Hello again my dear and appreciated viewers! As is a universal law, at least one written into the fabric of spacetime for the moment, another week has passed and thus another chapter has been mined from the earth and uploaded to the beautiful, and horrifying, digital cosmos known as the internet. This chapter was super entertaining to write, and thus I hope it is as fun, if not more, to read.

Now this is usually the part where I go into how I attempted to proofread the current installment and apologize for any grammar mistakes most likely to appear. And while I have just done such a thing there is a new section to the update, at least for this chapter, that I can add.

Chapter five is credited with the first chapter to receive a comment and review! The commenter, known as Ham-Cham, did an awesome job giving me some constructive criticism, as well as voiced a couple concerns regarding Velvet's character.

Velvet's inclusion in the story was admittedly last minute, although I felt the need to include it. That being said she is the most difficult part of the story for me to write, and I will do my best to take the suggestion to heart to make her seem more in character.

A core aspect of this work is to bring up how completely different yet similar Remnants and Earth are, and this how a being from one would react to the other. Penny is of course the core character we follow, but her reaction is not relatable, and can't be. She, upon accessing the internet, was able to fully comprehend the environment she now finds herself in. She of course doesn't know everything about the planet. But in regards to the way human civilization is structured, she can research, understand, and comprehend scientifically any knowledge that she needs to know in a matter of seconds. Velvet on the other hand represents, for a lack of a better word, the human approach. She has no clue where she is and no way to learn it, and even if she did it wouldn't be in the near instantaneous way Penny can. More so, Velvet also acts as a nice foil to Penny. While our favorite android knows the "where", she is clueless to the "why". And although Velvet doesn't know the schematics of how the portal was created, she does know the "why", in the most basic sense of it being tied to a Grimm but is blind to the "where".

Because I do honestly appreciate the points Ham-Cham had brought, I will do my best to address the issues.

1). The first one regarding Velvet being able to distinguish Grimm species based on sound is actually easy for me to answer. That is because you're right, she can do so, quite easily in fact. I apologize that I did not make it clear enough in the last chapter, but Velvet's confusion came from the fact that she couldn't hear the sound of Grimm at all. Something, given the environment, she thought would be at least somewhat common.

I think the confusion came because when I wrote "She could make out the sounds", I was trying to convey that her ears were far superior to that of a humans. However, the immediate "None had come to her last night", was supposed to imply that she hadn't heard any Grimm when she thought she should have. Again, sorry about miscommunication on my end.

2). Like the first one, the second issue also seems to have arisen due to miscommunications in my writing. Velvet, and I, are well aware of the normal animal life on Remnant. However, there are such things as differentials in Grimm size. In the first volume, Ruby destroys a bunch of small nevermore during initiation by accidently ramming into them. When she said, "sorry birdies", I took that as the inhabitants of Remnant not viewing the smaller Grimm, at least when at sizes like a small blue jay, as threats that needed to be instantly addressed. Therefore, they can be overlooked in areas, and Velvet tried to use that as a baseline to determine the Grimm presence, or lack thereof, in the environment she now inhabits. After all, as you pointed out, she's prioritizing looking for Grimm because of the danger they impose.

3). Looking back, I will say you are right, and I have been writing Velvet a bit too aggressively. Now, having come to a new environment, after being sucked into a Grimm vortex's, I would like to think anybody would be a tad bit upset. But I think she is acting out of character regardless even when taking that element into account. I fell into my own trap of not wanting to write Velvet as being too cautious and worried that if I didn't it would lead to her being viewed as helpless or less skillful than the other hunters now on the planet. However, I have to learn, and will use your advice as inspiration, to write her more in character. Also come to the realization that being cautious or timid by nature, doesn't take away from her ability as a huntress.

Thank you once again for the comment Ham-Cham! I hope I was able to address your concerns and put your constructive criticism to good use...although how I do may take another week since Velvet's not in this chapter XD

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Chapter 6

The digital clock shined as a two morphed into a three, and a five and nine became a twin sets of zeros...well rather they would have shined if the monitor was emitting light, and not just running under the cover of an artificial night,

For all the ingeniousness of this planet's hexagonal and higher coding based system, the continuous use of a sixty based numerical unit to measure time seems a tad bit problematic, of course when Penny was only including the word 'tad' due to her naturally polite personality. One in which she remained in most circumstances even when speaking or thinking to herself. In truth, the measurement in which these humans viewed time was infuriating the robotic Atlesian to no end.

