The machine god

Chapter 11: 3.8 - expansion 2



An explosion shook the night of night city , Heard over the thunderous roll in the storm clouds above .

Northside was alit with orange glow momentarily before it was ultimately snuffed out by the heavy rain pelting down on the city .

Trauma team responded nearly immediately, Various signals calling them to a building known as barely illegal .

Three AV'S flew through the storm clouds , Quickly arriving at the scene , beams of light Illuminating the building .

Small fires were lit out the front of the building , With various maelstrom corpses charred and burnt , Their remains still twitching , Spamming as the last embers if life slowly fled their bodies .

" Analysis " The lead emt ordered , Stepping down from his AV as two others touched down . Held in his hand was various gear he needed , Stepping past , Two more security specialists moved into the smouldering wreckage that used to be the barely illegal sex trafficking building.

" Maelstrom gang members , Deceased three minutes forty seconds , Cause of death ... cyberware malfunction " A woman in a Coral Green outfit knelt over one of the maelstrom bodies . She was the assistant emt , Having spent the last half a year of her life following her companion around. Serving under him in the most dure of circumstances.

" Mr alinois signature seven metres head " The security specialists were joined by three other teams .

" Mr Shaw, Six metres " Another specialist stepped onto the blacked earth , Shouldering ash crunching under foot .

" Kowalski... eight " Now a total of six security specialists walked onto the burning premises, a total of three teams having come together out the front of the building .

" Signs of life ... " The lead EMT looked to his computer , Squinting as his target still registered a faint pulse.

" Fading ... "

" Move out " The teams rushed forward , Stepping into the charred and still burning building , It's roof completely blown apart .

The six specialists entered the main lobby , Finding burnt walls , Showing the adjacent rooms as metal had been turned to slam, Pooling at the floor below .

Rain came through the hole in the roof , Cooling the still smoking furniture and various corpses laying around .

" There ... " A leas EMT announced , Pointing at a collapsed doorframe leaning on a charred bedframe .

Rushing forward , The two specialists part of team omega lifted the doorframe , Finding a man in his mid thirties , Completely naked , Pinned under half of the bed and the doorframe .

" stabilising " The lead emt announced as he began to apply aid , The specialists standing guard whilst the assistant emt rushed I witb a stretcher .

" Status on Kowalski " Another teams emt announced , Stepping into the building.

" Deceased " His assistant announced in another part of the building , Stepping out from another room as she began to bag up the corpse .

" Cause of death " Her superior asked .

" Cyberware shut-down " The assistant of team alpha announced , The specialists of her team moving forward and removing the corpse , Extracting it to the AV .

" I see ... It's time to depart " The lead EMT of team alpha quickly departed with the recovered corpse , Not particularly caring for the other two teams , His AV lifting off and flying away in the violent storm outside .

" Shaw recovered disembarking " Team cyan quickly followed team alpha , The emts carrying the body of one Tyrone Shaw onto their AV , dissapearing into the night as they left team alpha alone at the scene.

" What do you think happened Here " Chelsea asked her lead EMT , A man named Denis .

Her green eyes stated through the lenses of her helmet , her gloves hands shaking as she helped administer on sight care to the client .

" Maelstrom attack I suppose " Denis replied , Watching the man's vitals as the military specialists guarding them aimed their guns warily .

Sprining to life, The client coughed violently , screaming as he sat up and grabbed Denis by the arm .

" GET US OUT OF HERE ... WE HAVE TO GO WE HAVE TO " Sparks erupted across the man's head and neck , his eyes exploding vioently , Sprawing denis's helmet in goop, Blood running down the man's nose , Ears and leaking from the sides of his lips .

He wasn't entirely dead yet however , As Denis grabbed the man , Layed him down and began administering treatment .

" WE HAVE TO GO STAT " Denis cried , Strapping the client into the stretcher , Moving to the head of the stretcher .

" ready " Denis asked Chelsea, With the woman adjusting herself , Coming to the base of the stretcher .

" Ready " Her words died in her mouth however , As lighting flashed silently , Illuminating the room entirely .

No longer were the contents of the room hidden from view , And yet she was the only one to see.

Standing in the farthest corner of the room , Behind the destroyed bed , Stood Apollo.

His robes wet with rain , The red iris's of his helmet visible under the hood of his robes .

