28 Hello? (2/2)
”Uh…Hello? Over. This is Chen Sia.”
CHARLIE HOTEL ECHO NOVEMBER SIERRA INDIA ALFA
She sighs and repeats those words.
”Hello. This is Chen Sia. Charlie, Hotel, Echo, November, Sierra, India, Alfa. I repeat Chen Sia. Charlie, Hotel, Echo, November, Sierra, India, Alfa. SOS. I need help.
QTH COLDSTONE, NEW CINALIA
”QTH? Coldstone, New Cinalia. The ExplorerTech Industries building. It's all still here and so am I. OVER.”
Sia repeats this message multiple times, before marking down the time and setting everything down next to the computer. The safety box included a portable ham radio and one that connected to the computer. Sia can't even be sure it is working. Nothing has happened.
'This is faster in the movies.'
Sia stands and goes to keep herself busy. She mixes the chemicals from the supply closet on the 4th floor. She uses some closed bottles for the new corrosive mixtures. Then stores boric acid in two containers in case she ever needs any again. She puts all the containers into her new backpack along with her new clothes.
”Wish I had a suitcase with wheels,” she says.
She pulls off her dirty t-shirt and tosses it onto the ground. Her stomach has abs. She's never had abs in her entire life. Until now.
”Have you been feeding off my fat for energy?!”
AFFIRMATIVE
EXCESSIVE WEIGHT PUTS STRESS ON SUBJECT 001'S JOINTS
SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER UTILIZED IT TO SUFFICIENTLY BOOST HEALTH AND SPEED
OBESITY DIRECTLY CONFLICTS WITH PRIORITY #1
She gropes at her stomach before straightening up.
”Hey! I wasn't obese. I was just a few pounds overweight for my height. Obesity is like 100 pounds overweight. I was like..”
SUBJECT 001 HAD A BMI OF 30.7
THAT IS 46 POUNDS, OR 20.8 KG OVERWEIGHT
WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL'S WEIGHT IS MORE THAN 20% THE IDEAL WEIGHT
IT IS DEFINED AS OBESITY
Sia counts on her fingers for a moment.
”Twenty times 226…and move the decimal…” Sia waves a finger in the air before snapping and saying, ”That's 45.2…I'm barely over that.”
WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL'S WEIGHT IS MORE THAN 20%---
”I'm not arguing with a device that has no physical body. You don't even understand the concept of barely.”
Silence.
SUBJECT 001 AND THE SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER ARE SYNONYMIC
Sia rolls her eyes and puts on the black shirt. She slips into some jeans that are too wide for her, but she rolls the top around her waist to keep it up.
”Remind me to get a belt.”
AFFIRMATIVE
”At least you don't hold grudges.”
She puts on the ExplorerTech green uniform jumpsuit over the entire outfit. It keeps her a bit warmer and with her jacket on she almost doesn't feel chilly. She hasn't been using any of the heating. She can't be sure the vents aren't clogged with something gross. She's survived so far without becoming mutated. Breathing dead roach particles might change that. Better safe than sorry.
She tosses her dirty clothing into a corner.
There are only 4 days of food left. Sia can stretch it to last a few more days, but she doesn't know what she will do after that.
When she isn't broadcasting a message for help, she is looking through more of the building for anything useful.
She has been napping during the daytime between broadcasts, then stays up all night searching the building and broadcasting. The naps help her avoid having to use the B1ack.0ut program and she can be awake during the most dangerous part of the day. The last time she used B1ack.0ut, she woke up with scratches on her stomach, so she has tried to avoid using it at all. She has questioned the device about side effects.
”Do any of your programs give someone muscle spasms while unconscious?”
NEGATIVE
”Seizures?”
NEGATIVE
…