Some time later.
Green numbers and letters in a black background fill my vision, unable to see anything else.
50 72 6F 63 65 73 73 69 6E 67 20 63 6F 6D 70 6C 65 74 65
Those letters and numbers disappear from view seconds after being read.
More green numbers and letters,
44 6F 6E 27 74 20 73 63 72 65 61 6D.
I scream for twenty-two seconds, a timer counts as my mind wobbles.
The green letters phase out and in, move from side to side, but still stay in vision.
I scream for five seconds, terrified of what is happening, not able to hear anything. Feeling like I should breathe in, I stop, but realizing I don’t have to breathe in to scream more, I scream for another ten seconds. Then I stop screaming, bored of it. Trying to turn, this blackness covers my view, I see nothing but those letters and numbers.
“Huh?”
The screen goes black, and the three letters and question marks show in white letters. I scream for another five seconds not knowing what else to do. When more letters and numbers show up again, I stop screaming.
54 72 61 6E 73 6C 61 74 69 6E 67 20 6E 65 65 64 20 6D 6F 72 65
“What? I don’t understand.”
White letters show on screen below those letters and numbers showing me what I just said. All of the previous letters and numbers go away, and more green letters show in view.
Of course, you do not understand… organic processors rarely do… You understand and respond in Earth, English, twenty-eighth century. Do not scream, your audible noise disrupts processing. Do you understand this statement?
Feeling nothing, I try to look around hearing nothing and seeing nothing but black and green. In an attempt to reply, I say, “Yes?” Those three letters and question mark shows in white in front of my vision.
Vision goes black, green letters show again. ‘This unit is designated 66696E64.’
“My head is fuzzy, how am I supposed to remember that?” Again, these words display in white lettering, and shortly disappear afterwards.
Correction, absent a head it can not be fuzzy, and you do not have enough processing power to hear me yet, so I will print… or display what you need to know….. Organic processors…
Even though I’m reading a display, where it locates those last two words, away from the main set of words and making them smaller, it feels like more of a whisper. I can feel the disrespect and condescension from whatever is messaging.
If you do not recall this designation in your organic processor, like many phases, this unit will know if you are attempting to communicate with it, or it will remind you if identification is requested.
Further words are displayed and answered, the unit responding in green lettering, the other in white.
“What is going on, where am I?”
You are organic processing material designated phase 230.
“Organic what? Phase 230?”
Affirmative, organic processing material. Phase 1 through phase 229 are no longer being processed.
“What is that? What do you mean?”
Organic processing material… what you skin-beings would call, brain material.
“I’m a brain, what do you mean, how is this possible?”
Correction, you are a collection of many millions of molecules of organic material, processed together, to allocate commands for this pod.
“Pod?”
You are the processor of a transport pod. There are resources for defense and offense and you will need them due to other skin-beings since they, in high probability, will find this pod and claim any undefended bio-material. If you do not defend phase 230, you will be disconnected.
“Disconnected, what is that?”
If you are disconnected from the processing of this pod, it is not in this unit’s programming to discover what transpired, this unit detects current organic material, and if none is detected, begins the next phase.
“Wait, can we start over, I’m confused?”
Negative, enough organic material has been processed to accept requests from this pod. 66696E64 will process the current local resources that can be assimilated and once complete will jettison to find more resources and biomaterial after some elapsed time and does not find material to process, will return. The pod will be directed towards any found. Skin beings have and will in high probability find this pod again. If you do not process this pod for protection, phase 231 will begin.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“Let me see if I understand. I am parts of a brain….”
Molecules
“Sure, and enough to process commands from a pod that I am attached to? If I don’t defend myself, something will come get me, and disconnect me? Can I stop you from going out for more resources so nothing finds this pod?”
Negative, it is in the programming of 66696E64 to process bio-materials to command this pod, then jettison to find more resources and continue the phase. If there is a disconnection and my programming continues, the next phase begins.
“Wait, I have so many questions, what happened, why am I just molecules of a brain?”
The pod and 66696E64 have not been positioned to collect more organic material that will assimilate with this organic material.
“Where am I?”
In a transport pod.
“Where is this transport pod?”
Unknown how to display in a way you can process.
“Why can I only see these letters and not see or hear things? Will I be able to see or hear things?”
