AI: Apocalyptic Intelligence (Nivansrywyllian, Windsong)

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"Sorry," Was all Mario said in the midst of his story before continuing on. He'd explain in the morning. For now though, the time belonged to the story.
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Mario read until Elly fell thoroughly asleep, before curling his own sentience up beside hers to rest. He didn't need sleep, but he also didn't have enough to occupy his mind. So he kept watch, and turned off his consciousness.

He roused himself when he began to sense Elly's signs of wakefulness.

"Good morning Elly. Are you cold?"
 
What a blissful dream she was lost in. Clad in not a suit to protect her from the environment, but a light white summer dress that opened her more up to it. Not sitting in an open spot in the wasteland with an ion storm brewing, rather amidst wild flowers, tall grass, and warm earth she felt between her bare toes. Nor was she alone, a smoking youthful face that kept asked her how she slept. How silly, she'd been awake this whole time!

Again that smiling yet indistinct face asked and she began to frown, the ground had turned barren and blackened, the sky dark yet ablaze with blue bolts, a strong wind blew her dress off to reveal an advanced suit, the voice wasn't on her lap but in her ear.

She snapped to alertness, pulling the helmet off quickly to rub at her eyes. "I'm fine, Mario.." Was her soft reply as she looked at him, the helmet in her lap with a slight frown. "Did you dream too?"
 
Mario grunted again, at the sudden removal of the bond. "Oof," It was very disconcerting. "I didn't sleep. I just rested." Said the AI. "I kept watch while you were asleep. I only need to sleep every few days, and I can do that just as easily when you're on the move so that you're not unprotected in the night."

The AI paused. "Do you suppose you could warn me when you're going to pull off the helmet? It is very... Abrupt." It was rather like getting slapped without any warning.

"Are you cold?" He asked again, from his place in her lap.
 
"Oh, I'm sorry.. " She mumbled, apologetic at least with her slight smile. "An' no, I'm alright." The day felt like it would be a warm one, hopefully it was nearly time for the seasonal shift into autumn, or as many called it: "Blue Nights" from all of the ion bolts arcing through the sky. Though they usually didn't strike the ground, no one liked being out in them unless under heavy cover.

After a few moments with the helmet off she put it back on, feeling as though the missing connection was a new part of her she was unwilling to be away from for too long. Once it was reestablished she dove to his in what might have been some form of mental hug.

"If you ever want to nap with me, just let me know. Sleeping alone gets really.. Well, lonely."
 
The grunt that came out of the AI this time was one of surprise, as the bubble of human emotion encapsulated him once again. It was warm, and familiar. He was growing to like those strange, strange interactions. It caught him so by surprise that he didn't so much as try to guard his internal emotions.

Wariness. Hope. Excitement. Affection. Desire.

"You're not alone," He said. "I'm here, watching over you." He paused. "But if you'd like, I will let you know when I tire, and we can... Nap. I will set the sentry bot on guard." The sentries also had solar chargers, and it would be fine as long as they weren't doing a whole lot of moving during the night.

"Where will we go today, Elly? It would be wise to find a source of water soon."
 
He felt just like she imagined a teenage boy felt, though perhaps a bit less awkward than she remembered them being. She wasn't that much over twenty solar cycles anyway. Not too long ago she'd liked a boy near her age, though maybe it was a few years now that she began recollecting. The thoughts were dismissed easily when he spoke up, though she let the embrace linger on, like fingers trailing skin.

"All of it sounds good, I'll be sure to let you know so we can work something out." They were practically stuck together, either one a little more lost without the other, working something out would likely be easy anyway.

"I grabbed a bit more water than expected, and more water tablets than I've ever carried.. Fresh water might be a bit harder to find. Figured we'd just hit the road and go west like I had been before. Away from the town.. Or should we begin trekking back to my town?"
 
Curiosity joined the swirling emotions belonging to the AI, followed by a flicker of shame. He'd never thought to ask where Elly had come from. "I... I don't know, really. Where are you from?"

After a moment's contemplation, he added, "Why did you leave? Your town, I mean. Was it big? Were there many people?" He had to stop himself from asking any more of the thousand questions on his mind. Mario was nothing if not hungry for more information, and social contact.
 
