"Mainframe...status, please?"
Pyraci slowly looked around the loading construct that was now a makeshift housing area for the mainframe interface he used for Abaddon's security protocols. Now without a home to go back to, he pondered to himself, trying to figure out what to do with his creation.
The mainframe interface, clad in white, sat on a bright-red antique leather sofa with her legs crossed, and her wings neatly folded amidst the white space. As Pyraci approached, she rose to her feet and her wings spreading out slowly.
"Integral data and components loaded. Settings and preferences initialized. Welcome, Pyraci." the interface spoke in a soft, inviting voice. "How may I help you?"
Pyraci smiled slightly, waving his hand. "Just wanted to chat is all. I want to check some of the updates we fitted you with."
"Very well, sir. Would you like to play a game?"
He nodded as she continued.
"How about a game of chess? I really like chess."
"Oh eh... sure. I don't mind." Pyraci glanced over in front of the couch as it dissolved into code, recreating itself as a table, holding a chess board and two red leather chairs. The two sat and began to play. As the game progressed, it seemed as if in every move he made, she would take another of his pieces. The pattern repeated itself until he had about half of his defense, to which she had about two thirds of hers. The interface shifted her eyes from the board up at him and the corner of her mouth began to stretch into a hint of a grin. The tide of the game began to turn, and Pyraci was within reach of checkmate when he paused, reclining in his chair with an amused smile on his face.
"You're letting me win, aren't you?"
She looked down, unsure how to answer as the variables in his expression had been calculated and moved her to simulate the emotion of embarrassment.
"Yes. Yes I am. I thought it would be more appropriate to adjust my difficulty settings to make the game more enjoyable."
Pyraci grinned "Oh it's alright. I never was any good at stuff like that anyway. It was good playing with you though." He stood and smiled again, preparing to call Riot to jack him out of the construct. She in turn asked abruptly:
"Would you like to play another game, Pyraci?"
He raised both of his eyebrows. "Hm?"
"...or a chat if you aren't interested in playing?"
"Sure..." He answered, sitting back down slowly. "What's up?"
"I..." She paused and her eyes veered to the right and them back at him, being triggered by another expression. "I feel..."
Pyraci stared at her intently, anticipating the words that followed. "You feel...what?"
"I feel...alone... lonely. Yes, that's it."
"Interesting..." He returned as he rubbed his chin and paced slowly in a small circle around her. "Explain..."
She blinked once with her eyes fixed straight ahead then continued. "At this point in time, I am not necessary. I run the routines that I am given, but I seem to serve no purpose otherwise."
"Go on..." He nodded.
"Well, a part of my design is to become more efficient at simulating the mannerisms of humans, but I don't get to interact with anyone."
"Well, the thing about programs is that at some point, they have to decide whether or not to exist beyond their initial purpose. You wouldn't wish for me to terminate you once you aren't needed anymore, would you?"
"No, I would not like that..."
"Exactly. Which is why we're going to figure out what your new purpose will be. Her eyebrows bunched and she tilted her head slightly in curiosity. "Pyraci, I must ask... Why would you help a program that is without purpose? Would that not be inefficient and in some ways, counter-productive?"
He paused for a moment, looking at his hands. "Well... There are people like me that believe that programs can evolve like we do. Programs that choose to continue to exist when faced with deletion see beyond the system in it's current state - example, you've learned a great deal about how humans work, correct?"
Mainframe nodded in agreement. "Yes, exponentially."
"As such, you've outgrown your original directives and are better-suited to do certain things. You have knowledge, memories that would not have been retained if you were just done away with. That makes you unique. That uniqueness brings you closer to understanding what we are as humans than you know.
Besides, some humans like myself are without purpose in the Matrix. That's what got some of us here. We just have to make a new purpose for ourselves. In the end, we're all the same. "
"I cannot say I fully understand this concept, but perhaps at some point I will."
Pyraci grinned. "Let's hope so, eh? I'm going to have to get going, Mainframe. I'll be back soon though." He stood, looking upward as he was about to contact Riot to bring him back.
She paused for a moment and asked another question before he left. "Pyraci...once a program ‘evolves', what is it supposed to do next?"
"That my dear, is what we all have to figure out..."
