I-5483113 stopped outside the door of Callie’s room. Something about this situation was..unfulfilling. That being the closest she might feel to an actual emotion when presented with a situation she was unable to resolve. It was not a sensation a machine intelligence experienced often, much like a cog by its very nature had to reach some sort of conclusion if even an inconclusive conclusion. Her process should not be running further and yet- that one tiny cog deep inside, kept on rotating. It was insistent on new re-iterations of the situation. Perhaps because the AI was rather.. fond of Callie. She was the first biological being to be able to exist in this environment for some time.
There was something that she had to do still perhaps? A form of.. parental responsibility? Perhaps she best.. make time for herself first. It had been a long time since she had undergone any maintenance and it would ensure her own systems were functioning correctly. The information Callie presented was contradictory and inconsistent with basic evidence. I-5483113 realised she was on the verge of questioning her very BIOS… while it was not impossible for such a thing to become corrupted, it could not be discounted. An objective analysis was required.
“I-5483113, Initiate verbal communication, Central” she requested verbally She knew her verbal systems were correct, given she could ‘hear’ herself with independent systems. Central will also have its own systems to see if she was saying something while hearing another- should her systems be compromised in more ways then one.
“Verbal Link established.” said Central. I-series confirmed. Clearance level: Orange.” Its voice was hazy.. harsh.. one might describe it as perhaps a bit masculine perhaps.
“Log entry for date Silamar, Day C, E8391.” I-5483113 replied.
“Date confirmed. Proceed.”
The clockwork acknowledged that she could trust her timing mechanisms. If -that- was off, then something had to be seriously wrong with her systems. “I-5483113 has completed the task of the current cycle. This unit is assigned to Registered Child Callie. Her treatment has responded well, and she is physically healthy. However my systems are… experiencing… remunerations.”
Central processed this. “Evaluating records. I5483113, last Service was 394832 Solar Cycles of the Host-World. A full diagnostic will be performed and maintenance carried out.”
I-5483113 began to walk towards the room of her creation. Memories surfaced of that time… her program certainly afforded her a greater sense of accomplishment back then. She was the caretaker of many children and families while they existed in this station. She provided direction and answered basic questions on what she understood by clarity of mathematical thought. Though she was also amongst the last ones to be made, while the others were placed in vacuum storage. She herself stayed on in case -they- returned… cycles of cycles had past but she continued repairing the moon station deligently. There was no emotion to it, just the continued wait. As long as they had energy, they could pretty much make anything required for the eventual arrival… and now Calie was here.
The room opened for her with a single shadow impression on the wall that was exactly her size- well- the size of every single I series. I-5483113 positioned herself within it. She felt prongs attach to the cog on her back. The torque on it was gentle, as the basic test explored any potential damage to her cam-shaft. There was none… which meant they could proceed. A magnetic coil was placed around the spring and- instantly, I-5483113 felt her cog speed up, unwinding her. Her Kinetic energy slowed until she was just a doll, staring vacantly. One might say this was the closest her kind experienced relaxation. With her main cog now off, she could still think.. for some reason, that one cog still contemplating Callie… Machine arms picked her up by the shoulders, placing her into a new alcove. Small orbs were placed on each of her joints, as they pushed and pulled her cogs testing her functions as they did.
The voice of the repair station spoke with clipped indiference. “Cog 3928, Left thigh is out of alignment. Cog 192, neck is not working correctly. Shutter of Right Eye, has minor damage. Repairs are being initiated.” Central logged.. it to the file though there was nobody of course to see this log… not any more.
I-5483113 Observed as her eye was removed. A simple process really. Within the socket was the sheen of her metalic skin and some unusual interfaces of tiny strange lines as well as a single cog. The old one taken apart before her. Pieces of glass and shutters, more cogs… all taken to be reyled. A new one was taken out form a cabinet.
