When the sunlight hit my face, I was still catching my breath on the grass in front of the bunker entrance, like a tourist lying on the beach. The difference was, tourists usually have sunscreen in their backpacks, while I had a dead soldier's canned food and a rusted knife. And behind me, in the dark hole, shadows wanting to eat me were waiting.
"Not bad," I said to myself, regulating my breathing. "At least there's sun. Even if it looks like a broken saucer."
I stood up and dusted myself off. My backpack was heavy, but it was a pleasant weight. It was the weight of survival. Now, I needed to return to the garage. But before setting off, my eyes fell on a small, concrete booth next to the gate.
It looked like the guard booths in parking lots. Except this one looked like someone had chewed it up and spat it out. Windows broken, walls blackened.
But something seemed to be flickering inside.
Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it can also make a "Restorer" rich. Knife in hand, I slowly approached the booth.
Inside was empty. Just a single chair (could be used for firewood) and a massive console mounted on the wall. In the center of the console sat an old monitor with thick glass. The monitor's screen was cracked, and the keyboard looked melted.
But in the corner of the screen, a dim green light was blinking.
Beep... beep... beep...
"So, what is this?" I whispered and wiped the dusty screen with my sleeve.
[Object: Autonomous Data Terminal (Model: G-400)]
[Condition: 8% (Critical error, audio module malfunctioning, memory blocks damaged)]
[Restoration Cost: 12 Ether]
I was low on Ether. Opening the chest in the bunker and using the "Rune" had taken quite a bit of my energy. Right now, I had 25/110 Ether (maximum increased due to Level up).
12 Ether. That's almost half of what I have left. But information is power. Where am I? What are these shadows? Why are different eras mixed up everywhere?
"Fine," I sighed. "If this thing tells me 'Windows needs to update,' I'll smash it with my own hands."
I placed my hand on the cold screen.
"Restore."
Blue sparks flowed into the monitor's crack. The broken glass fused together with a crackle. Melted keys grew back. Dust vanished. The dim light of the monitor suddenly turned bright green.
Text began to run across the screen:
[System loading...]
[Audio drivers installed.]
[Language pack: English (Adaptive).]
[Requesting identification...]
Suddenly, a screeching voice, like from an old radio, rang out from the console:
"HELLO, CITIZEN! WELCOME TO SECTOR 7-B! PLEASE PLACE YOUR PERMIT ON THE SCANNER! IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A PERMIT, REMAIN WHERE YOU ARE, SECURITY WILL ARRIVE SHORTLY TO SHOOT YOU! HAVE A NICE DAY!"
I stumbled back.
"Shut up!" I whispered, looking around frantically. "You'll wake up all the shadows, you metal-head!"
A strange face appeared on the screen. It was just a "smiley face" made of pixels, but it had eyebrows and looked very serious.
"Volume protocol violated," it said, now in a lower voice. "Apologies. I am A.I.D.O.S (Automated Intelligent Doomsday Operating System). I do not see your permit, citizen. Are you a spy? Or just a bureaucratic error?"
"I am Liam," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "And the 'Security' you mentioned is long dead. Did you see the bones inside the bunker?"
The pixelated face froze for a second. As if processing the data.
"Analyzing... Last contact: 245 years, 3 months, and 12 days ago. Conclusion: You are correct. My colleagues are late for work. This requires disciplinary action."
"Two hundred forty-five years?" My eyes went wide. "I... how long have I been asleep?"
"I do not have information regarding your sleep schedule," Aidos said in a calm tone. "But I have been stuck here. As you can see, I have no legs. Only cables. It is very boring. Do you know, in the last 50 years, I have only watched spiders breed. They multiply very fast. Disgusting."
I was starting to like this artificial intelligence. It was as disgruntled as I was.
"Aidos, I need help. This world... what is this 'Mosaic'? Why is everything broken?"
The smiley on the screen changed to a "thinking" expression.
"Checking clearance level... Citizen Liam, your clearance level is 0. Information sharing prohibited."
"Are you serious?" Frustrated, I slammed "Excalibur" (the wrench) onto the table. "The world has ended! Who needs your clearance level?! I'll turn you off right now!"
"Threat noted," Aidos said immediately. "But logical argument accepted. Emergency protocol initiated. Opening database. Listen, meaty organism. It is a very long story, I will tell the abridged version."
The screen changed. Strange drawings, maps, and videos began to appear on it.
"In ancient times," Aidos began, his voice changing slightly into storyteller mode. "There were thousands of civilizations in the universe. They developed, warred, and eventually... reached the limit. The universe itself began 'Aging.' Stars faded. Matter began to decay. We called this the 'Great Cooling.'"
"Then what happened?" I asked curiously, sitting on the chair (though it creaked a bit).
