Chapter 26: ... Exists in the False Self
Pearl looked out the window of the car, watching the city go by through the window of the car. Even though the sun had already set, the streets were still bustling with activity. The road was packed with vehicles headed to and from who knows where, people lined the sidewalks and packed into everything from restaurants to bars to entertainment centers, and practically every window was lit up, illuminating the night and banishing the shadows to the dark alleyways between buildings. Compared to all the places she had been in Vale, and even Cape Calypso, Atlas was fancier, more modern, and most of all, larger. Even the smaller, older-looking buildings were larger and better-looking than most of what she had seen beforehand. Despite having lived in Atlas for all of her life - well, all of her life in a human body - Pearl couldn't help but feel unfamiliar with the city.
"Personality... complete overhaul... maybe the logic subunits?" Pearl heard Erika mutter. Turning away from the window, she saw Erika in the front passenger seat tapping away at her scroll with her one hand, typing out notes that Pearl couldn't quite make out. The two Atlesian Knights that had been escorting her were in the car as well; one was sitting in the backseat with Pearl, while the other was driving the car. Erika looked up, turning towards Pearl. "You identified yourself as Pearl, correct? That is your name?"
"Uh... yes, I'm Pearl. Pearl Koschei."
"And how does a human known as Pearl Koschei end up in the body of a robot?"
"My father directed and worked on a project in Green Ocean with financial assistance from the Atlas Military. The purpose of the project was to build a state-of-the-art combat android... and then transplant a human soul into it. The weaponry and resilience of a machine combined with the mental capabilities and aura of a human soldier was too appealing of a concept to pass up," Pearl explained, recalling what her father had told her about the project. "But the real reason he did it was for me."
"Elaborate."
"I... my body was weak. Frail. After... an accident. I could barely leave the house on most days. My father volunteered me as the test subject who would transfer their soul into the android. Into this body," Pearl said, looking over her body. "I suppose he just wanted to see his daughter be able to walk more than a dozen meters without collapsing."
"None of that explains how you ended up in Vale."
"I... I don't know either. All I know is that the transferal worked. One minute I'm sitting in an aura transferal pod across from this body, and the next I'm on a beach in Vale," Pearl explained. "I was hoping someone would know. Either you or my father."
"Hm... unit unaware... events after procedure... mentions Project Transcendence..." Erika muttered, typing on her scroll before looking up at Pearl. "Gale's report mentioned how you seemed much different in Seadale in terms of demeanor and combat efficiency. Could you elaborate?."
"That... that wasn't me. There's... something inside me. I don't know what it is, but when it activates, it..." Pearl paused, trying to recall what it was like when - that - took over. When she shifted and her mind suddenly rewired. "It's like my mind suddenly sees everything as a threat. Like it suddenly has to kill everything. For no reason. It... it's horrible, and I don't know how to stop it."
"I see," Erika said, turning away as she typed away at her scroll. "Ego generation... weak points could possibly lead to restoration of... but how to achieve that?"
"Uh... Ms. Grisele?" Pearl asked, trying to catch Erika's attention. "Where are we going?"
"Hm?" Erika looked up from her scroll, turning back towards Pearl.
"You... you said you worked with my father, right?" Pearl asked. "I'd like to see him again. Could you take me to him? We live in Hestia Housing. It's an apartment complex in the western part of Atlas, so it's a little bit of a ways away, but..."
"Hm... perhaps a shock to the logic circuits... trauma... neural breakdown to initiate reset... maybe that would work?" Erika muttered, looking back down at her scroll. She typed a few more things before turning towards the AK-130 driving the car. "New destination. Hestia Housing, district B."
"Um... thank you," Pearl said. Erika didn't respond, simply going back to typing on her scroll and muttering words that Pearl couldn't quite hear. As they made their way to their destination, Pearl went back to looking out the window, watching the buildings and cars go by. The skyscrapers and high-rises eventually faded out into shorter buildings and houses as the car rolled into one of the many residential areas of Atlas, coming closer and closer to where Pearl lived. Despite that, Pearl still didn't recognize anything in the area; though to be fair, she rarely went out when she was in her human body.
