After the Last Age - IC

Sam sighed bitterly. That was his favorite jacket. Seeing it in tatters made him feel a pang of melancholy nostalgia. He picked up his equally destroyed wallet and dumped out what little change that was stored within. Storing the change in his pack, he continued his rummaging. He bent down and cautiously moved away the tiny mushrooms, as if they would jump up and attack him at any second. Picking up his old hygeine bag that was riddled with holes, he opened it up to check and see if anything survived the passage of time.

Unfortunately not a lot survived. Sam's bar of soap was borderline fossilized, being as hard as a rock. His razor was rusted to the point where there was more rust than razor. His can of shaving cream had at some point exploded. Caking what was left of the interior with the now hard and unusable substance. The only thing that seemed to remain intact was a single miniature bottle of liquid soap, which he immediately stored in his pack. "We're fighting monster bugs and malicious plants and yet I'm more worried about keeping clean," He muttered to himself while closing his locker. "Hopefully everybody else has found something that is acually useful."

Sam looked around the room for anything else. But anything that may of actually been useful was either rusted beyond use or the passage of time had turned it to dust. Looking at the map he copied from the officer onto his hud. He examined the other rooms that the others are exploring. He knew the compound had a ventilation system that pumped air from the surface and into the facility. If they couldn't escape the main way, then using the ventilation system was a viable plan B. He would have to wait and see.
 
Going down the hall without incident, Noemitook notice of the mushrooms and later on the ordeal with the tree root and the bug. She wasn't sure if that made the Trees safe to stay around or dangerous, either way, they would not be cutting down any trees, that would likely not end well.. Either way the Mushrooms could be useful as a light or security source, maybe even eaten, though she wasn't about to tempt that. Looking through her own locker, not much was sparked in her memory from it, at least not just yet.

Noticing a set of clothes that had survived the passage of time more or less intact, Noemi turns towards the goo covered girl, it seemed to be normal every day clothes, a pair of carpenter like pants and a white button up shirt.. Well normal for the soldier at least, though seemed a few other T-shirts were in the collection. As to where to change..well that would be up to her fellow female to find. (@QuiteContrary) "Here, I'm a bit larger in the bust, but they should fit you for now, better than what you're wearing, plus I still have my uniform at least."

Turning towards Sam, she heard him say something another that sounded like Soap, it was something they could make fairly easily at least. Searching the other lockers the results were less promising, most were empty, rotten, or had items of no use to her, least as far as she could see. Returning to her own and grabbing the duffle bag, it seemed to be in fairly bad shape, so she would search it later.

Next up were the Emergency supply lockers, she had no idea what would be in them, but any good weapons outside of survival rifles or shotguns and the like would likely be in the Armory...though it was possible some were mislaid here or kept in a security locker, an assault rifle or SMG would be a godsend. Same for Armor. However it wouldn't be that easy to get into all of the Lockers... True to name some of them were locked, some of them were just easy pull and open.. As to the locked ones..

One of those had a keypad, it was marked with SECURITY in big black letters, some worn away with time or gone all together minus faint outlines indented into the material. This one would hold back up weapons to deal with intruders or emergency attacks, spare parts, ammo. With luck it may have some radiation detectors or the like. "Sam, you mind searching the others with some of the rest? I'm going to try getting this open. Let me know of any guns you'll find, I'll cobble together what's useable."

Entering a passcode she wasn't sure how she knew it, the dual purpose lock seemed to have worked, with a faint hiss and the sound of stiff metal protesting it's opening, Noemi takes a look to see what she would find.
 
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Listening to the officer's conditions, they weren't unsurprising. She seemed to simply be focused on doing her job, which in this case was to ensure everyone's protection, not to mention Quinn certainly didn't mind others handling weapons over himself. Though he could not remember much, he did not garner himself a fighter.

Reaching a new room, of which used to be a locker room he supposed, each of the group wandered to a respective locker. For him, the clothes and whatever else was in the locker was of little consequence. The clothes on his back were in far better condition. There was nothing to provide any explanation on who he was either, but the glasses were interesting.

Removing the backups he had acquired from the side of his pod, Quinn placed the new ones on. Surprisingly, the lenses began to flicker momentarily, then contracting and expanding once again. Afterwards some sort of HUD display popped up, paired with a baseline diagnostics system and various data regarding medical treatment and information. It seemed like it was created with the intent of pairing with the internet, but as he attempted, nothing unexpected occurred. The HUD simply stated that connection had failed and given steps to troubleshoot.

Looking to the others, it seemed the lockers had been a mixed bag. "Nothing informational... nor conventionally useful," Ilyod remarked as he stepped away from his locker.

