Chapter 23 - Research

I grab one of the few files I’ve collected and lay out its documents in front of me, skimming through the contents. Let’s see here… construction plans …security… Oh, here we go. Power management. I was wondering how this place even manages to remain in operation and even has electricity. Especially how that hologram even runs. Clearly this place has gone through some deterioration over the years, but the fact it’s still up and running is a bit impressive…

I spend minutes trying to make sense of the documents, a lot of it being highly technological nonsense I don’t understand. I eventually close the file and conclude this place runs on some sort of self maintaining nuclear power, and numerous data servers functioning off of that strange power source. If I want to get out of this place, I’m going to have to find them, but first, distract and get past Him. Obviously, it would be pretty strange for me to be snooping around the place, but I could come up with some dumb excuse. Knowing him, he’d probably believe it anyway. I’m still surprised he didn’t question why I was looking in that strange, messy surveillance room.

Maybe he already knows. Maybe he’s already waiting for me to do something stupid so he can watch me fall to the ground in defeat again. I swear, though, he ranges from “complete dumbass” to “smug idiot”. The fact that he even has some sort of sentience is strange. His emotions appear to be restricted in a way, with fear and anger only triggered by actions such as my previous escape attempt.

I run through some of the documents I’ve collected, searching for anything about Ell1s. Most of them just list security measures for exterminating threats and maintaining and protecting human lives. The security measures this place has is a bit concerning, although by no means is he allowed to injure humans unless they are a threat themselves. Interesting. I guess his programming has deteriorated a significant amount for it to mark me as a threat? Or he’s so desperate for human interaction and to carry out what he was coded to do?

That’s also so strange to me. A desire for social connection is typically only shared between humans. Yet Ell1s seems to has grown a sense of desperation for interaction. I guess it’s fair since he’s been alone in this place for so long, but the fact it’s possible is odd…

I’m going to need to research a bit more and come up with a plan. If I can find out where that server room is, I should be able to shut this place down. In the meantime, I should focus on distracting him and getting on his good side. He seems easy to convince, and should bide me more time until I can find my way out of here.

I will not spend the remaining years of my life slowly rotting in such a place just like he is.

Maybe I’m doing him a favor by doing this.

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