Denji didn't sleep much that first day—though he was forced to close his eyes often, not from tiredness, but because his new body demanded it. He hated it. Every movement took effort. Every sound was filtered through the muffled perception of an infant. The worst part was that he could still think like himself, but he couldn't do anything.
Trapped in a baby's body, surrounded by robots, and floating in some sterile, futuristic nursery pod, this was his new reality.
The two nurse units, he silently nicknamed them Boxy and Floaty returned frequently to check on him. Boxy beeped whenever it detected movement. Floaty buzzed in silently, often scanning him or injecting tiny amounts of nutrients through a device attached to the pod.
Artificial gestation. Passenger numbers. BNL nurse bots.
He replayed those words in his mind. "BNL" struck a chord something about it was familiar, tickling the back of his brain like a forgotten song lyric.
But every time he thought he grasped it, it slipped away.
Think, Allan. Think.
He couldn't. Not properly. Not with a brain that dozed off every five minutes or got distracted by flashing lights.
---
Day 3... or 4... or 7?
Time passed in a blur of naps, feedings, and robotic checkups. Days? Weeks? He couldn't tell. Time had become meaningless, marked only by lullabies played through the pod's speakers and the mechanical arms that cleaned and adjusted his surroundings.
He never saw the sky. Only the curved white ceiling and the glowing status screen above.
He never saw people either. Just the bots.
Were his so-called "parents" ever going to show up?
___
Month 5
Eventually, Denji was moved from the private pod to a shared Nursery Deck. It was massive filled with dozens, maybe hundreds, of other infants in similar hover-cradles. Most of them seemed normal: gurgling, crying, sleeping, unaware.
'But I'm not like them,' he thought. 'I'm not even supposed to be here.'
He observed everything. The walls were curved, seamless. The landscape screens repeated calming loops—mountains, forests, oceans. Drones zipped between pods with programmed efficiency. Occasionally, one would pause at a terminal to download data, then continue its rounds.
Automated announcements echoed now and then:
[Reminder: All youth under the age of one are to remain in designated nursery pods unless scheduled for social interaction periods]
[BNL thanks you for trusting our Artificial Parenting Initiative. For a brighter tomorrow, let us raise your future today]
BNL.
That name again.
As he think a faint memory surfaced—an old animated film. A ruined Earth. A lonely robot. A spaceship full of people in hover chairs.
His breath caught.
No...
WALL-E.
His tiny heart raced.
This was the Axiom.
The floating cruise liner where humanity had escaped to after Earth was rendered uninhabitable. Where people grew too lazy to walk and lived their lives fully reliant on machines.
Denji lay still in his hover crib, eyes wide.
I'm in the universe of WALL-E.
"Shit"
---
Age 2
He could now crawl. It wasn't pretty, but it was something. Most kids were content in their hover-rings. Fed. Entertained. Pacified.
But Denji watched and learned and more importantly, he pretended.
He acted like a normal toddler mimicking others, laughing at the right moments, babbling on cue. Behind that facade, he observed bots' routines, mapped out nursery hallways, and catalogued every detail he could.
---
Age 3
On the eve of his third birthday, Denji sat in his upgraded nursery room. He now had a private space filled with interactive toys, a learning pod, and a floating screen for lessons.
He was ahead of the other children not just mentally, but even physically. His metabolism is faster than anyone. He remembered everything he saw and read. Something had changed.
He shared the room with a rotating nanny-bot. All the kids wore matching BNL onesies. Most were motionless in their hover-rings, eyes glazed as educational cartoons danced across their holoscreens.
"A is for Axiom, your home sweet home! B is for Buy N Large, your very best friend..."
He mimicked the rest repeating sounds, smiling on cue, allowing facial scans to log his "emotional progress."
Hover-rings became mobile chairs, complete with nutrient slush dispensers in artificial flavors like Blueberry Breakfast, Banana Brunch, Protein Pie, and Green Greens.
No utensils. No chewing. Just warm, flavored sludge pumped into their mouths like fuel.
He grimaced inwardly.
But one thing became clear: they never taught the kids how to walk.
At first, he assumed walking would come later.
It didn't.
The hover chair was the body now.
And most didn't even mind.