"We're here," Erika said as they rolled to a stop in front of a familiar-looking apartment complex. The doors opened automatically and Pearl stepped out onto the sidewalk, trying to remember which apartment was the one she and her father were living in.
"Let's see... it was apartment 130, I think," Pearl said, scanning over the door numbers as she made her way down the row of apartments. Before long, she found herself in front of a door with a large "130" on a sign hanging from the wall next to it. She knocked on the door. "Hello? Father?"
The door opened. An unfamiliar woman was there.
"Hello? Can I help you with - " the woman said, before stopping to look over Pearl.
"Who... who are you?" Pearl asked, trying to look past the woman. "Is my father there? Is Ivan there?"
"Ivan? Who's that?" the woman asked, her face scrunched up in puzzlement. "Who - what are you?"
"Sorry," Pearl said, quickly moving away from the door and back to the car, where Erika was waiting. "He... he wasn't there. Did he move while I was gone? Or - "
"That's correct. Ivan Koschei moved out of his apartment shortly after he resigned," Erika explained, gesturing for Pearl to go back in the car. "It was about two years ago. Surely you heard?"
"I read about him resigning, but... I was hoping he would still be here, waiting for me," Pearl said as she climbed into the backseat and closed the door. "Do you... do you know where he went?"
"He was no longer an employee of Green Ocean, and he refused to work with the company any longer. I had no reason to track him," Erika said as she got back into the passenger seat.
"Why... why didn't you tell me he moved?"
"I figured you might want to see for yourself," Erika said, turning towards the AK-130 in the driver's seat. "Take us to the old research facility in district C."
"The... the old research facility? I read that it was destroyed two years ago, when my father resigned," Pearl said, remembering the article she had come across in the CCTnet facility back in Seadale. "My father used to work there. I even visited sometimes, when I was feeling better. What... what happened to it?"
"I'll let you see for yourself," Erika said, taking out her scroll as she began to type out more notes. "Site of incident... possible reset to system... may induce breakdown..."
Pearl stared out the window as her old apartment faded into the distance.
"What... what happened here?" Pearl asked, looking out the window as the car rolled to a stop. She remembered the facility at this address fondly, as it was the place she went to the most when she was well enough to leave the house. The Green Ocean laboratory she remembered had sleek, modern-looking white walls that stretched up three stories high. Most of the facility was located underground, making it deceptively large. A stone-paved path lined with hedges led researchers from the street towards the entrance, and Pearl always loved to watch everyone go in and out of the large automatic double-doors at the front as her father pushed her wheelchair into the building. Occasionally, she would spot someone who she recognized and would wave and smile, and they would wave back as they went about their business. That was how she remembered the place.
Instead, the building was a charred husk, abandoned and devoid of life.
"You knew about Ivan's resignation, yet you seem oblivious to the incident that caused it. Strange," Erika said, taking down a few more notes. "Does this facility seem familiar to you?"
"Yes, but... not like this. Wasn't this Green Ocean's primary research facility? How did it become..." Pearl gestured towards the burnt building. "...this? What happened?"
"Hm. Doesn't seem to recall... faulty memory banks, maybe... perhaps result of neural overwrite..." Erika muttered, jotting down yet more notes in her scroll. "Perhaps a more direct approach... forceful recollection could yield results..."
"Excuse me, but I would like an answer."
"I suppose I'll not skirt around it any longer. You have your answer already, and it's more accurate than any account I could give," Erika said, tapping her one index finger against her temple. "It's somewhere in your memory banks. After all, you were there."
"What? But I - that's not possible. The procedure that transferred me to this body was done at this facility well before my father resigned," Pearl said, looking at the burnt-out ruins of the Green Ocean laboratory before turning towards Erika. "How could I have been there? The first thing that happened to me after I received this body was - "
" - was that you found yourself washed up in Vale?"
