Chapter Text
Artificer didn’t expect a colourful pear to fall from the mask of her enemy. It has strange symbols engraved in it. She contemplates to take it to five pebbles for a time. She decided to take it to him, but after a meal and a nap.
Pebbles tells her that it seem like random data put together by a child.
She leaves. The pearl stays in FP chamber.
FP leaves the pearl alone. The pearl is still active.
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After several cycles, the metropolis trembles. Like something has been stopped abruptly.
Artificer decides to visit five pebbles. Upon entering the Iterator chamber, she falls flat to the ground. The gravity was deactivated before she entered. She looks around looking for pebbles...and in his place, hanging from the umbilical, is a slugpup. A pink slugpup, with yellow/gold markings in its eyes.
Artificer hears a squelch sound, and the slugpup drops a bit. When she hears the sound again, she is sprinting and catching that pink, small, fragile slugpup. She almost lost her balance from something below her after catching the pup, and looking closely, it was FP robe.
But Artificer paid no mind to these things, her only focus in the precious cargo that is this strange pup.
She takes it home.
In the chamber, a running scan ends and shows the results:
“
Rot detected………..
Priority: High
Transformation: 100% complete
DNA sample used: Pipe_cleaner_Model_TA
Scan of personality: 100% complete
BOT of imitation: 100% complete
Liberation progress: 100% complete
Initializing BOT of Imitation.....................
Initiation complete...........
Commencing sequence of transference of control from Iterator to bot.........
Sequence complete.............
Process complete...............
Separating Iterator from arm and umbilical.............
Separation complete........
End of scan....”
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Five Pebbles notice that his processing power is being consumed from something that he can’t find at first, and when he finds it, it is too late.
He doesn’t notice the changes happening in his chamber. The nutrients, data, cells and more being redirected to his chamber. To his puppet.
When he notes that some fur is in his puppet, he tries to shake it, thinking that it may be from his citizen. But it does not go away.
He looks carefully his hands, and note small claws at the tips. He does an analysis of his puppet, and finds a program running. A program that says:
“Rot detected………..
Priority: High
Transformation: 5% complete
DNA sample used: Pipe_cleaner_Model_TA
Scan of personality: 10% complete
BOT of imitation: waiting scans of personality
Liberation progress: 0.5% complete”
He does not understand at first, until he feels something happening to his face. It moves. It should not move. He calls one of his overseers to see what is happening to him. And he sees that he has a muzzle, a tiny one, but a muzzle none the less. And it moves with his emotions.
Cycle after cycle, he tries to stop it. But it is to no vain.
Cycle after cycle, the changes are more and more obvious.
Cycle after cycle, He starts to feel lethargic, but his process does not slow down.
He open ups a scan.
“Rot detected………..
Priority: High
Transformation: 70% complete
DNA sample used: Pipe_cleaner_Model_TA
Scan of personality: 100% complete
BOT of imitation: 100% complete
Liberation progress: 65% complete”
He tries to stop it, but the dizziness and tiredness don’t let him. He falls in a dreamless sleep.
“Rot detected………..
Priority: High
Transformation: 100% complete
DNA sample used: Pipe_cleaner_Model_TA
Scan of personality: 100% complete
BOT of imitation: 100% complete
Liberation progress: 100% complete
Initializing BOT of Imitation.....................
Initiation complete...........
Commencing sequence of transference of control from Iterator to bot.........
Sequence complete.............
Process complete...............
Separating Iterator from arm and umbilical.............”
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When Five Pebbles wakes, it is to the warm of another body, the sound of breathing, and that of shelters gate opening.