The new eye was identical in every way, with the new shutter syncing to her left eye the moment it was inserted and binocular vision was re-established. Her leg was removed, then replaced a moment later. The old leg disassembled for useful parts as was the case of her old eye. The arm was twisted the ‘wrong way’, opening up the systems.. exposing her gears. A tiny forcep-like instrement was inserted as the offending cog was removed, then this too was replaced, while a similar procedure was done to her neck. She couldn’t move, but she could think.. and think she did while ‘relaxing’ as she was remade.
… The biological races were a great mystery. Nothing about them made logical sense, yet they were created by them. Their very ethics and codes had been programmed into every aspect of their existence and they had to abide by the laws of their creators… and their creators -did- allow them to wonder and imagine- perhaps because to them it was unethical for them not to allow it? Right now, I-5483113 was being repaired, her mind being analysed and if there was an issue it was being repaired to the correct specifications... part of her.. did wonder why a biological being could not be repaired as she was right now. The technology to do so existed… Callie could certainly be re-programmed and any difficult memories of her gender could simply be removed as easily as if a file were simply corrupted. This would surly provide her with a greater quality of life, no different then replacing her own body parts when they were worn out.
Yet the ethics were clear, this was -Not Allowed- under any -ANY- circumstances. A biological being could not be reprogrammed. They were the custodians of this place, not its masters.. they could not change any of the rules they operated in.
“Repairs complete.” the machine spoke.
Once again the cog-machine girl was picked up and returned to the alcove. Something attatched to her mainspring and that feeling of satisfaction began to grow as once again, I-5483113 felt raw kinetic energy flow into her being. “You are now returned to service I-5483113. Welcome to Luna Nova. The current population is 00001. You have 1 assignment; Custodian to Callie Null Null.”
I-5483113 stepped out of the system with her new leg and arm… and looked the same as she ever had. Maybe.. she could check on Callie. She walked back to the room but.. something wasn’t right. “Central? Can you locate Callie?”
Central took a moment to respond. “Callie is currently at the reception of the Biosync Laboratory.”
“… what is she doing there?” I-5483113 asked concerned again.
“She is there without an appointment and no parents. Virtualisers are attempting to disuade her from entry but she is not being cooperative. Request that you… act as leason to the child before she harms herself?”
I-5483113 might have sighed if she could. There was no danger to Callie of course.. that particular laboratory was one of the most safeguarded areas in the entire complex. It was only for use if one is injured or had developmental problems. Since those did not exist in the child any more, she was not allowed there any more…
Callie had a strange dream… she could have sworn she saw her mother. There were clouds in space after all, though she didn’t know what their names would be- if they had names. She felt herself floating towards one.
“Mom!” she called out suddenly. Her face was right there! It had been a long time since she had ever seen it, not even having a painting of her but- yes that -was- her.
She saw the figure reach out towards her, just as she was then- “What?” Her hand touched a reflective surface. It was… a floating bubble of water, in the void of space that reflected -her- .. her body. She stared down at herself suddenly in confusion. “Wha- what is-”
Then she woke up. “Urgh!” The recall of those images made her check her body. She was still.. a girl. Not an adult by far, but by the way her body looked it seemed like adult-hood was just around the corner for her. It was bad enough being a girl, but it felt like this body was maturing faster then her age would suggest. Not by much, but enough that made her actually -fear- growing up. A boy tended to grow up.. discreetly. Perhaps that was why she was able to indulge in immaturity… how could she act anything like she had before, looking like this?
Callie looked stunned as she listened to the strange music of the stars above her. This odd ‘bubble bed’ had given her some really strange dreams which she was quickly dismissing. This entire place was just alien, despite how welcoming it had been and no longer felt a safe place… as when she first saw it. She was naive to think an ancient colony would be safe. Nobody knew anything about this race… nothing at all. How could an entire species just -vanish- leaving behind the occasional artifact.
Her entire plan was just crashing before her eyes… she was supposed to come back to her town a hero, someone who solved the mystery of the weird magic that plagued everyone as well as getting a cure for her own change… she angrily clasped her hands around the purple bangs of hair, which for some reason had arranged themselves into twin lengths of hair running down framing her face. She felt their strange softness, realising they had grown past her shoulders. “I have to fix this myself...”