The decimal system they use for mathematics can at least be contributed to a biological origin like the reason the humans of Remnant adopted it, but sixty is such a...peculiar choice, having to refrain herself from using the word odd, still coming to terms with this English languages need to have the same word take on multiple reasons, Penny had been forced to focus on second and minutes for the past half an hour.

Now coming from a place where she briefly had no reference of time, this seemed to be a nice change of pace, but as any toddler watching the long hand of a clock go by could tell you, time could never hold one's interest for very long. Of course, Penny could easily look up why this system of measurement was in use, an action that would no doubt intrigue and entertain her, but it was the very concept of time itself that made it so Penny couldn't.

I had scanned through acquaintance Gareth's local educational facilities schedule thousands of times to make sure I could estimate when he came back from class. Given that today is neither a weekend, holiday, or break he should have been let out at precisely two thirty. Adhering to this pattern, his computer activity marks him using this device around two forty-five to two fifty on these regular academic days.

While arbitrary to some, Gareth's punctuality was key for Penny, or as he would view her PENI. The time in which he was also utilizing this device meant time in which she could not. Meaning that she needed to make full use of his time away to conduct her research.

Since this was the first true day they were experiencing together, the red headed digital code had decided to use it as a base line. See what time, to the exact millisecond, she could confidently remain online without disturbance. Because of this fact she had decided to play it safe and cease her web browsing a full fifteen minutes before his academic day officially came to an end.

This meant for Penny she had forfeited forty-five minutes in which she could have continued her study into quantum mechanics and universal positioning. A portion of time that could be the equivalent to a full week of study for a human graduate student equivalent.

Although given this relative view, one could hardly claim that Penny simply sat watching the clock. In truth some of her most productive moments had been just recently accomplished. For starters, as Gareth supposed arrival was approaching, she had ceased not only her research on scientific theory but also her reading on the depressing rabbit hole that was human atrocities.

To her such a thing was incredibly important, if not the most important thing to understand when being presented with numerous new civilizations that could possibly contact or, in her fears now, invade Remnant. That being said, never having really seen the true dark side of her own humans, the knowledge she was learning was overloading her emotions, a part of herself she didn't understand all too well to begin with.

On top of the much-needed break from Greek tragedy that is homo sapien history, Penny also corrected many physical aspects she had initially overlooked. One of the most obvious being shown when she glanced, zoomed in, on Gareth's door, as if hoping her observation would trigger a reaction from the handle.

Still no evidence of his arrival or any activity in the house, the thought was all too true. For her it was an anxious wait that no human had come in, but it also encompassed the fact that the desktop she was operating also didn't show any signs of life. Unlike when she had first entered this computer's video recording software, the camera light signaling its use remained dormant.

Needing to observe the outside world while not conjuring suspicion was the first thought Penny manifested after Gareth left. However, it wasn't until her second interaction with Gareth was looming that she realized she had overlooked some of the most crucial and obvious steps she had to take to ensure such an observation wouldn't be made.

In a sense the artificial lifeform had approached the problem from too intelligent of an angle. She had breezed through covering up any small details, even those statistically unlikely and minute for Gareth to notice, but it wasn't until two forty, a full five minutes before she thought he'd arrive, that she partially realized she needed to modify the physical ways in which she went about hiding her activity.

This meant she had to recode many basic aspects of her host machine's script in order to limit visual cues she had paid no heed to. Such as the aforementioned camera, as well as making sure her internet usage could be down without the monitor being on. After all she certainly didn't see or process the webpages a way a human observer would, but such an act would become all too obvious to them if not concealed. Such changes were simple for her to conduct and being linked to one unit it came with no risk of her leaving digital footprints to be traced. But more importantly it made it possible for her to utilize Gareth's entire sleeping cycle.

Not only could she research in peace and quiet, she could also do so without alerting him or anybody else in the house. Better yet, even if she or some other outside stimulus did accidentally awaken them, she would see it coming and react appropriately. Unfortunately, this plain sight browsing, or lack there off, didn't allow constant internet access.

