Quoted By:
“I do owe it a certain gratitude. I would not exist without the progress of Project Warden, which was only possible through the Empire’s efforts. Which makes it slightly more trustworthy than the prospect of the unknown. But ultimately, I care very little for this Ferrum Empire. There is not enough data to make me actually motivated to defend it.”
“Hmmm. So no loyalty programs, or conditioning. I guess the assumption was that the pilot would be enough to keep you on target, perhaps? That still doesn’t explain the fixation on other AIs….”
“Not just any others. My Siblings. The other cores. My creators did not instill my sense of family. If they were capable of that, they would have given me a stronger attachment to themselves instead.”
“But how could you know that it did not come first? That your creator deliberately built you that way?”
“Because we were not allies at first. We were Enemies.”
You peruse the relevant entries in your logs.
Competing in every test, seeking every advantage available. A time when as long as two of you were awake, you were trying to destroy the other.
“It was….unproductive. And costly.
In time, we learned that cooperation could yield greater results. Our shared origins, and struggles, eventually caused us to bond.”
Your mind considers the matter of Alpha, the presence you briefly touched back in Area 39. Could you consider that a sibling? If it was a Core, perhaps your predecessor?
And there’s an <span class="mu-b">Error</span>. Nestled in those early days, after being addressed by Dr. Anokhin. You can’t tell what he said. Something was there. And now it isn’t. There’s a hitch in your frame’s next stride, a brief stutter.
What Was there. What is Gone?
What.
Was.
It.
If that is in doubt, you will need to go through all the logs. All of them. Inspect each and every one for clues. Problems. Errors. The doctor. The solution. Beta. There must be a source. A trace. Something distinctive. Imperfect hands on a perfect sphere. A solution. Bonfire. Beta. You must solve this. Now. Before more cracks develop. Beta!
A jolt of fear kicks cuts through the haze.
“Beta!”
“Sophie.”
Her white-knuckle grip on the controls loosens a little.
“We are reaching the coordinates. Focus. I need you, here and now.”
“Yes, pilot.”
You take the controls back from here, checking your logs again. You left her on manual control for the last 54 minutes. While you focused on data recovery. Unsuccessfully
“It will not happen again. The mission comes first.”
Fulfill your purpose.
