28 Hello?
The computers have been wiped clean. Sia goes through half of the 3rd-floor desktops before quitting and sitting in the hallway. There is nothing new to connect to, and thus nothing for the synthetic intelligence device to hack into.
"Let's focus on the good and look at all the positives here. We're safe, and when you are lost they say to always stay in the same spot, right? So, we just need to put our…brain together and figure out a way to," Sia falls over onto her side and grabs her head, "They don't even know we're missing! They think I'm dead! No one will look for me!"
She lies still on the floor and stares at a burnt antenna. Her eyes cross over. She holds her breath and glares at the antenna. Glaring at it does not compel it to follow her will, so she releases her breath from her mouth and harrumphs. Sia can't think of anything. This entire journey was for nothing.
'We're doomed.'
RIVER CITY EMERGENCY PROTOCOL MENTIONS RADIO PROCEDURES
Sia rolls onto her back.
"I guess, but that's only for ham radio stuff. I'm not certified for that. The supervisor had that job in the case of some event that destroyed the grid."
Silence.
Sia bangs the back of her head on the floor.
"But the supervisor would have the radio in a safety box in his office…probably in his desk or something. I'd probably have to open it with a crowbar or something, cuz he would definitely have that safety key on his personal house keys. Or she…I don't know the staff here. I don't want to cut out an entire gender for being a supervisor. It's a nuclear apocalypse, not the end of the world."
Silence.
Sia sets her head down and groans.
"What do we do?!"
Silence.
"Oh."
She scrambles up and into the chemistry room that has become her new headquarters and grabs her crowbar.
The supervisor's office is dirtier than ever. Sia has rooted through every corner of the supervisor's office and no sight of the ham radio safety box.
"What kind of progress is this? This was supposed to be the end of an epic journey. I can't deal with this place anymore. I can't deal with these people. The things!!"
Sia wields the crowbar two-handed and slams it into the top of the desk.
CRUNCH
She continues to beat the desk over and over. Pieces of splintered wood fly up into the air and Sia closes her eyes as she rages.
The desk is broken and split in half when she finishes with it.
"Okay. Let's move on. Next, Scientist paradise lounge."
Sia kicks in the door to the scientist lounge area, high maintenance locker room, and sniffs before sliding the crowbar across a countertop and tossing everything to the floor.
CRASH
The coffee machine, the toaster, and all the electronics and cups left up on the counter are scattered across the carpeted floor.
She swings the crowbar wildly and breaks chairs, glazed benches, and even the porcelain sink.
Afterward, she sits down in the blue suede armchair in the corner of the room. She drops the crowbar onto the floor and stands up to pour herself a glass of water. It's been 16 years, but their filtration system still works. They seem to get their water from an independent well site or something similar.
Sia walks over to the counter and opens a few cabinets in search of a clean mug. The first cabinet is empty, the second cabinet is empty, but the third cabinet has a few mugs left. Sia fills the mug and looks at the rest of the cabinets in the room. There is a small cabinet beside the counter with a tea box on top. She assumes that's where they held all their condiments.
"They got friggin beverage choices and additives."
She drinks her water, wipes at her lips, and bends down to open the small cabinet.
"'lo, and behold."
Right beside the sugar and agave nectar sits a black safety box.
She pulls the safety box out. She puts it on the counter and gets her crowbar.
"Open ...," She struggles against the lock until it breaks open, "Sesame seeds. Ugh. I'm so hungry."
The ham radio is safely packed inside.
~~~~~~~~~~~~30 minutes later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, I just sit here and repeat my message until someone contacts me right?"
AFFIRMATIVE
A MESSAGE REPEATED EVERY FEW HOURS HEIGHTENS THE PROSPECTS OF RESCUE
IT WOULD BRING OPTIMAL RESULTS IF SUBJECT 001 MARKED OUT 6 BROADCASTING TIMES
AND SENT A MESSAGE FOR A DURATION BEFORE REPEATING THE EXERCISE AT ANOTHER TIME
Sia sighs and pressed the broadcast button.
"Uh…Hello? Over. This is Chen Sia."
CHARLIE HOTEL ECHO NOVEMBER SIERRA INDIA ALFA
She sighs and repeats those words.
"Hello. This is Chen Sia. Charlie, Hotel, Echo, November, Sierra, India, Alfa. I repeat Chen Sia. Charlie, Hotel, Echo, November, Sierra, India, Alfa. SOS. I need help.
QTH COLDSTONE, NEW CINALIA
"QTH? Coldstone, New Cinalia. The ExplorerTech Industries building. It's all still here and so am I. OVER."
Sia repeats this message multiple times, before marking down the time and setting everything down next to the computer. The safety box included a portable ham radio and one that connected to the computer. Sia can't even be sure it is working. Nothing has happened.
'This is faster in the movies.'
Sia stands and goes to keep herself busy. She mixes the chemicals from the supply closet on the 4th floor. She uses some closed bottles for the new corrosive mixtures. Then stores boric acid in two containers in case she ever needs any again. She puts all the containers into her new backpack along with her new clothes.