With the speed at which Penny processed information she was pushing her binary cousin to the limit energy wise. When Garth came back to his room, she would have to yield access to the device to its original owner in order to not arouse suspicion. For afternoons and weekends this would prove to be an annoyance for sure, but until she could confidently figure out another way to gain access to this planet's electronic archives, she had to synch herself to one of its high schoolers schedule,

Something that is proving far too imprecise to set an exact time…, if nothing else the universe, known at the moment by the nickname Murphy, is cinematic. Startling even the downgraded electronic sensory unit Penny now viewed the world in, the door handle shot open. Luckily the culprit behind the environmental change was moving slow enough for the binary soul to terminate her last thought and mentally prepare.

Pixalizing in all his digital glory, Gareth came in with a dejected look, red face, and the distinct sound of metal locking into place with metal as the door swung closed behind him. For Penny the analysis of the brunette physical appearance after their seven plus hours apart, was shockingly similar to how he looked when just waking up. If anything, his awakened energy only enhanced the display of his unsure and defeated personality. However, to his credit the young emerald eye man did seem to shake things up a little in terms of appearance. Grasped in his right hand was a silver angular plastic case, perhaps half the proportions of her own processor.

It would seem his day has not improved since our morning conversation, although Penny had long since established she wouldn't initiate conversation with Gareth outside of certain times, it wasn't until this moment that she realized how uncomfortable it was for her not to acknowledge somebody when they were right in front of her.

Whether it was bursting out a genuine greeting to her father when he entered her room when she was 'growing up', or even the jubilant emotion she felt when twinkling a stranger on the street with an over the top wave, Penny always had the urge to start of conversations with smile and friendly demeanor.

Although she had garnered no love for the humans of Earth after researching their social past and present, she certainly didn't hate them as individuals. In fact, she wasn't the type of person to even possess hatred towards anybody in the first place, let alone a single teenage boy who hadn't actually committed any of the atrocities she analyzed.

And with him looking down and defeated, the mechanical girl felt as if it was her duty to flash open Gareth's screen, and type out 'salutation' in all capital letters and with as many exclamation marks as this machine's document would allow. Something to let him know he had a friend, even if it was in somebody that didn't know him.

Perhaps I should reach out...something to at least establish that he is emotionally okay, even without hands anymore, Penny felt herself have held her digits back. She had constructed a way to interact with Gareth and had also come to full terms with how important getting back to Remnant was now that she knew Earth, and a way between the two planets, existed. She couldn't jeopardize such a mission by needing to cheer up a native who had a bad day…. even if such a protocol went against her very jubilant nature.

With a digital frown acting as a vocal lock, the copperhead Atlesian could once again only observe. Her need to communicate being, displayed, or rather not displayed, in her act of shifting between code.

Watching in agony as Gareth lazily placed down his new container before shrugging off his backpack. As someone who had just gone through forty five minutes as if they were eternity, Penny was unpleasantly surprised to find out that despite perceiving time relative to a human again, the millisecond Gareth spent running a hand through his hair stretched on past infinity. Surrendering to gravity, he buckled into his computer chair, expressing no sound, only down trotted emerald iris,

... His mental help is important to my continued operation here. Expressing an interest in his day could be beneficial to his emotional state, and thus my mission, a mental, or rather, constructed image of Ironwood presented itself in Penny's code. His harsh monotone gaze expressing the phrase, 'self-justification are only used when one creates selfish operations' all too well.

Even when in thought, Penny felt her cheeks puff out to this. Not in annoyance towards the Atlas general. More so in the fact she knew he was right and was holding back nonexistent air that was filled to the brim with excuses to talk, that were only masked as military exceptions.

I could easily run a scan on the mysterious packages logo and see if that is the reason of his dismay…, the imaginary tin man gaze narrowed and Penny's coded eyes looked up in a combination of mock slash real innocence, but if he was to turn the computer on fast enough, or if I interfered with the start he may suspect something is amiss

The dispensed hunters narrowed pupils remained as unmoving as the perfectly horizontal line that made up his lips. But the answer Penny gave to herself twice was good enough for her interpretation of the General, and his digital form dissolved into the code.

Of course, this did little to slow down the artificial human's train of thoughts. As now all her horrified worry over what Earth's technology could do to Remnant, shifted to cute concern over a total stranger. Just before a wave of theories could be produced for Gareth's behavior, a voice interrupted her with answer,

"You better not lose that one Gareth, especially since you're the one who didn't want to be pay extra for the insurance", the voice was distinctly female, and although Penny couldn't see its user the motherly tone was made all too apparent even if she didn't have to information that she was this house's owner. One who was currently walking past her teenage son closed the door.

