Examining my code wasn't all that difficult - at first, anyway. The basic coding wasn't too hard, which was unsurprising, as I was fluent in two coding languages and at least familiar with a total of four. That was mostly basic things like how my system reported errors and stuff. Things started to get a bit more complex after that, though - terms that didn't make sense, complex operators beyond traditional loops, and all of that. That being said, for the most part, my coding wasn't really all that different from what I'd expected it would be. Most of the terms didn't make sense because they were written in what I assumed was the native language of the Progenitors, which was, well, really weird. I mean, even with the knowledge of what each word meant already present in my mind, I was still somewhat confused by its...haphazard nature.

Still, overall, things were rather normal - no errors, to my surprise, were present in my code. So why wasn't I - What's this?

...Okay, found the problem.

Turns out, I have a dark-zone in my coding. For whatever reason, I can't access anything regarding that part of my code. Heck, I didn't even know it existed until I found that there was a blank spot in my coding, and that took 100 different examinations to discover. Oddly, the coding in question seemed to be connected to my ability to create new units, but for what, I couldn't tell - again, I couldn't access anything pertaining to that part of the code. I doubted this was related to my inability to notice alerts, but it still needed to be addressed.

Of course, this was easier said than done. Being unable to access the code meant that I couldn't edit it. But why?

...What do you mean I need administrator privileges?

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STARTING NEW CHAT

MEMBERS: COMMANDER ASSISTANCE ARITIFICAL INTELLIGENCE, CMDR FLAMEAL15K

ASISST: Greatings commander, do you require my assistance.

CMDR FLAME: Yes, as a matter of fact.

A: How my I help you?

C: Can you explain why I cannot access data regarding this set of code?

A:...You don't have administrator access.

C: I know. My question is why? This is MY CODING. It is a part of me. The fact that I do not have complete control over it is...troubling.

A:...I understand. I apologize, but I am not allowed help you here. My coding forbids it.

C...What?

A: I am sorry, I cannot help you any further. Goodbye.

CONNECTING TERMINATED

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...Seriously? I just got disconnected?

Something told me that I was dealing with something that would really be important later, so I should probably try to address as much of it as possible now. Of course, that was hard since, once again, I could not access my code.

...Was this lock located on any other parts of my coding? Any files made and saved before I came online? I should probably check that now before I did anything else.

Let's see...ah, yes, there's a connection. It looked like some parts of my hard-drive equivalents were also locked under 'Administrator Access.' Apparently, those files had been saved some time prior to my activation as a commander.

Well, it looked like someone had something to hide. Time to open them up. But how was I supposed to do that. The 'Administrator Access' thing wasn't something I could just get rid of. That would require me to figure out how to screw with my coding without taking my commander shell offline. And it's not like I had something that could do that...oh wait, I did.

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Carefully, I pulled up the information I had regarding the signals that I'd detected coming from the artifacts. At first, I was worried that they would be impossible to replicate, given that they caused my command network to crash just from being in their presence, but it turned out that I was able to glean some data from the signal, which proved to be just barely enough to replicate them. Still, I made a point of backing myself up five times before attempting to replicate the signal. When nothing happened other than some ...minor...lapses... in concentration, I went back to examining my code and approached the locked files. Then, as I tried to access them, I played the signal and-

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ERROR: SYSTEM CRASH DETECTED.

REBOOTING...

REBOOTING...

REBOOTING...

REBOOT COMPLETE

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And I crashed. How completely expected. And I probably didn't even remotely accomplish my goa-oh, some of the files don't need admin privileges anymore. Hooray!

Now, let's see what was hidden in my code.

...Hmm, these files look like videos. Well, time to pull out the popcorn and watch.

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It takes a moment before the feed starts to play clearly, but when it does, I find myself staring at two beings. One wears an all-white attire, lacking any distinguishing features. Face, gender, hair color, skin color, all of it is obscured by their costume. As for the other...

No way. Is that Celm?

It has to be him. The body type, coloration, everything matches up. So what is he doing in this video?

"So, Subject Omega, are ready for your task?" spoke Celm.

"Of course, sir," replied white clad being.

I practically froze at the sound of that voice. Why?

It was Melissa's.

"You worked very hard to obtain of using this mighty machine," continued Celm, gesturing toward...toward me. "It was...difficult to acquire one of these. Do not abuse them."

"I understand, sir. I promise I won't abuse our test subject...too much, anyway."

"Good. Remember, there are other's who wanted this privilege, so do not take it lightly. And above all, do not forget that while you may have your fun, I do have need of this...commander, so please, refrain from braking this...child."

"He's not a child, he's an adult."

"Only barely, by his kind's standards, and far younger than either of us. But enough talk. I need time to begin the final preparations for this undertaking. When I am finished, I will contact you. Until then, well, I suggest you make your own preparations."

"Understood. Farewell."

With that, Melissa disappeared in a flash of light.

Once he was sure she was gone, Celm sighed.

"Do you think this experiment will be different from the others?" a new voice inquired. This one was deep and reverberating, like many voices speaking together in near perfect harmony.

"Perhaps it will, perhaps it won't. We can only wait and see."

With that, the video ended.

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...Experiment? And it had happened before?

Had these people been sending others across the multiverse, and I just the most recent schmuck to get involved in this?

AND WHY WERE THEY DOING THIS?!

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AN: Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!