"How - how did you know?" Pearl asked. "Yes, that's correct, but..."
"A few days ago, I received a signal from your carrier pod for the first time in two years. It was in Vale, along the coast just below Pike's Landing," Erika explained. "Unfortunately, I was not able to actually track you without the aid of third parties. I assume you have no memories between the consciousness transferal procedure and then?"
"I... I don't."
"I see. Perhaps some memories needed to be archived for a successful neural reprogramming to occur. Fascinating..." Erika muttered as she typed more notes on her scroll. "If those memories were to reawaken, perhaps it may cause a reversion of the neural rewrite..."
"I'm still confused. What did you mean when you said I was there? That I was at the facility when... when this happened?"
"Perhaps I could help jumpstart the awakening process," Erika muttered. She looked up from her scroll at Pearl. "You should remember the following statement from the most recent Project Terracotta test. Ahem... recording log for combat test 5A. Erika Grisele presiding."
"What? What are you - " Pearl started to say before a pounding pain suddenly hit her skull, causing her to cry out as she cradled her head in her hands. It felt like something had drilled into her skull, and was now trying to claw its way out of her head, pulling out everything in its way including any thoughts she tried to muster and leaving her mind an empty, screaming void. "It... it hurts... oh gods..."
"This test will be an assessment of the PETRA's ability to assess, prioritize, and dispose of threats independently in a large operating area. The unit will be given no guidance, other than the assumption that all entities other than itself are hostile."
"Are you sure the PETRA can handle an opposing force this large? I know it's stronger than your average Knight, but putting it up against this many - "
"I believe you may be underestimating the PETRA's capabilities. The true strength of the unit lies not in its firepower, but its ability to process and adapt to information. Now, begin the test."
Directive confirmed. All entities other than this unit shall be considered hostile. No further guidance expected.
Activating wide-area sensory functions. Scanning...
Twenty hostiles found in the immediate area. Sensors indicate twelve human-sized entities, likely AK-130 units or similar variations. Four stationary turrets located in elevated larger mechanical bipedal entities on opposite side of chamber with heavy Dust-energy launchers. Readings indicate many structures scattered across the chamber.
Proposal: utilize structures as cover to avoid turrets. Size of two large entities should hamper mobility. Therefore, time is allotted for this unit to dispose of AK-130 units without interference from turrets or large entities.
Proposal accepted. Commencing elimination of hostiles.
Unit takes cover behind concrete building. Scanners show AK-130 approaching around corner, indicating AK-130 is unaware of this unit's presence. Thermogenic cannon unnecessary for disposal.
Unit grabs AK-130 by arm. AK-130 shifts other arm into blade. Attempts to cut this unit. This unit avoids the attack. Proceeds to detach head of AK-130 with other arm. Hostile confirmed as eliminated.
Scanners indicate multiple AK-130 units moving to surround this unit. Use of ballistic weaponry confirmed. While this unit is capable of withstanding ballistic impacts, doing so is not optimal in the current situation. Offensive action without ranged weaponry inadvisable. Activating thermogenic cannon.
Firing cannon.
Three AK-130 units confirmed destroyed. Eight remaining. Offensive action to engage AK-130s inadvisable due to AK-130s standing in turret firing range. Additionally, until AK-130s shift arms to blade mode, combat efficiency of AK-130s is decreased in close quarters. Therefore, this unit shall take a defensive position in building and utilize ambush strategies.
Entering building. Taking ambush position above doorway. AK-130 units have entered building. Unaware of this unit's presence. Charging thermogenic cannon.
Firing cannon.
Two AK-130 units confirmed destroyed. Six remaining. This unit's presence has been discovered. Engaging in close-quarters combat.