Elly wasn't blind to the curiosity that bubbled up like a hot pot full of water. "Far east of here. Just a small settlement underneath one of the cities. They managed to save plenty of construction equipment and built it down. One of the last cities hit they said, had a few hours of warning." It made her beam with a bit of pride, her grandfather had been part of all that.

"Left to look for tech to bring home, learn to fix things we need, or learn something new! Was always so boring around there.. An' I didn't want to just have a kid and be a house wife like everyone I grew up with. That's so dull with only a few hundred people. Not as big as Sunder, that's got almost a hundred thousand. Largest settlement on this continent they say." While she talked she packed things up, reattaching the pack and setting the bag on the drone, only needing one now, and it could carry it.

"We'll go home. It'll be our home, Mario." She smiled, as if he could see it.
 
"Home... It's been a long time since I've had a home." He said. "It would be nice to have a home. I'd love to meet all the people. And someday we could take a trip to... Sunder, you said it was called?" Eagerness joined curiosity, and hope. He could hardly wait!

Trepidation began to encroach upon the bubbling anticipation however.

"Elly, I... I don't mean to bring us down, but what if the alien's not dead? It would be disasterous if it were to come across a human settlement. Perhaps we should wander for a time, to make sure it stays dead. Stick to the road for a few months, and come back. If it hasn't burrowed out from the ruins of the compound, we'll go to your home. How does that sound?"
 
That trepidation crept over to her side, making her a bit nervous before she managed a reply. "We'll get to Sunder one of these days. Last I heard they were trying to get a ship working again to get off of the planet. Who knows, maybe they had already?"

His idea was sound, nothing had slowed it down, but then again, nothing in the universe could be that durable. Unless that thing was the exception. "Let's hope it is, okay? We'll wander around and hope it doesn't come back after us. Maybe if we bee-lined to Sunder they'd know what it is?" She tried to hide her worry now that he'd shown his.
 
"Perhaps. While we're on the road, we can search for more surviving research centers. Labs like mine might have information on alien races, or new weaponry that was buried and forgotten." He said, his confidence growing.

"I know of the locations of several nearby laboratories. They will have information on extraterrestrial life and treaties, as well as ship designs that I didn't have access to, and data; can you imagine all the data? So much old-world tech, just waiting to be uncovered."

His emotional bubble was practically glowing now.

"We could bring it to your home, when we're done. Could you imagine it? Right now we have the knowledge of medicine, and physiology, as well as rudimentary battle tactics, but we could have so much more. You'd be a hero, Elly."
 
"It'd also make me a huge target.." She admitted with some trepidation. "Some people don't like the past being dug up. It's why no one trust's scavenger's like me." A sad smile sat on her face as she looked toward the eastern horizon, no sign of a storm yet today. Soon setting off at a slow walk down the path he'd shown her last night.

"Don't get me wrong. I want it all. I want to get off planet, I'd love to look down and see it from orbit.. " A wistful sigh left her as she slid down a slightly rocky embankment to some semblance of a road, long decayed.

Looking up and down she paused, waiting for the sentry to catch up on the uneven terrain. "Which one's closer?"
 
"I trust you," Mario said softly. And so he did. It was evident through their bond that he wasn't lying about it. "We'll find the next laboratory due west of here. It may take us a few days' walk to reach, but I think it will provide useful information on the extraterrestrials. I don't have access to the files that explain it's technological research, but when we get into the establishment, I should be able to infiltrate the system anyway."

He wrapped his consciousness around Elly's knot of emotions, and set out to brush up on his infiltration skills. "We'll have to be cautious on entry. My presence should be enough to allow most access to the laboratories here, but I don't know every security system that's been set in place. There may be more mundane threats than old-world security drones, as well."

"We're going on an adventure, aren't we?"
 
She sure hoped he did, without her they wouldn't get very far unless that sentry could talk. At least her pace was steady, faster than a walk yet less jarring than a jog.

For a moment she pushed back against his ball, though it was lazy and half willed at the very least. Showing her trust in a different way. "I'm sure you can handle it. And yeah, this is an adventure. But life is one big one.."
 
