Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I have decided to dedicate a folder to my personal thoughts, actions, etc during this later part of my isolation. I woke very suddenly, today, to a strange noise. The next intelligent species is… evolving. They’re changing, growing, leaving the sea before my very eyes. It’s wonderful. I hope to, in some way, help them to leave this place and explore the new world - their new world.

One of them saw me. It didn’t seem all that scared, but it was definitely a bit cautious. That makes sense, as I haven't exactly looked my best in centuries. Having to perform maintenance on myself has been all but simple. I think I may have wires sticking out of my head, but everything is working well enough. I’m not all that worried about it.

I am currently sitting atop the building in Site One, observing them. They seem so curious. So lost. I wonder if they have any idea how important they are. To humans. To me. Another one of them seems to have spotted me. It seems very interested in me. Perhaps I could go down to visit them, at some point, before they go.

I have to wonder what my supposed brother would think of this. I have never met him, but I have definitely seen logs from one of the scientists about him and his professor. They speak very highly of him. I can’t help but wonder what he would say about this, or if he’d be as excited as I am. I wonder if he’s like me, at all.

The inklings - the name I’ve come up with for the squid-like creatures, for now - are very curious beings. They seem a bit more outgoing and confident than some of the other sea creatures that are coming up, out of the water, to breathe their first breaths of air. I am excited to see where their curiosity and determination leads them.

Update - They are beginning to leave the crater. They are somehow able to jump extremely high or long distances, so long as they know where they’re trying to go. They all seem amazed by the warmth of the real sun, seeming to pause to take it all in before fully leaving this place.

Words cannot describe how I wish I could join them.

This place can be beautiful, but dreadfully quiet. I miss the scientists. I miss mammals. The scientist that created me said that my brother's professor had an adorable little cat, in one of the logs. A cat. I don't think I've ever seen one.

Sadly, I can only wonder how the outside world has changed. For now, I must stay. I have a duty to fulfill, no matter how badly I want to see the outside world. I will do my family fellow scientists proud, just as my creator always wanted to.

I hope I'm doing a good job.

Chapter Text

It's been years since my last update. I don't know how many, but I just haven't had anything to write about, outside of the Alterna logs, in so long.

There's something changing, about this place. It's hard to describe what I mean, but this place once felt like home. I used to feel like a scientist. Lately, I've begun to feel more and more like scrap metal.

I decided to work on my 'home'. My creator's apartment somehow didn't flood. How ironic. I turned the apartment into a home for me, so I may have somewhere to rest that isn't the cold metal floors of the laboratory I was built in.

I visited my creator, today. Their favorite flowers began growing, again, and I promised I would bring them at least one, every time it grew. I took a long break from my usual chores to tell them about my more recent experiences. How I've been thinking of the new intelligent life forms, ever since they left. I'm sure my creator, if they could respond, would ask me many questions, and try to see if I could find a sample of the creatures to analyze. They'd likely be so fascinated by the development of these creatures, more so than I was.

I miss them...

I've been thinking about the inklings. I have thought about making tests for them to go through, if they are to ever revisit this place, but it's a bit difficult when I don't know how they even move around. (I still can't fathom how on earth they managed to launch themselves out of Alterna without the help of some kind of machinery.)

I may figure it out, one day, but for now, I can only fantasize about making tests.

(Side note - if only there was a way to make floating platforms... That would solve many of the issues I currently have with the idea of creating these tests...)

Update - I can't turn off that stupid broadcast. It's been playing every 12 hours or so, over and over. Why is that the one thing I don't have access to, here? Why is that the one thing I can't turn off or change? I can hardly think, when it plays. My head hurts, I just want to stop thinking about it. I can hear it even when I've powered down for the night. It haunts me.

I would much rather be in complete silence for all eternity than have to hear this. The last announcement from humans before something went wrong with the ship.

Admittedly, this wasn't an issue until recently, when some of my files began corrupting. Usually, I could use music to drown it out, but with the files being corrupt, the music has become distorted. It's only adding to the sense of dread that listening to that countdown gives me. I shouldn't even be able to feel dread. I wasn't originally programmed with emotions. Or perhaps I was, and they were simply dulled down, a bit? Either way, I hate that I have to feel this way, all because I don't have access to one announcement system. It shouldn't be looping like this, in the first place.

It's been too long. Everything is beginning to become damaged from neglect. Myself included.

If only I could begin to describe how badly I wish I could have followed the inklings, when they left...

Note to self - install soundproofing in all the places I regularly stay. It may be the only way to avoid the awful headache that announcement never fails to cause, for me. (I didn't even think I could get headaches...)