“ Ooh, looks like someone’s still trapped in their head. Still stuck in the past, hmm, Henderson?”
Syn replied, bored.
Great, he’s insane. Thinks I’m an apparition.
Syn walks over and picks up the note.
Oh great, like that’s not a trap.
“Soo, who are you?” Dan murmured nervously.
He dare not make a move, the strange bug like creature staring at him.
Hacktop nods slowly, nervously tapping his hand together. He then paces around the room, as much as a floating creature can really pace around. He thinks for a little bit, trying to come up with the best course of action.
“Hmmm… it has self aware functions, and its parameters are beyond what I can read… it can hear me think out loud can it.”
He pauses for a bit and faces will. “Sooooo… what and where are your self repair or rebooting executables?”
@Kirathel
“Hey now, only my therapist can tell me that… I think,” He says as he finishes up his business in the restroom, not really catching on to what Syn is saying. He walks back into the cheap, one bed hotel room. He kicks away fast food trash as he gathers up his unused water bottles that covers the small nightstand.
“Listen, do you want help me get my gnomes back and compromise international secrets or what?” His eyes narrow as he glances at Syn and the note with a look of suspicion, “…say… you wouldn’t happen to be member of those dessert weirdos, are you?” He slowly reaches toward something hidden underneath his pillow.
@MakutaOisli
Syn chortles softly. “We have better things to do than chase gnomes and false leads.” He looks down at Hendersons arm.
“Really? Oooh, he’s got a weapon. How scary. Tell me, what’s going to happen when room service comes in, as and sees you pointing a gun at a robot? Then what happens?” He approaches Henderson.
@Spawner
The girl gave a small smile and took a sip of her cocoa, “Well, I think your Mum is out today,” she said quietly and looked at her with silent eyes, “You are quite the person aren’t you?” she glanced round the room, her eyes barely flickering as she took in the cacophony of colours and choices that her assigned human seemed to have chosen.
Her eyes then settled on the globe set, “Ah, how fascinating, you must have a ‘round’ Earth here. How interesting,” she then set her eyes back on Styx, “I have a few names, but I’ll just throw them out to you and let you choose whichever you care to use,” she paused and took a long sip of cocoa before continuing, “I am known as Death, but you aren’t dying, I am known as Miss Matchstick, but you need not more illusions; You have crafted your own you see, and lastly my name which I cherish most,” she paused to point a finger up, “For it is my Christian name you see, is that of Pernille L. Christensen, but who is to say what name you will use, from the looks of it you’ll probably call me something else entirely.”
Then, with a fluid motion, she pointed her hand to the cocoa sitting on the side table, “Your cacao is getting cold, it is a treat, you shouldn’t let sweets go to waste you know. They are quite uncommon.”
Will lets out a long sigh. “You’re not thinking out loud, you’re just talking-”
He cuts off, lying there for a few seconds before he opens his eyes and glowers at Hacktop. “Executables-what are you some kind of computer guru? I’m a person not a MacBook.”
He chuckles sadly. “Don’t think I could even afford one of those anyways. I mean, if you’re asking about vice, I think I still have some chocolates on the bedside table. Those usually…do the trick…”
He squints at the glowing figure. “…what are you, even?”
The lock clicks as Horizons’ tendrils push the latch and disengage its function. It starts to push the door open-
-and pauses.
The strange wonderful biped has vanished. Or was it there?
Horizons turns and its flower-head glistens as a great eye pokes out of the center of the flower, peering into the van. A number of tendrils flare out, eyes opening all over them to further the search.
More tendrils emerge, tiny nasal vents sniffing for scents. Yet more slip out, tiny ears blooming over their surface as Striding Supervening Horizons stands in front of the door, body unmoving, sensors thrashing.
it is nearby
out of sight? presence possible-likely-possible
tools present?
Did it make this machine? Did it steal it, take it from another? What was it? How was it here?
