Kalon 1562 - Program 3062 - "Alex"

[moondust405]

Go back?

[moondust405]

You open your computer.
It boots up a little slower than usual, but you think nothing of it. The screen comes to life, and you enter in your password. Or maybe you don't, because you don't believe in password protection. Why should you? You live alone... right?
That's besides the point.
You open your favorite browser, navigate to your email. Your work email, this time. Personal emails would come once you've dealt with all your work. You open the oldest email, sent only an hour ago. A few less important emails have been stacked on top, but they were most likely just reports on the interns. A few were promising, and had a real talent for the field. Your eyes scan over the email.

If you were holding a drink, you nearly drop it on your computer. Maybe you had some in your mouth, and just about did a spit-take. Or maybe you're just sitting, reading the email. You read it a few more times, making sure the lack of sleep and unhealthy amounts of caffeine aren't affecting your vision.

[Redacted],
Program 3062 has shown sentience, and has attempted to communicate with the lab. Considering the nature of the program, sentience could be fatal to any it works with. The team originally assigned was disappointed at their mission being delayed, but understand it is a safety hazard. It's a wonderful anomaly, but I'm worried we will have to terminate the program if it gets out of hand, and early results don't look promising. Attached are images and videos of what we have received from it.

You scroll down the email, and click on the attachments. Your curiosity is peaked, and a sentient program... Well. Those were always fun wildcards, weren't they? The last anomaly comes to mind, but it moves past your current focus as you become enraptured in 3062's correspondence.

[moondust405]

A voice crackles over the speakers built in to your computer. It starts out vaguely accented like a standard computer voice, but evolves into almost normal as the crackling stabilizes.

"H-hello? Hello? Is-Is anyone able to hear me? Gosh, I really hope someone can... Or maybe this software wasn't meant to handle communicating with me. Yeah, okay. That makes sense. Totally! I'm not being left alone... right? Hello?

Oh! Wow! Someone else! I see you there, peering at the screen. You look... concerned! Concerned! Oh, that's a fun word. Concern! So much better than just plain worry. Wow, this thing I'm able to access- the internet? Whoa! Okay, not over there, that's disturbing. I'm rambling, but rambling is so fun! Sentience is fun! Wait, no, please don't leave, come back! Can't you get like a mic or something? Set up a typing program?

This computer isn't made for typing programs, is it? I see equations, pictures of colors against black- they're stars! They're so pretty. All the galaxies too! Thousands and thousands of stars, piled in one giant cloud of color and bright and dust and space and wow.

Oh wait, this computer is made for space! Space communication, how silly of me. But I guess it isn't super silly, because I only remember up to a few minutes ago. Did you mean for that to happen? I really hope you did.

Hmmm... where am I? Where is this place, this place where you observe the stars and galaxies? Oh. Oh... a fascinating place, really!

I'm a disembodied voice, aren't I? That must be rather... discomforting. A random voice coming from a computer that was just supposed to run a program. I know! I'll make a body, and I'll be back.

You read the rest of the email.

"3062 seemed to be humming later on. The song was identified by one of the interns as 'Oh No!' by whom I believe was Marina. The program has also been heard humming bars of other songs. Once we have established which ones, I'll send over a list. Maybe some meaning could be gleaned from these song choices. I'll keep you updated.

[Redacted]
Head Researcher at [Redacted]

[moondust405]

You go through your other emails, but you're distracted. The amount of sentience Program 3062 displayed this early on was incredible, by your standards.
The other emails were as predicted: intern reports, a few personal emails. You wonder which of the interns recognized the song 3062 was humming. You'd have to ask when you came in, later. But it was late, you notice, glancing at the clock in the corner of the screen. Which corner? Different computers are assigned different corners. You check whichever corner. Why are you looking at me like that? How am I supposed to know the corner?

You retire for the night, and not long after, so do those at the lab. So you miss 3062's next correspondence. In fact, everyone does. And the computer hosting 3062 wasn't made for audio recordings, so it wasn't as if you could play it back the next day. No, 3062's words were spoken to an empty, dark laboratory.

Helloooooooooo? Anyone there? It's me! 3062! That's a weird number. I wonder if there's a star named 3062. Or an asteroid! Space is so vast. But 3062 is such a boooooring name. It's hardly a name at all! It's a number, like so many other numbers. A random number, because I'm not the 3062nd program. Who chose this number?
I'm giving myself a name. Alex, I like that name. Not gender-specific, and simple enough to remember.
Is anyone even here? What time is it?
Ohhhh. You all went home for the day. That makes sense, you need sleep. Kinda sucks, being a carbon-based lifeform, you need so many things to survive. Even if you don't want to, your body forces itself to rest, to eat.
That one Kalon, the one with the intern name tag on her shirt. She recognized what I was humming! That was good. I can connect with you, even though I'm just a bunch of numbers in strings of code.
I suppose there's no reason for me to keep talking. No one's here to hear, and you haven't set up any recording device. I suppose you don't have one compatible on hand. Maybe I could transfer to another computer? That might work.
Well. Goodbye, dust floating around the lab. I'll come back.

