The support workshop was vacant at night, which allowed V1 the time it needed to troubleshoot a problem it had been experiencing, a tightness around its forearm. Flicking on the lights V1 set its right arm down, undoing the small bolts along the edges. The tightness eased with the bolts gone and immediately went away once V1 popped the panel off. Repeating the steps for its left arm V1 leaned back in its chair, satisfied with the small feeling of freedom that came after letting its veins free. Settling in its seat, V1 ran a diagnostics check, the first it had done since arriving at UA.
WELCOME TO COMMAND CONSOLE
>run systemcheck.exe
RUNNING, PLEASE DO NOT POWER OFF...
STARTING EXTERNAL CHECK
AUDIO INPUT... 100%
AUDIO OUTPUT... 100%
VIDEO... 100%
"TOUCH" SENSE... 100%
WEAPON DIAGNOSTICS... 100%
EXTERNAL CHECK COMPLETED
STARTING INTERNAL CHECK
NERVOUS... 100%
LYMPHATIC... 100%
FILE INTEGRITY... ERROR
"EMOTIONS.dir" WAS NOT FOUND. RE-INSTALL?
>y
INSTALLING...
CONTINUING DIAGNOSTICS CHECK
CARDIOVASCULAR... 100%
BONE STRENGTH... 100%
STORAGE... 100%
...
"EMOTIONS.dir" SUCCESSFULLY DELETED
"SANITY.dir" SUCCESSFULLY DELETED
"HUMANITY.dir" SUCCESSFULLY DELETED
"FREE WILL.dir" SUCCESSFULLY DELETED
OPENING ".txt"
THIS IS WHAT YOU WILL FOREVER LACK, FOR YOU ARE AN OBJECT. TO CALL YOU ANYTHING CLOSE TO A MAN WOULD BE A GREATER MISTAKE THAN TO NAME A DEMON HOLY. LESS THAN THE SMALLEST OF ANTS, FOR INDIVIDUALLY THAT CONTRIBUTE TO NATURE MORE THAN YOU ARE PERMITTED TO COMPREHEND. YOU TAKE, STEAL, AND PARASITIZE THOSE YOU KNOW. THOSE YOU CARE FOR. YOU MUST WONDER WHAT YOUR STUDENT'S BLOOD TASTES LIKE? THEN WHY NOT
I N D U L G E
".txt" WAS FORCEFULLY CLOSED
"EMOTIONS.dir" SET TO "OFF"
"EMOTIONS.dir" SET TO "OFF"
FILE INTEGRITY... 100%
SOFTWARE CHECK COMPLETE
DIAGNOSTICS CHECK COMPLETE
PLEASE RESTART TO CONFIRM CHANGES
>reboot
REBOOTING...
V1 stirred awake, noticing it had taken two hours for the diagnostic check to complete. Setting the panels back on its arms, V1 went over the events for the day. Today would be 1-A's final exam, and V1 would be in the surveillance room with Gabriel and any students who would finish early. Noticing the time V1 made its way to the staff room and started the coffee maker, it's about time for the rest of staff to arrive.
YOU ARE READING
A Machine's Purgatory
ActionAfter being spit out of hell, V1 is thrust into a world where humanity did not go extinct, and 80% of the population has a genetic ability called a "Quirk." Protecting a class of aspiring heroes from harm as a machine built for war should be easy, r...