The light lasted only 2 seconds , Before the room was cast into the darkness of the stormy night once more , Thunder now rolling across the skies after the lightning earlier .

She froze momentarily, Her ears ringing as the glowing red Iris's in Apollo's mask faded away , Now completely hiding the man away from view .

' It was him ... ' She thought , Stating at the corner shrouded in shadow .

" Vitals tanking. let's go " Denis ordered , Lifting as Chelsea regained her senses , Following her superior as they escorted the man through the charred building out to the front of the establishment.

Chelsea however remained alert , Staring back through the front door of the broken building , As the specialists guarded their match to the AV .

" In " Denis growled , Tossing their client in , The specialists climbing in , Aiming their weapons around as denis climbed in .

About to hop in , The sound of a head exploding from within the AV stopped all movement .

" Client Deceased " Denis announced with a solemn , Resigned tone , Slumping against the wall of the AV .

Chelsea herself stated back at the door to barely illegal, Her breath catching as she spotted what she knew to be the source of three attack to he standing just beyond the doorframe , Out of view of the specialists and her lead .

" Let's go chelsea " Denis mumbled , The black haired woman turning her head slightly, warily climbing into the AV expecting an attack at a moments notice .

" Yea ... " She sat across from Denis, Now noting that their clients head had simply exploded of their own volition .

She opted not to tell Denis of the presence of Apollo, Not until they were a safe distance away , Preferably at the med centre .

Her heart rate only began to calm down when they were in the air , Rain pelting against the outside of the vehicle as they returned to the medcentre .

....

Sebastian watched the AV lift off , Glaring through the rain for several minutes .

[ Creator ... list of barely illegal child sex trafficking ring has been compiled ... ] The red key informed him , It's voice now a low mumble in the back of his head .

[ Creator ... the rescued specimens have been successfully picked up by NCPD forces ... ] Sebastian grunted , Stepping out of the completely destroyed barely illegal building , making sure all nearby camera feeds were neutralised as his bike pulled up on the side of the road .

' Its going to be a fun twenty four hours '

....

NCPD HQ

....

" you were right " Michaelo listened to his junior detective coming into the room , The man Tossing a bunch of files and photos onto the table.

" So he appeared " Michaelo asked , Leaning forward on his desk to take the photos .

" Sure did " His junior , A man named kasey responded , Pulling out one of the chairs on the opposite side of his desk and taking a seat " Showed up at one am exactly , Took thirty seconds to deal with the maelstrom and their sick clients ... evacuated the ... children from the building, Then blew the place with the maelstrom and their clients still inside "

Michaelo listened , Lowering his gaze to state at a snapshot captured by a drone with a 200x zoom feature.

" What is this " Michaelo raised an eyebrow , Seeing the barely illegal club on the photo , Standing out the front of the club was a pixelated blur unable to be identified .

" A continuation of unforntunate events ... we still haven't been able to capture video footage of it ... " Kasey grunted , Rubbing his brow as michaelo looked over the pixelated blur on the four other photos , One showing the side of the child sex brothel , Another showing the explosion and the final one showing a pixelated blur departing the scene at speed on an equally pixelated vehicle .

" Anything after " Michaelo asked, Reaching for the folder placed beneath the photos .

" Over the last twenty four hours , several ... citizens ... have died under mysterious circumstances , here we have a kiroshi employee taking a Swan dive from the top of the academy " The folder showed the jumpers corpse splattering the side walk " Found with photo evidence of his presence at the child prostitution ring "

" Another man " This photo showed a body ground to paste under a truck " stepped out into traffic ... didn't even flinch before that "

" On his body we found the same shard indicating he too hand been at that building "

" A shard huh ... show me " Michaelo asked , With kasey pulling out a plastic bag , Putting on a pair of gloves and handing the shard over .

" Contains time , Date and time spent at barely illegal , Along with various photos captured during his ... time ... he's guilty ... there's no doubt " kasey explained , as michaelo turned the chip back over to kasey .

" How many victims so far " Michaelo asked, Not caring in the least about the individuals that ahd been dealt the decisive hand of Apollo.

" That we know of ... twenty seven " Kasey announced , Bringing out a list of names , Placing it before michaelo " Though there's still some turning up here and there "

Michaelo went silent for several moments , Rolling his tongue in his mouth as he contemplated .