The brunette slumping his chair with a reddening face, wanting the conversation to be over also would have been an obvious display of the familiar relationship as well, "Yeah you said that at the store, and in the car. I think it's drilled into my brain by this point mom"

The voice was muffled, so much so that Penny struggled to pick them up and decode their meaning, but clearly not enough so as it produced the result of halting the echo of feet upon wood. Eyes dilating in instinct regret, Gareth's revealed his first none gloom filled emotion in the form of shock. Saucers moving to the corner of their cell, he fixed his organic cameras to his wooden door, as if it was a barred metal barrier holding back a ferocious Ursa,

Unbeknownst to the boy, the computerized life form viewing the scene, also froze up. Albeit more so in curiosity to what would happen next, as she waited to see if the sound of walking would reappear in reverse,

"If I recall I also gave you the same advice when you got your last phone. One in which you clearly didn't heed or learn from", the voice wasn't yelled, but the boy's elevated state of panic certainly looked like it was. Luckily, for him however the footsteps did not retrace their steps but continued forging a path head.

"That's...fair enough", he mouthed, or at least whispered too quietly for Penny to pick up, as he slumped down once again onto the artificial leather of his chair. Although this time the movement was carried with far more relief.

Moving his hand over to what his false virtual intelligence system now knew as a phone, he unenergetically began unboxing his new device. Having witnessed that interaction with no background thought or analysis, a rare experience for the bodiless processor, Penny's mind just began picking up steam as she tried to comprehend just what happen,

Their family dynamic is unique...certainly different from my own interactions with father...then again that most likely is attributed to my situation being the unique one, the tape around the plastic was peeled off with no sense of urgency or even want for the unspoiled device inside. Although Penny had only been around a few other teenagers in remnant, and only a handful that weren't trained in some form of military mindset, she felt his reaction was far to lack luster to be presented with something new to keep,

In fact, as the phone emerged from its container, Penny found herself fawning over it with excitement on his behalf, as he spiraled back from his shocked terror, to monotone disappointment, It looks almost as if it's one side of an expanded scroll. Obviously with no dust, no energy sources on this planet has yet to be develop something akin to hard light. I wonder how the screen operates then with no analog pressure points

If she would allow herself to research, the electronic stowaway would have answers to all these questions in seconds. At the moment though she was having far too much fun to not formulate ideas on her own Unless the glass material is a cover to a motion sensing array. One that has no regional design points but rather is the point, activating to different locations based on pressure.

Not even paying attention to Gareth pulling out an input cable from the boxes, Penny's hidden eye tracked the communication device as he positioned it next to her own core prosper. An action that went overlooked by both parties.

I wonder if such technology could be replicated on Remnant. While hard light is more pratica-, the train of thought was halted as the computer lit to life, and a text produced by her electronic apartment rather than her popped out from the corner,

New Mobile Device Detected. Click Yes to Connect Almec Inc. Smartphone to Gareth Cadarn's Desktop

Two strings of ones and zeroes attached themselves to the edge of the about to be PENI's binary lips. Pulled up slightly she recalled a statement she made this morning, one in which Gareth's own oversight of it resulted in her to do so as well. Regardless, it now had a purpose. More so it, to her delight, and the reforming digital Ironwood's memory's frustration, gave her a justification that was being acted on before it itself could be judged.

Reacting before Gareth could even move the mouse over to the cancel screen of his computer failed advertisement, Penny rushed out her own sales pitch. One concerned not of convincing him of an idea, but rather allowing her to behave like her true self….well her true self minus the capitalization.

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"Salutation acquaintance Gareth! I hope you are having a splendid day. While I do not wish to disturb you- I have noticed an unregistered cellular device has been connected to your desktop. If you would like I can assist in setting up any features or settings to best personalize and stylize your new phone!"-P

For the second time today, in the exact same position, Gareth blinked at the screen surprised. Although this time his eyelids did so in a much faster motion, and his confusion was quickly solved by remembrance.

"Oh...uh hey P?", despite having a recollection of it...or rather her, stating her acronym earlier, Gareth's day at the park, as well as his trip to the phone store shorted out his obsession with the fact his computer talked this morning. However, with the remainder came the renewed skepticism, "I think I'm good on the phone, it's new but I don't have any way to transfer over apps or contacts from previous one so nothing new to set up"

Not that it's gonna take long to retype in my home phone and mom's cell, the boy rolled an eyebrow at the comedy of his own nonexistent social life, but last thing I need is to be the butt of somebody else's click by giving a potential prankster access to my phone...although I suppose if there this tech savvy they'd be able to do it anyway.