Horizons starts to move now, body shaking as it gingerly places its palms on the van.
destroy the machine expose interior expose bipedal learn must learn
cannot learn impossibility must acquire now now now now
cannot sacrifice one complexity for another?
It cannot sacrifice one complexity for another. Can it?
If it destroys the machine now how will it be able to learn of it later?
Horizons taps the metal with a finger and considers.
destruction yields a complexity of its own acquisition of violence emotive power physical disentanglement no more machine opposing immediate access to present or nonpresent bipedal complexity
failure to acquire maximum complexity will be-
Horizons pauses one moment more and then kneels.
And puts its hands beneath the van, gripping it by the undercarriage.
Henderson expedites his gun grabbing process and pulls out a Spas-12 that he kept hidden underneath his pillow. Holding the shotgun at his hip, Henderson points it in the direction of Syn’s chest.
“Dude, if room service came in right now, that would only confirm that they are government spies and proves that I am not the crazy one here by seeing floating demons. I am prepared to fight glowie scrubs, not… whatever the heck you are.”
@MakutaOisli
Hacktop blinks at Will in confusion and fear, his thoughts racing as he has a mild existential crisis thanks to Will’s response.
How did he figure out my job? How does he not know what he is and still find that out? What sort of nutjob programmed this thing?
“Your a… person… right, right, right,” Hacktop nervously blurts out, “If accessing these ‘chocolates’ helps you sort out your error cod… I mean help you calm down then sure, do that.” He starts to tap his figures together again in a nervous tick. “As for me. I just… work here, if that makes any sense to you.”
@Kirathel
Sarah grasped the axe quickly and then kicked open the door, with Horizons putting his hands underneath the van that would place his head right in the right spot for the door to clock him as it opened.
As the chorus of the song played, she leapt out of the van and swung the ax straight for the hopefully very confused Horizon’s head.
Will reaches over to his bedside table and grabs for a bag of chocolate almonds perched there, half-opened. His eyes never leave Hacktop the whole time…which means he awkwardly fumbles for the bag several times before grabbing it and retrieving a handful of almonds.
“Yep, still a person, last time I checked,” he mumbles as he inhales the entire handful in about three bites. In between chewing he looks over Hacktop for the fifteenth time in several minutes, trying to work up the nerve to engage with this…thing. It doesn’t look overtly harmful at least. No knife-fingers or glowing eyes (well, the whole thing is glowing but thats different), no obvious malicious cackling or anything like that.
“No, that actually doesn’t help me at all. This motel’s like two stories and ten rooms, I would have noticed if a glowing man was working here. And you talk more like a coder than a motel assistant.”
The door opens suddenly and collides with Horizons’ floral component. There is a damp sound, as though the metal is hitting raw meat instead of (what looks like) flower petals-
intrusion
rogue complexity attempting reduction of self
reduction? loss of archive? failure to retain info-mass-?
The offending door swings clear and then the biped, the lovely, strange, foreign biped is standing there swinging-
tool?
non-natural object generated by complex process
exceeds expected parameters for prior simple lifeforms encountered
possibility of elsewise complexity? consciousness-?
activity resulting in injury/self-reduction?
query response
Whether the creature has time to dodge and fails to, or simply stands there, the result is the same. The axe hits the central, flowerlike mass and embeds itself. There is an awful, awful wet sound.
The flower swells as thin red tendrils emerge from every petal, every nook, and slowly move over the axe. They clamor over the blade, they wrap around the handle, they smell and catalog every property of the weapon as Horizons kneels there, motionless.
Then a single tendril extends from its wrist and turns toward the biped, its end generating an eye that peers toward them.
tool user behavior indicates higher consciousness
reduce complexity and catalogue?
secondary, primary establish communication
define?
deploy internal logic
The tendril retreats as Striding Supervening Horizons raises its hand. A moment later, the word “hello” appears in the extended palm.
internal logic deployed, await response
The music played echoing more faintly from the van as she stood there, “Sharp woooords bleeeeeding, She likes ‘em cold and dead but she’ll still eat a man alive!”