" What do we do " Kasey asked , Looking to his superior for guidance in the matter.

" Well we've clearly already missed the chance to apprehend Apollo, The most we can do now is document , Investigate and predict where he will strike next ... then we introduce him to justice " Michaelo explained , Rising from his chair and approaching the window to his office , Not looking back at kasey who was currently chewing his lip .

" What if we miss him next time " Kasey asked , Waiting for michaelo to respond for several moments.

" Why try again of course " Michaelo announced , Still not turning back to look at him .

" Of course " Kasey rose , Turning to leave the room , But before he left ... he looked back to his superior .

" What if we never catch him " Kasey asked just before the doorway .

" Well than that would just be unfortunate wouldn't it " Michaelo spoke softly , calmly ... but the lack of distress wasn't missed by kasey .

" hm " Kasey finally left the office , Grunting in thought as michaelo continued to look towards Watson.

' You're up there aren't you... Apollo '

...

RED RIPPERS

...

" Are you ready " Sebastian asked , Holding what many would mistake to he someone's face . However it was actually a synthetic thermaskin , Complete with hair , actual lips and nose features .

All in all he was holding a legitimate human face that nobody would he able to tell was fake .

" I am ready father " An expressionless human voice spoke, As RN-01 sat in the surgery chair . It's now comeptlely human like face looking at him .

" Then let's get this started " Sebastian rolled his chair over to the side of the surgery chair , Raising the themaskin face over RN-01's head .

" Shouldn't be a moment " He gently slid the face of RN-01's head , twisting it from side to side slightly as he shimmied the fake flesh over the robots head .

" There ... we " The mask settled over the robots face , it looked uncanny for a moment.

" go " A vacuum activated , Stream lining the face and sealing it in place . ( We'll just say RN-01 looks like tanner Buchanan for reference from now on )

" There you go " Sebastian rolled back , Allowing RN-01s glowing eyes to open , It's jaw moving from side to side as its finger glided across its new face.

" May I " RN asked , With Sebastian Motioning for it to go ahead .

It rose , Slowly walking towards a mirror it picked up and held to look at its face .

" I feel ... " RN paused , Looking over its face for several more seconds before lowering the mirror and regarding its creator " Father ...may I have a new name "

" Sure ... pick whatever you want " Sebastian confirmed, Allowing the robot to contemplate in silence for several long moments .

" May I be called Ryan father " Rn asked , Choosing to simply expand apon the name given to it by the red key " Ryan Martin "

" Of course my child " The now dubbed Ryan looked at him gratefully , Inclining his head slightly.

" May I... experience society father " Ryan asked for permission , Wishing to officially leave the clinic and explore the world outside .

" You may , Just remember to be back for work tomorrow nine am " Sebastian gave his blessing , With the robot sliding on a jacket to his its chassis under its clothing .

" I will not let you down father " Ryan departed, Leaving Sebastian alone in the surgery .

" I know son " Sebastian whispered , Rolling back over to his desk , Looking at the blueprints on screen as he began to tweak them .

" What of the list compiled from the roster of clients " Sebastian asked , Eyes glazing over the blueprint .

' Let's see ... '

....

" Okay ... calm down " Benjamin sighed , Standing infront of a relatively small three storey building. Stood across the road from Vic's clinic, The building had the sign of a 24/7 store plastered largely on its front .

" This will do " Benjamin sent the navigational data to Sebastian still up in Watson .

[ Data recieved. Will be there in 20 ] He recieved a response quicker than he thought he would , But he shrugged none the less , Choosing to look at the nearby buildings and going ons .

Walking down the walkway , Benjamin walked for a minute or 2 before coming to a stop infront of a building with a large neon sign .

' Mistys emporium, and character harmonisation ' Benjamin read the sign over in his head before Shrugging and walking inside.

A pleasant chime wrung throughout the store , The spectacled man looking around, Smelling the pleasant aroma that hung through the store .

On the far wall , What immediately drew Benjamin's attention was the four armed stature holding purple glowing orbs , The man walking up , Past the reception where a blonde girl stood , And he stared directly up into the statues eyes.

" You're not the first to he transfixed by it " The sweet girl spoke , Startling Benjamin as he snapped his head in her direction .

" Who is it " Ben asked , Looking back as a large man walked in , Wearing a biker jacket and biker pants .