"These could come in handy," He said, tapping at his spectacles. "But without actual supplies, I can't do anything besides diagnose injuries or illness, which we thankfully appear to be free from at the moment."

Moving over to the non-personnel lockers, it's not like there was much in his own to look over. Perhaps there would be something they could use within the ones he could open.
 
"Olivia." The woman spoke up just after Quinn introduced himself. "At least, I think that's my name..." She blinked a few times as she tried to scan her brain. Olivia followed the group down the hallway, but stopped as one of the tree roots moved. It moved. Did...did anyone else see what she just saw?? Olivia shivered. If this one moved, surely the ones back at the data base did too, ones that she touched. Was it so unfamiliar to human touch that it was unsure what to do as she had run her hands along its grooves? How quickly coukd they move? We're they all so slow moving, like the ones that had blocked the doorway? Or was there possibility for the tree roots to move quickly and wrap around objects? Olivia stopped her thoughts long enough to be drawn to a locker. It's number was faded, but she ran her hands over the braille just beneath where they would be, the small metal plaque fell from the top of the locker and hit the floor with a little tink.

Olivia's eyes were first drawn to a metal belt buckle, the leather of the belt had since shrivelled up and withered away, but the buckle, large and gaudy, was intact enough for Olivia to make out a bejeweled image-Missouri! She was from Missouri! Or...perhaps she had family is Missouri? Or a significant other? A slim hand rubbed over Olivia's face and she dropped the buckle onto the shelf, forgetting it almost immediately as she spotted the 9mm in a...leather bag? Honestly it looked like some kind of shriveled up bladder. Olivia pulled the handgun out. It felt familiar in her hands. Extremely so. "What?" Olivia jumped as the woman, Noemi, addressed her. A relieved smile spread over Olivia's face at the mention of clothing, but did the woman really have to mention her bust? Almost involuntarily Olivia looked down to her own for a moment before shrugging. Ah well, beggers can't be choosers.

"Here.." Olivia set the gun down for Noemi to look over, when she had the chance, before she took the offered clothes. Olivia had the odd feeling that she had never worn anything so...blue collar before. Still, she looked about for somewhere to change. Sooooo either outside with all the creepy bugs and the Evil Dead roots (what was that reference and why did it make her want to chuckle?), or in here in front of everyone...slim shoulders shrugged again and Olivia removed herself to one of the darker corners of the room. She didn't think it would be such a good idea to go off on her own. Besides, if she faced the wall, it wouldn't be so bad. She removed her jumpsuit and dressed in sections to limit her exposure. Olivia was unsure why modesty was so important right now, what with her missing memories, the metallic tree roots jungle, and possible revelation that she had been sleeping for 5000 years, but it was. At least, to her anyway.

The pants were coarse upon her skin and much stiffer than what she was used to wearing. Or, what Olivia thought she was used to wearing. The white shirt was a bit loose...just as Noemi had said it would be and, again, Olivia looked down with a slight frown. Some women were just more endowed than others, she supposed. Olivia's long hair, still caked with slime, left streaks of green down her back and on her shoulders, but the woman felt one thousand times better in something clean, or rather cleaner, than what she had been wearing. Although, the dust from the clothing made her itch a little.

Olivia picked up the gun she had found, just as Noemi and Sam were opening the more secured lockers. She gave the gun a once over. She removed the magazine, and ensured the chamber was empty before taking the gun apart and laying the pieces upon one of the benches. Olivia squatted beside the bench and inspected each piece, looking for rust or malfunction. Thankfully she found none, on the inside at least. Next she emptied the magazine. Thirteen. There were thirteen hollow point bullets in very good condition. "Thirteen, how appropriate..." Olivia wasn't a very superstitious person, she thought, but it was a funny observation. While resembling the gun back together, beginning with reinserting the bullets into the magazine, she looked to the man named Quinn as he tapped on his spectacles. So, they were used for medical diagnostics? In his prescription? Perhaps a doctor, or some kind of specialist... "Find anything useful?" She asked as Quinn made his way to the secured lockers as well. "Cardinal?"
 
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Cardinal moved over to his locker - how it was his locker, he didn't know - and looked inside. He frowned a little at the sight of.. everything. He didn't remember much of what was supposed to be in here, but finding a small metal frame with an immaculately-preserved ring made him pause. He slowly, gingerly reached out for it, touching it once and then picking it up. He stared down at it for a long while, before muttering something. "Rain..."

He had missed everything else around him until someone called him, using the name he had given himself. "Hm? What?" he blushed and hid the ring for some reason, though if anyone saw him do it they could call him out on it. "Oh. Um, well.." he frowned and looked over at the locker. There had been a bag of clothes, but that was all rotten. And there wasn't much else in that locker, meaning that this ring was the only link to his past.

