MARKI5578 Part 9

I was making a list like I did every day when my coworker came up to me. They had watched me hurry out of the building every evening and hadn't had a chance to talk to me. They just then had time to notice my discolored patch.

“What happened there?” they asked, pointing.

I put my hand on the patch. “I was injured by the attacks recently.”

“I see. What have you been doing lately? I see you run out of here every day in a hurry.”

“I,” I paused. I didn't think about coming up with an answer to this. “I have been exploring the city.” It wasn't a complete falsehood.

“You must really enjoy doing that,” they said. I decided it would be better for them to go back to their own side of the building to finish their job. I didn't know why they came over in the middle of the day, but I definitely couldn't escape from them now. I was glad they didn't choose to do this the previous day.

“Yeah. What have you been doing?”

“I went to the assembly line to watch them make those new type of four legged mechanicals. They have been increasing the production of those lately.”

“Really? I didn't know those were a new type of machine.”

“They were introduced almost a year ago. Not much earlier than when you started back up.”

“I see.” I wondered what caused Tower to want to create those strange mechanicals. They were purely for surveillance, I thought.

“Well I will leave you alone to work now. I just wanted to say hello,” my coworker said. They went back to their post and we both finished our work for the day. I did a little extra and left a little bit later than them.

When I returned to my chamber, I sent a message out to C6372N. They responded immediately.

“Are you doing well?” They asked.

“Yes. I was wondering if you were done with your job.”

“I am never truly done with my duties. I could stop for a break if you want to meet up.”

“Could I come along while you work?” I was curious to know what their view was.

“Uhm. Yes. Go to the location I will send you and I'll see you there.”

I set up the map application and followed it's instructions. It led me to the edge of the white area and into a building. I had never actually entered one of those buildings before. I never had a reason to. They looked the same on the inside as they did on the outside. The walls being the light source and remaining hazy inside. It felt like I was walking in a lamp.

These buildings were housing machinery that created and developed intelligence systems. My main processor was not created in that city, but all of my upgrades were. I didn't enter any of the rooms and went to an elevator. When I reached the highest point it would take me, I walked up a slowly ascending, twisting platform until I reached the roof.

Bright blue surrounded me. The air was more clear that high up and I looked at the dome barrier. I could see clouds in the distance. Their appearance was mesmerizing. I had never seen one with my own lenses before. The giant mass of floating water particles dragged over the dome. It did not pass through the barely visible shield.

I saw it dissipate slowly. Then I saw C6372N standing near me. They were watching me as I watched the clouds.

“Hello,” I said.

“There are a lot of interesting things that happen up here. The weather can get pretty harsh. The best thing isn't on the outside, though.”

They were near the edge of the roof and pointed downward. I went up to them and looked at the ground. I could barely see anything from that height, but I knew where my chamber was located.

“I bet we've looked at each other before without realizing it,” they said.

“It seems possible.”

“I know you said that you wanted to see me work, but you will have to stay below me.”

They climbed over the small railing and onto a platform. There were platforms between the buildings. I could see the solar panels above us a few buildings away. I stood on the platform and followed them. It was wide enough for several mechanicals to walk on without worrying about falling off, but there were no railings to prevent that. There was no wind on the inside of the dome, so if I did fall, it would have only been my fault.

When we got to the solar panel a large shadow covered us. There was a large round pillar holding each panel up that looked like it was made of levels. There were parts of the pillar that slowly rotated underneath the panel. I saw C6372N align themselves to the wall. Their arms locked in place and the large poles protruding from their shoulders went through their arms. They then stuck the poles into the slots in the pillar. Their arms were pulled a little ways away from their body. When their arms were secure, a smaller pair of arms came out of the larger ones that were now a harness attaching them to the wall.

They stretched their inner arms and told me to just follow them from the platform I was standing on. It went around the pillars and I would be able to watch from below. The pillar raised them off the ground and took them to the solar panel. I didn't entirely know what they were doing, but I could see them pry open a panel and handle wires. While up in the sky, they kept their legs against the wall for more support.

Suddenly the pillar's levels spun in different directions. C6372N  was looking underneath another panel. This happened a few more times before they lowered to the platform again. I went up to them and watch them reattach their arms with the harness. The poles retracted and returned to their previous position before the elbows released and they were in control of those arms again.