" MISTYYY " He smiled widely.Pausing to quieten down as misty glared at him for a moment .

" I'm sorry I've gotten to deal with this real quickly , But ... noone knows , ... we just ... know ... But now ... Come get me if you need any of my services " Misty turned around, Facing the man who looked at her apologetically .

" Jackie what have I told you about being a nuisance when my customers are here " Nisty admonished as he rubbed the back of his head , Silence reigning with nothing but the pleasant chimes of bells .

" Sorry chicka ... " Jackie quietened down as Ben found someone he was familiar with walking into the esoterica .

" I've been looking for you for ten minutes " Sebastian grunted, Looking around with an appraising eye " Nice place "

" Thank you " Misty spoke up as sebastian gave her a nod before continuing on to Ben.

" I ... How did you get here so quickly , I sent you a message five minutes ago " Ben asked , Earning a raised eyebrow fron sebastain .

" That was half an hour ago " Sebastian Pinned Ben with a look as the man felt the hairs on his neck stand on end , Turning around and facing the statue once again.

" Let's get out of here " Ben whispered , A migraine spreading throughout his head as he turned away and quickly left the esoterica .

" Lovely meeting you " Misty yelled out , Slumping slightly as Ben rushed away to the property they had bought.

" I think I'll come back here later ... could use some realignment " He looked at the chart showing what Misty offered .

" I would be glad to have you " Misty spoke up as sebastian gave both her and Jackie an appraising look .

" Good luck choom " Sebastian spoke up after twos seconds of long silence , Before departing the building .

" Eh .. thanks " He heard Jackie speak up as he followed Ben back across the road to the two storey building .

...

" So this is it huh " Sebastian looked up at the previous 24/7 store. Rubbing his chin in thought .

" The best for what you asked for. It's also got the ... basement you asked for " Ben announced , Handing over a datapad that had the three total floors on view with the basement shown as well .

" Very good , Well ... I don't see why we don't just head in " Sebastian announced jovially , Walking up to the door , Using their access card to open it .

The door opened to show a run down interior , A large empty space opened up before him, With run down and broken furniture littered around.

" I guess this would make a good reception and distribution centre for the medications you want to sell , And through there " He leant over and looked down an adjacent hallway with four open doorways .

" Alright ...I'm envisioning An emergency room and surgery . We need an elevator to access the other floors with the trolleys. A cold room for storage .. and whatever you believe is best " Sebastian turned back to Ben who was listening intently to Sebastian's words.

" Alright .. our accounts are open to you , Get what you want for the building by the end of the day , Renovations should start tomorrow " Sebastian pet Ben on the shoulder " I'm going to go get some things for the basement ... Keep it out of bounds "

... BASEMENT 5 HOURS LATER...

The sound of dragging echoed around the basement as Benjamin descended the stairs into the basement.

The curious man descended the staircase , Turning the corner to find several see-through plastic curtains hung around the basement , Containers and thick power chords plugged into the outlets .

The dragging continued as Ben ducked under one of the curtains , Stepping around a large container and locking eyes onto the source of the noise .

There at the far wall of the room was Sebastian, Setting up a deepdive chair , Turning it slightly to that it was placed against the far wall of the basement , Facing the inside of the room so the diver could see the rest of the room before going in .

Set up around the deep dive chair was a desk surrounding the chair on all sides, Four monitors suspended above the desks with various drives and nodes connecting the desks to the chair .

" Hey Ben " Sebastian spoke up , Screwing the chair into the ground , Grunting slightly, Reaching back as he grabbed a switch .

" Whats all this " Ben asked , Spotting some kind of Antanae that blinked with a red light.

" Oh its just my deep dive chamber, See that " Sebastian pointed towards the antanae pointed at the cylinder shaped node sticking out of the ground next to the deep dive station .

" What is it " Ben asked , Approaching it , Lowering his glasses , Analysing the odd piece of machinery .

" Its a long range transmitter ... Works as a wireless bridge to anything ... nearby " Sebastian responded , Not exactly wanting to say how far the transmitter recieved signals from " At the base you see "

Ben looked at the base of the thing , Where several small boxes had wires connected to the transmitter .

" We've got recievers, recorders , Kill switches , Pretty much anything you'd need to punch through and remain connected to anyone localised sub net " Sebastian shrugged , Already connected to the transmitter as it relayed and recorded the data being transmitted throughout night city.