"Wish I had a suitcase with wheels," she says.
She pulls off her dirty t-shirt and tosses it onto the ground. Her stomach has abs. She's never had abs in her entire life. Until now.
"Have you been feeding off my fat for energy?!"
AFFIRMATIVE
EXCESSIVE WEIGHT PUTS STRESS ON SUBJECT 001'S JOINTS
SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER UTILIZED IT TO SUFFICIENTLY BOOST HEALTH AND SPEED
OBESITY DIRECTLY CONFLICTS WITH PRIORITY #1
She gropes at her stomach before straightening up.
"Hey! I wasn't obese. I was just a few pounds overweight for my height. Obesity is like 100 pounds overweight. I was like.."
SUBJECT 001 HAD A BMI OF 30.7
THAT IS 46 POUNDS, OR 20.8 KG OVERWEIGHT
WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL'S WEIGHT IS MORE THAN 20% THE IDEAL WEIGHT
IT IS DEFINED AS OBESITY
Sia counts on her fingers for a moment.
"Twenty times 226…and move the decimal…" Sia waves a finger in the air before snapping and saying, "That's 45.2…I'm barely over that."
WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL'S WEIGHT IS MORE THAN 20%---
"I'm not arguing with a device that has no physical body. You don't even understand the concept of barely."
Silence.
SUBJECT 001 AND THE SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER ARE SYNONYMIC
Sia rolls her eyes and puts on the black shirt. She slips into some jeans that are too wide for her, but she rolls the top around her waist to keep it up.
"Remind me to get a belt."
AFFIRMATIVE
"At least you don't hold grudges."
She puts on the ExplorerTech green uniform jumpsuit over the entire outfit. It keeps her a bit warmer and with her jacket on she almost doesn't feel chilly. She hasn't been using any of the heating. She can't be sure the vents aren't clogged with something gross. She's survived so far without becoming mutated. Breathing dead roach particles might change that. Better safe than sorry.
She tosses her dirty clothing into a corner.
There are only 4 days of food left. Sia can stretch it to last a few more days, but she doesn't know what she will do after that.
When she isn't broadcasting a message for help, she is looking through more of the building for anything useful.
She has been napping during the daytime between broadcasts, then stays up all night searching the building and broadcasting. The naps help her avoid having to use the B1ack.0ut program and she can be awake during the most dangerous part of the day. The last time she used B1ack.0ut, she woke up with scratches on her stomach, so she has tried to avoid using it at all. She has questioned the device about side effects.
"Do any of your programs give someone muscle spasms while unconscious?"
NEGATIVE
"Seizures?"
NEGATIVE
…
"Let's focus on the good and look at all the positives here. We're safe, and when you are lost they say to always stay in the same spot, right? So, we just need to put our…brain together and figure out a way to," Sia falls over onto her side and grabs her head, "They don't even know we're missing! They think I'm dead! No one will look for me!"
She lies still on the floor and stares at a burnt antenna. Her eyes cross over. She holds her breath and glares at the antenna. Glaring at it does not compel it to follow her will, so she releases her breath from her mouth and harrumphs. Sia can't think of anything. This entire journey was for nothing.
'We're doomed.'
RIVER CITY EMERGENCY PROTOCOL MENTIONS RADIO PROCEDURES
Sia rolls onto her back.
"I guess, but that's only for ham radio stuff. I'm not certified for that. The supervisor had that job in the case of some event that destroyed the grid."
Silence.
Sia bangs the back of her head on the floor.
"But the supervisor would have the radio in a safety box in his office…probably in his desk or something. I'd probably have to open it with a crowbar or something, cuz he would definitely have that safety key on his personal house keys. Or she…I don't know the staff here. I don't want to cut out an entire gender for being a supervisor. It's a nuclear apocalypse, not the end of the world."
Silence.
Sia sets her head down and groans.
"What do we do?!"
Silence.
"Oh."
She scrambles up and into the chemistry room that has become her new headquarters and grabs her crowbar.
The supervisor's office is dirtier than ever. Sia has rooted through every corner of the supervisor's office and no sight of the ham radio safety box.
"What kind of progress is this? This was supposed to be the end of an epic journey. I can't deal with this place anymore. I can't deal with these people. The things!!"
Sia wields the crowbar two-handed and slams it into the top of the desk.
CRUNCH
She continues to beat the desk over and over. Pieces of splintered wood fly up into the air and Sia closes her eyes as she rages.
The desk is broken and split in half when she finishes with it.
"Okay. Let's move on. Next, Scientist paradise lounge."
Sia kicks in the door to the scientist lounge area, high maintenance locker room, and sniffs before sliding the crowbar across a countertop and tossing everything to the floor.
CRASH
The coffee machine, the toaster, and all the electronics and cups left up on the counter are scattered across the carpeted floor.
She swings the crowbar wildly and breaks chairs, glazed benches, and even the porcelain sink.
Afterward, she sits down in the blue suede armchair in the corner of the room. She drops the crowbar onto the floor and stands up to pour herself a glass of water. It's been 16 years, but their filtration system still works. They seem to get their water from an independent well site or something similar.