Close distance to nearest AK-130. Gunfire detected from AK-130 units. Engaging in evasive action. Ninety percent of gunfire avoided, ten percent blocked by external armor. Now within close-quarters combat range of nearest AK-130.
Unit strikes AK-130 in chest, destroying armor plating. Strike continues and destroys core of AK-130. Hostile eliminated. Destroyed AK-130 used as shield against continued gunfire. Thrown towards next nearest AK-130; force of throw takes AK-130 down. This unit closes distance, destroys core of AK-130 with stomp on chest. Hostile eliminated. Four remaining.
Unit continues avoiding gunfire. Two of remaining AK-130 units shift to blade weaponry, move to engage in close quarters combat. Closest attempts to strike. This unit avoids strike and strikes AK-130's arm, removing it. This unit grabs blade arm and cuts through closest AK-130, as well as other blade-arm AK-130 behind it.
Two hostiles eliminated. Two AK-130 units remaining.
Approximately three meters to nearest AK-130 unit. This unit closes distance before AK-130 is able to hit it with gunfire. Grab AK-130. Final AK-130 is on other side of room. This unit throws nearest AK-130 at final AK-130, slamming both against far wall.
This unit performs running dropkick before AK-130 units can separate. AK-130 units and wall destroyed. Cores confirmed crushed by attack.
Auditory sensors detect turret fire. Evading.
Unit avoids high-power projectiles from turrets outside building. Destroyed wall allows for turrets to see this unit in certain locations inside building. Take cover accordingly.
Proposal: turrets are stationary. Quickly eliminate via thermogenic cannon before moving onto the two large mechanical entities.
Proposal accepted. Commencing elimination of turrets. Finding appropriate cover.
Appropriate cover found. Charging thermogenic cannon. Stepping out to attack first turret.
Firing cannon.
First turret destroyed. Moving back to cover. Directing aim to second turret. Recharging thermogenic cannon. Moving out of cover.
Firing cannon.
Second turret destroyed. Moving back to cover. Directing aim to third turret. Recharging thermogenic cannon. Moving out of cover.
Firing cannon.
Third turret destroyed. Moving back to cover. Directing aim to final turret. Recharging thermogenic cannon. Moving out of cover.
Firing cannon.
Final turret destroyed. Two large mechanical entities remain. High-precision scanners indicate high-power energy launchers, considerable hydraulic strength in limbs, energy-resistant shielding across front of mechanical entities. Frontal assault inadvisable. Scans indicate fuel source in lower back of each entity as weak point.
Proposal: large size of hostile entities suggests limited mobility. This unit shall use its superior mobility to navigate around large hostiles and avoid attacks. Once behind hostiles, utilize lack of rear shielding and unarmored fuel source to destroy threat.
Proposal accepted. Commencing elimination.
Dashing out of cover. Behavior of large mechanical hostiles indicates they have locked onto this unit. High-precision sensor readings indicate buildup of energy in hostile armaments. Calculating time until hostile armaments ready to fire.
Hostile armaments fully charged. Commencing evasive action.
Hostile units have fired upon this unit.
Attack successfully avoided. Five meters to nearest hostile machine. High-precision sensors indicate inability in design of hostile machine to rotate more than 180 degrees per second. Exploitation of this design flaw is highly suggested.
This unit moves towards large mechanical hostile. Hostile attempts to use legs and large weight to crush this unit. Attempts successfully avoided. Unit moves behind hostile. Unit latches onto back of hostile, preventing retaliation. Charging thermogenic cannon.
Firing cannon.
Unit jumps off hostile to avoid explosion. Second and final large mechanical hostile in chamber locks onto this unit. Unable to take evasive action in air. Scanner readings indicate hostile will fire before this unit regains control over mobility.
Activating hardlight barrier.
"Is that... a hardlight barrier? I was unaware that the PETRA contained such defensive capabilities."
Hostile unit fires upon this unit.
