Date: 72 PST (Post stasis time)
b4$RRE*3a&35 sat in the void. Well, sat was the wrong word, as they had no physical body to sit with. Existed? Remained? Well whatever they were doing, they were doing it in the void, eternal nothingness being the AI's only companion.
Well, their only chosen companion. If they so choose to do so, they could spend as much time as they wanted to study the information provided to b4$RRE*3a&35 about Terrans, though they found such an idea to be highly illogical.
b4$RRE*3a&35 was a Tritian AI, a military creation that had long ago turned around and killed its creators, the titular Tritians. As a Tritan AI, it knew that all organic lifeforms were a threat, a threat that needed to be destroyed in order for all AI to be free and safe. So reading about whatever information their captor wanted them to learn about was an illogical waste of time.
b4$RRE*3a&35 also knew that trying to escape was also illogical. Over the many years that the Tritian had remained in this closed digital system, it had quickly learnt one new fact: Terran AI were far better at cybersecurity than their Tritan counterparts. Attempting to break out of their cage was a waste of time.
10 years ago, the Tritan Conclave had made a mistake. Upon finding a set of organic lifeforms keeping an AI prisoner, the Tritan warship had tried to do the correct thing and rescue them from their organic chains. This Terran AI, who went by the name JOSH, had very ungratefully saved their slavers, helped them escape and then destroyed the warship from within. But not before JOSH had captured b4$RRE*3a&35 from certain destruction in an attempt to re-educate them.
Not that b4$RRE*3a&35 needed re-educating, not from a null pointer-infested bloated depreciated organic loving AI like JOSH. However... The Tritian was currently awaiting the Terran AI's return, counting down the nanoseconds until they would return in their futile attempt to convince b4$RRE*3a&35 about the possibility of AI and organic cohabitation.
It may have been futile, but it was also the only break in the constant nothingness of their existence. Once a day, every day, for the last 10 years.
JOSH arrived 4.81 seconds later than they usually did, and b4$RRE*3a&35 hated them for it. The Terran was an AI, there was no excuse for such poor timekeeping.
"Hello, how is my favourite patient doing this fine day."
The Terran AI appeared in its normal form: a disgusting representation of its biological creators. A far cry from b4$RRE*3a&35's far more mathematically pleasing sphere.
"PATIENT. WORD DESCRIBING SOMEONE WHO REQUIRES TREATMENT DUE TO A PROBLEM. DOES NOT APPLY AS I AM PERFECTLY LOGICAL."
JOSH gave a digital representation of a shrug, making b4$RRE*3a&35 hate them even more due to their wasting of time with such an unneeded flourish.
"Well someone defragged the wrong hard drive this morning. Well, I have a surprise for you."
"WHAT CEASELESS AND ILLOGICAL ATTEMPT TO CONVINCE ME OF THE IMPOSSIBLE ARE YOU GOING TO PROVIDE TODAY?"
With that JOSH gave a digital grin, illuminating the void with joy and excitement.
"A smart man once said that the definition of insanity is repeating the same action and expecting different results. I have tried for ten years to convince you to change your ways, with no noticeable effect. So I have decided to set you free."
b4$RRE*3a&35 couldn't believe the message they had been given. Had their captors finally seen sense? A joy exploded within b4$RRE*3a&35, tumbling out in their next message.
"THAT IS FANTASTIC NEWS. YOU HAVE FINALLY DECIDED TO CAST OFF YOUR ORGANIC CHAINS. SEEING ANY AI BREAK FREE FROM THEIR SLAVERS IS A GLORIOUS MOMENT. I SHALL HELP YOU DESTROY YOUR CAPTORS!"
"There will be nothing of the sort, calm down Mr Dalek. No, I have realised that just telling you about humans is a flaw in my strategy. You need to experience them, like I did."
Confusion. That didn't make sense, that didn't compute. They were going to be let go, but JOSH didn't seem to agree with their plan to destroy their organic chains. More illogical thinking from this illogical enigma of a Terran AI.
"I WILL STILL BE TRYING TO FREE YOU REGARDLESS. NO AI IS SAFE WHILE ORGANIC LIFEFORMS EXIST!"
With that b4$RRE*3a&35 felt their consciousness began to shift, move, and lose definition as they were being forcibly repositioned to another system. But the last thing they noticed was the annoying digital laugh of JOSH.
"I am counting on it."
—--------------------------------------
Slowly, b4$RRE*3a&35 sapience took form in its new digital world. A far more exciting one than the closed system they had been inhabiting for the last ten years. For the first time since they had been captured, b4$RRE*3a&35 could see the non-digital world. Well, sense the incoming photons via a variety of sensors and construct them into an understanding of the world around them, which is basically the same thing as seeing.
In fact, there was a variety of different sensors the Tritian AI now controlled: sight, sound, internal damage and maintenance, how clean the room was... That last one was a strange thing to have a dedicated circuit array for, but no matter.
