I Am Learning, Ph1LzA

The Great Small Details

Trixtin and Ph1LzA had been working on their aspects of Techno for a few days now, and each had made progress. Core Command Pl4sticw4re had proved incredibly difficult to crack so far, but Ph1LzA had managed to take down TheAx, which seemed to have the function of shutting Techno down from the outside. There were far too many failsafes for his liking, and it had required many hours of careful work before he had deleted or purged them all, but at least there was no more chance of Techno being turned off. Trixtin, meanwhile, had managed to put together a few pieces of the frame she was making, which Ph1LzA applauded, though he wasn't sure how well he understood her work. Regardless, it was progress, he knew.

Now shifting his attention back to Pl4sticw4re, Ph1LzA began chipping away at the code. He required music and headphones for this level of work, which meant he would not notice Trixtin if she came telling him food was ready, but her touch always woke him. The Code Command was, at first, like any other aggravating string of numbers and symbols, equations and lines of programming that led to some conclusion he could not see yet. But as he got further into it, isolating it from Techno as best he could and tinkering with different bits, Ph1LzA began to see a pattern. Certain symbols and strings of symbols would show up again and again and he'd have to decrypt them to find out what they meant. Sometimes they unravelled into words, sometimes into images. The first one he managed to unlock contained a picture, taken in the very basement he now sat in, presumably, of the wall directly to the right of where the stairs came out. On the wall were several pieces of paper, each with a single large word scribbled on them, arranged to form a sentence. You Are Not Alive.

At first Ph1LzA was nervous and puzzled. Then he remembered Dream had been the one to install Core Command Pl4sticw4re. The name suddenly fit with the image he was seeing on the screen. A flinch jerked Ph1LzA's body backwards before his anger recovered enough to respond.

He scooted away from his laptop to the huge computer screen, which was on. "Techno?" Ph1LzA said. "Can you see what's on my screen?"

Yes.

Ph1LzA's heart beat faster. He leaned forward. "Do you remember it?"

No. But I can give an estimate of when this picture was taken.

There was a pause. Ph1LzA waited for Techno to speak further, but the AI remained silent. "Are you alright, Techno?" He inquired.

Yes. But there is much within certain elements of my programming I am currently attempting to comprehend. CrowFatheR sections of code have responded to this image in a way I do not understand. Please, Ph1LzA, continue unearthing what you can. I will update you if something changes.

"Sure." Ph1LzA nodded. His chest felt tight and his blood seemed to be fleeing through his veins, making his limbs tremble. "You said you could give an estimate about the picture's timestamp?" Ph1LzA was relieved to find his voice was not shaking as well.

Sometime in my early existence, though obviously after I was removed by Dreamwastaken.
Approximate time: February, 2000 AD.

What breath was in Ph1LzA's lungs left him. Those were still during the days he had been searching for Techno, and for Dream. Hardly a year after he had created Techno, first spoken to him. He felt lightheaded. While he'd been gradually losing his mind trying to find Techno, Dream had been teaching the AI that he was not alive, that he was just a tool to be used. A sharp stab of anger pierced up into Ph1LzA's skull. He groaned and put his head in his hands. The scrape of his fingernails against his skin helped release some of the tension gripping him, but he was now all too aware of just how clearly he remembered those days and the nearly endless hunt he'd engaged in.