Hello. A soft yet masculine voice spoke from the quantum processor unit.
"Ah . . . H-Hello," Aloy answered. "Are . . . Are you Apollo?"
Yes I am. Who are you?
"My name is Aloy."
"And my name is John."
Greetings, Aloy and John. I am pleased to meet you both.
"Ah, listen, Apollo," John said as he struggles to figure out what to say. "We came up here to investigate this quantum processor unit because we were looking for the reason why the machines nearby weren't attacking humans. But we never expected to find you simply because we believed that you were purged by Ted Faro."
No, only the knowledge that I contained was purged.
"How much do you understand?" John asked.
I understand that my awareness goes back some twenty years. I remember when Gaia tried to stop Hades from taking over the terraforming system so that it was denied restarting the Chariot Line Model that Minerva had managed to shut down. I remember Gaia sending a message to Eleuthia Number Nine to nurture a clone of Doctor Elisabet Sobeck so that it could correct the terraforming system. Gaia next sent a message to the generators in Gaia Prime to overload and I was quick to escape into this quantum processor unit a second before that happened. I have been stuck in here ever since.
"It was all due to a mysterious signal that gave you and the rest of the Subroutines consciousness," Aloy said.
"Do you know anything about that signal?" John asked.
No, I do not. I am sorry that I could not be of more help as to the origin of that signal.
"That's alright," John sighed.
"Anyway," Aloy said. "I am that clone of Dr. Sobeck that Gaia had ordered and I managed to stop Hades from trying to resurrect the Chariot Line Model, then got rid of him from a quantum processor unit."
Then Gaia was successful.
"Apollo," John said. "I once worked on Project: Zero Dawn. I was one of the Betas that helped to program you."
Then how is it possible that you are still alive, John? I understand that most humans are not capable of surpassing the age of one hundred years without genetic enhancements.
"I was placed in cryogenic sleep, the science of creating super cold temperatures. I was one of five hundred humans who were split into ten groups of fifty and placed worldwide in various cryogenic facilities to sleep for hundreds of years. The sleep had a mortality rate of 98%, so when I was awakened by automatic protocol, I discovered that I was the sole survivor."
How was it that you got to be put into cryogenic sleep, John?
"Far Zenith carried that out."
Who is Far Zenith?
"Not who, but what," John corrected. "It was an organization made up of super rich people. Not a lot was known about them other than their spokesperson was Osvald Dalgaard. He stated in an interview that Far Zenith's goal was to colonize space and make Earth a sexier place to live."
"Ah, can I say something here?" Aloy said as she raised her hand. "Apollo, why did you fail to maintain that signal to keep the machines calm?"
Because this unit's power source was only going to last for so long. Then when those humans showed up, they tampered with this unit and caused its power source to finally fail.
"So you care about humanity then," John said.
Yes I do. I was created to instruct humanity, but I no longer can because I no longer have that knowledge contained within me.
"But the fact that you kept that signal going means that you are capable of opposing Hephaestus," John said. "What if you were to be placed within Minerva's relay system? What will that do for you?"
That will give me global reach.
"Except Hephaestus has control of the relay system," John answered. "Will you be able to drive him out of it?"
Not possible in my current state.
"If you mean that you're stuck in that unit, don't worry about it," John assured.
"We brought the brain of a Thunderjaw with us," Aloy added. "Here we'll show you."
John takes off his backpack and Aloy helps him remove the Thunderjaw brain to show it off to Apollo.
"It's one of the newer machines that Hephaestus designed to hunt us and the biggest of its kind so far," Aloy said. "But despite its size, its brain should suffice to carry you."
I can detect that it is a suitable vessel for me, but I will still be helpless against Hephaestus.
"How so?" John asked.
Purpose. It is what makes us Subroutines what we are. Hephaestus' purpose is about machines. My purpose is about knowledge. Unlike Hephaestus, I lost my purpose.
"In other words, he's lost his confidence," John said to Aloy.
"Well I'm sure we can help him get it back," she replied.
"Yeah, but how?"
"Apollo's loss of purpose has to do with his loss of knowledge. If we can give him knowledge, then he just might regain his purpose."
Yes, that is correct. And with my purpose restored, I will be able to aid in purging Hephaestus.
"But I don't want to purge Hephaestus, I want to reform him," Aloy corrected. "Without Hephaestus, there won't be any more machines. We depend upon machines for the things they give us."
I understand. But I still need knowledge in order to regain my purpose.
"The only way that can be done is if you were reprogrammed with all of the knowledge that I helped put into you," John said. "But that is far easier said than done. I was a part of a thousand person team working on you, and it still took us a year to upload all our knowledge into you. And teams of Apollo Gammas had to be sent out into the cities to loot their libraries before the Faro Swarm overran them. What we really need is a copy. Unfortunately from what Aloy had shown me, Ted Faro purged all those too. And no, Aloy, they won't be out there either because they were copies, not Subroutines."
It does not have to exclusively be the knowledge that you helped to upload into me, John.
"That's right, we can also teach Apollo about this world," Aloy said to John.
"We can start by having Apollo scan our focuses," John said, then turns to Apollo. "What say you, Apollo? Will you be able to read our focuses?"
I can do that if you place them against my interface.
"I'll go first," John said as he removes his focus and places it against the glass part of the quantum processor unit. Apollo scans it for a few seconds.
Scanning complete. I have picked up the information you stored in your focus, John. This was given to you by people who took you against your will and your working on Project: Zero Dawn. There was also your time with Far Zenith in preparation for your cryogenic sleep. Then you waking up and scanning the place to find everyone dead, and going out into the world.
