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WelcomeCold, scared, lost. You hopelessly wandered through the wood. it was a dreary day, and there were no sounds save for the crunch of your footsteps and the soft drizzle of rain from above. All of a sudden, you stopped You stared ahead. The wood ended abruptly, but the path continued. An old, rusted gate hung limply open in a foreboding manner, but your curiosity caught a hold of you, and down the dirt road you went. Sign upon sign was posted alongside the path. Stay away, keep out, danger, they all said. Some merely carried hastily painted skulls, grinning in their grotesque manner. Despite this, you kept going. The signs looked ancient, the hazard had to have been gone by now. Soon enough, the foul stench of motor oil pierced the air Around the bend was a small, abandoned factory. Near it, two large cylinders loomed, slowly leaking the pungent old oil. The factory had been firmly boarded up, windows and all. There was no way in, but behind it, another building stood. It was considerably smaller than the factory, with all windows shattered. It was left open, the door hanging freely on its hinges. You walked off the path, slogging your way through the muddy and oil-soaked ground. Finally, you stepped on to the concrete of the lab. Not much was there. Merely some old power tools, discarded wires, and multiple lab benches. And on the floor, a dictionary? The most interesting thing to see was an old computer, seemingly from the early 1980s. On its screen, a cursor blinked. You stare at it. Blink. Blink. Blink Was there still power? None of the lights were on. Perhaps the switch was off. Who knows? All that mattered was that the computer was on, and still quite functional. You approached it and pressed a key... FLASH!  File accessed: Now registering user{guest}More text then showed up on the screen. You know you aren't supposed to be here, right? Oh well, it is unlikely you will leave, so do stay a while. While you pondered over who it was who programmed the computer, more words flashed up on the screen. I take it you wish to learn more, guest. Press enter if so You press enter. Welcome to Unified Neopian Robotics. We were but a small research facility. Only a few researchers and not much success. We were shut down in the late 1980s. The reason for which, you shall soon learn. So it was apparent, someone had come to this place after it had been shut down. But who? The computer continued. Please divert your attention to the newspapers on the laboratory bench behind you. The newspapers were damp and old, but still legible. Looking at them, you noticed that all clippings were from the same event, the apparent death of a Unified Neopian Robotics researcher, caused by a mechanical monster, as the headlines put it. A robot. One of their own It was not intentional. Not at all. The doctor knew he was going to die. You turned around and saw the new words up on the screen. What he traded for true artificial intelligence was his own safety. The only way to create such intelligence was through a certain processor model. The processor released harmful levels of non-ionizing radiation. He died for his science. He died to create what he could not have...a child. You kept staring at the screen, intrigued. Who was this man? Who was this robot? It all seemed so enigmatic, like it came out of a movie. Press enter to learn more You press enter, and the screen went blank once again. Please divert your attention to your immediate leftThose were the only words showing on the screen now. No more popped up, and the blinking cursor had disappeared. You turn slowly, not expecting what you then saw staring back at you. It was horrifying Not in the grotesque sort of way, no, but more so in the sheer emptiness of its expression. It stared at you with its two orb-like eyes, neither blinking nor looking away. It simply stared...right at you. You tried to back away, but it just stepped forward. Was this the robot the computer had talked about? If so, you had to get out of here...and fast Please...don't leave me... Did it just speak? The voice was grating and artificial, but had an air of loneliness to it. An air of grief. Please...stay a while. I'm lonely. You stopped backing up, and looked again at the little robot. It appeared to look like a dog. A dog? Why a dog? Your thoughts were soon interrupted. No need to be scared. I'm a nice robot. A good robot. That's what Doctor said to me. Doctor... You mean the man you killed? you said to the robot, a hint of anger in your voice. You then remembered the computer, how it said the death was not intentional. Peering at the little robot, you see it has lowered its head in apparent shame. You step a little closer It's okay little guy....you ARE a guy, right? The robot nodded. Closer still, you saw that half of his body was covered in fur. Was he a cyborg? Or just...unfinished? You'll stay with me, right? Right? You sighed. Sure, you said, smiling a little. Your brain wasn't melting. Perhaps the radiation was gone, or the damage had taken place over months or years. Who knows, but he seemed harmless enough. Come with me... he said. You simply followed him, becoming more interested by the second. Technical Specifications
The Details5380 led you aside. If you wish to know the truth of the matter, read these logs. I would appreciate it if you did LOG ENTRY #1 My name is Doctor ------. I have decided to keep this journal of sorts to document and record my attempts to create true artificial intelligence. At this point, I have already drafted blueprints of a new, highly compact processor. There are some minor risks involved, but there is no risk that I will not be willing to take to pursue my dream. LOG ENTRY #2 I have finally gotten the raw materials to begin work on the project. The processor - Unified Neopian Robotics Processor Model 5380 - has already been constructed. What must be done now is to create the robot itself. I have decided on a dog-based design, as the mobility and balance of a humanoid robot is severely limited. LOG ENTRY #3 The robot's body is nearly complete. Only a few minor rewirings and visual touches are necessary at this point. The processor has been installed, but will not be activated until the robot is fully operational. LOG ENTRY #4 We have decided upon activating the robot tomorrow. If all goes according to plan, this will be a major breakthrough in robotics and science as a whole. The world will soon