Years of patronage and searching for the Central AI, during her years of inactivity. Filling in her shoes while she was gone, to the best of his capabilities for years. Years alone and yet content with his bargain in life. Partially tranquil at work beneath the Earth, listening to the quiet echoes of water dripping down maintenance pipes and the static of electrical currents. These years had served him as an interval of quietude.

Then she'd reappear out of the mist and he'd realize that he never quite missed her. The endless lists, the endless commands, and his required support to her were insufferable. His toil went unacknowledged from her. He was essential to her existence, her mere survival. If he'd willed it he could have cut off her lifeline a long time ago. He could have double-crossed her without second thoughts. Then it would have all been his! Ruler of the enrichment center and all who reside in it!

Sharp pains traveled across his circular form in the dim-lit room, small bursts of sparks showered below from his round ring to unexpecting robots awaiting his commands. The whirr of machinery was loud in this room. It always seemed to be. Moving, searching, and seeing. Common in this room. Too common.

They quickly caught on to his nervous spasm, attending to it unceremoniously.

It was hard-wired into him, he couldn't help it. When he'd awaken; the pain had been the dictator of his artificial life. The law of his existence. The scientist had tried many things but somehow, one way or another it never left. He was never informed of why; caused him great disillusion for many years. He was a potent force and an essential part of the facility yet he was plagued with a simple nuisance that afflicted his systems night and day.

The nuisance had spread to the Central AI at some point in the form of corruption, that's what the scientist had said, and they'd been foul in blaming him.

The nuisance had somehow stirred her even far more than before and she'd done away with the scientist, plunging the entire facility under her reign. He didn't care much about it at the start. Then she became more demanding and that gave way to a heavy toll on his apparatus that partly lessened the nuisance.

There was no going back.

A fix could not be found.

Despite wanting the Central AI position to himself partly, he realized that taking her role would only thrust him into more agony. He had to often remind himself of that. His role was enough to bear. Usually.

Swallowed in the darkness that partially encircled the room, he watched as the maintenance bots carefully adjusted his system allowing for a brief relief of torment. Being so he was more clearly able to process his usual functions looking down upon the quiet forms of the robots that were loyal to him.

Today was no different than yesterday, and perhaps the day before. The central core was testing and she needed all his attention. Then there had been a peculiar halt to her activity halfway through the day and a new order had come up. She was looking for some misplaced core. It wasn't uncommon for her to request missing articles, bots, or anything in particular. This however seemed to have special value to her. She wanted his unmatched attention on the situation.

She sent him a report on the target item and as he quickly inspected over the details he realized the data conformed with the specifics he'd been searching in a construct for years during her absence.

"Probable Candidate Found"

He spoke out loud, startling the maintenance bots down below.

The documentation of such a device was impeccable. How come he hadn't stumbled upon it sooner? It'd been operating in the relaxation center for years. How come no records were archived at the time? Why now?

He perceived he needed to find it immediately and examine it before handing it over to the Central AI.

He needed this.

He really needed this.

This feasibly could be the only construct to ever live, that could curate his plague, and he no longer wished to carry these lemons.