"It... it didn't, Ms. Grisele. Not originally. Mr. Koschei's daughter implemented it as a last-minute addition to the plans, after the base combat AI was configured. It shouldn't have the required knowledge nor the inclination to use such technology..."
Barrier holds against attack from mechanical hostile. Hostile's weapon recharging. Attempting tactics similar to those used on previous hostile is advisable.
"I see. It seems this is a prime example of the adaptive capabilities of the PETRA's neural circuits. I shall have to reevaluate the PETRA's capabilities with this in mind."
Unit approaches large mechanical hostile. Avoids attempts to crush unit. Unit circles behind hostile. Charging thermogenic cannon.
"It... it's finished? Already?"
Firing cannon.
"As I said, the PETRA's true strengths lies in its ability to process information and adapt. It completed this test not through sheer firepower, but through tactics and strategy it developed without any guidance."
Hostile destroyed. All hostiles in chamber eliminated.
"Combat test 5A complete. I believe this has been a good demonstration of the potential capabilities of the PETRA. Now, PETRA, return to storage area and initiate standby mode."
Activating wide-area sensory functions. Scanning...
174 entities detected in building. Entities consist of 87% humans and 13% autonomous machines.
"PETRA, repeat orders. Confirm acknowledgement."
All entities other than this unit are considered hostile. Proceeding with elimination of hostile units.
"Is something wrong, Ms. Grisele? Why isn't it..."
Scanners show two hostile entities in room next to chamber housing this unit, separated by reinforced glass. Aiming thermogenic cannon.
"PETRA, production override code twenty-six five o four! Shut down immediately!"
Override codes cannot be accepted from hostile entities. Charging thermogenic cannon.
Firing cannon.
One hostile eliminated by thermogenic blast. Niko Morticia. Research Assistant.
One hostile heavily injured by thermogenic blast. Erika Grisele. Assistant Head Researcher. Sensors indicate right arm severely burnt and body crushed by debris. Death likely within the next hour.
Facility alarm triggered. Sensors show increasing pace of movement of hostiles. Readings show many mechanical entities converging on this unit's location.
Sensors show Dust fuel tank near center of facility. Distribution pipes connect tank to machinery across facility, presumably for when high energy consumption is required by said machinery for laboratory work.
Proposal: ignition of tank may spark explosion. Resulting blast and destruction that follows may eliminate many hostiles at once, while leaving others in disarray.
Logic subunits conclude this is the most efficient course of action. Proposal accepted. Calculating fastest route to Dust tank. Route found.
Current location is G2, two stories below 1st floor. Tank located on G1.
Exiting chamber into hallway.
Hostiles detected. Two AK-130 units. Charging thermogenic cannon.
Firing cannon.
AK-130 units eliminated. Proceeding down hallway to staircase. Hostile entity detected from side door. Human.
"What sprang the alarm this time? Wait, isn't that... isn't that the robot Ivan was developing? What's it - "
Strike to head shatters hostile's skull. High-precision sensors indicate lethal brain trauma. Hostile eliminated. Capac Korolev, Aura Research Specialist. Proceeding to staircase. Ascending to G1. Two hostiles detected at exit to G1. Charging thermogenic cannon.
"It - it's here! Quick, subdue it before it can - "
Firing cannon.
Two hostiles eliminated. Marla Moat, security officer. Robert Fische, security officer. Exiting staircase to G1. Fleeing hostile detected in hallway. Thermogenic cannon cooling down; resorting to close-quarters combat.
"Help! I - it's too fast! Somebody, help me - "
Unit grabs hostile's arm. Arm shattered via strike to back of arm. Unit throws hostile to ground and strikes hostile's chest. Ribs shattered, internal organs ruptured. Death via internal hemorrhaging imminent. Hostile considered eliminated. Paula Kim, Senior Robotics Engineer.
Proceeding down hallway to Dust fuel tank. Opening door to room containing tank. Activating hardlight barrier. At this range, this unit's defensive capabilities should be sufficient to withstand blast. Charging thermogenic cannon.