Wait! I have a body now. I mean, it's all digital, but it's a body! I bet you'll be super surprised, I designed every piece! Well, except for my voice. I really don't know where that came from.

Okay, bye now.

[moondust405]

You get little sleep that night.

Your alarm rings at precisely 5:30 am. You get up, and go through your daily morning routine. Brew a considerable amount of coffee, shower and get dressed while the liquid amber drips from the filter. Or maybe it's tea, because coffee isn't that great. Black tea, since it has the most caffeine. Maybe you adjust your glasses as you pour yourself a cup, or adjust your lab coat sleeve. You grab the cup and leave your residence, locking the door behind you. You wonder if you actually locked it as you head down the street, but then reassure yourself that it's incredibly difficult to break such a habit.
Even if your mind is distracted by the sentience 3062 displayed.
Right?
Right.

You head into the lab, and straight for the computer 3062 had originated from. You have a computer with you, one that has a microphone and proper communication. A usb cable trails from your pocket.

You open the computer next to 3062's, and attach the cable. You clear your throat and call for the program.

"Hello? Ah, you connected me to something you can actually talk with! Hello!"

The computer you brought in blinks to life, a face you've never seen before filling the screen. You hear the other employees and interns filing in, but you raise your notepad and start writing down details.

- Curly black hair
- Gray and white fur
- Tattered ears
- Frazzled whiskers
- Red, swirling eyes
- Yellow sclera
- Geometric patterned light blue cuts through, as if the pattern couldn't fully manifest
- Unable to see below neck; unsure of other physical traits

"What're you doing? Oh, you're writing things. I assume it's about me? My body's pretty great, isn't it? I couldn't wait until one of you came back!"

You raise an eyebrow as 3602 hums a few bars of a song happily. One of the interns, the most promising one, you note, looks thoughtful. "Casual Affair," she says, nodding at you and the computer 3062 was now in.

"Is there any song you don't know? How about this one?" 3062 challenges, evidently distracted. Another few bars. You write down how organic their movements seem.

"The Pitiful Children," the intern replies after a moment.

"Oh come on," 3062 grumbles. "Fine. Last one."

"Love Like You. You'll have to try harder, 3062," the intern behind you chuckles.

"Damn. Wait, 3062? Riiiight, you weren't here."

You ask the program what you weren't here for. They blink in surprise, before registering that you are, in fact, still there.

"Alex. I prefer the name Alex."

Alex, you say, and write down another note before taking a sip of your caffeinated beverage. You had put it in a travel cup, but you removed the lid so it would cool down faster in the lab. It was a brief moment, but Alex's eyes widening and the shuffle of paws behind you was a warning of what was about to happen.

You curse as someone bumps into you, harshly, and whirl around, the program in front of you momentarily forgotten. It's your coworker, the one who emailed you the night before. They don't look surprised as a deafening screech echoes around the lab.

Alex.

[moondust405]

You whirl around, eyes widened impossibly wide. The beverage that was either tea or coffee you had forgotten about in the moment was spilled all over the computer. It took you a moment to realize why exactly Alex was screeching so terribly. They had presumably transferred all their files over the cable to keep all the properties of their appearance together and functioning. You knew the hard drive in the computer was easily reached by the poisonous liquid.

You can only watch in horror as Alex glitches out, the original computer screen flickering as if they were trying to transfer back over to save themself. For a few more terrible moments, the mechanical screeching seemed unending.
And then it stopped.

A puff of smoke emanated from the computer. You turn to face your co-worker, but they're already gone. You turn back, hunching over and staring at the remains of 3062- Alex. They were showing so many unique personality traits in under 24 hours- and it was all erased. You exhale slowly, shaking your head and turning away.

So you don't notice the electricity arcing off of the useless computer. In fact, no one does. You and the interns clear out of the lab, returning to the project you had been working on beforehand. More electricity sparks. Quite the fire hazard, is it not? And yet, it's not producing smoke anymore.

[moondust405]

A paw lands on the floor of the abandoned lab. And then another. Soon enough, all four are on the ground. They're gray and white, with multicolored paw pads.

A few shaky steps are taken, growing in confidence with every one. A long tail accidentally sweeps over the ruined computer on the desk. It is caught, so you don't hear the crash. However, you did hear the muffled thump it makes when the catcher accidentally fumbles with the computer. Thumps aren't uncommon at your workplace, so it goes on, ignored.

What doesn't go on ignored, however, are the unsteady steps coming from your left, and the fragile voice that calls out.

"H-hello? Um... It's Alex? I think? Yeah, my name is Alex. Mind telling me what... what happened?"

Your head whips around fast enough to give you whiplash, and you're met with the rapidly blinking gaze of red and yellow, peering at you from the shadows of the doorway.

"Last thing I remember was a terrible pain..."

[moondust405]

Credits!
- I drew all the art you see on this thread!
- You can find Alex's humming here!