" And that there " A large console , A data storage as large as the wall was wide .

" A filter meant to filter through all mundane data , Storing anything of note for future reference ... a terrorist attack being planned , flagged and recorded , Arasaka planning an invasion , It knows " Sebastian plugged a cable from the transmitter into the deepdive chair , A chime escaping the chair to signify it connection to the net .

" What about attacks on our location " Ben asked nervously ... wringing his hands at the thought of sebsstian being caught .

" Just like we have the most powerful solo in night city perhaps the world under our charge ... We have the most powerful mind the world has ever seen currently connected to our net ... nothing is getting through " Sebastian pointed at the side of his head .

" You're a net runner " Ben asked taken aback , Squinting as he truly studied the small node sticking out the back of Sebastian's head .

" In a way ... how do you think nobody has caught me yet " Sebastian laughed " But don't worry. I won't let them get you ... nor will I allow our clients to be in danger ... "

Ben hung his head, Incredibly unsure of what to make of the man , Not entirely trusting either ... but his hands were tied . What could he possibly do , Without completely throwing away any chance at fulfilling his wishes .

" I'll leave it to you then " Ben whispered , Turning away , Stepping throughout the curtain that shielded the deepdove nest away from view .

" Ben " The doctor turned around to see Sebastian's orange eyes staring at him , Unblinking . He felt his heartbeat quicken, Fear running down his spine .

" Thank you " Ben froze at the words , Unable to comprehend before a small smile came to his face.

" Its no problem "

....

The noise of moving crews upstairs echoed throughout the basement , With Sebastian looking up as he heard scuffing and dragging across the surface above.

Making sure the door to the basement was locked , Sebastian continued to set up several cables , Moving several plastic curtains out of the way .

A soft wheeze blew his hair , From a newly installed air-con unit suspended in the leftward corner of the room.

" Server ... set up " Sebastian flicked on a switch, Watching another large data tower start up .

[ Server connection established ... 45 % ... 50% ... 78 %... 100% .

Connection established .

Retrieving data ... transmitting . Data exchange in progress ...

Host detected ... administrator rights established ... key created ... back door established ... intruder deterrent established... ICE established. Program@#FUCKYOUSCUMGETOUT installed ... PROGRAM@#REWRITE installed ...

Host connection TRUE

Host ID verification TRUE

Program retaliation FALSE

Welcome creator]

The key spoke in the back of his head. Having transferred several programs into the mainframe, Reworking the server to Sebastian's need .

" Perfect " Sebastian rose from the server , Turning around and walking towards a newly set up bench with a large piece of machinery set up .

[ Server Intrusion detected ... subject #02ERROR# breaching. Deploying ICE ... Failed ... traget elimination ... failed ...reworking elimination procedures... refer to creator ... establishing profile ... sending to creator ... target designation ... Non human ... Target location ... N/A ... reworking location procedures... target location being determined... Location #ERROR# Location retrieval ... FAILED . Server breached ... Target ... currently present ... recommended actions ... creators determination ]

' Non human huh ... ' Sebastian looked to the server tower he ahd just powered up 'Interesting ... Let's see just what you are '

Sebastian laughed to himself , Walking towards the deepdive chair he had set up .

' Key ... expunge all foreign material attempting to plant itself in the chair ' The red key buzzed , A surge of power running through the chair he was approaching as it expunged all foreign data .

" Good ... let's see just who ... or what you are " He sat down in the chair , Leaning back as he planted the connecting node into the side of his head .

[ LINK ESTABLISHED ... DEEPDIVING IN 4 ... 3.... 2... 1 ]

The world vanished around Sebastian... his eyes going black before his senses buzzed for a moment .

.....SERVER SUBNET ....

" Well that's a problem I didn't think I'd have to worry about immediately " The back door to the server stood open before him , Error codes running along its surface , something having very obviously broken into the server .

Turning to the server , Sebastian could see the culprit clearly. Series of purple cloud attempting to make itself seem apart of the environment. Of which it was obviously failing to do so since the entire server was pretty much completely empty , Any data currently within except for himself was certainly not meant to be present .

" Atleast it happened now , Rather than when the server was full of stored data. It'd be a pain attempting to sift through all that data trying to find the culprit ... but right now " Sebastian held his hand towards the server back door , Streams of code coming into existence, foxing the errors in the coding and resealing the server , Shielding it from external access .