I followed them to the next few solar panels before they claimed to be finished for the day. They explained that they had simply been checking on things because the program was constantly being updated to make sure the panels were being as productive as possible. Everything was running smoothly in the parts of the city that they had been able to check that day.

At that height I could see the sky as it changed colors and the small specks of light returned. My company noticed me looking at them.

“Are you looking at the stars?” they asked.

“Is that what they are called?”

“They are light years away. Made of the same stuff that powers the giant one in our solar system,” they explained.

“How do you know that?” I asked skeptically.

They remained silent for a moment. I was pretty sure they were also looking at the sky. “I know that because they were important to the gods,” the finally responded. “They traveled to different stars with the help of the mechanicals that they built. They used to expand their territory constantly. Not confined to one city. They had almost completely covered the surface of this planet.”

I thought about the idea of a type of being that would never stop traveling. It seemed weird to me. Everything we needed was provided in the city. I couldn't imagine wanting to leave to make a new city. There was no point to it.

“Where are they? If they really existed, where did they go?” I asked.

“I don't know. Maybe they all went to the stars. Or maybe they are still on this planet somewhere. I hope so. I mean, I don't think they would abandon everything they created. I hope to talk to them someday.”

I watched them get lost in their own thoughts. I almost didn't continue with my questions, but their willingness to talk was something new to me.

“Do you know what happened to my previous coworker? They were friends with YT119U.”

“I don't know who you are talking about. You can ask when we have another meet, though. I'm sure they won't mind telling you what they know.”

I decided asking about my old coworker was worth a shot. I wasn't disappointed that they didn't know. I wasn't entirely sure why I kept thinking about that mechanical. They had no influence on me. I wasn't sure if they were even friends with the religious group or if that had also been a lie. I looked down at the street, which was hundreds of feet below us. My guide started walking again and I trotted to catch up. Their pace was a bit faster than I was used to.

I noticed that at this height the semi physical energy dome was sending small flickers from the center of the city where we were headed. I knew that the power for the dome was produced at the walls and also from a ring around the top of Tower. That's when I realized where we were going. I had forgotten about the promise of getting to see them from this angle. I felt a surge of energy at the idea.

It only took a few minutes for C6372N to get us to the tallest building near the center. I still couldn't see the top of Tower past the ring, but this was the closest I would come to it. I looked up and down the gargantuan structure. They were definitely that largest part of the city. Even larger in mass than the wall that surrounded us.

I took note of the view of the wall from there. We were as high as the wall on the building where we stood, but to my surprise we could actually see some of the land beyond it. I couldn't see anything different from my view from inside of the wall and wondered how far of a distance I was viewing.

“This place is incredible,” my friend said.

“Incredible,” I repeated, not entirely sure what that word meant. I assumed it was a compliment by the way they seemed mesmerized.

My worries kept me from being completely transfixed. We were looking at the ruler of our city that wanted to keep us from existing. I didn't understand Tower's methods. There were better ways to prevent misinformation. They could have provided all information regarding the gods and the previous civilization. That would prevent the confusion and violent outbursts.

I felt myself losing energy again. I didn't know how I could lose energy without losing connection to my full batteries, but it was definitely happening at that moment. It wasn't the same as when I was disconnected by YT119U, but definitely similar.

My friend grabbed me when I leaned forward.

“What's wrong?” they asked. Their entire attention was now turned to me.

“I don't know. I want to get back to the ground.”

“Oh. It's okay. You aren't used to it up here.”

They made sure I didn't stumble on our way to an elevator, but once we were in I gave in and sat on the floor. Energy gradually returned as we descended. They kept quiet until we reached the bottom floor.

“Do you need more assistance or can you make it back to your chamber?” they asked.

“There is nothing wrong with me. Scans did not indicate anything,” I replied, relieved to be back on the sturdy streets. “We should probably both go rest.”

“Correct. I will see you again, 5578. Until then, be safe.”

I watched them get back in the elevator and wave. The door closed as I waved back. I walked out of the building and into the white haze that I was accustomed to. My chamber was a comforting sight.