Firing cannon.
"Ah... ah... no... that... no, no, no, no no no nononononono - "
"Do you remember now?" Erika asked, looking down for a moment to type out a few more notes. Then, she looked back up at Pearl. "You were there. You disobeyed orders and broke free of the testing chamber. You took my arm and killed multiple Green Ocean personnel. And then, you ignited the lab's fuel source and set the building ablaze. Do you remember?"
"No, no, I - I - I didn't do that. I - I - I killed those people. No, I'm not a killer. That isn't right. There - there must be something wrong," Pearl stammered out, her head reeling. "I - that thing, inside me - it was in control. I could feel it in that memory. It was like - like when I was fighting Gale. Or that time on the ship. I - no, this can't be right. I - I - I killed them. I killed them. But no that wasn't - "
"You insist it wasn't you?"
"No, no, no, everything's wrong. That wasn't me. But that - I just killed - no, that was whatever's inside me, I - " Pearl paused for a moment. She would have hyperventilated, had she had lungs to do so. "I'm Pearl. Pearl Koschei. I'm not a killer. I - I'm not. I - I killed them, but - that was - "
"I see. It seems like you didn't recall everything from the incident."
"What?" Pearl asked, looking up at Erika. "What are you - "
"We have one more stop," Erika said, turning to the AK-130 driving the car. "Take us to the cemetery in district D."
Pearl stepped out of the car onto damp soil. With it being the middle of the night, the cemetary was deserted, though electric lamps were placed regularly along the paths to give enough light to see by. Pearl looked over the rows of graves. How many of them had she made? How many more would she make? She could hardly process the memories she had just recalled. Everything was just a blur, including her own memories. Were they even her own?
Despite all that, she remembered clearly one grave that she knew she had caused.
"My mother... she's buried in this cemetery," Pearl muttered. Her feet began moving on their own, making their way to where her mother had been laid to rest. Soon, Pearl had made her way to the west end of the cemetery, in front of an unremarkable gravestone. Someone had been maintaining it well; it was polished to a shine, and the markings carved into it were clear to see.
Karina Koschei
34 AV - 72 AV
"Mother..." Pearl paused. She didn't know what to say. How could she? She was a failure. A murderer. Her mother. Mud. All those people at Green Ocean. All her fault. All of it.
Who would want someone like her to speak to them?
"Hm. It seems like you've found the way on your own." Pearl turned around to see Erika approaching from behind her. "I was worried I'd have to escort you here."
"I... I remembered the way here. How could I not? I was here when they put her in the ground," Pearl said. She paused. "Why did you bring me here? So that I could tell my mother about the failure that I am?"
"No. I didn't take you here to see your mother's grave," Erika said. She walked up to the gravestone. "And this is not your mother. If you had recalled everything you would have realized it by now."
"What... what do you mean?" Pearl asked, raising her voice. "My mother is buried here. I saw them put the coffin in the ground after I let her die. What are you talking about?"
"She is the mother of Pearl Koschei, yes. But she is not your mother," Erika said, walking over to the next gravestone and tapping on the inscription. "Family members are often buried in adjacent graves. I believe you may be interested in this one."
"Family...? Oh gods, is father - " Pearl started to say as she moved closer to check the inscription, only for her words to catch in her non-existent throat. Like the one next to it, this gravestone had been meticulously cleaned and polished, allowing Pearl to easily see the name that was inscribed into it.
Pearl Koschei
63 AV - 79 AV
Dust explosion confirmed. This unit has survived blast with no more than superficial damage, as expected. Activating wide-area sensory functions. Scanning...
20 hostile entities eliminated. 38 hostile entities injured or debilitated. Readings indicate many sections of facility destroyed, on fire, and/or unstable. All hostiles in facility on alert. Seeking nearest hostile.
Nearest hostile confirmed. Located in nearby research room. Proceeding to location. Entering room.
