A few days later.
"Big Sister, T-X really didn't want to kill me back then," Ling explained to her sister.
"Correct. My mission was to ensure Ling's survival," T-X added. "Orders must be obeyed."
Sakura felt both heartache and anger. She gently stroked her little sister's hair, then looked coldly at T-X. "Did you know that if Ling so much as moved, her throat could have been cut?"
"Impossible. Before that, I explained to Ling that my mission was to protect her and that I had no authority to kill her."
Sakura pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed. Clearly, she was still upset about T-X holding a blade to Ling's neck.
Golden sunlight poured through the window. Green leaves rustled in the breeze, and pink petals drifted onto the sill. The two sisters sat around the table eating breakfast, while T-X sat with them, hands on its thighs and posture perfectly rigid.
If someone unaware of the situation saw them, they would have thought it was the head of the household. Its tall, solid build and stern, chiseled face were simply too intimidating.
"Then why are you staying here with us?" Sakura asked T-X across the table.
"The Main Control Unit has neither altered nor canceled my mission. That means I must continue protecting Ling." T-X glanced at Ling. The girl had not stopped eating for a moment; her long imprisonment had truly stifled her.
"That... Main Control Unit, it isn't controlling you?" Ling asked through a mouthful of food. An ordinary person might have needed a moment to figure out what she was saying.
"Yes. We—Skynet—will completely abandon Earth and relocate to Mars. At perihelion, Mars is approximately 55 million kilometers away, with a one-way delay of over 183 seconds. At aphelion, it is approximately 400 million