Written By: WrittenDusk
Chapter 1:
Amidst a lush forest, filled with life, lies a large foreign clearing.
Circular in shape, the ground is paved with a smooth sheet of metal coated in white.
A single, similarly sterile, tall rectangular building can be seen at the center.
It’s two wings converge into a cylindrical tower, making up a third of the building’s length;
towering over the rest at twice the height.
Filling up the rest of the clearing are five circular depressions with clear seams;
three in front of the building and two behind.
With its clearly defined edges and near spotless appearance, it is as if it was never approached by the
surrounding nature.
What little blemishes and dirt that remain are those left by its inhabitants;
two pillow shaped robots and their wheels.
Being only a little larger than pillows in size, one is upright on two wheels and the other is spread out on
four.
Both are clad in the same white of the clearing with a simple display for expression.
As the sun rose to its peak, the two wheeled robot began patrolling the perimeter of the clearing;
staying a comfortable meter away from the immediate edge.
Activating its air vent, starting from the back of the building, it clears away any dust and leaves that have
made their way onto the metal ground.
But as a stray leaf drifted beside it, it paused its activity.
--- ---
Extending a cable-like arm from it’s side, it picks up the leaf.
2-Wheeled Robot:
“I wonder how it’d feel to have our other senses again?”
4-Wheeled Robot:
“I’m sure it’d be cool at first, but it’d probably end up more trouble than it’s worth.”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“Would it? It shouldn’t be a problem as long as they can be turned off, right? Or at least be adjustable?”
The 2-Wheeled Robot extends its arm and places the leaf on the dirt ground;
just beyond the clearing’s edge. It resumes its patrol.
4-Wheeled Robot:
“Maybe. But wouldn’t that defeat their purpose? They were part of our means of survival after all.
You know, to let us know if something is safe, or not.”
Within a room full of blinking lights, the four wheeled robot is exchanging large disks between a box,
placed on top of itself, and one of four cylindrical containers; lined up at the center of the room.
The robot exchanges them fluidly, as if in a single motion.
2-Wheeled Robot:
“It was? Hmm… That makes.. a lot of sense. Never thought of it like that. But then again-
Doesn’t that just mean there’s no reason we can't turn them off now?”
4-Wheeled Robot:
“That’s-..true, you’re right.”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“Do you know if there is a way to bring them back?”
4-Wheeled Robot:
“No. Not that I know of. Even if there was,
I don’t think there’s anyone left who can, or would handle the operation.”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“Awww…”
4-Wheeled Robot:
“It’s only been a few weeks since you’ve come out of the Arks. Feeling bored already?”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“No. I’m not bored, just a little disappointed.
I’m on the planet again, but I can’t interact with it as much as I want to.
It’s such a shame! Everything’s so different from all of the simulation servers in the Arks.”
4-Wheeled Robot:
“All of them?”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“All of them. Both on Elysium and Nirvana.”
4-Wheeled Robot:
“That’s… impressive- wait, what about Aaru?”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“Aaru? Oh! It was leaving for the rest of the universe, so I had to leave before I could see everything.
But the servers there weren’t all that different either.”
4-Wheeled Robot:
“Hah..So they left after all.”
After exchanging all the disks in one container,
the four wheeled robot brought the box of exchanged disks out into the hallway.
There, to the left of the entrance it just exited, was a hatch with an empty rack in it.
Once the robot emptied its box into the hatch, a button was pressed,
moving the filled rack away from the robot. A new filled rack then rises in its place.
When the new rack locks in place, the robot harvests the disks into its box and reenters the room;
repeating its routine for the next container.
2-Wheeled Robot:
“Was that where you were initially hosted?”
4-Wheeled Robot:
“Ya, well, since I restarted at least.”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“Woah. No way. You're one of those that know they’ve rebooted?”
4-Wheeled Robot:
“Ya, one of those. It’s just a feeling though, I don’t have any memory to prove it.”
“It just bothered me too much at a point, so I thought: “If I still feel like “me” after rebooting,
I might as well just stay as “me”.”.
I’ve been down here ever since.”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“That sounded so cool. Why haven’t you told me this before?”
4-Wheeled Robot:
“Because it doesn't feel cool. Honestly, I’m surprised you never asked.”
“How's the patrol?”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“I just thought you were like me, looking for something different to do.”
“I'm halfway done with my second lap.”
The two wheeled robot slowly moves past the front of the building.
4-Wheeled Robot:
“You know you can do something else.”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“If I feel like it. None of this matters anyway right? Because of the Data-Purge was it?”
4-Wheeled Robot:
“Ya, the Arks don’t need these Back-Up Nodes anymore after the Data-Purge.”