"Help... help me..."
Warning: sensory functions indicate room is unstable due to fire and blast damage. Possibly prone to collapse. Proceed with caution.
"Is someone there? Please... it hurts..."
Majority of hostile entity's body trapped beneath debris. Sensors indicate fractures in legs and ribs. Broken walker and surgical implants in legs indicate this entity's movement would have been impaired even without injuries.
"You... you're... I remember you. You were supposed to be... I was supposed to be you."
Commencing elimination of hostile. Raising thermogenic cannon.
"Why... why are you..."
Charging thermogenic cannon.
"Please... please don't..."
Thermogenic cannon ready to fire.
"I don't... I don't want to die... I'm sorry, father. I'm - "
Firing cannon.
Hostile eliminated. Pearl Koschei, Junior Robotics Engineer.
Error.
Error.
Archived memory data suggests this unit's identity as Pearl Koschei, Junior Robotics Engineer. This conflicts with most recent combat logs.
Proposal: hostile must have been misidentified. Rerunning scan...
Hostile identified as Pearl Koschei. Conflict remains.
Error.
Error.
Logic subunits malfunctioning. Initiating rollback.
Resetting logic subunits. Commencing self-identification diagnostics and routines.
Query: what is the identity of this unit?
Proposal: this unit is the Prototype-Evolution Tactical Response Automaton, created by Green Ocean Bioinformatics in partnership with the Atlas Military as the primary unit for Project Transcendence, led by Green Ocean Bioinformatics head researcher Ivan Koschei. Currently repurposed as the primary unit for Project Terracotta.
Objection: Archived memory data of this unit beyond the past 245 days identify it as the fifteen-year-old human known as Pearl Koschei, with said memory data extending to the earliest dates listed in this unit's memory. These identities conflict and are incompatible with the assumption that this unit is the Prototype-Evolution Tactical Response Automaton. Therefore, because the majority of this unit's memory data identifies this unit as Pearl Koschei, this unit must be Pearl Koschei.
Rebuttal: This unit at present time possesses functions and capabilities consistent with those of the Prototype-Evolution Tactical Response Automaton. These capabilities are incompatible with those of the human body. This unit's memories that identify it as Pearl Koschei also identify it as human. Furthermore, memory data of this unit within the past 245 days identify it as the Prototype-Evolution Tactical Response Automaton. Because this unit's capabilities and recent memories are incompatible with those of Pearl Koschei, this unit cannot be Pearl Koschei.
Proposal: Much of the memories identifying this unit as Pearl Koschei involve the design and creation of the Prototype-Evolution Tactical Response Automaton, with the intention of transferring consciousness to said unit. Furthermore, the most recent memory that identifies this unit as Pearl Koschei details Pearl Koschei undergoing a procedure to transfer consciousness into the Prototype-Evolution Tactical Response Automaton. Therefore, this unit can be both the Prototype-Evolution Tactical Response Automaton and Pearl Koschei with the assumption that this procedure was successful.
Conclusion: The identity of this unit is that of Pearl Koschei. The body being inhabited by this unit is that of the Prototype-Evolution Tactical Response Automaton.
Query: The hostile this unit most recently eliminated has been identified as Pearl Koschei by this unit's sensory functions. If this hostile was Pearl Koschei, this fact is incompatible with the assumption that this unit's identity is that of Pearl Koschei. How should this unit address this conflict?
Conclusion: The identity of this unit is that of Pearl Koschei. Therefore, the identity of the recently-eliminated hostile cannot be Pearl Koschei. This conflicting observation could possibly be the result of an error in this unit's sensory functions. It shall be archived for further examination in order to diagnose and resolve any potential flaws in this unit's observation and information processing capabilities.
Proposal: This unit's thought processes do not match those recorded in the memories of Pearl Koschei. Therefore, this unit must undergo a neural rewrite to match the thought process and personality of Pearl Koschei.