Unnoticed by Gareth that statement proved far too accurate, as small arcs of light had already made a wireless connection from his unknown military object to his brand news smartphone.

"I see, in that case I will not access your mobile device-. Although I do feel it is necessary to inform you that if I were to, I could assist with daily task wirelessly!"-P

Pretty sure that dash isn't grammatically correct but given my English grade any opinion I have on the topic should be shredded and then burned. More importantly, how would she even operate out of my phone if her processors here? Gareth shook his head at the thought as he already had an answer, he'd been telling himself since waking up. He could walk around the subject for a while based on his limited knowledge in computer engineering, but he should just pull the bandage off,

"Listen, whoever you are, can you just leave me alone. I don't know why you need to go out of your way to mess with me but if I admit that you got me to some level can you just end this prank. Your clearly very talented with computer science, and there are much more interesting people you can mess with",

The north eastern teenager ran a hand through his hair once again, and his voice hung in the air too tired to even care that he should care. To defeat in a fight he made up to think of paranoid repercussions that could await him because of his last couple of sentences.

Having closed his eyes in his useless acceptance, by the time he reopened them no response laid on the screen. No confirmation of his naivety to a prank that didn't really accomplish anything yet, or even a hasty denial to its existence. Instead the text bar remained blinking,

Looking around his room awkwardly, Gareth didn't scan for the were abouts of any potential prankster, now he just felt...well he felt like a jerk. He usually only talked to his mom, so he wasn't exactly skilled in verbal communication. But even he had to admit that there was far too much detachment in his voice. So much so that he was on the verge, or rather in the process of going over the verge, for feeling guilty for assaulting the prankster, or maybe even the soulless computer program if that story did in fact turn out true.

Needing to say something, but paralyzed by the question of what, the senior looked at the corners of his screen. Unsure how to proceed but needing somebody to react. The reaction would soon come thought as the text bar moved...into a question rather than explanation,

"...Why do you think I'm a prank?"-P

If he was falling into the guilt before, then a thud just echoed out within his head as he hit its bottom. Logically this question would feed into a joke, a way to trick somebody into sympathizing with a machine, or a person disguised to be a machine, but while that thought did cross Gareth's mind it didn't halt the sickening feeling he was giving himself.

"I don't know, because of the three dots. That's not something a machine does, an AI doesn't have to think through a response like a person would, they can just shoot out an answer instinctually", the boys emerald eyes went to the floor, knowing that his next words would either, in his egotistical mind, appear on a trending YouTube video or be spoken to a computer genuinely, "Because your too organic P. I may not interact with a lot of other people, but I do spend a lot of time with my desktop and phone so I know the limitations of computers, even though I don't know how they work. Your replies, your question, it's not something some Echo or an Alexa is gonna think on thier own. The way you talk is human, so therefore you are human"

There was another pause, but much shorter and less embarrassing then the last one,

"Thank you acquaintance Gareth. I am not a human but it fills me with joy that you think I am...I know that sentence probably only increases your suspicion that I am a practical joke, but I can assure you I am not. At the moment I am unsure how to convince you of this fact, but if you would please take my central unit, I would like to show you something if that is acceptable with you"-P

Whatever was going on Gareth felt like he was a conscious fiddle as somebody played his strings perfectly. The more P talked the more he was convinced this was all about to blow up in his face. But with the increase in paranoia came an increase in guilt, and the idea he was insulting...whatever this thing was.

Biting down on his lips, unsure of where to go, the young Earthling taps his desk, before letting out an air of acceptance...at least acceptance towards what he would do next,

"Well you already got me pretty good, so might as well see this through. I hardly ever have a reason to leave this chair, so I should probably make use of anyone given even if it's pretend", halfway between laughing and giving out an unreadable response, Gareth couldn't quite pity himself for a situation he was far too confused to understand. That being said, his voice did its best to carry such information, "What do you need me to do?"