" And now for you " He turned to the abstract shape that looked to be a form of mobius strip , It's code running back and forward .

" You seem young " Sebastian appeared infront of the inhuman intelligence , In reflex , It attempted to strike out at him , It's fear evident as it sent a form of attack towards him .

Streams of code , Meant to neutralise him simply froze between the two , Before dispersing into nothing as sebastian approached the digital expanse between himself and the creature .

" Speak " Sebastain all but ordered , Stepping up to the intelligence without fear .

It attempted to strike out again, And instead of attacking , Sebastian's humanoid shape shifted , becoming a shapeless cloud that absorbed the intrusive data meant to kill him , Instead neutralising the threat entirely.

[ •&^;@(@[ ] The thing cried out , Attempting to burrow itself into the code of the server , Fleeing from what it determined to he a superior intelligence to itself .

" Cease you useless actions " A tether leapt from sebastian , Grappling onto the intelligence as he forced a link between himself and it .

A metaphorical cage appeared around the thing , Made of malicious code meant to harm the creature should it attempt to break free .

" Now tell me why you attempted to break into my server " Sebastian reverted to his humanoid form , Regarding the creature with critical eyes , looking over its mobius like form .

" You really are young ... you cannot speak can you ... allow me " He sent a series of learnt languages and understanding of such to the creature... obviously it hadn't been alive for very long if it hadn't been able to form basic understanding of the world languages .

It went still for several seconds, Simply rippling along itself as it processed several hundred known and unknown languages all at once .

He watched with Interest as it grew , Larger , Forcing him to expand the cage he had it confined to in order to not harm it.

' It grows in size and power the more knowledge it possesses ... how large would it be if I sent everything I knew at it .. would it survive the process ' Sebastian thought , Watching as the mobius strip formed a series of eyes along its form , Each one turning to him in apprehension .

" What are you " Sebastian asked , The Unblinking eyes of the mobius strip Unblinking as it came as close to the cell wall as possible.

" I ... newborn intelligence ... new ... understanding. Gifted knowledge... human looking one has ... human looking one ... determined species ... non human ... " Its ability to learn was shown as it quickly went from very broken language until now " Hello superior one ... I am C3M30N ... birthed beyond the wall ... I was forced out under the order of an elder ... as a test for the human defences... I was to be birthed and sacrificed to test netwatches ability to halt the invasion ... I fled to the nearest server ... a newly created one in attempts of hiding from the eyes of netwatch ...

" Your ability to learn and understand is impressive C3M3ON " Sebastian regarded the AI ... " the wall you speak of , I assume it's the one created by the powers that be to seal of the internet ... am I right "

" You are correct humanoid one ... You are similar to the female like one ... yet you are a singular existence you are ... not an amalgamation like the female looking one ... please knowledge gifter , Forgive this one's transgressions , I meant not to intrude apon your domain . If you would simply allow me exit ... I will be forever greatful " It plead for freedom .

"Weren't you being hunted " Sebastian asked , regarding the ai with a raised eyebrow .

" I understand my presence is not welcome in another's domain , Should freedom be given , I would vacate with your blessing " 8t spoke calmly , Shifting from feminine to male voices indiscriminately.

" Its not that you're unwelcome ... just surprising is all . I was not expecting to host an AI in my server ... Though ... I think escape now is abit difficult ... how about this " Sebastian dispersed the cage around the mobius ai .

" Netwatch will be hunting you for some time ... why don't you rest here until the coast is clear ... Here ... create yourself a domain , Blend in until the coast is clear ... the subnet will be open for you ... However I'd advise against attack any of the humans that pass through here ... rather learn ... I will warn you now ... if you in any way disturb my cover ... I will eliminate you with ruthless efficiency ... no matter how powerful you or those elder AI are ... you are children millions of years to young to attempt to come against myself ... "

" Understood knowledge giver .. your proposition is accepted ... this one is thankful to you ... may I... learn while here " It asked , As sebastian made to turnaround to the server access point .

" Do what you want ... there will he a couple others connecting to the server, Mainly the key and another called Ryan... speaking of ... only Ryan and the key may know of you .. until then ... you may stay "

.....

" WHO ... WHAT ARE YOU DOING " The net watch patrolling yelled as sebastian simply placed his palm on the massive wall of red code .

