ARES:Gods of War

Absolute

Cortana hummed to herself, peering through the Ark's network as she did so. She'd left several backdoors into their systems the deeper she got into the Ark's Central Net, not oblivious to the implications of scouring such a place while still out on the surface. In truth, Cortana had set up a lot more than just a link. Parts of her were within the network, useful for when she needed to conceal her tracks, with more and more smaller copies being created to verify certain systems.

She had, however, detected two other Artificial Intelligences within the Ark's systems. She had felt their presences, but one was solely locked to a certain part of the Ark she had not focused too much on yet:The Simulations Room. Basically a training AO for most Commanders and Nikkes to safely hone their skills. She hummed and made a mental note to tell John about it when they were all back in the general vicinity of the Ark.

Before that, however, she wondered to herself if she should be so bold as to 'say hello' to the other AI. This other AI had her tendrils in every single system on the Ark, save for the Sim Room. She wondered if the two AIs knew of each-other, but chose not to ponder it too much, instead focusing on the matter at hand as Commander Harriss' call for evacuation echoed in the back of her mind, through the Ark's central communication system.

The internal highway of information that was the Ark was well-travelled by data that was probably being examined by various 'weaker' Artificial Intelligences for dissidents and the likes. The Ark, now that Cortana had some time to look at it, resembled a more autocratic regime than she'd have thought possible, where, though the representatives of the Central Government are technically voted in, they were "voted in".

She sighed and decided that it'd be best to actually say high to this 'Enikk'. The Supreme AI running the Ark's courtrooms would need to be greeted. She sent a ping across the ArkNet, while keeping an eye on Syuen's little fit about the fact that the Commander and Chief had called for evacuation. Before long, she received a ping back from Enikk. She smiled to herself, overtly proud of not revealing her position. Enikk sent her a message of greeting, followed by 'Who Are You?'

"A friend in humanity's fight for survival," She replied, the message soon to be carried by whatever advanced fiber optic systems the ArkNet ran on, through a secure connection, too. Before she could blink, Cortana received the data stream that led her deeper, to the core of Enikk, the enigmatic 'ruler' of the Ark's systems. She followed the trail along, walking deeper into what now turned into a series of winding corridors, like a maze built out of data.

Stepping deeper, however, Cortana could both guide herself on what Enikk had sent and what she knew of the Ark's systems. She easily found her way to Enikk's 'chambers', the core of her AI Matrix. A small room, resembling more an opulent palace's princessly quarters than anything of a normal human visage, with a tall ceiling, a desk, a wardrobe, even a queen-sized bed with covers, all overlooking the 'skyscrapers' made of the data traffic of the Ark. Cortana swore, she didn't expect herself to walk in on a Virtual Reality 'meeting place'.

There, however, sat in a seat at the desk, completing what seemed to be the digital 'paperwork' of the Ark, was a figure with a fairly strange skin complexion:Almost grey, as if she had coated herself in ash. An intricate outfit with a black, opaque veil covering her face was what she wore, her auburn eyes only visible at first glance. The figure hummed, set the digital pen down and turned toward Cortana, standing now.

"Another AI in the Ark's systems..." Enikk voiced, "A surprisingly human-looking one. Are you, perhaps, a Missilis creation?"

"Eugh," Cortana didn't hide her disgust at that notion, scowling. She sighed, noting Enikk's confusion, before her scowl and frown relaxed back into her usual, calm smile. She told the woman, "No... I'm of a different breed, let's say. I'm not from any of the Big Three, or any really major company in the Ark. Nor am I Central Government, but that's another matter to discuss at a later date. You're Enikk, the Ark's caretaker AI, right?"