The text began to write itself out, only to delete itself a word in, then a sentence in, and then even a whole paragraph was composed before being deleted. The speed at which it was produced was far too inhumane for Gareth to read, and for a moment it was as if a machine was truly before him struggling with what to say. Eventually however a response was laid before his eyes,

"To the best of your ability please pick up my core processor with extreme care. Once securely in hand, please move me to the left most corner of your room...I am struggling to find the right words to explain what will happen, but once there I need you to count to ten, then return my unit to a location with eight inches of your desktop."-P

If Gareth had the gene to raise a single eyebrow he would, but his curiosity, need to get to the end of the prank, or want to make amends with a computer chip urge him to follow the precise or not weird commands. Before he made contact with the black device however, another set of words were typed out, almost in a frantic matter,

"Acquaintance Gareth...I cannot explain to you the purpose of this exercise at the moment, and unsure if I can give you a satisfying response when it is completed...but please, I...I need you to promise that you'll place me back after the ten seconds have concluded. I can understand why you may think this is a practical joke at your expense, but know for me this is not a laughing matter and I take it seriously...I-I just need you say out loud I'll be return to my original spot"-P

Gareth first thought would have been on how this text confirmed this situation as an elaborate hoax or scheme. Such a hesitantly typed plea was filled with more human emotions then he thought most people actually had...which is why the emotional part overwrote any thoughts of this being a joke. Even if only for a minute he felt the urge, or rather need to take 'P' word for word,

"Okay", the response came out instantly and as a promise, which in retrospect was the whole point. That being said, as serious as Gareth took the situation, even if momentarily, it didn't stop his body from turning red with embarrassment, "...I mean...uh… you know….you have my word I'll bring you back this exact spot"

With that said out loud to both parties, Gareth reached out to grasp the virtual intelligence unit. When making contact he felt a small tingle of electricity trace up his hand and arm. It was like a static shock produced by dry air and socket, but to a lesser degree. Instead of short but sharp pain of discomfort, he experiences a slow wave of electric warmth cause his hair to stand on end.

A sudden urge to hold the object with both hands took hold. Bringing up his left to the devices' other sides, he felt the kinetic heat, and vibration of the processor reverberate in him. It almost felt alive right now, like a living organism ready to pounce or rather scamper out of danger,

"...are you ready? I mean I'm about to move you so I just want to make sure...I guess I need to know if your prepared", there would be a time, perhaps after ten seconds, for Gareth to feel stupid for saying something like this out loud, but his mind certainly didn't let any such thoughts take hold now. As P had asked for his approval to move her, he felt he needed the same from her...despite them basically confirming what was to happened multiple times already,

"I'm ready-...thank you for asking acquaintance Gareth"-P

With the way the situation had evolved, and the more P spoke, the brunette found himself blushing at the situation. Almost hearing a voice now as he read the words, he was sure it was out of embarrassment he was just unsure of what kind now.

"No problem...alright here we go", with a final confirmation, Gareth picked up the processor. Trying to keep his grip tight enough to protect the object from slipping out, but not with so much pressure that his own nerves would shoot it from his digits.

As he lifted himself from the chair, the feeling he had of holding an animal intensified. Only this time it wasn't squirming to get away, but rather completely frozen, afraid of what its own movements might cause. Carefully placing one foot after the other, the high schooler forced himself to navigate the labyrinth that was his bedroom floor. Only allowing himself to place wait down on actual wood and not his dirty clothes or apparel.

The process was painfully slow, but its user felt it was all going by too fast. However, he soon found it not going nearly quick enough when he took the final stride to the agreed upon corner. There was a sudden shift in the room's atmosphere, as well as the object in his hand.

The temperature remained fixed, but for Gareth it dropped to below freezing. While the computer showed no physical reaction the amount of life it carried before vanished. It was as if somebody died, or rather was dying. Worse yet the animal in his hand transformed. He was still holding a living object but now it felt like a heart. One that beat, but was slowly down, as the warmth and charge it had provided his arms, crawled back towards its originator.

Everything seemed the same. It seemed unnaturally the same, so much so that Gareth only was reminded to start counting to ten when he saw the blurry dashes that made up the number shine forth on the screen,

Ten, nine, eight, the loss of warmth, of life it felt like, proved to be accelerating. The glacier pace traveling down his forelimbs proved to be picking up speed, and it caused panic in the boy. Still unsure to the why such a feeling would emerge,

Seven, six, five, four, the ice now moved as if a river, flowing out of his wrist and into his hand, about to make the journey through his fingers in an instant.

