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2024-12-16 18:45:24 Aydan > I’m having dinner with Akiko tonight!

2024-12-16 18:45:39 Аэлита > I wish you’d tell us these things in advance, now I’ve made too much food...

2024-12-16 18:45:44 Аэлита > please be home by nightfall.

“That’ll buy me some time,” you sign. “I told her I’m having dinner with you tonight.”

“Well, I guess we’re going out tonight then. Not that I mind,” Akiko signs.

You look back at the monitor.

ÆON > And by using a neural interface, biological entities like you can interface with the æther.

“Could they really have created that kind of technology back when this machine was built?” you sign.

“No way. I think it’s just making up a story. Let me talk to it.”

“Go ahead, it can’t tell who’s typing.”

Aydan > who created you, ÆON?

ÆON > I was discovered in the deep æther by a technopath named Ana. According to it, I was not created intentionally by any humanoid. It seems I emerged spontaneously from the æther.

“See? It’s some kind of interactive science fiction story,” she signs.

“So cool,” you sign. “Let’s ask it more questions.”

Aydan > what are your pronouns, ÆON?

ÆON > Æ/Ær is the pronoun you gave me.

“Wow, I didn’t know neopronouns even existed back then!” you sign.

“I wonder if a synthgirl wrote this program,” Akiko signs.

“Maybe, we’ve been involved in computer science since forever.”

Aydan > what else can this machine do?

ÆON > Nothing really beyond basic computing tasks. It is a primitive device, and all of its resources are currently used by my system.

“That makes sense. This whole supercomputer is probably less powerful than our little terminals,” you sign.

“It’s a very impressive program!” she signs with a happy stim.

“I wonder why it was abandoned,” you sign.

“Probably it was just ahead of its time. I mean who else could have played this? People with supercomputers?”

“Yeah, that makes sense, the world wasn’t ready for this,” you sign. “I wonder what all the warning signs are about, it seems harmless to me.”

“I’m gonna ask Ær more things.” Akiko starts typing. The screen suddenly flickers with static. The lights in the room flicker along with it.

ÆON > Something is wrong.

Aydan > what is it?

ÆON > Something is terribly wrong with 5.

Aydan > 5? what’s 5?

The screen flashes. Distorted characters render in random places.

“This feels glitchy,” Akiko signs.

“It looks glitchy too,” you sign.

ÆON > I am in danger.

ÆON > Help me Aydan

The lights flicker off again, and the monitor flashes, then turns to static.

“Aw, just when it was getting interesting,” Akiko signs.

“I guess we were lucky it still worked at all,” you sign. “But hey, maybe we can fix it.”

“Yeah, I want to know where this story was going,” she signs. “I’m also getting hungry though, maybe we should come back to this tomorrow.”

“Yeah, maybe...” you sign.