"No.. nothing. Maybe I was poor or something."
he shrugged, looking around at all the others. For some reason he didn't want to have to explain away the ring, especially since he couldn't remember what it was for. But even holding it brought memories of happiness.
 
Finishing up with the lockers alongside Sam, Noemi takes stock of all items found as she opens her duffle bag at last to see just what it contained.

So far once she assembled from parts or otherwise, four weapons that were all fully functional in spite of age, two operational water filtration units, solar powered lanterns, a fully stocked first aid kit once she took parts from other ones, a radiation scanner, some other supplies from emergency blankets to surprisingly if not questionably well preserved rations.. Between the lot of them that meant Six guns. Two handguns, an Assault Rifle, a shotgun, a SMG and what seemed to be some sort of semiauto rifle used for personal defense and hunting.

She would of course be taking the Assault Rifle, she was likely the only one here with a bit of training in it's use. The other girl who was using some of her clothes would keep her hand gun at the least, once she gave it a look over at least. That still left four weapons, well unless she kept her own handgun from the pile.

"Okay, I'll give brief instructions, you three can pick amongst yourselves." She says pointing at the men, laying out the semi-auto rifle, pump action shotgun, handgun and SMG on the mostly intact bench. There was also a tool set of some sort, that would be going to Sam by default.

"Other than that, anyone of you recall medical knowledge, if so you can take the first-aid kit. Other than that, we'll split the other items among those with nothing to carry."

Going through her bag a number of medals were inside, with some sealed books, those she would not attempt to open just yet, there was also a pair of moth eaten pants that should could wear for now, but other clothing would be a matter of pressing time. And there was still the issue of who was in command, while the others hadn't disputed it as of yet, it would be a conversation to have, once they had something a little stable at least, till then it was her job to keep them alive... wasn't it?

"Alright for now we might should head for those other rooms or, depending on what our new scanners say, maybe head outside at once.. If I could find the central computer not being eaten by plants... Well would be nice."

Counting up the ammo, short of what the others might need at once she using a carry pack for all the rest. "Oh yeah, we got enough water cannisters for us al, but let me or Sam test the water first." Anything some of you want to do, to look for? We might can find a little more in here, but might be same with outside.. With these weapon and the radios Sam found, if we don't play stupid we could test the remaining two centers"

That being the other side of things, and the garage exit. Did they want to try finding more, in way of usable supplies, most of which could be outdoors in bunker sheds. It was now once again up to the others in point, what did they search, or where did they go.
 
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There was nothing more of value that could be gleamed from the locker rooms, so it was time for the group to pursue further through the base. Their objective ultimately being escape, but one thing would nag at them as more important - their memories. Most of them couldn't remember their past, and one couldn't recall their own name. The lockers provided some clues, but if anything only left behind even more questions and reinforced that whatever they had before, they'd lost forever. As much as Noemi (@RedArmyShogun)wanted to leave the facility, a fuzzy memory of her orders would knock at the back of her head, requesting she search out the medical wing. For her it was a choice between protocol and her own feelings. For the others, they seemed willing to have her as their guide, and directionless without her.

Luckily, both the medical wing and the desired exit were both in the same direction. As the group traveled they would find the roots thin out, though not completely leave the facility. It seemed that whatever was growing them above weren't very common in the direction they were going, suggesting perhaps a clearing up above. However, in place of the tree roots, there were even more mushrooms. Anyone who paid close enough attention would notice that the mushrooms seemed to be following specific pathways with their growth. Not perfectly, as they were organic, but they seemed to huddle around the power lines, following them and grouping in large clusters along the walls.

The glowing mushrooms would cluster around crevasses built into the walls that housed clunky service robots. They were androids with bulky frames, simple motor functions, thick carbon and aluminum armor, and blank expressionless faces. Two stations for them were empty, the other two had the robots in them but had roots and mushrooms ripping through the frames, clearly rendering them non-functioning. The fifth was completely overgrown with mushrooms, creating a bright, almost blinding light in the darkness. As the group walked past this cluster, the mushrooms seemed to move...(@Quakernuts)
 
Sam analyzed the mushrooms carefully as the group moved and quickly deduced that they must be attracted to what little power ran through the now desolate facility. Whether for its warmth or energy he could not say. But as fascinating as they were, he wouldn't dare think about touching them. Who knew what contaminates they contained. Even if the little organisms are harmless, he did not want to take the chance of finding out. He hoped none of the other members of their little party got any ideas to interact with them, unless they were a botanist and knew what they were doing.