She was now breathing slowly watching as the swirling flowery mass of tentacles swarmed around the blade of the axe and began to dance around the hilt. She couldn’t lose the weapon, that simply was not an option.
With a heave and grunt she ripped the axe up and pulled backwards, letting the flesh rip and tear if it had to as she stumbled backwards. Slowly, she read the word and her eyes flitted from side to side calculating how fast she could get to the library, “I’m dreaming, that or,” she paused and narrowed her eyes, “What do you want?”
When the little girl claims that Mom is gone, Styx gives a retort, throwing up her left arm.
“Out? What do you mean out? She’s. . .”
Moving around, Styx does a stretching crawl over until she can find her phone, only to realize it’s still in her pockets. She lays back down on the bed to pull it out and and shoves the screen closer to her face. The time no longer mattered – there was a text notification.
Mom: Don't know when we'll be back, still at hospital. Doctors might force a decision. Get home safe. Shan is staying with Trish.
She just stares at the message, screen still locked. Mumbles something about the Earth being an ellipsoid.
She pushes herself back up into her former sitting position and stares at the girl. She blinks.
Says nothing. Lets the little girl do her creepy thing.
You’re death and I died. . . Looks like you were right Mom.
“Keep that up and you’ll summon a demon.”
And I guess I summoned Death. Pfft. Yeah, right.
Well Death, meet your river, and get out of my room.
“OH!” she exclaimed, a gleam in her eyes. “I get it, you’re trying to be edgy by saying you used the stove without adult supervision. Nice try. Why are you here? How long hav–”
She freezes, throws the covers off, goes over and grabs Little Miss Death by the wrists, and starts pulling her along. Unlocking the unlocked door, she goes out into the hall and marches straight for the nearest bathroom.
“Come on, I need to keep an eye on you. Stupid–”
Styx swore something, but not at the little girl. She just realized this meant she was left with her contacts in the entire night. Hands and face needed to be washed, then new ones put in, and restore makeup.
Pernille blinked at her, interruptions and all, and simple sipped her cocoa, and followed her with nary a shrug or complaint, “Well, I have been here since the night I do believe. I do not know why, but that is no matter,” she said sipping her cocoa as she followed the girl, “You really shouldn’t waste sugar so needlessly it’s quite rare,” she chastised.
Then she paused as she heard the delightful words come forth unprompted, “Well, I certainly wasn’t planning on hiding. I am supposed to assist you it seems. With what I do not know, but I am sure it will be a learning lesson,” she nodded slowly, “May I inquire your name?”
…My parents didn’t think giving me my own Ahsoka Tano would work, right? It hasn’t worked with siblings or babysitting. Please no, I don’t need to be chained to a tatter.
Whatever. Call the cops or somethin’.
“Styx. Like the river. The cool one. But what do you mean assist me? Who assigned you? What scambot put me on their list?”
She finishes with the contact lenses, but is still working on the light makeup.
“Ah, I am aware of that one yes, and to that I have no answer. I do believe you called me if I have read this situation proper,” she stated with a small nod, “So, I suppose I would have to ask you the same questions.”
Kipper woke up on a hay bale. It was a pretty comfy hay bale. One of his favorites, honestly. Problem was, he didn’t remember coming back to this hay bale. In fact, all he remembered was following some voices in the woods, and…
He turned around, and there was a white rectangle. Floating. Things normally didn’t float like that. Odd.
Rising with a stretch and cokcing his head to one side, Kip began to circle the rectangle, giving it a thorough sniff before trying a bark.
“Hey, what are you?”
(@ajtazt)
Ozymandia was somewhere else now, which wouldn’t be so bad if she could also remember where she had just been. But she knew one thing, she was Ozymandia, and all deserved to know it. She surveyed here surroundings. Small. Messy. Showed a lack of self respect, whatever it was that lived here. Speaking of…
She took a step toward Kay.
