FUNCTION-L₃ #26

>Y

The system reboots, automatically loading a program.

愛ＤＯＬＬ system online

Loading character data...

Loading memories...

The holoprojector alights in a dazzling flash of colors, concentrating into a few purple beams sweeping across the ceiling. Some of the fog machines around the back activate, spilling forth their vapor for the strobes and lasers to catch. The functional displays activate, joining in the explosion of light and color. At last the lights all concentrate directly over the projector, shaping into a humanoid form---the size of a child, with feliform ears and a fluffy tail.

At first a silhouette of purple light, one by one the avatar’s features coalesce---it swipes its fingertips across its face, and purple eyes appear. It reaches up to its head and a cute shape of short, neck-length hair emerges, with bangs swept across its forehead, the same purple as the fur on its ears and tail. As its surface of light begins to coalesce into light brown skin, it forms a black cloak, purple inside, wrapping itself up. When it opens it again, the form of clothes take shape---a skirt reaching to just above its knees, a crop top going midway down its abdomen, and boots with thick tall soles, all solidifying into the appearance of fabric and leather, black with accents of purple, and emblazoned on its chest you see the same emblem painted on the outside of the colony. In its hand manifests a large wireless microphone, decorated with the crescent symbol of your homeworld. A light purple aura surrounds it all. You would almost think you were looking upon an avatar in the æther, if you weren’t surfacelocked lacking your interface collar and terminal.

“Helloooo AtaraChiba!” the avatar speaks by way of the massive speaker cabinets flanking the stage, those that still function. A beat formed of classic synth textures rises in the background, accompanying its words. “Sorry for that brief interruption! We seem to be back online now---wait, who are you?” The background music suddenly stops, and the hologram drifts away from its platform, floating right in front of you, so lifelike you could almost pet it. It looks between you and Akiko.

“I’m Aydan, every pronoun, and this is Akiko, she/her,” you say.

“Aydan and Akiko! Akiko and Aydan! What an adorable pair! A couple perhaps?” it says.

“That’s right,” you say.

“How inspiring! It’s so great to meet you, I’m Vix, nya/nyan! The latest, greatest sensation of AtaraChiba! And this new single is dedicated to you, my newest best friends! I call it, 明子とアイダン～ＬＯＶＥＦＯＲＥＶＥＲ～!”

The song renders immediately, erupting from the speakers with a strong pulse of bass and a whimsical melody in a fuzzy synth texture.

“What do you think??” nya says.

“Pretty damn good classic Lunar synthwave!” you say. “Real 22nd century style!”

“Doesn’t do much for me,” Akiko signs.

Vix lets go of nyas microphone, letting it float in mid-air, using both nyas hands to sign. “I should have realized! Sorry, I can speak any language so it’s no problem,” it signs in JSL, recognizable to you but a little distorted, a few expressions you don’t fully understand.

“Interesting, the subtle inflection and lexical difference a century makes,” Akiko signs.

“Huh? You don’t seem that old to me!” Vix signs. “Now, please don’t give up on me just yet! I have many talents...”

The lights intensify, tracing a tapestry in the fog, patterns that pierce deep into your mind, like you’re floating ætherside, embraced by light.

“Pretty cool, for light, photons are a little overrated if you ask me,” Akiko signs.

“That’s ok, I like a challenge! How about this?” The song changes, greatly intensifying its bass layer, vibrating the stage beneath your feet, the walls around you, even the broken glass scattered across the floor dances under the immense sound waves reverberating around.

“Now that’s stimmy!” Akiko signs with a happy stim matching the rhythm. “Wow, you are a pretty good exopath if you can compose good music for the Deaf, some humanoids still struggle at that.”

“An exopath, what’s that? I’m an 愛ＤＯＬＬ!” nya signs.

“A primitive exopath, but you’re impressive for your time!” you sign.

“By the way,” nya signs as nya song winds down. “Can you help me fill in a hole in my mind? We just had a state of emergency, and now I can’t reach any of my fans at all! What happened?”

A shadow seems to fall over Akiko’s face as her LEDs shift to dark blue. “Earth happened,” she signs. “Our colony was attacked. They breached our wall and invaded. It’s likely many of your old fans died during that battle and the occupation that followed...”

“No!” Vix signs.

“I’m sorry, but it gets worse for you,” Akiko signs. “Since the time you seem to have last shut down, it’s been over 1200 months. It’s very unlikely anyone you know is still alive.”

“All my best friends are dead! How horrible!” Vix signs as its light show shifts to indigo matching Akiko’s eyes. “I would write a suitable requiem for each and every one of you! But what’s the point...it won’t bring you back to me...” Nya seems to sit down, still floating in front of you and Akiko, and buries nya face in nya hands.

“If it’s any consolation, everyone who participated in the attack is surely dead by now too,” Akiko signs.

“Those Earthworm bastards! I hope they’re lying frozen in the Lunyar shadow forever, nya!” Vix’s lights glow red. “Well, what happened after?”

“The occupation was brutal, but our world survived. We endured, and resisted, and eventually they had to withdraw. Then we rebuilt our world. But sadly, your venue here was kind of forgotten by the wayside,” Akiko signs.

“They forgot about me...” Vix signs. “And what happened to the Earthworms after that?”

“The war ended, after 127 months of intense fighting. Colony kills, kinetic bombardments, nuclear strikes, they held nothing back. Neither did we. We fought them back to geostationary orbit and established a demilitarized zone. There was never a formal end, never a surrender from Earth, but effectively all worlds and colonies won our independence,” Akiko signs.

“It warms my heart to know that in some form we were victorious over those ruthless murderers!” Vix stands up and takes nya microphone back. “Well, nothing to do now but move forward, right? I’m off to a great new start to my career with two amazing number one fans like you!”

“You’re taking it well, for an exopath that at least seems to have some emotional capacity,” you sign.

“Exopath.” Vix mimics your sign again.

“That’s what we’ve come to call entities like you,” you sign. “Minds of synthetic origin. The technology has advanced a lot since you were compiled, when exogenitors were just starting to be able to synthesize emotional responses. You might be interested to meet today’s exopaths.”

“I would love to! I wonder what kind of music they like,” nya signs.

“Of course, you’re cut off from the æther down here, its connection protocols didn’t even exist when your machine was built. We would have to transplant you to a modern system...” you sign.

“Wait, Aydan,” Akiko signs. “We’re on a mission here. We’re being tested, remember? We promised the Marimo no Kachibito that we wouldn’t take anything from the old city.”

“Sure, but, Vix isn’t a thing, nya’s a sentient being! Probably.” You turn back to Vix. “What do you want? Do you want to come with us?”

“Yes, definyately! Take me with you!” nya signs.

“See? Will and volition. Nya seems to feel joy and grief and have a desire for connection with others. It could just be nya program as a performer, but it’s not unthinkable that engineers in the wartime era could have achieved a sentient S-class exopath. As Messenger of ÆON, I can’t just leave such a being imprisoned down here,” you sign.

“It’s not like I disagree, after all the things we’ve been through,” Akiko signs. “But if nya’s discovered in our possession somehow, we might never get our interfaces back, and we’d be in huge trouble with our sponsors. I’m just saying, maybe there’s another way?”

“Don’t worry, best friends! I’m so confident you won’t let me down that I’m not going to worry about it the slightest bit! I will wait patiently while you unilaterally decide my fate, nya!”