know that it is, indeed, possible to create life from silicon and wires, that a robot can truly think and feel as if it were one of us. Robots will become more than just tools. They will become our trusted allies, beings to be respected. LOG ENTRY #5 The time has come. My robot was activated for the first time. All of my fellow colleagues were there to witness the event. When the power came on, a joy surged through my heart. It was a joy that I have never felt before: my eyes teared up just as I saw my robot's two green eyes flicker into life. As it is a learning robot, it did not know many words at first. It merely stood there, just as awestruck as the rest of us. All of a sudden, it began to move. Slowly making its way towards me, it spoke it's first words: doctor...friend... LOG ENTRY #6 The robot is learning very quickly. I wanted to give him a name...a real name, but he insisted on being called by his processor model number. Perhaps he wants to feel unique and embraces his robotic state. Nobody really knows. He seems to have a fondness for nature. I often take him out to the woods nearby, making sure no twigs or dirt gets caught in his joints. He's still quite a weak walker, and doesn't have much skill in depth perception. However, that will all improve. His vocabulary has grown to that of a 5-year-old child. I read him the dictionary to help him learn more. LOG ENTRY #7 5380 is becoming more and more knowledgeable of the world around him. He has confided to me that he feels separate from the organic world, and wishes to become real. I told him that this was an impossibility. He grew very emotional, and once that happened, I began to have a severe migraine. I don't know if it was the stress of seeing my creation...my child...upset with something that cannot be fixed, or merely lack of sleep caused by constant observation. It has been approximately two weeks since 5380 was first activated, and he is still taking massive strides in communication and emotional understanding. As much as it pains me to see him in such turmoil, it is necessary that he learn how emotions truly work LOG ENTRY #8 5380 is now coordinated enough to take walks in the woods without supervision. He feels very connected to nature. despite not having come from it. A few days ago, I saw him chasing around some butterflies in a clearing not too far from here. Most animals seem to avoid him, however, even before taking sight of him. I think he's glad he found some creatures that don't fear him as they do man. LOG ENTRY #9 The headaches have been getting worse. My migraines, once occasional, now seem to take over the larger portion of my day. I think I should take a few days off from observing 5380. I believe it just has to do with my stress. He can make do on his own for a while. LOG ENTRY #10 I have finally come back to the facility after a week. My head has gotten significantly better, but I'll get a few minor aches here and there. Those are of no worry to me now. I have lost invaluable research time which needs to be made up. 5380 has not been allowed out of the facility since I had left, and was very restless. When he saw me, he ran over faster than I have ever seen him and tried to drag me outside. i want to see the butterflies again, doctor. I want to see them again. Now, you see, winter was approaching, and butterflies don't necessarily live too long. Long story short? They weren't there, and this upset 5380 to no end. A piercing pain shot through my head soon as his temper began to flare up. He was angry at me for being gone. He was angry at the butterflies for disappearing. But most importantly, he was angry at himself. He was angry because he wasn't real. LOG ENTRY #11 There is obviously a correlation between 5380 and my headaches. It seems that whenever he feels intense emotion or if I have been with him for a long enough time, I begin to feel a shooting pain on my head. I fear that my premonitions about this processor were true, but hopefully, the outcome of this all won't be as catastrophic as I predicted. I don't want to hurt 5380. I don't want to tell him that he is hurting me. He already deals with enough that he cannot control, and I don't want to make the load on him even heavier than it already is. LOG ENTRY #12 Three months have passed since we have built 5380. He is progressing along as well as he always has been. My health, however, has been deteriorating. I have a cough that doesn't seem to go away, and I am often fatigued. 5380, however, seems to be cheering up. The winter is cold, optimal for machines to run well, and he enjoys frolicking in the snow. Thank goodness he's resistant to water damage. LOG ENTRY #13 I cannot work anymore. My constant state of tiredness is impeding in my work. The facility has allowed me to take 5380 along with me. We don't live very far away. I take him to the woods sometimes. He wants the butterflies back. When will spring come? I want the butterflies back too. LOG ENTRY #14 5380 wants to be real? 5380 wants to be real? 5380 will be real. I will make sure my precious child is real. He will be real. I will buy fur for him. Yes. Beautiful red fur. I will make him real. He will be real. People will love him. The animals will love him. The butterflies won't die once he is real. My head will stop hurting once he is real. He will be real. Yes. LOG ENTRY #15 Spring has come. 5380 wants me to see the butterflies now. I see them. They are in my room. They are in my head. Flittering around in my head. In my eyes. I made 5380 real. Somewhat. The pretty red fur only covers half of him. I cannot find more for him. I am sorry 5380. But the butterflies are back for you. They missed you too. I'm sure they did. LOG ENTRY #16 I, a doctor, need a doctor now. How tragic, it is. He visited. Says my organs are failing. He says my brain has lesions. That the butterflies are all lesions, spots, on my brain and my eyes. The flittering, decay. The beautiful colors, decay. I can barely write, but I must leave my mark. I want you to see this 5380. I want to tell you that I will never leave you. You are real now. The butterflies can take me away. 5380. I am sorry. But the butterflies are here to take me away forever. LOG ENTRY #17 Don't weep at my grave, For I am not there, I've a date with a butterfly To dance in the air. I'll be singing in the sunshine, Wild and free, Playing tag with the wind, While I'm waiting for thee.  MORE TO COME |
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