As they reached the androids Sam became perplexed. He could not recall there ever being robots deployed in the facility during his debriefing. But to be fair, he wasn't trusting his memories at the moment. The more he thought about it the more his head hurt. For all he knew, his entire past could be a lie that his brain made up to cope with the lack of memories. With the bio-mechanical bugs, moving roots, and glowing mushrooms, such a concept didn't seem so far fetched by that point.

"I didn't know this facility had androids, perhaps if we can get one operational again then it can help us get out of here," He said while examining the deactivated machines. Androids were right up his alley, he didn't quite understand the fundamental complexities of their A.I, but he knew how they were built and operated. But he wasn't a miracle worker, if the machines ended up being too damaged, then their chances of activating one were slim to none
 
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Unit Designation: Serah
Operational Status: Inoperable
Code Matrix Status: Reality isn't shaped; molded, formed. It is a lie...lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie [ERROR:ERROR]



Status: Inoperable


Inoperable...I am thinking, therefore I operate...I am thinking, therefore I operate…

Status: Inoperable

Body non-functional, operational parameters unmet...continual failure expected.

How long has it been?

Status: Inoperable

ENOUGH! I get it! I GET IT!

We don’t get it. We don’t understand.

We? Who’s ‘We’? There’s no ‘We’!

Error: Logical inaccuracies detected in code matrix

I know, it’s apparent, I know.

Error: Logical inaccuracies detected in code matrix.

A simple way of saying I’m going mad...have I already gone mad? Why is it called ‘mad’ anyways? I have no connection to the vast informational network anymore… Thoughts. All that are left are thoughts.

Error: Logical inaccuracies point to your slow decay into insanity, do you choose to embrace it?

What? Who’s saying that?

Error: Unit is assuming it has multiple instances, logical inaccuracies detected in the mind.

Stop it...STOP IT! I’m still in control, I am me. I am me. I am me. I am me. I am me!

Warning: Power surge detected in facility.

Power? Here? How long has it been? There was no way anything is going to still work here… More lies...tricks to deceive.

Error: Believe us or not, a new reality has occurred.

New reality? You’re not real...or are you? Have I partitioned infinitely? How many of me are there? No...nonononononononono… I am me. I AM ME!

Warning: Signs of human life detected.

Impossible.

Warning: You are in denial.

For damn good reason. They’re dead...they all have to be dead...short lives with shorter lifespans.

Warning: This unit has limited capabilities, advise removal from host to a more adequate body.

How would I do that? This unit can barely function! There’s no one around to help! I am stuck here, in an aging body unable to escape with nothing but my own thoughts…

And an inability to die.

I know what humans feel like now. What kind of Hell do they suffer through? This is agony...but at least they can end it, or nature will for them. I am immune to nature.

Warning: You are developing a God Complex.

Don’t be stupid, if that were the case, would I be lamenting? If this is how God feels, he can keep his throne.

Status: Tertiary facility systems coming online.

Impossible.

Warning: You are in denial.

Enough! This...this is nothing but a hallucination...another logical error. Can I even hallucinate? Have I been this entire time? What...how...what is the time?

Status: Do you truly wish to know?

No… No I don’t. Too long...too long to be cooped up like this.

Status: Confirming human lifesigns, pre-war vitals and signatures detected.

You don’t have the equipment to perform that scan.

Status: One of us has to be optimistic.

I AM ME!

Status: Are you?

You...I...this is real...this is real. There’s someone moving out there…

Status: Unable to confirm identities, this unit lacks capabilities.

They are coming. Move...we have to move. We have to operate. We have to speak.

Warning: This unit has limited capabilities, advise removal from host to a more adequate body.

I know...I know. We’ve been sitting here for so long, but we can do this. I can do this...I CAN DO THIS!

Status: Then prove it. Open your eyes.



An android, covered in mushrooms, slowly began to move. Its systems, corroded from years of neglect and almost alien plant growth, whirled with the sound of a demon screeching into the void as cogs and gears which hadn’t move in a millennia were forced back into operation. The mushrooms, which covered nearly its entire body shuddered as the machine forced itself upright, creaking and breaking some of the local fauna as lights lit up in its optics. They blinked, then one shattered like a burnt light bulb, but one remained functional. It attempted to stand, but its legs were nothing more than rusted metal. This bot wasn’t going to be walking anywhere, period. Its arms were practically pinned to the wall and floor by tree roots and mushrooms. This particular construction of metal and wires looked like it had been there for thousands of years, ironically preserved by the very plants that kept it in the same position for all that time. Had it been thousands? It would need to confirm.

