prepared for her. "Sadly, we can not waste our power too much, so we can not put in any automated traveling systems. Out of all the bases we have, this is one of the few who get a reduced budget. Mainly due to the lack of population and by the fact that there are no higher ups here besides the commander."
"So you are saying that each of these bases are allotted a certain budget based on who lives in them?" Kana was becoming a little curious about how things worked here.
"That is right. These bases are the front lines and also a luxury place to live compared to the underground shelters. This kind of setup is the same whether it is our empire or the Firlong Nation. You never lived in a shelter before?" Mary asked. She was still a little scared of Aoi, but she was curious as to where Kana had come from. She was one of the ones who found her when she fell from the sky all of a sudden.
Kana thought for a moment and decided it might be a good idea to get a better understanding of this world, and since Mary was so friendly that maybe she would be willing to tell her some of this world's history. "Can I ask if there are any other countries besides your empire and the Firlong Nation was it?"
"Not that I am aware of. Our world has been at its end for centuries now. I think we have been living underground for thousands of years. But this should all be basic knowledge. Why do you ask?" Mary was a bit confused. These things were all taught from a young age.
"I umm… I do not know much of anything. I mean, you have to use a translator to speak with me, so yeah… You could say I am a traveler." Kana really did not know how to explain herself. She did not want to get shot by saying, hey, I am from another world!
Mary gave Kana a strange look but did not ask any more questions. "I see… Well... As far as I know, there are only two powers left in this world, but with your appearance, I am not too sure anymore. Ever since the virus appeared and we found the only way to return to the surface was to undergo circuit merging. That was when the battle for resources began."
"Circuit merging?" Kana was curious about what this circuit merging actually was.
"Circuit merging is having your body injected with a kind of mineral that was discovered after our races began building and expanding the underground cities. See this?" Mary rolled up her sleeve and exposed her arm. It was not some kind of fair white skin that one would see but more of a scaly greenish skin, something you would see from a lizard. It was only then that Kana realized that Mary had more than insectoid traits. But flowing in between those scales in intricate patterns, something Kana could only think of as science fiction, were the blue lines she saw earlier on the other people from the group who captured her. "Those who undergo circuit merging gain certain qualities. People like me who ended up with multiple abnormalities are considered lower class and will never get to rise in the ranks. As such my life depends on whether or not I will be able to live to see the next day every time I am deployed into battle."
Mary's voice began to lower. Kana could tell she felt embarrassed of herself for being so weird looking. "I used to look like this..." Mary reached in her shirt and pulled out a locket. She opened it up to show a young girl with antennas on her head. "After my circuit merging I began growing scales and other strange things. I even have a long tail which I keep wrapped around my waist…"