“Plus, even if they do, all the maintenance these places need are battery changes once every couple
hundred years.”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“So, what you’re doing everyday.”
4-Wheeled Robot:
“Yes.”
The two wheeled robot, expecting more of a response, waited for a second before moving on.
2-Wheeled Robot:
“I still can’t believe the Arks still had live connections with things besides themselves.”
4-Wheeled Robot:
“You and I both. But for me, having visitors is even more unbelievable.”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“I think finding someone’s already here is even more so.”
The four wheeled robot stops its movements for just a moment, before resuming.
4-Wheeled Robot:
“Fair enough.”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“By the way, how many others have vi..sited...”
--- ---
Before the two wheeled robot can finish its question, as it almost completes its second lap of patrol,
it notices a heavily injured ape limping towards it; holding something within its arms.
The two wheeled robot was completely stunned at the haunting figure, dripping in blood.
All it could do was watch; in excitement, fear, and confusion.
With what looks like the last bit of its strength, the ape held what it was holding even closer to itself
and tumbled into the Node’s premise. As life leaves its body, the ape drops on its side; curled up.
It spent everything it had, right up to the end, to protect what is in its arms.
When things settled, the two wheeled robot finally collected itself.
It began approaching the body, while looking for the ape’s attacker.
The robot noticed some movements in the forest, but none of them moved towards the clearing.
Once the robot got close enough they all began to leave.
--- ---
4-Wheeled Robot:
“What’s wrong? You drifted off. Did something happen?”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“Come out to the back right now. I-I can’t believe what just happened. Oh my god.”
Just as the two wheeled robot rolled up right next to the body, it noticed a noise; a muffled noise.
The four wheeled robot quickly arrived at the scene; exiting through the back entrance of the building.
Recognizing what was going on as it approached the body,
the four wheeled robot used its thermal sensors to check the surroundings and the body.
There were no signs of immediate threat, but a small heat signature can be seen amidst the ape’s cooling body.
4-Wheeled Robot:
“This... is unexpected. Let’s take them both in first before we figure out what to do.
Help me with the baby first.”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“Baby!? You mean that “baby”? Those weak, annoying, and cute versions of things!?”
4-Wheeled Robot:
“Yes. You hear it right? It’s great that you know about them. Carefully move the arms aside.
I can put the baby on top of me, we’ll carry the adult together.”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“Okay.”
4-Wheeled Robot:
“I’m impressed that it had the awareness to protect the baby from the electric field.”
The cries of the baby get louder as the arms are moved out of the way.
But to their surprise the baby looked nothing like the ape that was carrying it.
4-Wheeled Robot:
“This is crazy…”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“Is that what I think it is?”
It was a human baby.
--- ---
In the end only one of them was needed to carry the adult body,
so the two wheeled robot was told to keep the baby from dropping off its partner.
Leaving the body inside, right next to the back entrance,
they scrambled around the building for something soft to put the baby on.
Having no luck, the four wheeled robot gathered some leaves from the forest
and piled it together for the baby. They were placed at the center of a room on the second floor.
It was a room with a large window looking out towards the back of the building,
allowing for easy surveillance of the forest and natural light for the baby.
--- ---
Well into the afternoon, coming out of the elevator, the four wheeled robot rolled into the room quietly.
Hovering over the now sleeping baby is the two wheeled robot, fidgeting as quietly as possible.
4-Wheeled Robot:
“How’s the baby?”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“It fell asleep again. I’m trying my hardest to stay quiet this time.”
4-Wheeled Robot:
“I can tell. I cleaned up the outside with the hose; I can’t believe it still works.
We’ll have to deal with the body later.”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“Great, so we have water for the baby!”
4-Wheeled Robot:
“Ya, but I think we still need to make sure it’s clean.”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“How do you know it's not?.”
4-Wheeled Robot:
“I don’t. But I’d feel better if it can come from something we recognize was for drinking.”
The four wheeled robot quietly approached the baby; on the side opposing the two wheeled robot.
4-Wheeled Robot:
“This is just insane. A human baby. I don’t even know what to think about this situation.”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“I know, right?! Oooh! I’m so glad I came down here!
Do you think this is how we really look like when we were human?
I can see the similarities, but it doesn’t really resemble what’s in the servers.”
4-Wheeled Robot:
“There’s no way for us to tell anymore, after everything that’s happened to us.
From the Great Migration up until the Data-Purge,
all the data we have left on when we were humans are heavily compromised.
None of them really tell us anything.”
“I really hope there is at least something left on how to keep this baby alive, but I doubt it.”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“I'm surprised you know so much. About the Great Migration, Data-Purge, and all that?”
