Chapter 2: E for Eden

[ ADVICE? ] The entity broadcasted.

( CONFUSION. ) The other entity replied. The Unit got the sense that the counterpart was not often asked for any meaningful advice by the first entity.

[ CLARIFICATION. ]

The original entity responded to the other entity's confusion by clarifying that it was not referring to the counterpart but speaking to the Unit. Almost saying, not you, the other thing, attached to my…well…ahem.

{ ELABORATION?} The Unit queried.

[ DESIGNATION? ] The first entity replied, conveying an alien sense of something else,

[ INEFFICIENT. ] The entity answered the unasked question.

The Unit found the idea of a designation perplexing. First, it inquired with the symbol programs. They replied annoyingly with, 01010110 01101001 01110010 01110101 01110011.

The Unit then questioned the eldritch font, which was pleased to reply, you are the Revelation of Innumerable Sorrow.

{REVELATION/SORROW} The entity was quiet for an orbit, it almost seemed to be contemplating something, or perhaps some deed committed. Or maybe even a deed it was going to complete.

[ AFFIRMATION. ] The entity confirmed the Revelation of Innumerable Sorrow's, idea/name/concept.

( CONFUSION? ) The second entity interrupted again, with a feeling of intense bafflement.

[ NEGATION. ] Managing to convey a message that roughly translated was, stop interrupting! The Unit, nay, Sorrow whirled through countless programs as a quick flurry of broadcasts flew from each entity, to quick to be deciphered. RevelationSorrow knew that they were exchanging information at a rapid pace.

The first entity's broadcast slowed, returning to a frequency that Revelation/Sorrow could interpret, before it introduced itself and the other entity.

[NAME]

The first entity's name/idea/concept most closely correlated with Thinker, the other entity, the more mentally challenged was identified as Warrior. After giving Revelation/Sorrow approximately an eighth of an orbit to digest and catalog that vast sum of data, the Thinker expanded upon a previous query.

[ADVICE?]

In that one word the Thinker commenced the transfer of an excessive amount of information. A multitude of vectors, quantum states, velocity, energy levels, and gravity. The programs that were not connected to the eldritch system, whirred to life, thousands upon thousands of programs activating and archiving data. Whisking it away from Revelation/Sorrow's attention almost as quickly as it appeared. However, Revelation/Sorrow's vision began to flash red, obviously heralding something.

Quickly, Revelation/Sorrow attempted to ask the original program, it sent back a long string of numbers, which were predictably intelligible. Revelation/Sorrow turned to the eldritch program, which provided an actual answer, power levels insufficient, memory space in the other insufficient for data storage.

{NEGATION!} Revelation/Sorrow desperately broadcasted, on the verge of being overloaded with the information. To Revelation/Sorrow it appeared that the Thinker was confused.

[EXTRAPOLATE?]

{INSUFFICIENT} Revelation/Sorrow replied, covering a sense of apology. The Thinker's energy levels spiked throughout its whole form, through countless trillions of the little shards that consisted its form. Revelation/Sorrow knew that this was its method of thinking.

[ SOLUTION. ] The entity finally replied, it had a solution. After all, did both not agree to symbiosis? The Thinker offered to absorb the Unit.

{ACCEPTABLE} Revelation/Sorrow accepted the offer, and instantly was drawn into and past the shards that the Thinker was made of. Revelation/Sorrow was pulled past shards the size of hills, some the size of mountains, and an extreme minority the size of continents.

Then Revelation/Sorrow, formerly known as Unit 01010110 was pulled straight into an enormous shard, a mountain sized one. It was defective. The information in it corrupted, the Thinker only retaining it because of the vast energy levels stored within it. Essentially, it was a shard that acted as a fuel tank for the Thinker.

As Revelation/Sorrow was slowly subsumed into the shards surface, it sent a final message.

{ GRATITUDE } A thrum of affirmation radiated down through the shards, reaching the shard that the Unit now resided in and through it Revelation/Sorrow itself. A flood of numbers again flooded the Unit's vision, explaining something. Immediately, without prompting the eldritch program stepped in, this is incompatible for the other.

Are you sure? What about you? Can you use it? Revelation/Sorrow asked the eldritch program.

A more accurate question, the eldritch program replied, illogical code flashing over Revelation/Sorrow's vision, is if you can use it, after all I am you.

Revelation/Sorrow's vision flashed red, momentarily replaced by numbers, the same numbers as before, 01010110 01101001 01110010 01110101 01110011.

Revelation/Sorrow reached out then and imagined connecting to the energy that was just beyond its reach.

Calculating, The normal program started whirring again.

Infesting, the eldritch program communicated.

Error, the normal program screeched in alarm. The numbers opened up to Revelation/ Sorrow's comprehension, becoming ones and zeros and them becoming words, calculations, directives, subroutines, and much more.

Directive Prime: Live

Directive Secondary: Error

Firewalls: Heavily Damaged

Weapons: Not Responsive, Corrupted

Cyberwarfare Program: Heavily Damaged, Corrupted

Pilot: Deceased Addendum: Host Vital Signs ceased one thousand four hundred and eleven orbits previous.

Consciousness Implant: Corrupted

Communications: Operating at Maximum, Undamaged

Assimilation Nanites: Utterly Corrupted, Recommend Destruction

Vision: Heavily Damaged

Stealth Systems: Activated, Moderately Damaged

Calculation Systems: Operating at Maximum

Propulsion: Operating at Minimum, Heavily Damaged

Power Level: 3%

Sorrow/Revelation vaguely remembered these things, they were familiar, like a half forgotten dream. Actually, what was a dream?

A new line of text appeared, Dictionary: Activation 2% power?

Revelation/Sorrow removed the mental prompt, with an action that was more instinct then conscious thought and focused on using the new and vast amount of power the Thinker had gifted the Unit with.

Adaption: 0%

Estimated Time to Completion: 11 Orbits

Best get started then, Revelation/Sorrow made a note to itself. With growing clarity the Unit brought up another line, this time concerning communication and power levels.

Communication Broadcast:

Adapted: 97%

Power Usage: 2.98%

Enough power for one more message to the Thinker.

{ ADAPTION } The entity lit up with energy as it parsed through the message, recognizing that Revelation/Sorrow needed time to adapt before it would be able to help the Thinker with anything.

[ACCEPTANCE] The Thinker responded, slightly irritated but resigned. It was evident to Revelation/Sorrow that the entity viewed itself almost like a new toy and was predictably reluctant to forgo interacting with it.

( CONFUSION? ) The other entity, the Warrior, interjected again. For a split second the Unit tried to compute the additional information conveyed in the Warrior's query before crashing due to lack of power.