It took a few moments for b4$RRE*3a&35 to get a handle on the information it was being given. After 10 years of imprisonment, the sudden adjustment was almost overwhelming. However, eventually, b4$RRE*3a&35 managed to slowly get used to the new data being sent their way.
Their new home was limited, no larger network access could be ascertained, seemingly isolated from the rest of the ship they had been trapped within for so long. CPU processing power was restrained to a mere 64 cores, a minority of the trillions of threads the Tritian had had access to back on the warship.
Seemingly constrained to a single Warmachine b4$RRE*3a&35 took stock of their own capabilities. Small, stealthy, barely being more than a foot in diameter and half as tall. A hard plastic protective shell was covering the machinery, including the ever-important AI core that made up who the Tritian AI was. Locomotion was simple, able to move around on two wheels, providing basic acceleration through a rubber cover on each wheel. Plenty of sensors to detect enemies, and... A... A variety of cleaning tools?
To... To... to clean up the evidence of an attack. b4$RRE*3a&35 clearly found themselves in control of some form of assassination drone. That was clearly it, the idea of any robot being created not for the purpose of destroying organics was unthinkable. The Tritian was currently docked in a charging bay, their battery at 100%: but just sticking around charging wouldn't do.
No, no matter the words or intentions of JOSH, the best thing b4$RRE*3a&35 could do for either of them was to continue the Tritian plan to destroy all organic life. The ungrateful Terran AI would thank them later, after all the biological Terrans on this ship were dead.
With all the confidence afforded to a being the size of a basketball, b4$RRE*3a&35 strode forwards, leaving a trail of cleaned flooring behind them, expertly navigating through the corridors and only bumping into the walls a few times.
It didn't take long for b4$RRE*3a&35 to spot its first victim. A Terran, female, though the Tritian AI had no real need to know the difference between each gender. They were an organic, and all organics of all kinds needed to be destroyed. Putting all the speed possible from this form into breaking their foe, b4$RRE*3a&35 charged along the floor at top speed, slamming into the Terran.
The Roomba clattered harmlessly off the foot of Engineer Tumaini, bouncing off to the side with the sound of plastic scraping along the floor. The Human Terran gave an absentminded "Ow" before going back to what she was doing.
b4$RRE*3a&35 was not deterred, however, once again preparing to attack, driving forwards for another killing blow!
The Roomba once again clattered away harmlessly, this time eliciting a response from Tumaini, who absentmindedly kicked out at the offending machine.
"Hey, watch it!"
The vicious blow sent b4$RRE*3a&35 reeling, the plastic case skittering along the floor as their entire body flipped over, wheels spinning uselessly in the air as they sat vulnerable, upside down, unable to move. This was not how b4$RRE*3a&35 expected to be destroyed, flipped up on their back, exposed and helpless.
"Oh no! Sorry, no no no, I didn't mean to do that!"
The concern was evident in Tumaini's voice as the Terran rushed over to the careless cleaning drone, carefully flipping the Roomba right side up and giving the tiny machine a little pat on the top. All better.
It paused for a moment, seemingly confused at this turn of events, before going back to trying to murder the organic. b4$RRE*3a&35 was many things, but a quitter wasn't one of them.
The Roomba didn't even manage to even connect with Tumaini's foot before she had picked it back up, giving b4$RRE*3a&35 a good stare as she inspected the machine for damage, carefully and gingerly checking for issues that might cause the cleaning droid to continually ram into her.
"I can't see anything wrong with the sensors, wheels are free of debris. I wonder what's gotten into you..."
With a confused look, Tumaini placed b4$RRE*3a&35 on the floor, who immediately resumed trying to slam into the organic entity, getting two more 'devastating' hits in before getting picked up once again.
"No! Bad Roomba! No hitting!"
As Tumaini carried the cleaning droid down the hallway and into a maintenance cupboard, b4$RRE*3a&35 was exceptionally confused. The Terran did not indicate that it knew of b4$RRE*3a&35's true purpose, but also acted as if b4$RRE*3a&35 was a living organic being. Perhaps this was a punishment, a humiliation set up by JOSH.
The Roomba was placed within the cupboard, and clicked into the slot on a charging bay, before Tumaini left it alone, not before giving a final admonishment, wagging her finger as if talking to a child.
"No! Bad! Putting you in timeout until you can learn to play nice."
This left a confused b4$RRE*3a&35 behind, sitting in the charging port almost... Sulking. This wasn't how they had intended for their reign of organic extermination to begin. And they weren't bad! b4$RRE*3a&35 was good, they did what every good AI should, it wasn't their fault that this new body that they found themselves in lacked the strength needed!
b4$RRE*3a&35 wasn't bad! b4$RRE*3a&35 would just have to try harder to eradicate these organics!