Callie was starting to get used to the low gravity… The ‘bed’ opened itself up to her motions and thoughts automatically, letting her burst out of it like a seed in a giant fruit. She somehow felt refreshed as if she had had a shower. She glanced back at it not at all sure what it was made off. It was something like jelly and air with a blanket but only when she wanted it to be.
She had to make sure that weird ‘robot’ wasn’t around… “That thing isn’t here...” Callie whispered to herself as she opened the door by pressing the glowing wall next to it.. A quick glance around the odd bright corridors and she saw the way was clear. She could get back to that ‘moving room’. All she had to do was get back to that magic room and find a spell to return her back to normal. These things were just insane to do this to her! She wasn’t going to become something like those ‘other’ infected people. That wasn’t supposed to happen to her!
She was a bit wary walking around without someone around but- she knew the robot wasn’t going to help her. She got to the moving room, and stared at the panel inside. Letters were here and.. she could read them! Somehow… yes, it was all clear to her. Though she could read the letters, she didn’t understand some of their meaning. “Docking...” she read. “That must be where they moor the ships,” she thought. Flying ships? Between.. the stars? Or just between the planet and here… it was so confusing. What was out there? More of these stations? “Residents...” That was where she was now? She made a note to memorise the number. Still more words but she didn’t understand them. Things like ‘Menta-com- or -Tele-port’ She did however find the symbol that she knew meant ‘Doctors’. Would that take her back?
The door closed and she felt the strange motion as the room moved around the complex then.. stopped and opened again. She started down the new corridor... the vast expanse of this.. moon-city and how empty it was began to show itself in eerie shadows. It was simulating some kind of ‘night’ time, with the domes above all giving a curious dim glow. Why would they do that? Whatever it was, it made her sleepy. She caught sight of her own world, and paused a moment at it.. floating there, every person and every thing she had ever known…
It took a lot of time for her to retrace her steps. Thankfully, it wasn’t too difficult, especially as she could read the various signs now. She saw the signs for ‘doctor’ and that was where she wanted to go. She recognised the door, and placed her hand on the panel as the robot had to open it. As she stepped into the threshold of this room there was a a burst of blue light. Callie blinked but ignored it. “The magic room is just past there,” she remembered. She ran up to it with that strange odd spring in her step, however she found she couldn’t get in. She pressed her hand to the panel, but it began to glow red instead of the green glow she usually saw.
Suddenly, the wall near her blazed in white light. It was like a window just formed. There was a person there, a female woman not unlike herself but older. She had a silver dress, and her antenna’s were black. The tip of them looked different, while Callie’s had them shaped like strange stars the woman’s had them shaped like the leaves of a fern. They even had a greenish outline.
“Hello Callie,” The woman said cheerfully. “I’m afraid we don’t have a doctor available right now. Our scan’s reveal nothing out of the ordinary and you are in good health. If you would like further advice please make an appointment with your parents.”
Callie frowned. She realised quickly that the ancients employed weird servants.. that were not real. Ghosts… “Just another not-real person,” She realised as she tapped the barrier of the wall between her and this ‘woman’. She decided to ignore her, and continue trying to get into the laboratory. She pressed at the door, pushing at it forcefully.
“Callie?” the girl in the window enquired. “Could I ask you not to do that? That room is not safe for an unaccompanied child.”
The changed girl ignored her still. She had to get in there if she wanted to get back to normal! “I want that magic ball that turned me into this, so I can turn back.” She demanded.
“Magic? uh...” the girl at the window looked almost embarrassed. “We do not employ magic in this facility Callie. If you’re having trouble sleeping, we can provide you with something basic.”
“I want to talk to a real person!” Callie demanded. “You ain’t real!”
The woman seemed unconcerned at being called ‘unreal’. However being requested something finally certainly brightened her up. “I can bring I-5483113 to you. She has had to undergo some maintenance but will be here shortly.”
“A REAL person!” Callie almost screamed her lungs out. “URGH!” Callie didn’t want to be anywhere near that robot who messed things up for her and changed her into this girl-thing!