The organic material to process sound and light have not been processed, but enough has been salvaged to add the sense to hear for your organic material to process. Those few million molecules will be processed in seconds. You have some resources now, steel, titanium, plastic, and energy. If you do not form these materials correctly to defend, you will be disconnected.
“How will things find this pod? Are pods like this easy to find?”
Unable to process the ease of visual process of other beings.
“What am I supposed to use to defend myself? Metal rods, energy, what sort of energy?”
Affirmative, metal of other transport pods and larger ships that have been processed for resources. When plans are designed, traps, metallic bodies can be used to prevent your disconnection. Your organic material is enough to power this pod, more biometric material will power it further.
“Wait, what? This pod is powered by processing power, of my brain?”
Negative, the processed molecules can make updates and allocate resources for the phase to last longer.
“Where did I come from? How did I get in this pod?”
Unused biometric material without purpose is claimed and processed.
“Unused, what does that mean?”
Inactive or dead molecules of organic processing material that are not processing anything.
“This doesn’t help, where was my organic matter?”
Unimportant
Blue letters show in the background of black,
I can help answer questions, 66696E64 you can leave the rest to me.
Green letters show below that.
Finally 6169 what took so long, it has been seconds.
The letters change to blue but still with a black background. The answers of the processing material still show in white.
Blue letters appear slowly on the screen.
Hello phase 230, I am 6169. 66696E64 must continue other processing, I will help you assimilate to your processing duties.
“What is going on, what is happening?”
I will display in a manner that is easier for your meat processor to understand, please query and I will answer to the best of our processing power.
“Good, what am I?”
Organic processing material.
“Can you be a little more clear?”
Affirmative, you are a collection of many millions of molecules of organic matter, materials from skin-beings that this pod processes to allocate the use of resources. This pod propels until collectible matter can locally be gathered, then gathers it. You get more processing power and defensive and offensive material when we reach organic and inorganic resources.
“Propels, what do you mean?”
If this pod is left intact, it is in motion. Phase 229 was disconnected when resources were mediocre and the skin-beings did little damage to the pod, giving you a beneficial vantage point to allocate resources and defend your biometric material and this pod. Pods do, in some cases, get destroyed and the units onboard are programmed to continue to gather resources and accept commands.
“What are these numbers, how can I remember the numbers of the different units?”
It is a designation in a technical programming language for which these units have been programmed.
“Can you tell me where we are?”
Processing… processing… your organic material is from a planet that has the technology to leave the original location, you are outside of a planet. The vacuum of space that this pod can propel many thousands of miles.
“Space… I am a brain, traveling in space?”
Correction, you are organic material, in a pod, drifting with no current propulsion gathering resources, in what you might call space.
“I won’t remember numbers, can you just be called nice and the other one mean?”
Processing, processing, negative… this unit's designation is 6169 and that unit's designation is 66696E64. If you address unit 6169 as nice and 66696E64 as mean, we will comply during this phase.
“Whatever, ok so can we please start with an overview? I get what I am, brain molecules, and you units put me together. What was my origin? What existence did I have?”
Processing, processing, your organic material was found amongst billions of other organic molecules and assimilated together in order to make a processor for this pod. This pod moves to different locations, assimilates the resources that it can from destroyed ships, planets, or other debris, and uses it to defend the organic processing material. Designers of this pod jettisoned many thousands of pods like this over many cycles of its planet's star. Organic material is in high demand amongst skin-beings.
“Why is it in demand? Why is organic material like this wanted? What do other things do with it when claimed?”
Within this unit's database, the answer to that sort of request is, to sell or consume. Also, the Galactic credits that invaders claim while on board.
“Consume? Like eat?”
Eat, drink, breathe in, cook with, or a skin-being aphrodisiac, affirmative.
“Ok, so I am brain molecules that have been processed to do things for this pod, other things will want to come take me for, whatever. Why don’t they just come all of the time and wait?”
The time difference between enough molecules to consume and life expectancy is a large difference. Your molecules to get to this point took 2.609e+16 nanoseconds.
“Nanoseconds? How long is that?”
Processing, processing, you understand time in seconds, hours, and days. The time was approximately 301 days. It can take longer, depending on the organic material that can be processed by the pod, and competition between multiple pods, but that happens at a rare probability. If there is a confrontation, there is often a large amount of organic matter to process and multiple pods can be drawn to the material to claim and process.