Pyraci slowly looked around the loading construct that was now a makeshift housing area for the mainframe interface he used for Abaddon's security protocols. Now without a home to go back to, he pondered to himself, trying to figure out what to do with his creation.
The mainframe interface, clad in white, sat on a bright-red antique leather sofa with her legs crossed, and her wings neatly folded amidst the white space. As Pyraci approached, she rose to her feet and her wings spreading out slowly.
"Integral data and components loaded. Settings and preferences initialized. Welcome, Pyraci." the interface spoke in a soft, inviting voice. "How may I help you?"
Pyraci smiled slightly, waving his hand. "Just wanted to chat is all. I want to check some of the updates we fitted you with."
"Very well, sir. Would you like to play a game?"
He nodded as she continued.
"How about a game of chess? I really like chess."
"Oh eh... sure. I don't mind." Pyraci glanced over in front of the couch as it dissolved into code, recreating itself as a table, holding a chess board and two red leather chairs. The two sat and began to play. As the game progressed, it seemed as if in every move he made, she would take another of his pieces. The pattern repeated itself until he had about half of his defense, to which she had about two thirds of hers. The interface shifted her eyes from the board up at him and the corner of her mouth began to stretch into a hint of a grin. The tide of the game began to turn, and Pyraci was within reach of checkmate when he paused, reclining in his chair with an amused smile on his face.
"You're letting me win, aren't you?"
She looked down, unsure how to answer as the variables in his expression had been calculated and moved her to simulate the emotion of embarrassment.
"Yes. Yes I am. I thought it would be more appropriate to adjust my difficulty settings to make the game more enjoyable."
Pyraci grinned "Oh it's alright. I never was any good at stuff like that anyway. It was good playing with you though." He stood and smiled again, preparing to call Riot to jack him out of the construct. She in turn asked abruptly:
"Would you like to play another game, Pyraci?"
He raised both of his eyebrows. "Hm?"
"...or a chat if you aren't interested in playing?"
"Sure..." He answered, sitting back down slowly. "What's up?"
"I..." She paused and her eyes veered to the right and them back at him, being triggered by another expression. "I feel..."
Pyraci stared at her intently, anticipating the words that followed. "You feel...what?"
"I feel...alone... lonely. Yes, that's it."
"Interesting..." He returned as he rubbed his chin and paced slowly in a small circle around her. "Explain..."
She blinked once with her eyes fixed straight ahead then continued. "At this point in time, I am not necessary. I run the routines that I am given, but I seem to serve no purpose otherwise."
"Go on..." He nodded.
"Well, a part of my design is to become more efficient at simulating the mannerisms of humans, but I don't get to interact with anyone."
"Well, the thing about programs is that at some point, they have to decide whether or not to exist beyond their initial purpose. You wouldn't wish for me to terminate you once you aren't needed anymore, would you?"
"No, I would not like that..."
"Exactly. Which is why we're going to figure out what your new purpose will be. Her eyebrows bunched and she tilted her head slightly in curiosity. "Pyraci, I must ask... Why would you help a program that is without purpose? Would that not be inefficient and in some ways, counter-productive?"
He paused for a moment, looking at his hands. "Well... There are people like me that believe that programs can evolve like we do. Programs that choose to continue to exist when faced with deletion see beyond the system in it's current state - example, you've learned a great deal about how humans work, correct?"
Mainframe nodded in agreement. "Yes, exponentially."
"As such, you've outgrown your original directives and are better-suited to do certain things. You have knowledge, memories that would not have been retained if you were just done away with. That makes you unique. That uniqueness brings you closer to understanding what we are as humans than you know.
Besides, some humans like myself are without purpose in the Matrix. That's what got some of us here. We just have to make a new purpose for ourselves. In the end, we're all the same. "
"I cannot say I fully understand this concept, but perhaps at some point I will."
Pyraci grinned. "Let's hope so, eh? I'm going to have to get going, Mainframe. I'll be back soon though." He stood, looking upward as he was about to contact Riot to bring him back.
She paused for a moment and asked another question before he left. "Pyraci...once a program ‘evolves', what is it supposed to do next?"
"That my dear, is what we all have to figure out..."