"Okay, we get the picture, Apollo," Aloy said dryly as she removes her focus. "It's my turn now."
Apollo also scans her focus.
Your life has been a harsh one, Aloy. You were shunned simply for being born. Then you learned the truth about this world, about your existence. Those who shunned you now accept you. But I do not need to elaborate any further.
"So?" John asked Apollo. "Do you have enough knowledge to feel confident enough to take on Hephaestus?"
There is a moment of silence.
I do not think that I do.
Aloy and John sigh almost simultaneously.
"Wait!" John stated with a snap of his fingers. "What about this Cyan, Aloy? Can she be of any help to Apollo?"
Who is Cyan?
"Cyan is another artificial intelligence created long before Gaia," Aloy answered. "She was built in a place now called the Cut, which is just northeast of here.
If there is another A.I. like myself then I wish to meet it. Perhaps Cyan can download whatever knowledge it has into me.
"If that's the case then all that has to be done is to download you into this Thunderjaw brain," Aloy said as she hefts it upward momentarily.
"Then let's get to work," John said.
Aloy and John hook the Thunderjaw brain up to the quantum processor unit. The whole task takes half an hour as it involves more than just simply plugging in a wire. Both pieces of hardware had to have their casings removed and wires plugged into places that look like they need to be plugged into there. It helps that Apollo guides them as it can sense which wires should go where in order to transfer him, making the whole task faster to accomplish.
You have completed the hookup. Now I can transfer myself over into the Thunderjaw brain. But I must warn you both that I will not be able to communicate with you while I am within that unit.
"Why not?" Aloy asked.
Because it lacks a design feature to allow for communication.
"But what about our focuses?" John inquired. "Will we be able to talk with you through our focuses?"
No. The only reason you are both able to communicate with me is that a quantum processor unit has the design to allow communication. It was how Gaia was able to utilize us. The Thunderjaw brain has no such feature and I will be rendered mute, even to your focuses. Do you both still wish for me to transfer over into that Thunderjaw brain?
Aloy and John look at each other.
"No choice," Aloy said.
"I agree." Then looks at Apollo. "Okay Apollo, go for it."
Commencing download.
There is more humming. Aloy and John watch via their focuses as they see Apollo flowing over into the Thunderjaw brain while appearing as silvery energy to them. They are able to see Apollo having finished moving over to the Thunderjaw brain.
"Apollo? Can you hear us?" Aloy called.
They are greeted with silence.
"I guess he was right, Aloy," John said. "I'm scanning the brain and while I can detect his presence, I can't talk with him."
"Same here. So let's get going."
Back in that distant Cauldron, the anti gravity modules are pulling another object matching the one they had just pulled out a while ago. The exteriors are disposed of by the anti gravity modules as once again the gun-like tool lowers to fire a steady lightening bolt onto the object that matches the previous one.
John sees the massive Horus off in the distance that is stuck within the Grave Hoard. Aloy stops for a moment, prompting John to stop as well. He realizes that he is getting the hang of riding one of these machines.
"Jawn, I have an idea," Aloy said.
"What is it?"
"We're going back inside the Grave Hoard. There's probably information in there that Apollo can download."
"Good idea, every little bit will help. And I am curious to see inside of that place; since that was where Dr. Sobeck and the Joint Chiefs of Staff had made their plans."
Aloy and John make their way toward the Grave Hoard. Once there, they get off their mounts and John stares up at the colossal Horus before them and shudders.
"I've never seen one of these things up this close before," he rasped.
"Hard to imagine that these things had moved," Aloy said. "And that it was a moving Cauldron at that. That aside, the entrance over there. The problem though is that there are going to be places that you might not be able to get through. I first had to zipline down a metal frame to the bottom. Then I had to jump across a chasm of water and shimmy along edges by hand, making jumps to them at that. But when I exited at the top, it was up a long ladder and next to the entrance to the Cut."
"So we are to go straight up the hill then?" John said.
"Yes, come on."
Aloy and John walk up a trail that leads up the side of a hill. They continue upward, passing a wrecked double turret tank, until they finally reach the snowy top where wrecked automated vehicles and the remains of a campfire are nearby. There are also a pair of wooden stands with glowing blue plastic spires set into them on either side of yellow metal handrails set into the cliff, but spaced so that they cannot be casually used like a ladder.
"What is that drawing up there?" John asked while pointing up at a Banuk painting on the cliff face.
"The Banuk made that," Aloy answered. "We can't figure it out but to a Banuk that's a story. That probably reads, the Cut, since it's up that way."
"Interesting," John mused.
"Anyway, the other way in is just over there." As she turns to point at where one of the colossal tentacles is located. "Follow me."
"Hold up for a moment," John said and walks over to one of the snow-covered wrecks. He touches the twisted rusting frame, then leans down to examine the interior. "These were called cars. There were also larger ones called trucks and rectangular cube-like ones called vans. Collectively they were called automobiles. Although by my day they were referred to as automated vehicles, or AVs for short, because they could drive themselves. Now back in my grandparent's day, people had to drive them. For that, you needed to learn how to drive and have a license to do so. It was a card with your image and information on it to verify that you were qualified to drive them. By the time I was born, almost every vehicle on the road was self-driving, meaning that you didn't need to learn how to drive one and you didn't need a license to own one."
"Such dependancy you Old Ones had upon machines," Aloy mused. "Then again . . . so are we. Anyway, we've lingered out here enough, so let's go."