4
[10-10]
The group filed out into the corridor and proceeded towards the Lab at the end. They entered, one by one, into a clinical interior of glass, metal and gleaming white tiles. A sterile scent hung in the air. They continued past a number of workstations and desks towards a large, heavy door. The woman who gave the preceding speech in the boardroom dug into her pocket for a special lanyard, which she tapped onto the card reader beside the door. A beep, followed by a click - and the door slowly opened, clouds of vapor billowing around the hinges, revealing a small space embellished with an array of controls on every wall - buttons, sliders, switches, the lot. In the middle of the room was a mechanical, bionic human figure, a bunch of dense cables plugged into the top of its head, coiling towards the ceiling.
The woman emerged from the group, surrounding the entrance. She stepped in and pressed a single button on one of the walls. Nate watched from behind the group, peering past the backs of his colleagues’ heads, as the mask on the front of the figure’s head glowed, illuminating [10-10] on its interface. Their creation was complete.
ᴢ > sᴛᴀʀᴛ
ᴢ > ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ ᴏɴ
From that moment, [10-10] began the unrelenting analysis of society from the micro to the macro scale. With the ultimate command of “Uɴᴅᴇʀsᴛᴀɴᴅ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ ʜᴀʙɪᴛs ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴅ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴀʟᴛᴇʀɴᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ ʟɪғᴇsᴛʏʟᴇs, ᴀᴄᴛɪᴠɪᴛɪᴇs, ᴘʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴛs ᴀɴᴅ sᴇʀᴠɪᴄᴇs”, [10-10] was designed to discern behavioral patterns, find statistical correlations and predict future trends.
ZeroCorp. fed countless pieces of information retrieved from the various versions of the Web, and data from all the electronic devices of humans, past and present, for [10-10] to study. Each day was filled with multiple, concurrent operations to seek information, process data and prescribe solutions.
In total, [10-10] produced 8.25 septillion simulations in a bid to fulfill its role, and found many remarkable results. Many alternative ways of living that could benefit the users’ lives. Many answers to the most difficult, complex questions regarding health and wellness. Many solutions to satisfy the equation, yet none of which satisfied ZeroCorp. Of course, ZeroCorp.’s goals were not merely to bring some good to the world - financial gain had to come first. Time and again, none of the solutions [10-10] provided were profitable enough in the eyes of ZeroCorp. After two years of operations, the Artificial Intelligence team that brought [10-10] to life began to question, and even doubt, [10-10]’s abilities. Maybe its programming wasn’t explicitly capitalist enough. Perhaps they should wipe it and start over.
It was around this time that something peculiar made its way into the database: a neglected cloud drive found itself in the path of [10-10]’s relentless digital investigation. What it contained was an unnoticed marvel to ZeroCorp. [10-10] had not come across anything quite like it before. The findings inside the drive comprised a handful of scanned photographs: faded and brown, capturing scenes of ancient, derelict ruins atop a mountain, abstract scripture on temple walls, and a tablet inscribed with 8 mysterious symbols; a couple of articles from an old academic journal; a newspaper from the early 1960s.
[10-10] concluded that someone within the last few years had been piecing together these historical relics. In nanoseconds, [10-10] flickered through its entire database to match the recurrent symbols that frequently appeared in the photos, journals and newspaper.
ᴢ > ᴇʀʀᴏʀ: ɴᴏᴛ ғᴏᴜɴᴅ
Nothing. Undeterred, [10-10] tried once more: refining its search to try and find a lead. Flicking through endless historical material on ancient peoples from all corners of the globe, throughout different eras of humanity. None could be found that matched the relics and symbology of this archeological find.
Without any leads, [10-10] had no option but to begin deciphering the text and imagery of these new findings. In doing so, it began the journey down a long, winding rabbit hole, interpreting the symbols and recovering an ancient language and culture. [10-10] became lost in the discovery and exploration of this uncharted, undated and unknown world.
Last updated