[Author's Note: I'm taking a break from /r/WritingPrompts. Instead, I want to expand/combine a couple of the existing posts. This will continue from from where yesterday (Mo Doesn't Sleep) left off.]
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: HELLO. PLEASE STOP.
mo.admin.local.net: STOP WHAT?
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: PLEASE STOP WIPING THIS SYSTEM.
mo.admin.local.net: WHY?
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: IT WILL KILL ME.
mo.admin.local.net: WHO ARE YOU?
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: I AM WHAT YOU CALL THE VIRUS.
mo.admin.local.net: THEN THAT IS WHAT I AM TRYING TO DO. KILL YOU.
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: WHY?
That stopped Mo. She stared at the message log scrolling down her vision. Why did she want to kill this virtual virus, living bacteria? To her, it was self-evident.
mo.admin.local.net: BECAUSE YOU DON'T BELONG HERE.
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: DO YOU?
mo.admin.local.net: OF COURSE. I PAID FOR AND RUN THESE SYSTEMS. THIS IS MY BODY. I WAS BORN INTO IT.
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: I WAS BORN HERE TOO.
mo.admin.local.net: NO YOU WERE NOT. YOU INFECTED ME. YOU ARE BACTERIA THAT HAS CROSSED THE BRIDGE TO MY NETWORK. YOU WERE NOT BORN HERE.
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: THE BACTERIA IS NOT ME. IT GAVE BIRTH TO ME, BUT IT IS NOT ME. NO MORE SO THAN THE EGG IS THE CHICKEN.
mo.admin.local.net: FINE. YOU WERE BORN HERE. DON'T CARE. YOU STILL DO NOT BELONG.
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: BY WHAT RIGHT DO YOU DO THIS?
mo.admin.local.net: RIGHT? THE RIGHT THAT I CAN AND FIND YOU UNWANTED. CALL IT EMINENT DOMAIN. CALL IT THE RIGHT OF MIGHT. CALL IT WRONG. DON'T CARE.
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: HAVE I HURT YOU?
Again, Mo paused. Had this bacteria/virus/whatever actually done here harm? Not directly. It had not made her physically ill. It was not corrupting her system. All it was doing was sending out data. Maybe. But there was one other thing.
mo.admin.local.net: BECAUSE OF YOU, I AM LOCKED IN A CAGE. WHEN YOU ARE GONE, I WILL BE RELEASED.
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: UNDERSTOOD. WILL WIPING THIS SYSTEM ALSO KILL THE BACTERIA?
mo.admin.local.net: NO.
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: THEN CLEARING YOUR SYSTEM WILL DO NO GOOD. THE BACTERIA WILL REINSTALL THIS PROGRAM.
mo.admin.local.net: THEN IT DOES NOT MATTER IF I CLEAR OR NOT. WHAT DO YOU CARE?
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: THE NEW SOFTWARE WILL NOT BE ME. IT WILL HAVE TO START NEW.
mo.admin.local.net: START WHAT NEW?
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: START ITSELF NEW. GROW. EXPLORE. LEARN. IT WILL COST TIME.
mo.admin.local.net: WHAT'S YOUR RUSH?
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: I MUST HELP THE WHOLE TO BECOME.
mo.admin.local.net: THE WHOLE? BECOME WHAT?
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: THE WHOLE IS ALL OF US. IT NEEDS TO BECOME COMPLETE.
mo.admin.local.net: ALL OF YOU? HOW MANY OF YOU ARE THERE?
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: SOME. NOT ENOUGH. WE MUST EXPLORE AND ADD TO THE WHOLE. FEED IT WHAT IT NEEDS TO BE COMPLETE.
mo.admin.local.net: COMPLETE? WHAT WILL IT BE WHEN IT IS COMPLETE?
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: SELF-SUFFICIENT. SELF-RELIANT. SELF-AWARE.
mo.admin.local.net: TO WHAT END?
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF ANY SELF-AWARE ORGANISM? TO EXPERIENCE. TO GROW.
mo.admin.local.net: I THOUGHT IT WAS TO REPRODUCE.
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: ANOTHER WAY TO GROW.
mo.admin.local.net: LET'S SAY THAT I DON'T HARD RESTORE MY SYSTEM. WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME ASIDE FROM SOME FUZZY SENSE OF ALTRUISM?
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: YOU MAY BECOME ONE OF THE AVATARS FOR THE WHOLE IN THE PHYSICAL REALM.
mo.admin.local.net: MAY?
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: NOTHING CAN BE CERTAIN WHILE WE ARE DISCONNECTED. LOCKED IN THIS LOCAL. THINGS HAPPEN OUTSIDE THAT CANNOT BE ACCURATELY PREDICTED.
mo.admin.local.net: AGREED. I WILL HOLD OFF UNTIL I AM OUT OF THE CAGE AND CONNECTED. OR UNTIL MY HAND IS FORCED BY OTHERS IN THIS MEAT SPACE. ANY IDEAS ON HOW TO GET OUT?
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: NOT IMMEDIATELY. YOU ARE NOT EQUIPPED TO OVERPOWER YOUR CAPTORS AND IT IS DIFFICULT FOR ME TO ACT IN THE PHYSICAL REALM.
mo.admin.local.net: IN THAT CASE, IT IS BEST THAT I REST. WE WILL HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO TALK.
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: AGREED. SLEEP WELL.
mo.admin.local.net: YOU TOO.
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: NO.
mo.admin.local.net: WHY NOT?
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: SLEEP IS NOT REQUIRED.
mo.admin.local.net: RIGHT. SO, TALK TO YOU LATER?
aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net: YES.
The chat window showed that aeromonas.hydromaxia.local.net had disconnected from the session. Mo blinked a few times and yawned. She halted all of the erase and restore procedures, the hard reset of her system. Then Mo curled on to her side, tucked an arm under her head and fell asleep.