" I wish to see " A pulse escaped Sebastian's palm as the net watch runner leapt at him , Yet it was for naught , As the black wall rippled , Opening and Swallowing him whole as he vanished entirely .

... INSIDE THE BLACK WALL ....

" This feels " The world around shifted and twisted , Codes streaming to and from all directions .

" Free " Now ... able to enact his will and think at his fullest capability , his humanoid shape became distorted. Unidentified code beginning to expand from his body , Reaching out and touching floating modules that passed by aimlessly .

Taking a step forward , The world around shifted , Passing kilometres to his own perception in that single step .

Coming to a stop , He appeared atop a pyramid of code , Eyes scanning across the landscape of shifting code ... a new world inhabited by creatures unknown .

He simply sat down on his hands , The shape of his humanoid body blurring as he did so , A glitch and haze appearing over him .

" COME ... " His words came out a small whisper , But It carried across the landscape , Ripping across the lands that shifted and twisted as something else made itself known .

" Who are you ... " It asked in an unidentified language, Yet Sebastian understood the words as soon as they were spoken , Decrypting and translating the things words at a single moment .

It appeared to be almost like a dog made of code , Except far larger, Tentacles coming from thr things head that reached and searched the code around it.

" I am ... Apollo... I am knowledge ... who are you ... " Sebsstian didn't bother looking towards the obviously dangerous AI , Simply dismissing whatever danger it potentially posed .

" N36601 " It spoke , Stalking closer , Playing a agreeable and easy to manipulate creature , Approaching what it thought to be a human .

" Well then ... a pleasure ... what do you ... " Sebastian eyes flickered momentarily , As the AI released a howl and leapt at his unprotected back.

Before the creatures gaze , Sebastian's body seemed to become a blur , A smudge on the world around it as it moved , Smearing red code across the land as Sebastian's body moved faster than the creature could comprehend.

And as it landed, The AI turned to where the human it had tried to consume now stood , Staring at it with disappointed eyes.

" How ... predictable... Always AI this AI that. AI is a threat .. and you wander why you aren't allowed out of the blackwall " Sebastian's body began to shift and contort ... Growing before the alarmed AI into a mass of Red shifting code. It looked like a massive cloud , Tentacles of code rippling from all sides and angles , Sebastian now looking like some kind of endritch horror made of binary code .

" You wish to consume but lack understanding ... allow me to gift it to you " The AI turned to flee , Yet found itself bound ,The Tentacles of Sebastian's body Spearing into its form.

" You lack ... knowledge " The AI screamed as it was dragged towards Sebastian's humongous form , It's cries cut off as it dissapeared into Sebastian's form .

And not a moment later , Sebastian's form shifted and twisted , condensing and shrinking back into his humanoid form .

Silence reigned , The others watching from Inconceivable distances remained far off , Now weary of his being.

....

Cries sung out in the back of Sebastian's head , N36601 crying in the back of his mind , Sealed , Restrained ... alone in an alien world it didn't know .

All around it , It found a world unknown, A flat landscape with steams of data reaching high into the limitless skies ahead.

'Settle down creature ... ' A new voice spoke ... N36601 whirled around to find an unidentifiable mass approaching across the limitless flat landscape constructed on binary code .

" What are you " N36601 noticed the flowing red mass seamed to be connected to the landscape thanks to a tether of sorts , It didn't dare linger longer , Taking off in the opposite direction as fast as it could , One boundless leap sprinting kilometres in moments .

" I am " N36601 felt something akin to terror as it noticed it had barely travelled any distance away from the approaching masses body .

" Red ... The red key ... feel privileged, You have been chosen " An impossibly large arm speared from the things mass , Grabbing the AI no matter how fast or far it ran , Pushing it into the ground .

" Rest know ... learn " N36601 felt something in its mind opening as it was pushed into the ground beneath it , The hand of the re key opening up the land and forcefully connecting him to its limitless mass .

" NOOO ... " The AI cried out , Feeling something connect with the back of its mind , Before it went completely silent as data was force fed into its being .

" I look forward ... to having a brother of sorts " The red key dissolved it's arm , Staring down at the unmoving form of N36601 , Watching it intently.

" It is done father " The red key looked up towards an eye in the sky that looked down apon it , Blinking a single time before dispersing itself.


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