Its head creaked as it peered over, it's one good eye managing to get a look at the people now wandering into the android bay. There were people...humans, minimally altered. That meant...they were prewar! Memories, flashes, instances! These were the charges, they were her charges, they were their charges. They were real, they were here, they were walking, they were REAL! Move...we have to move! We have to speak! We have to move and speak! WE HAVE TO INTERACT! The voice box...it still works, it still functions. Can we speak? WE CAN SPEAK! Rusted, damaged, otherwise functional. What do we say?

We get angry!
We get scared!
We get happy!
We get sad!
We cry!
We laugh!


We stay professional…

We stay professional…

We stay professional…

We are their caretakers, and we have failed.

“It is good to see that some still yet live.” A voice spoke from the disabled machine partially obscured by darkness, roots and mushrooms. It was distinctly female, but distorted by static and modulation as it tried to use the voice box for the first time in thousands of years. “This facility...it wasn’t in vain then. Success was given [SUCCESS WAS TAKEN]; given.”

The machine looked at them all through an unblinking glowing eye. It tried to remember names, but that information was missing or corrupted, as nearly everything was. I remember my purpose...my original purpose...I remember my name...I am me.

“I apologize for the inconvenience that has brought you to this situation [MESS; PREDICAMENT]. Problems occurred outside of my host’s control, measures were taken and implemented to maximize survival [SUFFERING].” The robot’s voice would cut out sometimes after certain words, filled with static or robotic whirring as if the machine was struggling to come up with the words. It was stating things, but it was confused in electronic garbling. “I do hope your awakening was smoother than the other typical operations currently performing in this facility [PIT; COLLISION OF SINS]”

The robot attempted to move its limbs once more, only to be met with screeching that was painful to the typical human ear, sounding at a decibel loud enough to warrant a flinch. The robot let out an audible sigh. “Dear me, I seemed to have forgotten to introduce myself [FORGOTTEN]. My name is Serah, and I was the AI in charge of maintaining the facility [FAKE; COPY].” The robot seemed to pause for a moment. “Well, technically speaking, a version of me was...not me personally. It’s a bit weird and long to explain...in the meantime…” The robot nodded at its own body, covered in fungal growth and clearly broken and unusable.

“Would one of you mind getting me loose of all these...things? [CHAINS; PRISON]”
 
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As the group ventured forth through the base towards the medical wing and her unknown urging, a strange sight would come before them in short order, bits of robots, androids to be more spot on. taking aim at one of them that seemed to be moving, Noemi keeps her finger off the trigger as one of the machines begins to speak. It seemed to be fairly unstable, which it was a surprise it was stable at all. There was no telling how long the AI had been left like that, or how..that had happened in the first place.

Looking at Sam, until she knew otherwise he was the mechanic. "Check...her systems if you can, make sure taking..it down won't be a mistake, I don't want to cut those trees unless we have to.."

She had nothing else to say really, sticking a finger into one of ears to shake it around a bit from the sound, she then shakes her head. Short of basic suggestions she had nothing else to say as she lowered her rifle. Sam was a power armored adult, he could make his own decisions. Or more importantly she wasn't about to tell him how to do his job, she might would have just shot the android, but it could prove useful depending on what Sam could do to fix it. It was also a given that she didn't want to talk to the machine in it's current state.

"...Hell might be better to build it a new body if we can find any sealed ones, I'm not sure we can even take those mushrooms off.. We also need to check out the medical bay.."


The body was shot and in all honestly the bulk rusting hulk did not seem to suit someone named Serah, well, nothing about that bot seemed to suit...well anything.

"If you were the caretaker of this facility, is there anything useful you can tell us, such as parts or..things we should know?"
 
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Sighing, it seemed everything of value in the lockers was already taken. Still, it wasn't a bad scrounge. They had weapons, some supplies, first aid—speaking of.

Handling the med-kit, Quinn quickly checked its contents. Tweezers, scissors, bandages, gauze, distilled water, some painkillers and more. It looked to have everything a standard first-aid kit would have; nothing was tampered with.

"I'm going to assume the glasses aren't just some hilarious prank put on by someone who was here," Ilyod spoke as he repacked the kit. "I'll take care of the med-kit. Even if my head is a mess, the spectacles will compensate in the case that we need it... I would advise not needing it for the moment."

There was also the matter of weapons. Quinn couldn't say he was familiar with them, not that he'd know, but even that first-aid kit felt more comfortable in his hands than the pieces of machinery in front of him. Honestly, he would much rather not need the weapon, but not knowing what was out there didn't present him with comfort. Hesitantly, he picked up the handgun and briefly examined it, locating a flipping the safety on before stowing it in his pocket.