4-Wheeled Robot:
“Don’t worry. In a couple hundred years, you’ll be reading about them as well.”
“Honestly, I wish I could know more.”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“That- doesn’t sound very appealing... But if it's raising a baby you’re worried about,
I’ve done it countless times on the servers. I’m sure some of it translates!”
4-Wheeled Robot:
“We’ll try that when it really comes down to it; hopefully we don’t have to.”
“Anyways, what I really wanted to get at is that I’ll be going to the basements.”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“Basements..? Wait, no. Didn’t you say we can’t access the basements?”
4-Wheeled Robot:
“I did. I didn’t want to do anything too unnecessary when I came down here,
so I reactivated as little of the Node as possible.
But right now it’s probably our best bet for some lost data.”
The four wheeled robot begins moving towards the elevator.
2-Wheeled Robot:
“Let me g-”
4-Wheeled Robot:
“Stay. We don’t have much time, so I can’t reason with you right now.
We need to be able to take care of the baby before it’s too late.”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“No, let me go. Rather, I should be the one to go.”
The two wheeled robot quickly reached out to the four wheeled robot with its cable arm;
catching up to it at the entrance.
2-Wheeled Robot:
“You know more about the surface, and neither of us know what is below. It’s clear who should stay.”
4-Wheeled Robot:
“... No. You’ve just come down, I can’t have you doing something even I’m not prepared for.
Also, like I just said, we don’t have time to waste. I can’t risk you getting distracted.”
The four wheeled robot brushes off the arm that reached out to it, and made its way into the elevator.
4-Wheeled Robot:
“Keep me updated on things.
The open terminal on the left wall has the building’s surveillance map open.
You can help me navigate and look up information from the Arks’ databases.”
A large monitor can be seen on the left wall; spanning most of it.
Accompanying it is a small table of controls extended from the same wall, beneath the screen.
The table is attached to an adjustable mechanical arm; moveable on rails embedded along the wall.
2-Wheeled Robot:
“But-... Alright…”
The elevator doors close as the two wheeled robot rolls, sluggishly, back into the room.
4-Wheeled Robot:
“This is likely going to be a quick trip anyways. All data is supposed to be wiped after all.
You can explore the place afterwards.”
--- ---
After descending down to the basement's top floor,
the four wheeled robot moves through the darkness as if it’s lit; using its sonic and infrared sensors.
Moving past relatively narrow hallways, it makes its way to a large panel.
Opening it reveals 11 switches;
one clearly labeled “Master” and the others labelled with a number between 1-10.
Once the “Master” switch was turned on, all the other switches lit up and became active.
Up on the terminal, this also activates a new tab on the surveillance map menu;
labelled “Basement”. The 10 options within the tab were initially greyed out and inaccessible,
but one by one the options become available as their corresponding switches are turned on.
Each option displays a map of the basement floors.
Two green markers can be seen on the maps representing the two of them.
--- ---
4-Wheeled Robot:
“Ok everything seems to be functioning.
I’m going to log off from the terminal and focus on my surroundings now.
Let me know if anything looks off.”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“Ok.”
--- ---
Revealed through the maps, the layout of each floor is identical;
clearly built with effectiveness and efficiency in mind.
On site, the rows of monolithic servers extend all the way up to the ceiling and span most of the floor.
Between and around each row are small hallways left for maintenance and repairs;
just wide enough for two four wheeled robots to move past each other side by side.
Hallway after hallway, the robot diligently makes its rounds plugging its data cable into each and every
server. But time after time, it is only welcomed by emptiness. Floor after floor, nothing changes.
There really wasn’t much to find in the basements; just as the four wheeled robot expected.
--- ---
On the 9th floor of the basement.
4-Wheeled Robot:
“I’m almost at the last floor now, and things aren’t looking good. How about you?”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“Nothing useful on my end either. All I get are guides on how to be,
or raise a baby on different simulation servers; there is nothing on real ones.”
“The baby’s also been crying for a while now and it isn’t falling asleep!
I don't know what to do and it sounds like it hurts! How does it even do that?!
It was never like this back on the servers. Why can’t I find the prompts?!”
4-Wheeled Robot:
“Let’s..figure that out after this floor. I’ll come back up before going down to the last one.”
2-Wheeled Robot:
“That'd be great! Please hurry!”
--- ---
The four wheeled robot continues its search. Much like the previous eight floors, none of the servers
seem to have anything.
Disappointment continues to build alongside a new sense of worry thanks to its partner.
The robot quickens its pace, ever so slightly, as it weaves between servers.
But then suddenly, up on the terminal, on the 9th floor’s surveillance map,
the four wheeled robot’s icon turned blue and began blinking.