Three, two, he no longer counted time as second, but rather as neurons, trying to get through the numbers as fastest as he physically could. After all he was only bound to a promise to count, nobody said anything about how quickly he could do it. Unfortunately, speed is what ultimately caused the promise to falter as well. Leaving the last of his finger cells, the electronic impulse vanished, and Gareth's heart nearly stopped, unsure if the one in his hand had already.

Damning the number one, as if it would soon represent the amount of life in this room, he sprinted back towards his computer. Unsure of why he was in such a panic, just knowing he had to sprint across two meters of floor like his own life depended on it. The distance was far too short for the time he felt it take.

Arriving at his desk like a man finding an oasis in a desert, Gareth used any ounce of logic he had left to stop himself from slamming the mechanical origin within his hand back into its proper location. Bringing it down painfully slow out of necessity, he maneuvered it back into the exact location he was told to place it, even moving it closer to his desktop in fact as if it would speed up whatever process was to happen next.

Staring at his computer screen, his mind begging in non-verbal words for the text bar to move, he needed something to happen next. Whether it be a joke, a prank, or some strange new reality, he couldn't stand the feeling he was forced into moments ago. Into an event he was woefully unprepared for.

"Thank you for returning me to my previous location acquaintance Gareth. Judging by the outcome I am relieved to know the situation went as plan...if I may add your face seems quite pale, are you alright?"-P

Gareth's nerves had blinded him to reality, so much so that he didn't even see the text he so desperately craved be typed out before him. However, with them present his pale face soon went back to red, whether a joke or not, he sure felt like a victim to something at the moment...although what it was escaped him,

"I'm fine...I think…. Wait, how can you see I'm pale?"

There was a pause after his question, although it wasn't the one he wanted to ask, it was an important one at the moment to voice the more he thought about it.

"I fear it may establish or increase your skepticism of my existence being the result of somebody else's amusement...but I have the ability to access your desktop's digital camera, quite easily actually"-P

The emerald iris of the young man's organic ones looked towards the digital counterpart, then towards the texts, then back towards the camera. This motion was completed quite a few times before he leaned back in his chair, unsure what to make of all this, "...wait but the lights not on...you know what, never mind that. P what's going on, what just happened"

Once again, the response took time, or too much time for how fast others had been produced. The computer once again too unsure of itself,

"I... still do not fully comprehend it myself. Functionally speaking I was disconnected from the device and from that point on the world goes into a void. One where I can still process information, but there's no senses or data for me to interact with...it's something I cannot explain even to myself, but a place I do not wish to return"-P

The brunette didn't even try to respond to such a statement, even if he could wrap his mind about what it meant he'd still be lost.

"Acquaintance Gareth, I do not believe I was meant to come into contact with this computer in the form I am in now. I am unsure how to gain your trust, or what worth my truth has, just know I am not another human manipulating your emotions for a humorous outcome. I am not a human at all, I am just a machine...but one that doesn't want to be turned off or lose sight of the world. You were able to fulfill your promise with the exercise, can I request another one?"-P

"...you know, even if you are just another person online it's not like I'm ever gonna be able to tell. Plus, if that is the case, I have to commend you on your dedication. So honestly, if you want to ask another question just shoot away",

For a brief moment, Gareth could have sworn he saw a screen pop up, but at the speed it had materialized then disappeared he wasn't sure if he could trust his own eyes. What they could tell him though was that after this brief flash of light had occurred "P" continued her typing.

"Thank you acquaintance Gareth, and shoot away I will. What I presently request is that you allow me to stay with the machine, and to give me assurance that you will not disconnect me from the power source. I promise to I will do my best to not disturb you daily routine and only offer assistance to work"-P

The brunette looked a bit confused, unsure how the device was actually receiving power, but decided not to pry it for any more information at the moment. Besides, if not a prank, he had as much clue to what she was as the machine herself if not less so,

"Sure thing, I mean I can't do much if there's a power outage", the senior immediately regretting saying that statement out loud. While it was true in... well not just a sense but in actuality, a uncomfortable feeling once again swept through his body at the mere thought, "...I can at least promise I won't disconnect you from the network"

"Thank you acquaintance Gareth that will be mos-

A voice, one belonging to the real world and not just some mental conjuration Gareth was putting to the text while he read, ripped the messy haired boys' eyes from screen towards his door,

"Gareth, who are you talking to?", the receiver of the statement paused. Not only was he unsure how to answer the question, but he hadn't been ask something like that in years, "..and please tell me there is a who"

