Chapter 29: Low Battery Mode
The message WORLD_SIMULATION.EXE IS CORRUPTED pulsed on the primitive crystal screen.
Arthur leaned in, his eyes scanning the flickering text. "Query," he commanded. "Identify the nature of corruption. Is it a hardware failure or a software bug?"
Zack frantically flipped through his logic tables. "I... I don't know how to type that! We only defined numbers and the alphabet!"
"Brute force it!" Arthur shouted.
"I can't!" Julian yelled, his hands gripping the copper handles. His face was pale, sweat dripping down his nose. "It feels like... like I'm trying to hold back a waterfall! The resistance is increasing!"
The crystal screen began to dim.
> SYSTEM CRITICAL. > POWER LEVEL: 5%. > SHUTTING DOWN TO PREVENT DATA LOSS.
"Julian! Push!" Arthur ordered. "We need the error log!"
"I am... empty!" Julian gasped.
With a final fizz, the sparks died. The blue glow in the copper wires faded. The screen went dark.
Julian collapsed backward onto the dusty floor, panting heavily. "I hate... science," he wheezed.
Arthur slammed his fist on the workbench. "Data loss. We were so close to the root directory."
He looked at the silent machine.
"The desktop model is inefficient," Arthur analyzed. "The power draw is too high for a single biological battery. We need to miniaturize. We need efficiency."
Alice, the ghost, floated down. "The Ancients used 'Mana Cores' to power their devices. You are using a boy."
"He is a renewable resource," Arthur muttered, checking Julian's pulse. "He just needs a sandwich and a nap."
Arthur turned to Zack.
"Zack, show me the logic gates you used for the display driver."
Zack held up a piece of paper covered in symbols.
Arthur studied it. "Here is the problem. You are using an OR gate where you need an XOR. We are leaking mana every time the pixel is off. We need to redesign the circuit."
"Redesign?" Zack asked. "On the stone slab?"
"No," Arthur pulled a thin sheet of slate from his bag. "We are going to make it portable. If we can't power a mainframe, we will build a Game Boy."
End of Chapter 29