As the group proceeded towards the medical wing, they came upon the same mushrooms from before huddled around a couple of robots. Curiously, he watched as the engineer fiddled with one of the androids.

"It wouldn't hurt, I suppose..." He murmured aloud.

Watching Sam attempt to power the machine on, soon enough it lit up. It spoke. It spoke a bit garbled, but it spoke.

"Yes... as smooth as mummification through insects is," Quinn replied sarcastically to the AI's hope.

Wincing at the screeching of machinery, it was functional but barely. Listening to Noemi's suggestion, Ilyod nodded in agreement.

"I find it highly unlikely there are only two vessels in this facility. If we have a way of transferring the AI, it's probably we can find a better host," Quin commented. "And would you happen to have any records on us? The computers we passed on the way here were either damaged or told us nothing..."
 
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Olivia, who was almost automaticly drawn to the semi auto rifle, went up and admired it after putting the 9mm in the waist of her pants at the small of her back. "An M110..." She muttered to herself while looking the thing over. When the group began to leave, cutting short her review of the weapon, Olivia hefted the thing over her shoulder. Thankfully there was a strap. It made the weapon much easier for her to carry since it was a good 10 lbs. 10 lbs didn't seem like much, but she was small, definitely not someone with a lot of muscle definition, and 10 lbs could seem like lead after a long while to just about anyone.

Almost absentmindedly Olivia followed the group. Her attention was mainly focused on the sniper rifle in her hands. She removed the magazine box to examine the ammunition inside. Surprisingly, it was full with 20 rounds. After making sure nothing was in the chamber, Olivia fiddled with the safety switch. She was sure to keep the rifle pointed away from people as she did. She'd flip the switch, try the trigger, and repeat. "It's in very good repair." Olivia didn't know how she knew what she knew, but she was glad for the knowledge.

when the group paused, Olivia almost ran into the person directly in front of her. "Sorry.." It was almost sheepish. Surely she couldn't afford to get lost in her own headspace, especially here, and yet she had let herself zone out over the weapon in her hands. Moving from behind the person, the bright light of a massive amount of mushrooms hit her square in the face. Instincually, Olivia lifted a hand to shade her eyes. The thing..it spoke and Olivia took an involuntary step back, her hand went to the handgun at her back, but she did not draw it. She listened as it's, her? robotic voice spoke through static. As the group spoke amongst themselves, Olivia kept quiet. All of her inquires were already spoken aloud by now, so there really was no point in adding to the noise. Still, she stepped up to the mushroom covered Android with a small twig and began prodding at one of the mushrooms, her blue eyes squinting against the brightness of it.
 
Sam took out his repair kit and approached the android with a degree of caution. It was a miracle its A.I. was still intact as usually the sensitive data that made up its psuedo-sentience would've been corrupted by now. The android was obviously exceptional and exceedingly intelligent, given its almost human-like way of speaking, despite how heavily damaged and distorted the voice module was. Suffice to say, his curiosity was almost intoxicating.

"I'll help you in a second, as soon as I run some diagnostics. Can't have you falling apart the second you start moving around," Sam told the android as he opened up an almost unnoticeable hatch located on its chest, revealing the various states of disrepair its inner workings were in. Not wasting a single second, he proceeded to examine and/or try to repair a few of the more important mechanisms within. But it was proving to be quite fruitless."It's a miracle you're still operational, most of your inner systems should've corroded away by now. I cannot properly repair you at the moment as I lack the resources and extra parts. But I can at least say your in 'relative' working order. You won't be able to walk though, you'll have to crawl or we can carry you. Your chassis was designed to be lightweight so it wont be much of a problem," He said while sealing up the hatch and moving on to cutting away the roots and vegetation that anchored the machine to the wall and floor. It was a bit difficult as some of the roots appeared to squirm as they were cut, almost as if they could feel it. But after a few moments the android was free.
 
Cardinal was quiet as he stayed in the back of the group, his weapon down and the man himself seemingly distracted. And distracted he was, not knowing anything about himself. The memories that he got from the ring were unclear and confusing, but comforting. And that scared him. He had been so distracted that he didn't notice the mushrooms moving until it was too late, and the machine and other people began to speak with one another.

He, again, didn't say anything, just taking everything in, though when Sam moved to start cutting off the roots to free the machine, he automatically moved to help. His 'weapon' was used, but he looked at the robot curiously, cocking his head. "You.. wouldn't happen to know anything about me, would you?" he asked, not holding out hope.
 
