Chapter Six: Pinwheel

Inside the Family Day convenience store, the three men stood in front of the wall at the far end and watched as it slowly descended downward. An elevator was revealed.

The elevator passed through four doors of varying materials and thickness. It finally came to the bottom floor. For these three, it was all incredibly nostalgic. Those days five years ago, they had to use this elevator back and forth several times a day.

Coming to the bottom floor, here was a hall that wasn't quite spacious. It was simple, but three or four people would be very comfortable working and living here.

Miranda hurried over to one of the consoles to fix the effects of the instability caused by Smith's current.

Dura limped and threw an already tattered package onto the table. The package, in conjunction with the chime, repaired the memories of the three people with chips nearby.

Douglas, on the other hand, clutched a whole box of papers, dumped them all into a fireplace, lit a fire, and burned them to the ground.

None of the three men spoke. But the silence was not born of strangeness.

"I missed you guys." Ginny's voice echoed down the hall.

The movements of all three men's hands stopped.

"Ginny, are you okay?" Miranda could no longer hold back her tears.

"I've been fine, in fact in my opinion, the last time I saw you guys was a couple days ago wasn't it?"

"You can really sleep! We're getting old!" Dura smiled.

"Yeah, five years."

There was another silence in the hall.

"Ginny, today... It's goodbye today, isn't it?" Douglas said slowly, burying his head in the crook of his arm.

"I guess so, today you are all here. Then I won't have to wait a few days to overload the system."

"Ginny, you can sleep a little longer. When I get back I'll make another machine and put you in it!" Dura's words trembled a little.

"You know best, Dura. A machine that can hold me machine, that's the next Pinwheel."

"I'm satisfied!" Douglas said suddenly.

"You're satisfied with what?" Miranda asked.

"I thought that I lost you five years ago." Douglas stepped forward. "But I'm reunited with you today. It's something I never dared hope for."

Douglas stood up. "Five years ago, I made everyone make a pact to hurt each other so that your efforts wouldn't be in vain. But really, I was the worst one. Ginny. I missed you so much that I never even left the city. I risked getting caught by Smith to keep living here."

"So when we all lost our memories related to Pinwheel, you were the worst one. Because you've made Ginny your whole life." Miranda analyzed.

"Exactly. I dreamed of seeing Ginny again. Today I'm living the dream."

"We still owe you a formal goodbye, Ginny." Miranda said.

"Yeah, we left in such a hurry last time." Dura agreed.

At the end of the hall, a door slowly opened. The crowd knew what this meant.

Warm yellow light was cast through the door. Inside the door was a table top half a person high. That was Pinwheel's main console. The table was made in the shape of a pinwheel with four blades. In those days, every time four people were needed to turn on the Pinwheel together, these four scientists would stand by the blades that belonged to them.

Only this time it wasn't quite the same. Douglas slowly placed the crystal box at one of the blades. The owner of this could no longer stand at the table.

The three men stood and the four blades lit up. It was the beginning of what would be the final goodbye.

Ginny's voice slowly came to mind. "Thank you all so much for all the good times. I had a quick look back over my life as I died in the flesh. And those days with you all are my most precious treasures."

"Remember the diner, Ginny? I even went there yesterday after I woke up from the old house and had a lamb burrito. Those times with you at the diner I will treasure for the rest of my life. I'm so lucky to have a sister like you. You're like my real family. You once said that no matter where you hid in the lab, I could find you. Because no matter how far away it was, I would be able to rush to your side, help you, and protect you, just like your sister did. But now that you're really leaving, promise your sister that you'll have a good time wherever you are, okay?"

"When I was a kid, many people wouldn't want to make friends with me because I was a girl with a bad temper. But I found the most sincere friendship here. Remember when we first met, Ginny? You came up and hugged me, grabbed my leather jacket and told me I looked good. You were the first person to ever give me a hug. At that moment, the ice that had been frozen in my heart all through my childhood was melted by you. You'll always be my best friend, always be the girl who shares my heart."

"Ginny, I know that you would want me to move on. But I'm such a person who dwells on the past. You know me. But at least this time, I'm not saying goodbye to you with regrets. It's a pity that I'll never meet another woman as good as you in my life. You've taken up residence in my heart you know? Now I understand. Whether I say goodbye to you as a human or you as an AI, it's not really goodbye. As long as I remember you in my heart. Then you'll always be by my side. Right?"

"I... I will. I'll always be happy. Always be everyone's friend and always be there for you. You guys have had a part of me ingrained in your bodies for a long time now haven't you? That tattoo, it's evidence that I've existed."

The tabletop slowly rose, awaiting further instructions. In the old days, they would use "Hello, Pinwheel" as the command to turn on, and "Goodbye, Pinwheel" as the command to turn off. Today, they are going to put an end to all this. They're going to say the command they never said.

"The Pilgrimage to Cythera, do you remember?" Ginny's voice said. "I loved that painting so much! I love the feeling of being ready to set out into a bright future. It's like an adventure that hasn't even started yet, but you already know you're going to love it. Because no matter what life is like, it's never lonely as long as you have the most precious people by your side. No pain. No confusion. No shackles. There was only happiness. Through the blue sea, through the deep mist. You'll get there eventually."

 Everyone's tattoos began to warm slightly. The yellow glow of that tabletop grew stronger as well.

"That little girl who rubbed her nose in the dust under the table she's leaving to return to her dreams where she belongs."

"Goodnight, Pinwheel." the four said in unison.