Sia walks over to the counter and opens a few cabinets in search of a clean mug. The first cabinet is empty, the second cabinet is empty, but the third cabinet has a few mugs left. Sia fills the mug and looks at the rest of the cabinets in the room. There is a small cabinet beside the counter with a tea box on top. She assumes that's where they held all their condiments.
"They got friggin beverage choices and additives."
She drinks her water, wipes at her lips, and bends down to open the small cabinet.
"'lo, and behold."
Right beside the sugar and agave nectar sits a black safety box.
She pulls the safety box out. She puts it on the counter and gets her crowbar.
"Open ...," She struggles against the lock until it breaks open, "Sesame seeds. Ugh. I'm so hungry."
The ham radio is safely packed inside.
~~~~~~~~~~~~30 minutes later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, I just sit here and repeat my message until someone contacts me right?"
AFFIRMATIVE
A MESSAGE REPEATED EVERY FEW HOURS HEIGHTENS THE PROSPECTS OF RESCUE
IT WOULD BRING OPTIMAL RESULTS IF SUBJECT 001 MARKED OUT 6 BROADCASTING TIMES
AND SENT A MESSAGE FOR A DURATION BEFORE REPEATING THE EXERCISE AT ANOTHER TIME
Sia sighs and pressed the broadcast button.
"Uh…Hello? Over. This is Chen Sia."
CHARLIE HOTEL ECHO NOVEMBER SIERRA INDIA ALFA
She sighs and repeats those words.
"Hello. This is Chen Sia. Charlie, Hotel, Echo, November, Sierra, India, Alfa. I repeat Chen Sia. Charlie, Hotel, Echo, November, Sierra, India, Alfa. SOS. I need help.
QTH COLDSTONE, NEW CINALIA
"QTH? Coldstone, New Cinalia. The ExplorerTech Industries building. It's all still here and so am I. OVER."
Sia repeats this message multiple times, before marking down the time and setting everything down next to the computer. The safety box included a portable ham radio and one that connected to the computer. Sia can't even be sure it is working. Nothing has happened.
'This is faster in the movies.'
Sia stands and goes to keep herself busy. She mixes the chemicals from the supply closet on the 4th floor. She uses some closed bottles for the new corrosive mixtures. Then stores boric acid in two containers in case she ever needs any again. She puts all the containers into her new backpack along with her new clothes.
"Wish I had a suitcase with wheels," she says.
She pulls off her dirty t-shirt and tosses it onto the ground. Her stomach has abs. She's never had abs in her entire life. Until now.
"Have you been feeding off my fat for energy?!"
AFFIRMATIVE
EXCESSIVE WEIGHT PUTS STRESS ON SUBJECT 001'S JOINTS
SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER UTILIZED IT TO SUFFICIENTLY BOOST HEALTH AND SPEED
OBESITY DIRECTLY CONFLICTS WITH PRIORITY #1
She gropes at her stomach before straightening up.
"Hey! I wasn't obese. I was just a few pounds overweight for my height. Obesity is like 100 pounds overweight. I was like.."
SUBJECT 001 HAD A BMI OF 30.7
THAT IS 46 POUNDS, OR 20.8 KG OVERWEIGHT
WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL'S WEIGHT IS MORE THAN 20% THE IDEAL WEIGHT
IT IS DEFINED AS OBESITY
Sia counts on her fingers for a moment.
"Twenty times 226…and move the decimal…" Sia waves a finger in the air before snapping and saying, "That's 45.2…I'm barely over that."
WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL'S WEIGHT IS MORE THAN 20%---
"I'm not arguing with a device that has no physical body. You don't even understand the concept of barely."
Silence.
SUBJECT 001 AND THE SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER ARE SYNONYMIC
Sia rolls her eyes and puts on the black shirt. She slips into some jeans that are too wide for her, but she rolls the top around her waist to keep it up.
"Remind me to get a belt."
AFFIRMATIVE
"At least you don't hold grudges."
She puts on the ExplorerTech green uniform jumpsuit over the entire outfit. It keeps her a bit warmer and with her jacket on she almost doesn't feel chilly. She hasn't been using any of the heating. She can't be sure the vents aren't clogged with something gross. She's survived so far without becoming mutated. Breathing dead roach particles might change that. Better safe than sorry.
She tosses her dirty clothing into a corner.
There are only 4 days of food left. Sia can stretch it to last a few more days, but she doesn't know what she will do after that.
When she isn't broadcasting a message for help, she is looking through more of the building for anything useful.
She has been napping during the daytime between broadcasts, then stays up all night searching the building and broadcasting. The naps help her avoid having to use the B1ack.0ut program and she can be awake during the most dangerous part of the day. The last time she used B1ack.0ut, she woke up with scratches on her stomach, so she has tried to avoid using it at all. She has questioned the device about side effects.
"Do any of your programs give someone muscle spasms while unconscious?"
NEGATIVE
"Seizures?"
NEGATIVE
…
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