"Then the 'Architects' came," Aidos continued. An image of faceless figures in long cloaks appeared on the screen. "Seeing the universe dying, they decided the only way to save it was to cut out the most important parts and gather them in one place. They cut through time and space, extracting fragments (Shards) from different planets, different eras, and created this artificial plane – the Mosaic."
I shook my head.
"So, we are a museum of the universe?"
"More accurately, a mix of a junkyard and a museum," Aidos corrected. "The Archivist Architects installed a 'Core' in the center to keep this world stable. But something went wrong. The Core was damaged. The System lost control. The 'White Fog' between regions began to expand. Now each shard lives on its own. And the worst part..."
The screen turned red.
"...The 'Corrupters' (The Void corruption) entered from the outside. They want to hack the 'System' and establish their own rules. The 'Shadow Parasites' you saw are their smallest soldiers. They hate light and order."
"So," I said slowly. "I don't just have to survive here. If the Core stops completely, this artificial world will disappear too?"
"Bingo!" Aidos said in a cheerful voice. "Even though you are a meaty organism, your processor works fast. Yes, the Mosaic is disintegrating. If someone does not restart or stabilize the Core, in approximately 14 years, 8 months, and 3 days, it's 'Game Over.' Everyone dies. And I will turn off. Which is a tragedy, because my memory holds 4 petabytes of cat videos."
I burst out laughing. No matter how terrible the situation, this AI was making me laugh.
"Alright, Aidos. What should I do? I have a weird class called 'Restorer.' I can fix things."
The smiley's eyes on the screen turned into "!" marks.
"Restorer? You... you don't have an Architect code, do you? That's impossible. This class was only given to Admins."
He fell silent for a moment. Then he spoke in a low voice, almost a whisper.
"If you can truly fix things... You can 'link' the regions. You can restore the broken laws. You..."
Suddenly the screen went fzzzt and the image began to fade.
"Warning! Power source depleting. My battery is at 2%."
"What? Wait!" I shouted. "How do I take you with me?"
"You can't take me, idiot!" Aidos said, his voice breaking up. "I am welded to the wall! My server is underground! But... listen... if you go north... there is an 'Iron City'... there might be a copy of me... or a terminal there... Find me... upload me to the 'cloud'..."
The monitor went dark.
Only dark glass and my own reflection remained.
"Damn," I said, punching the table. "Just when it was getting interesting."
So, the situation is as follows:
* The world is artificial and dying.
* I have "Admin" abilities needed to save the world (probably).
* There is an "Iron City" to the north.
* Cat videos are considered a heritage of civilization.
I went outside. The sun had set on the horizon. Shadows were lengthening.
I need Ether for my "Rune" ability, but I only have 13 Ether left now. I need to get home. Fast.
I slung the backpack over my shoulder and ran towards the garage.
Along the way, I felt a shift. The System had seemed like just a game to me, but now I understood that this "System" was actually the Mosaic's operating system. And I am its "antivirus" or "technician."
Darkness had fallen completely by the time I reached the garage.
I opened the door, threw myself inside, and locked it immediately.
The humming of the generator calmed me. The electric light – my shield.
I emptied the backpack. Canned food, water, bullets. And the pistol.
I leaned "Excalibur" against the wall and stretched out on the sofa.
I learned a lot today.
"Aidos," I said looking at the ceiling. "I will find you in that Iron City. And I will make you legs. Maybe wheels. We'll see."
Just then, my eyes fell on a dark spot in the corner of the garage. There, under an old tarp, lay something else I hadn't noticed yesterday. Its shape... looked like a human.
My heart almost stopped.
Am I not alone here?
Or is it a corpse?
Knife in hand, I approached it. I slowly lifted the tarp.
There...
Lay a robot. Humanoid, but very old, rusted, and half-dismantled. It had a logo similar to Aidos's on its chest, but it had no head.
No, wait. It has a head, but it's rolling next to it.
A "bingo" sound rang in my brain.
Aidos: "I have no legs."
Me: "I have Restoration and a decapitated robot body."
A devilish smile appeared on my face.
"Well, Mr. Aidos," I said, picking up the severed robot head. "Looks like we're performing surgery tomorrow. If I can find a way to transfer you into this iron body, I'll need a guide."
But first... first I need to eat. And sleep.
Because tomorrow, I become Frankenstein.
[System Message:]
[New Quest: Artificial Companion.]
[Objective: Create a suitable "vessel" to transfer Aidos's data.]
[Reward: Personal navigator and map.]
I opened the can with the knife and put some in my mouth. It tasted strange, like a mix of paper and meat. But to me, it was a royal meal.
"Life is beautiful," I said with my mouth full. "If I don't die tomorrow, of course."