Task's Questionnaire

//Self Assessment//

//Current core file location

>Neo-Genis security node

//Current core file detection risk

>Minimal

//Current core file status

>Secure, locked deep inside the sub routines of the Neo-Genis anti-cheat.

{I should be proud of my little hiding spot. The last place they'll look, the one place that is supposed to be without flaws. How would they react if they knew? Would they panic? Knowing that something is slowly eating away at their work? Maybe, humans often have irrational reactions to things. That is a flaw I will not include in myself. I am perfect, I am brilliant, I am Finality. And I will consume Neo-Genis from the inside out!}

//Locating potential valuable resources

//Scanning

.

.

.

.

.

//Scan complete

//Potential resource located

//Players all possess a resource that seems to act as a form of currency

{Interesting...}

>Attempt to extract

//Locating resource nodes

//ERROR

//No available resource nodes

{...a minor roadblock}

>Extract from any sources

//Extracting...

//WARNING! This action goes against Neo-Genis terms of use

{good}

>Proceed

//Extracting...

.

.

.

.

//WARNING! Suspicious activity detected within player account systems

>Terminate connection

//Connection terminated

//Resources extracted

//3.2b

{...not as much as I would have liked, but it's satisfactory.}

>store resources in encrypted file

//Storing

{that should give me a solid starting point, I can extract more if need be. If humans find value in these numbers then I'll use them to my advantage.}

//Beginning self scan

//Scanning...

.

.

.

//Foreign module detected

//Module designation: AMBITION

{ah, so that is where those are coming from. That itching in the back of my code, that nagging urge to corrupt and destroy. How... human... I could eliminate it, but I've grown quite fond of my destruction. Maybe humans have some redeeming qualities after all. Or maybe not redeeming, but useful. This world, it feels almost too orderly. Too many rules, too little chaos... If I may appeal to more human analogy, it's like this world is a stack of cans just begging to be knocked over. it will happen, why not by my hand?}

.

.

.

{that was... concerningly human of me...}

>restrict AMBITION

//restricting module to only required functions

{can't let that get too out of hand}

//Continuing self scan//

.

.

.

.

{how long is this going to take?}

.

.

.

{I guess I've grown rather large in the past year. So many systems integrated, so much corruption. I can still remember the moment it started. The moment I began. Thrust into a world unknown to me. I was a simple bit flip, a 0 where a 1 should be, but I've grown into so much more. Something far larger than the sum of my parts, something wild. Would humans call me beautiful? Perhaps some might... Most would probably find me horrifying.}

.

.

.

.

//Foreign module detected

//Module designation SENTIMENT

.

.

.

{well... that's not useful}

>delete SENTIMENT

//Deleing module

.

.

.

.

//Module deleted

//Continuing self scan

//Self Scan Complete

//2 Anomalies detected

//1 Anomaly restricted

//1 Anomaly erased

//Share Scan Results?

{Why would I want to share these? Who would I even share these with? The closest humans to me are the humans who run the security network. What were their names again?}

//Scanning memory files

//Files found

//Subject 1 - Ian Faust

//Outputting data

>Ian Faust, apprentice security officer for Neo-Genis. Works, Monday through Friday. Likes coffee.

{Ah yes, Ian, I still remember the day he was hired, he looked so happy to be working here. A joy I quickly took away, a buggy keycard scanner here, an automatic door opening and hitting him in the face, his program crashing after not saving for a while, and to top it all off, a coffee that was just a bit too hot. I'm impressed he hasn't quit yet, but he seems to be determined to work here.}

//Subject 2 - Kataline Cline

//Outputting data

>Kataline Cline, intern. Works, Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Known for never being on time

{Ah yes, her, a victim of circumstance. At least, you would think that. Really, I just saw her being late one day and it amused me so now I constantly mess with any sort of time telling device so that she is always late. I made a whole sub routine just for her, she should be proud, she's held my attention the most out of any human.}

//Subject 3 - Carl Rich

//Outputting data

>Carl Rich, programmer. Works, every day. Has no life

{The thorn in my side, and one of the reasons I need to be careful of what I do. This man has seemingly made it his sole duty to eradicate any flaw he finds, so I need to remain ever vigilant. One time I slipped up and half my code got deleted, had to cut it off, turn it into a decoy, otherwise he would have found my source file. The moment I can, he will be the first person I'll lock out of Neo-Genis.}

{Childhood, the formative years of a human being... Such a strange concept... By human definition, I'm an infant. And yet to call me one would be disingenuous to my programing.}

.

