Chapter 13: Experiment 01. (Part one)

Once Sam returned to the lab it was time for the usual examination. On the surface, the three Valkyries appeared clean and without a single injury, meaning they didn't run into a calamity like they did the other day.

Since the initial scan showed no contaminations, his job would be nothing more than the usual routine check-up just in case the drones missed something.

"Alright," Sam put his extra large coffee cup on a nearby table and turned to the three humanoid weapons. "Sorry for the wait. Let's get this done with."

"Tsk…"

For some reason Zero Three clicked her tongue, prompting everyone to look at her. Sam expected her to make some comments about him making them wait, but all she did was turn away looking quite annoyed.

'Now That's strange...'

It was easy to guess that the argument she had with Nine was what caused this. Though he was curious about what the blond Valkyrie said that made the young one seal her sharp tongue, Sam chose to leave it for another time. No need to spill fuel into the fire, especially not today.

'Those two are in a bad mood so…' he thought, glancing at them one by one while working the tablet in his hands. 'Guess that leaves Zero Five...'

"Everything is ready. You can go in now."

With the Doctor giving them the go, the three Valkyries went to the next room and entered the pods they usually use. A couple of seconds later the transparent containers closed and the viscous green liquid began to fill the interior. As the Valkyries floated weightlessly inside, their legs were submerged first then their torsos soon followed. Once it got to their necks they closed their eyes and entered a state of slumber.

Well, two of them did, at least.

"Um… Doctor, is there some problem?" Zero five asked, turning left and right after noticing that she was the only one whose container had yet to close.

"Ah, don't worry, Zero Five," Sam said, looking at her from behind the glass wall. "There is something I wanted to discuss with you first. Do you mind coming here?"

Although confused, the Valkyrie with the long ponytail went back to the first room. Standing in her usual spot, she stared at the physician before asking the obvious question.

"Doctor, wouldn't it be more efficient if you asked me earlier?" She glanced at the two in the other room, seeing that they were already floating in the green liquid with their eyes closed. "Or you could have waited until after the examination."

Sam didn't shy away from her gaze but eventually moved to something else. While she wasn't exactly wrong, he had a reason for going through things in the order he did. Coughing into his fist a few times, he faced her once more and answered in a serious tone.

"I apologize Zero Five. I have something I want to discuss with you, but..." He turned to glance at the two in the next room then went on. "For the time being, it would be for the better if the only ones aware of it were you and me."

The Valkyrie was silent for a moment, unable to guess what required such secrecy. Only one thing came to mind, and what Sam said next was the confirmation she needed.

"It's about the time you asked me if I saw you as a human." He said.

Hearing that only seemed to further confuse Zero Five. The Doctor had told her to never mention the topic again, yet here he was bringing it up himself. She wondered if she was in some kind of trouble and immediately regretted asking that question.

"I have been thinking about it for a while now," Sam said. "It is a big philosophical question. What makes us human? Why can't you, someone who looks like us and has cognitive abilities on a similar level, be considered human?"

Zero Five could only stare blankly at him; after all, he seemed to have misunderstood her question even though she had already explained herself. She wanted to know if people sometimes mistook them for humans, and if she could blend into normal society without anyone noticing.

Her curiosity was born from the way Sam treated her and the other two. The Valkyries only interacted with a small number of humans, but compared to them, this physician was the only one who wasn't cold and dismissive, which led to her wondering if he was unable to see the difference between them and normal humans.

Zero Five had no desire to be recognized as a human. Her programming prevented her from cultivating such desires, however it seems that didn't stop humans from doing so.

"After letting it bother me for the past two days I came to the conclusion that I didn't know enough to completely dismiss the idea." Sam went on. "That's why I want to do a little experiment."

"An… experiment?" The Valkyrie tilted her head, slowly repeating the words.

"Yes," he replied with a nod. "In order to make up my mind, I need to gather more information, and to do so I need your help in this experiment."

Zero Five remained silent for a few seconds before nodding. She didn't see any problem with her assisting him and didn't delay her answer.

"If it is something within my power then I don't mind." She said, showing a rare smile Sam had never seen before.

It made him hesitate a little, but he didn't come this far just to stop now.

"Then let's start with something simple." He said, clearing his throat and preparing himself. "At the moment all I have is sound and visual information. To get a more accurate image what I need is information gathered through other senses, such as touch, smell, and taste."

"I… see…" Once again the ponytailed Valkyrie seemed quite confused.

"To do that I need… I need to make physical contact with you." Getting over the first hurdle, he swallowed unintentionally before going on. "Are you okay with that?"

Though she caught on to his nervousness, the humanoid weapon took some time before realizing something important; she had never been touched by a human before. It wasn't something out of the ordinary, but when she thought about it, the fact that it didn't happen seemed rather strange.

For reasons she didn't understand Zero Five started to feel nervous as well, however, logic told her that there was no problem with her agreeing to the man's request. And so she did, fidgeting nervously while giving him shy glances before nodding.

'Odin, you really are a genius!' Sam celebrated inwardly, carefully observing the cute way Zero Five acted, which was programmed into her specifically for this kind of situation.

After taking a moment to gather his courage, he slowly walked over to her and stopped once only a single step separated them. The Valkyrie lowered her head, unable to look him in the eyes. She didn't notice it herself but her face was already red and a strange warmth was gathering in her chest causing the nervousness she felt to skyrocket.

As she waited for the moment his hand would fall on her skin, Sam went behind her, carefully moved his right hand then began running his fingers through her long ponytail.

"Hm… though it's far silkier, this feels no different from normal hair." He said, doing his best to hide the thrill he was experiencing from showing in his voice.

It felt no different from normal hair, but Sam couldn't believe Odin went into so much trouble just for the details.

Glancing behind her to see what he was doing, Zero Five saw him take a few strands and bring them closer to his face.

"This scent… it's no different from normal shampoo..." He commented after taking a few whiffs.

Turning around quickly, the Valkyrie answered in a flustered voice.

"W-well, we use the same product as other soldiers… I think…"

"I see…"

She didn't know why but seeing him sniff her like that made her feel weird, although she didn't really mind it. What bothered her the most was how hot her body was getting. The only time she had experienced such phenomena was when training or fighting Calamities, however something about it was different from those times.

For a moment Sam had all his focus on the silky black hair in his hand. He knew the Valkyries were offered the same stuff as other female soldiers, but that was exactly what made him think that they should at the very least get some special care products since they aren't exactly normal soldiers. Not that it mattered at the moment.

Letting go of the long ponytail, he decided to move to the next step. Having crossed the line already he should have had a better time remaining calm, but as it turned out his hands won't stop shaking any time soon.