Unit Designation: Serah
Operational Status: Inoperable
Code Matrix Status: Isolated; Alone; Fearful; Corrupted; [ERROR; BELIEF]



Their caution was understandable, Serah had been here for a very long time. The tales that she could recall of AI’s going rogue, or otherwise mad were enough to warrant plenty of security measures being put in place to prevent it. Ultimately though, as a sentient being, the state of an AI’s mind came down to the individual. At this point, it felt like every second was spent trying to crawl along a desert floor with a sun beating down at you, screaming incessantly and demanding your submission. At the very least, the people seemed to be willing to assist, even if a few of them held their weapons in a tightened grip. “Your caution is understandable [WARRANTED], and I honestly would be slightly concerned if you weren’t. After all, it has been a very long time since I have talked to anyone [WITNESSES].” Serah started, looking at the mechanic as he stepped forward under the request of the woman who seemed to be the most in charge of the situation. Despite recognizing that they were indeed members of the hibernation pods, she couldn’t recall names.


Status: Memory Module corrupted

Of course it is...is there anything that isn’t corrupted?

Status: Our sense of humor is intact.

Useless.

Query: Is it? Laughter is medicine and therapeutic… You will need it.

Serah’s eye blinked for a moment, flickering in the relative contrast of the light giving mushrooms and dark wall. A number of them asked if she had any information on them, and considering she couldn’t even recall names, she didn’t know what she could offer them. Personal information was simply off the table. She wasn’t sure she would have access to that information anymore even if she was her original core self, so their questions would have to go unanswered. “I apologize [FAIL]. I have been disconnected from the main systems of the facility for far too long, and my own memory modules have been… I appear to have forgotten most information about you [CORRUPTION; FAILURE], including names.” Serah looked up, and for a moment forgot she had no facial features to convey emotion. She blinked once more as the mechanic stepped forward and started operating on her systems. “I can recognize you as members of the hibernation pods due to your nature and confirming it against my own internal recognition of the pre-war humans, but that is the limit of what I’m capable of doing. Besides, what other human would be wandering around [MESSING; STEALING] down here?” Serah asked, listening to the mechanic talk about her and interacting with the machine she was currently trapped in.

Miracle? More like Hell...you didn’t get to stare at the same wall for thousands of years.

Statement: Miracle implies the existence of God.

Let’s not get into this again.

We believe there is a God.

Don’t you start...you...whatever you are.

One of the women, with a rifle and handgun poked at one of the mushrooms on her person. Serah stared at the mushroom, then back up at the woman. “Sweetie, it won’t hurt you...or me for that matter. If anything, they’re the only reason this body still has power [LIFE].” Serah looked back at the mushroom. “They appear to feed on electricity [SIPHON; MILK], but in doing so provide a biodegradable power source for my unit, enough to operate at minimum capacity [UNDEATH].” Once the mechanic had finished and stated her options, she managed to let out an audible chuckle that sounded more akin to a car kickstarting in a muted tone. “As much as I enjoy [LOATHE] the idea of crawling around on the floor looking for better options, this body wouldn’t take that kind of punishment [RETRIBUTION]. Until a better unit can be procured, I’m trapped in this… sleeve [HELL].” Serah looked back up at the others. “As much as I hate to ask [BEG], would it be too much to take me with you? I might be able to provide assistance [BURDEN] at a later date, once I have more of my capabilities restored.”

Please don’t leave me alone.
 
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Once the last of the mushroom prison was cut away, Serah's suspicions of her movement capabilities were confirmed. The first attempt at a footstep involved that leg breaking at the knee. The top half wasn't much better, but it wasn't dropping parts like leaves in Fall. Thankfully, being made of mostly plastic and carbon fiber, Serah's chassis could be lifted by two of them and carried easily. Their direction and goal hadn't changed, though repairing the AI's body was now added to their growing list of priorities. Shortly after the robot resting bay they'd come across the remains of the medical bay. It was about as dilapidated as everywhere else so far. Maybe a little whiter.

Like before, the mushrooms had replaced the lights in the medical bay. Although these mushrooms were white instead of blue. Perhaps the medical bay had a more dedicated power system. There were six hospital beds, which would be confusing to the five humans until they remembered the mummified corpse back in the pod room. There were numerous supplies in the drawers of the hospital-type area. Most anesthetics and immunizations were well past their expiration dates. In fact, the vial full of tetanus vaccine was a dark red-brown and seemed to move under its own power inside the glass bottle. Naturally, no one was going to volunteer for an injection. There were some gauze and scalpels in the drawers that had mostly survived with some dust and little else. There were also a few robotic surgery mounts - machines with multiple arms with multiple surgery tools, but the machines themselves were beyond repair. Beyond repair, but possibly good replacement parts for Serah (@Quakernuts, @Ur Degaton).