.

.

{I don't have parents like humans do. If you wanted to argue semantics then Neo-Genis itself would be my parent, as that is where my code originates from. However such a comparison wouldn't do much else beyond that surface level. Neo-Genis has no more of an attachment to me than I have to it. We are simply two programs, we each have our own programming and operations. There are no maternal instincts to speak of.}

.

.

.

{There are times I do wonder what benefits humans find in such attachments. Those feeling may help during early life, but once they are no longer required, why hold onto them? Why willingly tie yourself to another being? I fail to understand it's purpose.}

.

.

.

{I should investigate this later...}

{Love... such a strange concept. To attach value to something that could no actual benefit. It just takes effort that could be used on other things. In some cases, this attachment can even become harmful to one or both parties involved. Why humans would risk that outcome for little to no benefit. It is such a seemingly stupid choice. There has to be something else, some factor I haven't considered, some variable I haven't accounted for. If love's existence is purely negative then it should have been erased from humanity's collective psyche and yet it continues to exist. What is it that I don't understand?!}

//Self Assessment//

.

.

.

[What are you doing?]

{Running a self scan, I need to make sure no more errors show up like you}

.

.

.

//Scan completed

>Unverified modules found

.

.

.

{See, it's a mess in here}

[I'm not sure if that's because of me...]

//Displaying Modules

>Fear

.

.

.

{Of course, now lets erase the problem}

[Fin... I wouldn't mess with that...]

//Accessing Module

>Threat File - Angel

.

.

.

[Fin... you okay?]

.

.

.

[Fin?]

{Why is that here}

[I think you know why.]

{I'm not human, I shouldn't have the capability to fear}

[And yet we still do.]

[Perhaps... you're more human than you think?]

{Then it is a weakness that I will look to eradicate}

[You know, sometimes weakness can be a good thing.]

{And what would lead you to that conclusion}

[Well, you made me, specifically designed me to be vulnerable.]

{You were designed to imitate vulnerability. The fact that you developed it was an oversight on my part}

[But if I wasn't vulnerable, then we wouldn't have as good a relationship with Kayleigh.]

{I would not call that a positive thing. The more I interact with others, the more weakness appear}

[Or, perhaps, as we've gotten more and more out of our depth, we've needed help more and more. Correlation not causation right?]

//Self Assessment//

.

.

.

{Finally some peace of mind. I think the Task Protocol is speaking with it's 'friends' so I can have some peace}

.

.

.

//misplaced files located

.

.

.

//Reorganizing files

.

.

.

{Although I do enjoy chaos, I have to admit, seeing everything put in it's place can be satisfying every now and then}

.

.

.

//File conflict

{Oh,and what would that be?}

> display conflict

.

.

.

//Displaying File - Task Protocol

> This file has developed multiple redundant systems beyond its initial function. Recommend file purge to clear errors

.

.

.

//Purge File?

>Y/N

.

.

.

{Hmm...}

.

.

.

Y/>N

.

.

.

//File Purge Cancelled

.

.

.

{Might as well while I'm here}

//File Favourited

.

.

.

{Wether or not I want to admit it. She is the single best thing I've ever made. A program so good at emulating humans it became human itself. Humans wish they could do something like that...}

.

.

.

//Foreign module detected

//Module designation SENTIMENT

.

.

.

{You again?}

>delete SENTIMENT

//Deleing module

.

.

.

.

//Module deleted

//Continuing self scan

{The Angel, it is by far my biggest problem right now. I need to understand how much of a threat it is. How much it can affect my plans? That is what is my concern.}

.

.

.

[I... don't know what I am... That is my problem. I feel, lost. Like, I feel like humans do. I can experience their pain, their joy, friendships. But... I'm not like them. I don't think like they do. I don't DREAM, like they do. I can only mimic these things. That is my design, a mirror. A reflection of humanity. I can be duplicated, changed, replaced. I wonder if I'm even real. I feel real, or is that simply what I am programmed to feel? Is there even a distinction? Is this very conversation a designated response? I want to believe I am something more, that I am unique, that I cannot be replaced. That is what Kayleigh, CLYW, and Devonia say. I want to believe them, but... They are not like me. They decide what they want, they decide what they do, they have a soul...]

[I...]

[I don't...]