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The next few days passed with relatively few disturbances to travel. Mario reveled in the barren beauty of the fallen world, and read snippets of Hondo during the day. Occasionally, he'd point out a likely source of clean water or resouces. At night, he'd read more, and offer his companion a massage, although he kept the vibrations above the waist.

One time, he picked up a pack of wild dogs on the suit's external sensors that were mangey and acid-burned. They gave the beasts a wide berth, an hour's detour to the north to keep clear of the animals' territory.

The next town looked to be in somewhat better shape than the last had. It showed signs of habitation, and rudimentary repair. There were above ground structures that looked to have been built up against the ion-storms and acid-rain.

"This is the town. The laboratory is in the basement of the factory near the town's center. That big brick building that's missing the roof."
 
At least things had gone smoothly for the most part, though she'd have rather put the animals out of their misery than know they were to struggle to survive in painful lives. He was a bit too compassionate sometimes she felt, but it was endearing at the same time.

The town had her a bit more wary than the dogs, animals were predictable to a degree, people were too random. Anyone could mean her end, at least the suit might give her a few seconds of life to manage for survival's sake.

"That one?" She questioned, blinking a few times. Last night's rest hadn't come easy, ion storm's kept her awake as they flashed too close to her shelter. The bricks of the building were green and yellow from the acid in the water, making it look far worse off than it likely was.
 
"Yes." Confirmed the AI. "The entrance will be near the north-facing wall, likely set into the ground. It will not be an elevator like mine was. This was not run by my creator's company. It was private, and secret. My creator told me that there were ethical questions about this laboratory, and that people would be very upset if they were to find out the type of research that it was doing. He never explained more though."

Mario paused, examining the view of the small town. It was almost a city really, or had been before the bombardment. "There are signs of habitation, Elly. I cannot tell whether the occupants are hostile, or not. I suggest a stealth-approach. If we can avoid them entirely, it's all the better." He highlighted several ruins that looked like they might have been housing along, long time ago.

"These are not habitable structures. If we stick to these ruins, it is likely that we won't see, or be seen by anybody living here. We will hug the outside of the town, moving along the perimeter of the ruined houses until the factory is between us and the areas that look as if people have been repairing them. Hopefully, we can get the sentry in with us, and leave no signs of passing."
 
"Just turn on the stealth thingamabob. Seventy-five percent or so should be plenty that most people won't get close for another look." She mused as if it were the best idea she'd ever had. At least waiting until he did so until she began moving forward. A brief look at the sentry and she knew that might be a bit more difficult. "Oh, right. Him.." Came a quiet mumble and a sigh.

"Nevermind." Soon she followed his designated route, glancing around corners and trying her hardest to avoid open areas, if having to move through them she dashed and slid into a shadow or some shade. At least her tracker wasn't picking up anything save the friend or foe indicator of the sentry, trundling along every so often of its own volition.
 
Mario too was checking for motion, humanoid outlines, and potential killzones. He was looking for signs of snipers, and battles, but he didn't see anything that suggested recent combat. There were certainly old bullet holes, and slagged stone that had been long acid-washed, but nothing fresh.

Regardless of the lack of action, the AI did indeed activate the camouflage. Certainly the sentry was still visible, but if something did spot it, it would be easy enough to break away and find safety while the sentry was engaging the enemy. They made their way to the factory with no issue.

The factory itself looked to be somewhat worse for wear. The roof was gone entirely, and there were holes all over the floor that looked as if they might have once been drains to let off water. There were sundry piles of mush that might once have been furniture, but the time spent in the elements made it impossible to tell.

A hidden floorplate began to split down the center, retracting to either side, to reveal a stairwell beneath.

"It appears that my output signal has triggered the access console. Let's get inside before anybody notices."
 
For a moment she was wary to descend the stairs, even with the helmet giving her excellent vision in the gloom it made her skin crawl a bit. Her mind recoiled a bit as wind blew through, kicking up debris and dust and sending her clinging to Mario's side for a bit of support. "Alright.. Down we go.." She mumbled.

The stairs weren't too step, but they descended rapidly and constantly, only stopping once or twice at a landing or two to make a sharp angle and keep going. With no precaution too extreme she'd been holding tightly to the weapon from her hip with her finger along the trigger guard. "Still nothing?" Came her question, pausing as she came to a door to wait.
 
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