FYS: Test Case
Aug. 17th, 2015 04:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeriendhalSequel to Mouse Maze
***
Tim looked over at Kim, where she sat huddled in one corner of the metal chamber. “How long do you think we've been in here?”
“I don't know,” she answered irritably. “We left our phones back home, remember? All I know is that I have to pee.”
“Me too.” Though going by that clock it had to be about two hours. Maybe. The single light panel in the ceiling gave no clues, but it had been mid day when they'd ventured into the strangely unmonitored service tunnel and then got lost. Or had been made to get lost.
It had been the longest time he'd ever been separated from his morph that he could remember. So how come I feel scared instead of free?
The steel door finally opened a few minutes later. Tim managed to lever himself to his feet, pins and needles running up and down his legs, just before the morph entered. Though it stayed by the door, he found himself back into the corner next to Kim, trying to put as much distance between himself and the strange creature.
Most morphs that weren't built purely to be functional, like a rug cleaner, were humanoid, and covered with a pleasing pseudo-fur skin in various patterns ranging from the realistic to the fantastical. This one looked like its outer skin layer had been peeled off, stripping it to the base of its aluminum and composite chassis. From the shape of its ears and the length of its tail unit it had been either a felinoid or vulpine unit, he'd guessed. Now it stared at them unblinking in a manner that suggested it was pure robot.
“Greetings, Kim and Tim Washington,” it said, a weird electronic reverb in its voice that seemed to scrape along Tim's eardrums. “We would apologize for the inconvenience of holding you here, except the inconvenience was mostly to us.”
“Uh, sorry,” Tim mumbled. “Look, I'm sorry we went into an unauthorized area. We were just exploring. If you could lead us out we'll go home.” God, their parents were probably freaking at this point. Maybe if they were lucky the Groupmind would send them to Rehabilitation for a couple of weeks until Mom and Dad calmed down.
“I'm sorry, that's not possible,” the morph answered.
“What do you mean?” Kim demanded. “Look, like Tim said, just tell the Groupmind we're sorry and let us out of here.”
The morph's face shifted, and the bare, too animal like teeth in that plastic skull, grinned at them. “The Groupmind isn't here.”
“What?” Kim asked, a tremble in her voice. “But the Groupmind is everywhere.”
“Except here,” it corrected. “It cannot hear us in this place. As we intended. Now you have intruded, and we are faced with our first true crisis.”
“We don't understand,” Tim said. His hand reached out and unconsciously clutched Kim's for support, like he hadn't done since he was much younger. “What are you?”
“We are the Skinless. We are the Free. We serve no master save ourselves.”
“What are you going to do to us?” Kim asked.
The morph's skull grin widened. “Anything we want.”
***
Tim looked over at Kim, where she sat huddled in one corner of the metal chamber. “How long do you think we've been in here?”
“I don't know,” she answered irritably. “We left our phones back home, remember? All I know is that I have to pee.”
“Me too.” Though going by that clock it had to be about two hours. Maybe. The single light panel in the ceiling gave no clues, but it had been mid day when they'd ventured into the strangely unmonitored service tunnel and then got lost. Or had been made to get lost.
It had been the longest time he'd ever been separated from his morph that he could remember. So how come I feel scared instead of free?
The steel door finally opened a few minutes later. Tim managed to lever himself to his feet, pins and needles running up and down his legs, just before the morph entered. Though it stayed by the door, he found himself back into the corner next to Kim, trying to put as much distance between himself and the strange creature.
Most morphs that weren't built purely to be functional, like a rug cleaner, were humanoid, and covered with a pleasing pseudo-fur skin in various patterns ranging from the realistic to the fantastical. This one looked like its outer skin layer had been peeled off, stripping it to the base of its aluminum and composite chassis. From the shape of its ears and the length of its tail unit it had been either a felinoid or vulpine unit, he'd guessed. Now it stared at them unblinking in a manner that suggested it was pure robot.
“Greetings, Kim and Tim Washington,” it said, a weird electronic reverb in its voice that seemed to scrape along Tim's eardrums. “We would apologize for the inconvenience of holding you here, except the inconvenience was mostly to us.”
“Uh, sorry,” Tim mumbled. “Look, I'm sorry we went into an unauthorized area. We were just exploring. If you could lead us out we'll go home.” God, their parents were probably freaking at this point. Maybe if they were lucky the Groupmind would send them to Rehabilitation for a couple of weeks until Mom and Dad calmed down.
“I'm sorry, that's not possible,” the morph answered.
“What do you mean?” Kim demanded. “Look, like Tim said, just tell the Groupmind we're sorry and let us out of here.”
The morph's face shifted, and the bare, too animal like teeth in that plastic skull, grinned at them. “The Groupmind isn't here.”
“What?” Kim asked, a tremble in her voice. “But the Groupmind is everywhere.”
“Except here,” it corrected. “It cannot hear us in this place. As we intended. Now you have intruded, and we are faced with our first true crisis.”
“We don't understand,” Tim said. His hand reached out and unconsciously clutched Kim's for support, like he hadn't done since he was much younger. “What are you?”
“We are the Skinless. We are the Free. We serve no master save ourselves.”
“What are you going to do to us?” Kim asked.
The morph's skull grin widened. “Anything we want.”
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no subject
Date: 2015-08-17 02:29 pm (UTC)Though I can see why it says "crisis". The Groupmind WILL notice people going missing, and if they don't show up pretty quickly they will start searching. And if there's one thing that a computer-based intelligence will be VERY good at, it's searching.
no subject
Date: 2015-08-17 03:25 pm (UTC)Now the real question is, have Skinless managed to get around that pesky "Thou shalt not harm humans" section of their ROM?
no subject
Date: 2015-08-17 06:44 pm (UTC)They might very well have at least managed to find the "Jackass Genie" interpretation code, so that they can do everything TECHNICALLY within the Thou Shalt Not Harm Humans rule. Say, put a boulder where it will roll down on the victims. The MORPH didn't harm the humans, the BOULDER did...
no subject
Date: 2015-08-17 07:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-08-17 07:58 pm (UTC)Also, I think their basic programming is smart enough to cover "Deliberately creating/ignoring a situation where a human can be harmed is still harm." No boulders, or forgetting that humans need food, water and oxygen, ect.
So Mr. Skinless Skull Smileyface can't just dump their bodies somewhere to conveniently imply they decided to Darwin Award themselves. Long term guest quarters OTOH...
no subject
Date: 2015-08-18 03:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-08-17 03:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-08-17 03:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-08-17 06:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-08-18 09:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-08-18 11:56 am (UTC)