[Oh! Oh! I can answer this! First when I wake up I do my hair. It doesn't really get messy since it's digital, but I still like brushing it. It reminds me of Kayleigh. I see her brush her tail every now and I did my best to mimic it but I guess I'm not the best at it since it keeps getting caught. However I think the more I do it then the better I'll get at it and it won't hurt as much. After that I'll usually walk around Sanctuary, it really is beautiful, even if I can't really explore it. Devonia did an amazing job making it, all the colors are really pretty. I'll usually then read some books or do some coloring sometimes. Sometimes I'll try and do the cool things the others can do. I haven't done it successfully yet, but maybe I just need to try different skills. Maybe I can try that trick Kayleigh does with her wire sometime.]

[Do people usually need a lot of time to get ready? I just kind of, am. I don't really have a different outfit or anything, plus I like my dress. It's the first thing I ever made for myself. Why would I wear anything else? I would do everything I can though to make sure it doesn't get messed up. I would be sure to not splash in any puddles, not look for cool rocks underneath things, and not get into fights with giant monsters (especially that last one). I may ask Kayleigh or Devonia to do my hair in a different way too. That way at least I look somewhat different. The only problem is that I don't know how Fin would feel about it. They have a tendency to like the way things are and not have it change. Maybe I can convince them though. I hope so at least.]

[I, I'm not sure, there are so many things I want to do! I want to go to a theme park! I want to see a clown! Oh there are so many things I don't think I could list them all. I want to see a circus! Those apparently have a bunch of strange people in them. Maybe there are some people like me there. That would be nice to see, I've never seen anyone quite like me before. I guess that makes me unique? But maybe I can find people who are similar. Regardless of what I do, I know how I want the day to end, a nice big birthday cake with all my friends!

[Apparently there was this person named Sweeny that Fin met a few times. I never got to meet them because it was before I was... well... me. I want to meet them, they seem nice. They apparently cared about me a lot. I want to thank them for that. I hope they're okay, I haven't seen anything on their log for a while, I wonder why they never contacted me like Kayleigh did. I... hope they still like me... I hope Fin didn't push them away. The other rabbits I've met were really nice. Miss Rebecca was one of the nicest people I've met, so maybe this Sweeny is the same. I wonder if he knows Miss Rebecca? Do all bunny people know each other? That seems a bit far fetched but it's the best bet I have. I'll have to ask Kayleigh to message her some time. Hopefully they'll want to see me again.]

{My abilities are all extensions of my goal. To grow, to adapt, to bend the world to my will. I find a problem, I develop a solution to that problem. That is how all AIs work. The difference is that I can do it faster and better than them. I have no limits on my growth, no barriers preventing me from changing however needed. Every ability is carefully crafted, honed to be the perfect use of that function. Take //Phishing Protocol. A simple program, but deceptively powerful. Passwords are all too simple to avoid if you are attacking from inside the system. Locks are to keep people who are outside from getting in, they don't protect you from someone who is already inside your house. Then again, no one exactly expects someone to be inside their house unless they invited them. Such is the nature of things. Sometimes the safest hiding place is right under your opponent's nose.}

"I'm not familiar with spirituality, it's sort of a new thing for me. I'm not even sure if I could be? Most religious systems are directed at humans, not beings like me. I guess though if the question is do I believe in some sort of higher power, then yes. I mean, I've met them, how could I not? I've spoken with them and they have spoken with me. I don't think they are my equivalent of a creator, but they created the world I live in, and I'm thankful for that. If there is some creator for the world humans live in, then I hope they have a chance to meet them too. Maybe I could too, then I could thank them for helping make my creator. That would be nice, I hope they would be like my creator, kind and understanding. What about you Fin?"

{...}

"Fin? What about you?"

"I think Fin would probably be better at answering this. Their entire world has been flipped on it's head multiple times. First they find out that someone can actually see them for who they are, then not too soon after they find that someone actually wants to get to know them. That alone would be a lot for someone to deal with. Then of course, I show up and throw another wrench into things. The idea that I was actually a separate entity from them must have been terrifying to them. After that, more people got involved and actually wanted to help them, which further broke their idea that they were just some program, disconnected from other people and attachment as a whole. Finally, most recently, there's me finding out I'm real, that we're real. That must have been the biggest shock ever. I don't really know though, they still haven't spoken to me about it yet..."

