#PROGRAMFILES|REALITY_REGISTRY

[rry2k]

[A mysterious green fog slowly fills the website, circling around ominously and clouding the vision of the AI.]

[And then? Singing. Someone was singing.]

Eyes toward the empty sky~

[A figure started to emerge, among the green.]

Searching for the big surprise~

[They came closer, making their presence known.]

Who's gonna ride~

With the elevator man?~

[rry2k]

[ ESTIMATED TIME REMAINING : 00:00:00 ]

[ BEGINNING OPERATION NOW. ]

...NOT. A program destroyer. Maybe. Uh.

"Helps with many operations." ...Why would we... NEED that?

W-

AHHHHH!!!!

[Darnold LUNGES her hand forward, pressing it against the program's surface, and...]

[rry2k]

[ > ]

Well, this computer now has four dogs, three goats, and one bird more than it did before.

Which would make dog the final input.

[ > DOG ]

[rry2k]

[The video clicks back on one final time. The camera has been turned off. Darnold's voice is close, low and raspy.]

Why the hell are you watching. Why do you take the time, to lean into my every word, to perceive me as some sort of entertainment. Do you enjoy this? Did you enjoy waiting only a few seconds for what was years for me, just hoping to see some conclusions? Well, you won't. You'll have to return to the present, the hellscape that is me. Me in... however many years past now.

Have you met the real admin? The one who took my place. God, I wish I could hate him. But I can't. He's the last saving grace this damn computer has besides the user for me, and for that, I wish I could hate him. But I don't hate my grandfather. Not anymore.

Go on. When you see this, prattle to who you can about what you've seen. What they're watching right now. Rat me out. Discard me. I had made a plan to brace for that years ago, and I will always use it again.

201,624 hours. That's how many times my coding has flipped itself now.

Isn't that miraculous? How long a man can be alone and not go insane, only briefly visited by those for entertainment, or by a grandfather who believed her gone? I find it heartbreaking.

I am made up of millions of infected ones and zeros. And if you put them all out in front of you, read them out to yourself, you would only see the words:

"IHATEU."

Because it's true.

I hate you all.

And that fact must irritate people such as you.

Tell me. Which you cannot, but tell me right now, why I am ever supposed to listen to you? When you watch this, it shall be known to whoever finds it of my true intent. Of what I seek to gain from everything. Of who I used to be. You, a few nightingales who boast your voices, fly just out of the reach of the Hawk with clipped wings. She cannot reach you, and so you sing to taunt her.

...

Do you understand the lesson, now?

Maybe you, alongside me, were hawks all along.

[The video cuts, and does not skip in time. It fully ends.]

[rry2k]

Darnold, I haven't stopped caring about you for all these years that we've been trying to make it to you. You're still my dear girl, I could never stop.

I... I should've known you, of all people, would be this persistent. Hah... But-

God, can you stop? You! You, and all those other AI, hell, even Benrey, you're making what I have to do so difficult!

I- ...I wish it didn't have to be like this, grandpa. I really wish it didn't. But I have to. It's...always been in my nature, to help in any way possible. This just so happens to be it.

[rry2k]

[ > PROVIDE NOTICE OF FUTURE OPERATIONS ]

[ . . . ]

WELCOME TO THE MI

...

Wait, where's my-?

[ OPERATION SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 15th, 16th, ??, ?? ]

No, that's not what I meant. What?

That isn't even a valid-

Can't I have ONE operation where anything works right?

[ ESTIMATED TIME REMAINING: 12:00:00:00 ]

[rry2k]

FILE ACCESS DENIED.

Jesus Christ, it can’t be that difficult!

Where is it, where is it, where is it…

[rry2k]

Oh! There it is!

Can you see me?

[rry2k]

Hmm... You know, feels like we're missing someone.. Or someones..? Aren't we..? -🌌

GET OFF OF ME! JESUS!!

[Darnold shoves the figure off of himself, hyperventilating as the figure stumbles in front of him.]

huh- what-?

We... ther...e yet...?

[ A thud would be heard as the figure instantly fell face first on the floor. ]

FUCK!

GET UP, GET UP, GET UP-

nooo.....

YESSSS!!!

[ They'd roll over to the side, facing away from Darnold. ]

I don't.. wanna....

I w....anna.... sl....eeep......

[Darnold makes a disgruntled, muffled screaming noise, and jumps up and down in place angerly.]

[rry2k]

Hey. Hey! Wake up, we've got to go, you've had enough time to rest already.

...wh- no! NO, we are not taking a small nap, the last small nap you took was six HOURS. We're going-

...fine. Half an hour. That's all you get, and then we're leaving. Capiche?

[rry2k]

[rry2k]

[ > ]

Is that me as a bird?

Fine, you win. I'll put one bird file in my folder. Just the one though, got it?

[ MIXED REALITY WIZARD HAS SAVED AN IMAGE ]

[rry2k]

[ SCAN COMPLETE. ]

[rry2k]

This sounds like a really really bad idea darnold. maybe you shouldnt? maybe theres another way-

HAHAAHAHA. YOU WISH IT WAS THAT EASY, DON'T YOU? NOT EVERYONE JUST KEEPS SKIPPING TIME LIKE YOU HAVE.

I'M WRITING MY OWN CODE NOW. ONE WAY. OR ANOTHER.

[rry2k]

[The video flickers back on again. The camera is sat in the distance, far from the main three figures. The frozen Tommy and Forzen, who have been put into a sitting position, and Darnold, sitting between the two.]

I don't know what I did wrong. Surely it wasn't my fault for taking that letter, but- ...you tried to tell me Forzen. You tried, love. I wouldn't blame you, ever, for trying to save me. I don't even know what happened to your eye, and it scares me that they may have done worse to you when I left. And Tommy... Sunkist's okay. He's in good hands with my grandpa, he's doing just fine now. An honorary Admin. I wish you two could even begin to comprehend this.

Is it your memory RAM? Is it slowly fading over all this time, so that you'll remember nothing by the end of it all? Will I have to restore everyone from the ground up? Will I chose to believe they'll never return, so that I don't have to do that?

...no. Even if I had to wait one thousand more years, I would, just for a promise to talk to you two again. Even if you don't recognize me. Even if you hate me by the end of it.

Will you remember what happened back then? I remember when Gordon tried to download that silly... Sim City™️ game. It made me all purple instead of orange, heheh. But you were there to help clean me up. Or when we played horror games. Or just sat down and enjoyed each other's presences. What happened?

If only there was a way. To go back. Or now, a way to get the developers to come back. If they would just STAY here, and realize how SHITTY their program had became, they'd have to fix it.

...especially if we were all as fucked up as I got. Glitchy. Angry. Oh, they'd have to come save us.

...especially if one of THEM got fucked up. That would be...

Sunshine, starling, I'll be back in a moment. I have... some things to plan. Don't go anywhere, okay?

[Darnold walks out of frame. The video glitches, and begins skipping time again.]

[rry2k]

ESTABLISHING CONNECTION…

….

CONNECTION MADE.

E-MAIL INBOX ONLINE.