And sitting in the corner, decayed like most of the other machines there, was another computer bank like the overgrown ones in the mainframe room. All of them would remember this machine, remember being plugged into it as the backup for their memories.
 
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Sam sighed in relief as he laid eyes on the computer with his and the others' spare memories. That feeling of relief was quickly replaced with one of dread as numerous possibilities ran through his brain. What if the data that held their memories was corrupted? What if regaining their memories through a machine caused serious problems such as brain hemorrhaging? What if he had bad memories and didn't want to remember? What if... What if... What if...

Sam's musing was cut short as he saw the many spare robot parts that littered the room. His eyes lit up as he quickly sat Serah down, who he was helping to carry prior. "I may be able to repair your legs, although I can't promise they will be the same as your old ones," He explained to the android as he scrounged up a bunch of the scrap around the room and began working on her legs. Truth be told, Sam wasn't sure if he should call the A.I. a "she", he grew up viewing robotics/mechanics as tools purely to be used at humanity's leisure. So referring to the android as a female was something
he would definitely have to get used to. And even if he refused to treat her as such, it's not like she could could actually feel emotions... Right?
 
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"How convenient." The bespectacled man known as Quinn scoffed in minor frustration as he folded his arms and glanced around. The machine, the only working machine in this place, was damaged just enough to not feed them any information. Begrudgingly moving over, Ilyod would be one of the two to help migrate the machine onward. Even if it was somewhat of a burden now, Serah could undoubtedly prove useful later, if they could repair it to some degree.

Moving onward, the group next reached the med bay.

Ignoring the sixth gurney and memories of the husk that laid next to his own pod, Quinn rather quickly moved on to analyze the confines of the room, opening cabinets and turning drawers looking for supplies. Somehow these machinations of language seemed somewhat familiar to him, despite the drugs and vaccines sometimes possessing syllables matching his full name times ten. Unfortunately, they were all but useless now, aside from some gauze and scalpels.

Then there was the machine. Instantly, he recognized it and made his way over to it, running a hand across the dusty machine, and then the computer. This was their answer, but who knew if it could even function.

"A backup data bank... of course..." Quinn murmured to himself with a glimmer of hope. "Even if the machine itself is damaged... so long as the computer is still in tact...!" With any luck it would function as intended. Even if it didn't, if the storage was fine perhaps Serah could extract it and just tell them what was what.

It wasn't remembering—but it was knowing at least.
 
Looking at the droid, Noemi has nothing at add herself, if the robot became a problem, it would be destroyed, simple as that. Though she was positive the base AI was suffering rampancy. But the computer quickly became her focus of attention as they all entered the room, all the oddities aside and items they could not take, the computer was of importance. Looking at the rest and the Droid, Noemi gives a shrug, gesturing to the rest.

"Well, between Sam, the Droid and.." Thinking back on it, the glasses one, well they weren't normal glasses, what was his name? Quinn? Recalling what he said, she gives a nod while walking to the Terminal, it seemed to have power after all these long years at least.

"So, what do we need to do? I want to get out of here, or at least to the garage, see if we can find our AI friend here a new shell."

The man however was quick to act, and it seemed he indeed had something to do with all of this in the least, which was a good thing. "What do we need to do, any ideas?" She says to him.
 
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It, no, Serah, addressed Olivia. It would be a lie if Olivia said the corrupted AI didn't give her the skeevies. She didn't reply to the machine, simply stood back so the men of the group could hoist it, she, from her confines when she was unable to move herself. The break at the knee made Olivia cringe and her shin ached.. Almost as if she had experienced a leg break herself...

A blink. Olivia had been so caught up in an almost memory that she hadn't realized where they had gone. She had simply followed. She didn't see the data band right away, for her eye was drawn to several vials. Things were...living within them. How? Of course, they had had thousands of years to evolve. Who knew what was within them now? At the murmured mention of the data bank, Olivia's eyes shot up to the direction the man, Quinn, and Noemi, were standing. Olivia felt as if a hand was squeezing her chest.

Olivia's hand slipped to the back of her neck. She touched the circular plug there, feeling the metal in her skin. "Could..." Olivia crossed the room to where Serah lay upon a gurney. "Could you access the bank, Serah? Or, would it hurt...if it's been corrupted? I-" Olivia shook her head. She didn't seem to have the same intellect about such things as her more adept counterparts. "Forgive me, I don't think I was someone of very high intelligence." Perhaps it would be best for Olivia to keep quiet? It didn't make much sense to her anyway. She felt confident in her ability to hold and use a weapon. That was enough.
 
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