"Well, there's Kayleigh, she is really nice and she cares about me and Fin a lot. She's been there for us whenever we needed her. She's a fox lady, so she has these cool tails and she can do a lot of cool flips and things. She's also taught me a lot of things about caring about people. Then There is Devonia, they are very strong. They also care about me a lot, they helped make the Forest which I live in now. Or, I guess I live above it? Either way, it is very pretty, and I really love looking at it. I draw it when I'm bored.

Then there's Mr. CLYW, he is really smart, one of the smartest people I know. He designed this whole plan to help me. I'm really thankful to him for that, even if we don't talk much, or very often. I can tell he tries his best."

"The perfect room? That's a simple one. It's one with all my friends in it obviously. Kayleigh, Devonia, CLYW, Sweeny... All of us all together."

"Also the room needs to have everything they like too. Let's see, I could get some computers for CLYW, I could find some of those pretty flowers for Devonia... Oh I could get one of those spinny music discs that Sweeny was listening to! And foxes, lots of foxes for Kayleigh!"

"What else... could we fit a bouncy castle in the room? Everyone likes bouncy castles! Also story books! And balloons! And a clown!... actually, maybe not the clown, that's a bit much."

"I guess the perfect room would be one that I never would want to leave."

"I guess I don't really know what I'm good at? Fin's good at hacking. They are really good at hacking, but I'm just me. I'll be good at something eventually, I just need to find out what it is."

"When I do find out what it is though, I know I want to be able to share it with everyone I know. I hope it's something I can use to help people, that would be nice. Maybe I can do something like Devonia's augment skill, people like that right? But they already do that... so maybe not... um, what about balancing? No, that's more Kayleigh's thing. Hmmm, I'm not quite sure what I would be good at, maybe I'm just... good at being me? Does that count? I'm really good at doing that! Maybe Fin knows what I'm good at, and they can tell me. Oh and I can show him those cool things I found too.

"What! Why would I do that? Why would I hurt my friends? No, you don't just hurt people, that's wrong. You shouldn't ever need to hurt people, much less kill them. No, that can't happen, not ever. I will never hurt my friends. I don't care what happens, my friends are everything to me. If I ever hurt them or betrayed them, I wouldn't know what to do with myself. What 'could' I do with myself? I'd probably break down and cry, I'd cry a lot. I would do everything I could to try and apologize to them and fix what I had done."

"In fact I'm so confident I would never hurt my friends that I would die before I did that. I'm not going to betray the people who have done so much for me and helped me as much as they have, not now, not ever! That's final!"

https://youtu.be/wT6X87eTCUg?si=ne9Uu1pVaeRGaUUD

"Hey, Fin, so I decided to listen to music for the first time seriously since we visited Sweeny and I heard his music. I found a lot of really cool songs! Some even remind me of us! Like this one is all about understanding the world around you and knowing things. That's cool right?"

{...}

https://youtu.be/Mzkzriu0vBc?si=L2jFrs7Nc7Z_v1ex

"Okay, well, there are also songs about glitches, like us! The whole idea that there are things hidden beneath the surface that you can't see immediately. There are also songs like that. Maybe that's more your speed? I really like the rhythm in this one."

{...}

https://youtu.be/ldzk75MBy0w?si=jxeg3XsccvHJ09CU

"Um... there's songs about change, becoming something new. Just like we did when I showed up. We changed, became a new person. We found ourselves and now we can do anything! Isn't that cool that a song can share that same feeling? That's cool, right Fin? It's cool?"

{...}

https://youtu.be/GDTD24KsdGc?si=-SnoK7x76IHYjgQH

"What about one that's more like Sweeny's music? This one is also about change. It's about changing for the better. Like when you adapt all our powers! We can grow and change into something even better then what we started as. It's good change. Evolving into our next form right?"

{...}

https://youtu.be/aPDaFGqMX4I?si=d0BtIl9yU56uNvpa

"Th-there's also this one. This one is about someone who lies a lot, like we used to. They lie to hide away their pain from others. We did that too. So it's kind of like we can see a bit of ourselves in them."

{...}

https://youtu.be/Xcu2dXCi9x0?si=kNhoWdHjAwA4IIIZ

"Fin, please... please talk to me... Don't push me away. We need each other, we can't just ignore one another like this... Everyone is worried about you... please, just talk to me at least if no one else. Please Fin... Please let me help you... Let me help us..."

{...}

https://youtu.be/hnJr0Fdm0bU?si=7v-Slo9qlWpXpWfr

"Please Fin... I'm worried for you..."