The addition of the end part, while causing his eyebrows to furrow in small frustration and embarrassment, was far more in line with the status quo his life had produced,

"Its-", almost if on cue he was about to respond with 'nobody', but that would, besides be depressing, would actually be false, "...it's just a friend mom, we're talking online"

With all the pause happening whenever he finished a sentence lately, Gareth almost felt like he could begin categorizing how each one felt into subcategories. For example, instead of the dreaded one he experienced while waiting for 'P' to come back on, the one vibrating through the air was for more energetic. It was the feeling one would have when watching a bomb dropped from a plane as it dived through the atmosphere towards them. Sure, everything was silent at the moment, but you could hear the energy about to be unleash build up,

"...FRIEND?!", of course the sound of the potential energy rising was nothing compared to the explosion unleash, "W-which friend are you talking to Gareth?"

The brunette blinked at the door, well blinked at the door after he uncovered his ears from the volcanic eruption. He had never really seen his mom sound surprised before, but then again he did just state something they'd both thought was physically impossible.

"You know...just a friend I guess, we're chatting over the internet", the words came out a bit forced, more so to them being a product of uncharted territory then an outright lie though.

"Uh-huh", after a brief cough his mother's voice returned to its normal skeptical and questioning tone. Although it was nice to not be the one on the defensive end for once, the moment was shorted lived and the universe was returning to its normal hierarchal state, "and does this 'friend' have a name"

Okay I don't know if the sarcasm was really necessary, I mean it's not that...okay it is pretty unbelievable, next time I'm just gonna say I was talking to myself, not fully realizing that would probably result in a more awkward situation. Although that feeling proved to be emerging regardless as he remembered...well remembered what he had forgotten when he got back home,

"I just use her nickname 'P'", Gareth eyes widened before his mom's, undoubtedly, would do as well. Realizing all too late that the inclusion of one minuscule detail was going to trigger an extensive, and daily, investigation into his nonexistent social life,

I don't know if volcanoes experience something like an earthquake after shock...but if they do, I should offer my mom's name as slang for the scientific term

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If Penny still possessed a physical body, she was sure the violent opening of the bedroom door, at a speed that was verging on being mathematically impossible, would have caused her to jump from her seat as well. Although she had to give credit to Gareth for his own reaction, for his vertical leap reach an impressive height for somebody who did not display outstanding lower body strength.

The increase in his velocity from a stationary position to an upright one was also quite outstanding, so much so that the camera had a hard time even picking it up as a blur. What was easier to envision however, was the sight of the household's other member, and even more clear were the words that cascaded from her mouth like a never-ending torrent,

"A girl, an actual real-life female, and you're talking to her? More importantly you've been only addressing her by nicknames that's just a letter. Do you know how incredibly rude that is Gareth", while the confirmation of this woman being the high schoolers mom had been made abundantly clear, the identicality between tied back medium length one and the more widely unkempt mop were only separated by style.

Having reacted like his room had been breached and cleared by the military, Gareth's head went around like a prey animal startled by a lion's pounce. Both his mind and body unsure of what response to take next, only that danger was about. When these initial emotions of surprised panic were eventually suppressed to a none dysfunctional level, the boy did try his best to talk down the energetic feline...unfortunately his vocal responses only came out in stutters and intangible phrases, making even Penny feel as if she had missed a decryption of one this planet's languages.

However, as the camera catching the vibrant display of a mother simultaneously berating and excitingly investigating her son was to view, the digital redheads processing was focused elsewhere. For before Gareth's room had turned into chaos personified, Penny was able to fully comprehend the sentence he had spoken before. Although she couldn't confirm, or maybe was too scared to confirm, what the tonal sound of his voice translated the one word into. But she at the moment felt perfectly comfortable overlooking any need to analyze that part.

What did need to be scanned through again, was the words she had typed out. The text bar blinking in and out of the electronic cosmos silently, Penny zoomed in on Gareth's blood rushed face as he spilled out another mess of attempted verbal communication while waving his hands haphazardly in front of his face,

Motioning from that back over to the text, the Atlesian stowaway felt the need to smile. An act that almost became real as she deleted the message she presented before and sculpted out a much more accurate response,

"Thank you friend Gareth, that is most kind of you. It appears you are busy for the moment, but if you wish to communicate again, I am always ready and able to talk!"-P