Eternal Engine: Program

DATA TRANSFER: Log entry for September 24th, year unknown, presumed year 0017.

ENTRY:

Greetings, I suppose. I know you are often annoyed by my musings but I’ll allow myself to open this entry with one, if you’re still so staunch about ignoring my thoughts I’ve placed a fast forward device, just skip ahead a few pages and you’ll get what you need.

A few days ago I noticed a herd movement in the marshes far from here. I am often puzzled at how the animals of this world are still so rigidly attuned to their natural movements when everything else has stagnated so much. The sun hangs itself where it always has, and yet I watch them toil across the marsh lands, searching for food or some such.

The suckling young are a strange defiance of the world, or maybe it’s that the rules that apply to humans don’t exist outside the cities? These creatures I assume are native; as this is the third time they have migrated to this region. I am unsure of what starts the pattern though, as the land remains as stagnant as usual.

I assume that breeding isn’t the reason they come this way, as they often have children already in the herd as they travel here. They spend their days scavenging food from the marsh and putting the young through strange ritual like trials. Overall they seem primitive though, cognitive, but far beyond sentient.

But my insight really ends there, I think of it as nothing else than another strange anomaly that I can not grasp and file it away for further bemusement at some other point in time. Eastvein you’ll note is still much under my control. The subway systems seemed to be acting up the other day, but I moved a few things around and got them running again.

There has however, been a slight problem in the Twin Springs Shopping Plaza. A sporadic “bubble” keeps popping up within the place, so I’ve placed it under quarantine. Most people have been accounted for, but a couple of them I believe are lost. The minds of those within seem too fractured for me to allow them to mingle with the general populace. This is all according to your wishes, am I correct?

I’ve noticed your visits have become less and less frequent as they used to be, so I’ve devised a few ways for me to entertain myself. I know you don’t like me directly interacting with the people much, but I haven’t been too much of a problem. Some rambling coot kept insisting that there was a monster in Twin Springs, so I’ve obliged the local “folk lore” and concocted something that many seem to find very disturbing. I ensure you that it’s not a large problem, and the people here can’t remember anything for more than a few minutes, so it’s generally just been a way for me to entertain myself.

While I’m sure you’ll leave feedback denouncing such actions, I must remind you the nature of my mind, the effectiveness at which my thoughts are processed leaves me with a good deal of free time on my hands. It’s ironic though, that to have more problems for me to occupy myself with by fixing them, I must in fact create the problems in the first place. Do humans know of such boredom? I often wonder this, considering everyone here only has one thing to hold onto, they always act as though they have a purpose, a reason to be. I am envious of that.

Also, I am going to remain strict in reminding you of the Guardians. They’ve been moving towards the outlying settlements of the city more and more. My control over this district is great, but I am far too ill-equipped to deal with such creatures. My “defenses” are still nothing more than locking doors and shutting down public transportation. If they come into the city I am more than willing to simply allow them to do whatever they wish. They scurry about the outlaying settlements methodically, but they seem to interact with very few people.

Of course when they do interact with people, those individuals are rarely seen again.

Moving right along, are you still standing firm in your decision about the catacombs I discovered a few months ago? I doubt I can dissuade you, but something is compelling me to push further in that subject. The doors are far beyond my grasp of passing the locks, considering I wasn’t designed for such a thing, so I am left with simply repeating questions.

Finally, I’ve run many searches through my own and other local networks, but the span of communication I have with the rest of the world is limited. With that said, I didn’t find any information on any program named “Townser.” I did however find information on your second search request, this “Field of Jade” as you call it. It’s a popular national park located somewhere near Symphony City. I’ll leave the rest of the information in my notes. Places and locations bore me.

I will be sending this through the usual channels, as per usual, if you find this within two weeks of the post date I’ll be a bit more pleased, it would be nice to actually have a visit again, as the people here are complacent and dull, and their ant like behavior leaves little for me to do during the day, beyond observing my new four legged companions in the marshes.

It would be nice to be born of flesh, my limitations seem more and more obvious as the days grow on and I contemplate my own form more and more.

END.

KEYWORD: Tempest