“Where am I?” Ozymandia asked in a flat, even tone, an emotionless expression carved on her features.
Syn blinked. “I am not a demon. I am not a… what ever you called me. And this…” Syn taps on the barrel of the shotgun. “This will not kill me. Now, silence, lest you wish to ruin this… wonderful opportunity you have, skinbag.”
He backed away.
Hacktop doesn’t respond to Will attempt at striking up a proper conversation. Instead, Hacktop franticly looks between the chocolate almonds and Will’s munching of them. With his body starting to tremble, Hacktop slowly grasps at and partly grabs his own face, as a wave of utter despair overcomes him.
“No no no no no no no…” Hacktop mutters in a low tone. “How can do you that? Why do you have to do that? They where simple yet elegant programs. And you… just… dismantled them… decompiled them… a complete override.” He begins to hyperventilate as he fails to find any other words to describe Will’s consumption of the almonds.
@Kirathel
Henderson starts to chuckle to himself, which then gradually builds up into full blown laughter. He starts laughing so hard that he is barely able to contain the hiccups that come with it.
“Man…,” he manages to say with a heavy breath, “Its been a while since my hallucinations had a sense of genuine humor. I’ll figure out whatever that guy gave me last night so I can talk to you again sometime.”
Henderson rests the shotgun over his shoulder and with casual confidence begins to walk forward right through where Syn is floating. Unfortunately for Henderson, the true nature of his present predicament becomes apparent as he bumps into Syn. Genuine surprise overcomes Henderson’s face as he recoils from colliding with Syn’s metal form.
@MakutaOisli
Will stops midcrunch and slowly drops the rest of the almonds into the bag. “…wha-no, no you don’t get to appear in front of my bed and wake me up thinking I’m high, and then freak out because I’m eating…food? Do you not know what food is-”
He cuts himself off and frowns deeply, shoving down a wave of panicked nausea. “…how did you even get in here?”
The sharp thing is removed and Horizon’s tendrils go inward, pulling petals close and weaving them back together like a hundred cords as it rises to its full height. The center of the flower swells and a bright eye appears and looks at her, joined by a handful of other, smaller eyes at other points in the flower. A few tendrils extend but do not approach her.
Words flash across its body and over the ground…and over her van.
Did you make that? Tool, yes?
Are you conscious? Do you understand this communication? Our desire is for communication, information. Comprehend complexities, remove ignorance.
Horizons gestures with a hand, and another sentence writes itself across its palm. Do you understand?
Henderson can smell spilled blood and motor oil, as Syn looms above him, his face a cold, bleached mask. Syn cocks his head to the side, before he speaks. His voice is icy, electronic, digital.
“I’m not here to play ga̷m̴e̷s̵, Henderson.” Syn twitches.
“Now, you will listen, OR ELSE.”
He boomed. Syn holds out his hand, and dangling from it was an oxidized chain, with a glass shard attached. Most of it was smooth, except for one side, sharp and pointy.
“T̸A̵K̷E̷ IT.” @Spawner
“Nope, most everybody around here all looks about the same, unless theyre from out of town.”
After watching the strange being give an incredibly human yawn, Cody asks “You seem tired, you uh, need to sleep or something?”
He shoots a fast glance at the door after asking, hoping his look wont be noticed
oh gods its awake now
Emm lets out a short string of chirps as she floats backwards just barely, trying to create just a little bit more distance between herself and the strange giant now staring her down
“I never called for you, I called for a rock,” came her blunt reply.
Finished up, she steps out of the bathroom and gets a good look at the girl. She pulls up her phone and starts looking for any missing persons in the nearby area and she heads down stairs to the kitchen.
“If you keep this up, I will take you to the cops.”
The rectangle does not move, but Kip hears a voice come from it.
“A defender. No harm shall come.”