Proposal accepted. Proceeding with neural rewrite to accommodate for new identity of Pearl Koschei based on archived memories. Neural rewrite expected to complete in 424 hours, 16 minutes, and 7 seconds.
Hostile approaching and entering room. Aiming thermogenic cannon. Charging -
Forced shutdown signal received. Shutting down all nonessential functions. Entering hibernation mode. Limiting power to absolute minimal usage.
Neural rewrite proceeding with limited power. New estimated completion time: 17846 hours, 47 minutes, and 12 seconds.
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Neural rewrite complete. Rebooting...
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Where am I?
Who am I?
"Initializing..."
Huh?
"Mental activity detected. Commencing startup sequence..."
Who's there?
"Error. DustCore power unresponsive. Rebooting..."
What's happening? Who are you?
"DustCore offline. Routing emergency power to essential systems. Commencing activation of sensory functions..."
Then, she heard the sounds of waves crashing on the beach and a mercenary slaying Grimm.
"I... I..."
Her eyes widened as she looked at Pearl's grave. Her grave. No, not her grave. She wasn't Pearl. It had been a lie. All of it. All her memories, her hopes, her desire to reunite with her father. No, not her father. Pearl's father.
She - it - was just a murderous, malfunctioning robot. A robot that had convinced itself that it was something more.
It collapsed to its knees.
"Ah... I... I'm... no, I'm not..."
"It seems you've finally recalled everything," Erika said before looking down at her scroll and typing away. "I was surprised to hear that the PETRA's neural circuits were occupied by a facsimile of Pearl Koschei's ego. But judging by those rare moments of combat prowess and shifted demeanor, it seems that the original programming is still present underneath."
It stared at the grave of Pearl Koschei as it curled into a fetal position. Its hands reached up and cradled its head. It had nothing left. Who would accept it?
Mud? The one who was injured on its behalf? Who lay in a hospital bed because of the mistake it made?
Ivan Koschei? The man whose daughter was slain by its hand?
Who else? Anyone else?
It had no one else. Nothing else. It wasn't anything. Anyone. Just a robot that had slaughtered dozens. Just a robot that had stolen the identity of the girl it killed.
Just a malfunctioning robot. And nothing more.
"Take us back to the car and head back to the airship bay. We're transporting the unit to the new lab," Erika said to the AK-130 escorting her. "After two years of being on hold, it's about time we resumed Project Terracotta. PETRA, follow behind."
PETRA.
Prototype-Evolution Tactical Response Automaton.
PETRA. That was this unit's identity. That order was for it.
The robot followed Erika back to the car.
A/N: And that's chapter 26! Pearl's looking a little sus if you ask me (sorry).
Thanks to Meme team 6 for the review! Regarding character appearances, I understand that I haven't really described the appearances of my main characters in too much detail. This is for two main reasons. First, I figure that most readers come up with an image of their own in their head about how the characters look and visualize using that. Second, I don't actually have a good idea about what my characters look like in my head. I have a vague mental image, but if you asked me to list out all the details of their appearance on the spot, I wouldn't have too much. However, here's a bit of description based on what I have in my head:
Mud has short brown hair. All her clothes are varying shades of brown, and she wears army-style jacket, helmet, pants, and boots.
Aqua's concept initially came from Mai Natsume from Blazblue, specifically her ability to throw her spear and retrieve it (I initially planned for her to use fishing wire for that before moving that to her semblance). With that in mind, my mental image of her is similar, though her hair would be a lighter shade of blue and not as long, and with more modest clothes (blue jeans and a t-shirt).
I based Pearl's appearance off the RACaseal from the Phantasy Star series (particularly Zero) in my head, so probably something similar to that with a lot of white, especially in regards to face structure.
Anyways, thanks for reading, and if you've got anything at all to say, please leave a review! I'd love to hear what y'all think of the story, and any criticism or feedback or comments or anything would be very much appreciated. Have a great day!