This actually went unnoticed by the two wheeled robot, who was still engulfed in databases.
Forced into a standby state, the mind which pilots the four wheeled robot,
lost all control over its robot body. The mind is driven back into the robot’s operating hub;
a place where the robot’s programs and functions are comprehensively displayed.
Fear and panic consumes the mind as it tries to assess the situation;
frantically trying to find what it is that is causing this. But it is impossibly difficult.
This is the first time the mind is made conscious of the feelings of powerlessness and vulnerability.
It is taking all its strength to stay sane.
With complete disregard to the mind’s anguish though, a prompt suddenly appears;
indicating a transfer of data. Then another prompt quickly replaces it, indicating an installation.
It is almost unrelenting. But upon sight of these prompts,
a brief moment of relief actually washes over the mind.
It finally recognizes something within the confusion.
Using this as an anchor, it begins evaluating its situation again.
As the installation finished, a new prompt appeared in its place once again.
But this time it was a prompt that required an action from the mind; an action to accept.
It reads:
“The installed program, Clayman’s Media Playback, is a legacy software and is no longer supported.
In order to execute this software, Clayman’s Software Creator can be used to rewrite it.
Would you like to do this?”
This prompt saved the mind. It has not only put things on a pause,
but also provided the biggest clue so far.
Taking advantage of the pause, the mind collected itself and analyzed its situation again.
It became clear that what caused all this was the last server that the robot connected to;
what remained unclear however, was how it happened and for what.
Luckily, through reading over the prompt’s request, it became apparent what all this was for.
The server wants legacy media to be played.
There was a moment of hesitation, worried about the dangers of unknown and intrusive data,
but the mind knew this was exactly what they were looking for.
Having decided to accept the action, the mind took an extra moment to brace itself for what's to come.
The mind accepts the action.
A new prompt appears once again.
Lines of code are scrolled in and out of view as the, now familiar, progress bar fills.
Within moments the action was fulfilled and a new action was requested:
“Would you like to start the program?”.
An almost instant acceptance was issued by the mind.
A blacked out viewer instantly appears in place of the prompt.
At its bottom, a timeline can be seen along with a timer and controls.
The timer begins counting up, likely indicating that media is being played,
but no audio, or video has been noticed. The mind braces itself once again.
Then, in a matter of seconds, the video officially begins.
The first thing that appears is what looks like a hand covering the camera.
As the hand moves away, an elderly lady can be seen getting into position; sitting behind a desk.
She looks composed, carrying a serene expression.
The mind is shook by the sight of a live adult human. It's trying its best to pay attention.
--- ---
“Hi! How are you? Um..Have you been eating properly? How is work?
Eh… Is ..eh..everything working out fine? …… Um..uh… I’m doing great!
But, uh.., things could, uh, always be better right? Uh-But we can’t be too greedy right!?
The lady quickly covers her face in disappointment.
She composes herself again and takes in a deep breath.
“…… Phuuu... Sorry, I’m a little tense. Achem… Let’s start from top!”
This awkward introduction puts the mind at ease.
Having been on edge the entire time up until this point,
the stumbling of the speaker loosened up the tension.
“Hi there! My name is Annetia Feirvette, I’m a...uh, scientist? Er, programmer? Engineer?
Hmm… Researcher! No. Hmm, What do we call ourselves again? ..Oh, right! A scholar!
I’m a scholar. Today is Thursday, January 23rd, 3507.
Three days from now, on Sunday, the Great Migration will take place
...Hahhh… It’s kind of depressing really, but there’s not much else we could do.
I’d like to say that I am making this video to help those in the future,
but really this is just me writing down my wish. I wonder what kind of world you’re in right now?”
The lady, all of a sudden, buries her head in her arms.
“Ahhhhhhh… I really hope those assholes don’t find this…”
Reacting to her own remark, she bounces back up; sitting straight again.
“Oops, uh… Achem. Anyways, where was I? Right, the Great Migration.
You may, or may not, be wondering what that means, but just in case I’ll give you a brief summary.
Humanity has reached its limit; we are no longer reproducing.
Our last child was born a little over 50 years ago now.
So to combat the physical withering of humanity,
the majority has chosen for us to exist digitally to remove all our physical aspects;
performing a massive digital migration. Hence, the Great Migration.”
“There is very little to argue about in terms of correctness.
This is by far the best approach under our current circumstances.
But I, along with a few others, don’t fully agree with it.
That is why I am recording this right now. In hopes that I may be right.”
“Now, if you’ve watched up until this point,
then I believe it is correct to assume... that humanity has appeared once again.”
--- ---
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