Late at night, when the nursery wing fell quiet Denji moved.
He crawled out of his hover ring. At first, his legs were weak, untrained. But that only fueled his determination.
He would not become one of the blobs in hover thrones.
---
Age 8
By now, he'd developed his own secret routine. He walked when no one watched. He exercised during rest periods. He stretched when pretending to sleep.
He was stronger. Leaner. Sharper.
Then, one day, the ship's AI issued him his own HoloTab—a semi-transparent floating screen, voice-activated and connected to the Axiom's entire database.
Most kids used it for games.
Denji had other plans.
Late one night, he whispered, "Ship AI, what's in the food slush?"
[Daily Nutrient Blend includes proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and flavor agents synthesized from algae cultures and recyclable biomass.]
He gagged.
[The Slush Factory utilizes algae bio-reactors and molecular recyclers. All waste onboard is filtered, broken down, and reused.]
"They're made of algae and... what?"
[Recyclable—]
"Stop! Just... stop."
He took a breath. "What kind of milk was I fed as a baby?"
[Formula 102-B: A balanced nutrient slurry designed for optimal growth in early-stage infants. Synthesized in MedDeck 3. Fully AI-regulated.]
"And... where do babies come from?"
[They are made when a male and female intercou—]
"No, no! I mean—how are they made here, on the Axiom? No one even moves."
The AI continued.
[How Babies Are Made on the Axiom]
[Artificial Parenting Program Overview]
[The process of creating a child aboard the Axiom is fully automated and consists of five stages, all managed by BNL systems to ensure maximum convenience, safety, and efficiency.]
[Stage 1: Family Planning Kiosk]
[Passengers interested in starting a family simply access the "Family Planning" tab on their personal HoloTab. This opens a guided application where they can:]
[Choose the number of children they want.]
[Set parenting preferences (e.g., hands-on involvement vs. fully automated care).]
[Agree to BNL's terms of artificial parenting.]
[Once submitted, the AI processes the application and begins preparation.]
[Stage 2: Gamete Collection & Storage]
[The ship routinely collects biometric data and genetic material from adult passengers through blood tests, skin swabs, and other non-invasive methods. These samples are stored in a cryogenic gene bank, tagged by user ID]
[ If a fresh genetic sample is needed, the user is notified, and a medical bot discreetly retrieves it during their regular health checkup. No awkwardness required.]
[Stage 3: Conception & Genetic Screening]
[Using advanced IVF procedures, the AI combines selected gametes to form embryos. All embryos undergo rigorous health screenings for genetic disorders or anomalies.]
[Optional cosmetic editing—such as eye or hair color—is available within ethical guidelines. The top-performing embryo is selected for development.]
[Stage 4: Artificial Gestation]
[The chosen embryo is transferred into an Exo-Womb Pod, a transparent capsule filled with synthetic amniotic fluid. These high-tech wombs simulate natural gestation but at an accelerated rate.]
[Depending on the pod model, gestation can be completed in as little as 4.5 months instead of the usual nine. Growth is enhanced using nutrient infusions, pulsed gravity, and regulated sensory stimuli.]
[Stage 5: Delivery & Deployment]
[Upon reaching full term, the Exo-Womb signals the system. A delivery drone retrieves the newborn and transfers them to the BNL Nursery Deck, where AI-powered nurse units handle early development.]
[Parents are notified via their HoloTab with a cheerful message:
"Congratulations! Your BNL Baby is ready for pickup—or you can request free home delivery!"]
[Most parents choose to let the AI raise the child for the first few years, trusting BNL's certified parenting algorithms.]
Denji stared at the screen, stunned.
Human reproduction had become an app.
"Where's the fun in that, no sex?!"
No wonder no one walked and robots raised children.
He dug deeper. "Show me the power infrastructure axiom."
[The Axiom is powered by a dual-reactor plasma core. Auxiliary energy comes from solar panels on Decks 40–43. Efficiency: 99.4%.]
He read, watched and listened until he knew more about the ship than most adults.
This isn't a home. It's a floating luxury life-support machine.
And then, the screen flickered.
A new icon appeared: a blinking soft-blue light with a stylized heart.
[Incoming Call: Felicia Tachibana]