03: Unknown Comprehension
”Hold still, you’re messing up the pattern.”
An old man, perhaps in his late forties, constantly wrapped what performed as bandages. The person he wrapped the cloth upon had the form of a child, kicking their feet gently off the bed, in which it sat. As it turned a page from the novel it was currently reading, it moved some silver hair, in which intertwined with black hair, behind its ear.
With a sigh, the child opened its mouth,
“I don’t see why my rags need to be changed when it’s not bleeding out.”
The old man smiled before tying up the last piece of cloth behind the child’s head whilst saying,
“They’re called ‘bandages’. Not rags, Arthur. And you don’t have a condition that involves bleeding but…” He trails off as he stretches across the bed for a lavender hand-mirror. He held it up in ‘Arthur’s’ face, accidentally shining some light in the child’s eyes.
“You do have a condition with your skin. What do you think?”
Blinking its eyes a few times, Arthur squinted its russet eyes as it took the mirror from the elder. As it twirled the black ends of its white hair, the child stared at its reflection. It stared at its frail and slender form, which demonstrated a womanly aspect, yet there was also a possibility that it could be otherwise.
The child released the strands of hair it held and replaced their hands on the bits of flesh that weren’t damaged.
“It looks like you wrapped up a living sticky-tape.” Arthur says, frowning at itself.
“Oh come now,” Began the old man, taking back the mirror. “It’s just a little shedding. Nothing too critical…” However, the juvenile rolled its eyes and...
“That’s what you always say…”
~~~
Snapping its eyes open, the automaton’s breath quickened as it stared at the starry night above in panic. The calming sound of crickets and the wind appeased the robot who had already sat up. The location appeared to be some unfortunate town subjugated by weeds and fungus. You could tell by the large pieces of buildings scattered around the cyborg, as well as how the dregs remained a concrete platform in the area.
Despite the area appearing like a safe zone, it still was hazardous to linger under the night sky. Especially with aliens constantly at its tail. While mindful of this, the cyborg narrowed its eyes at the sky above, remembering the dream it had.
‘Professor…Donald E. Kemper. Why do I know that name? Why was I in the form of a mortal? A child, at that.’
The automaton stood up from the ground and decided to examine the area further. It glanced at the corner of its eye, to commence the operation.
PERCENTAGE: 65%
OPTIONS:
UPGRADES (0):
SCAN:
SETTINGS:
‘Hmm…’
PERCENTAGE: 65%
OPTIONS:
UPGRADES (0):
SCAN:
{SETTINGS:} ➡
______________
{SETTINGS:}
↓
SELF-SCAN:
SCAN ZONE:
SCAN SPECIMEN:
Moving its fingers in contemplation, the being scrolled down to the second option. It should be concerned about the whole “computer-in-the-brain” thing; however, it felt as if it was normal. The reason, it didn’t know. Only that the automaton understood the sequences of the software it was currently inhabiting and powering.
{SETTINGS:}
↓
SELF-SCAN:
{SCAN ZONE:} ➡
SCAN SPECIMEN:
[Scanning….]
A blue glare came from the being and expanded in all directions, until the blue hue couldn’t be seen to any further extent. Information spammed the cyborg’s mind, fulfilling its head up with data of any existence notable. Scrolling down the list of organisms and places it could go, it stumbled upon a hyperlink along with the words “Hidden Base”.
‘I have not seen any constructions of any type here. Why would there be one still standing?’
Selecting the link, the cyborg began strolling towards the location of this ‘base’.
Glaring white irises stared at the back of the automaton; high-pitched crooning and growls clawed at the tree it hid behind. The black figure slithered quickly towards the woods in the opposite direction…
The Remnants will soon have their planet back.