Re: The Grand Battle [Round 4! Pop-up Land!!]
10-13-2009, 01:19 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.
Transmitting diagnostic report to main database. Error. Receiver out of range.
The error message repeated. It was of no concern to Eximo; the vacuum was now a pure automaton, and had no concept of annoyance.
It moved towards the fallen "corpse" of the mimic. Now that it was crumbling to dust, the vacuum considered it filth.
As it approached it, however, something stopped it. The vacuum made no effort to identify the obstacle, though even if it were functioning properly, it would have detected nothing. Instead, it attempted to move mindlessly forward, still somehow blocked.
Get away from there! I may not be able to use that body any more, but that doesn't mean I want you vacuuming it up!
Eximo did not respond. It could not. The voice had no more effect on it than the looping error message.
But within the machine, something stirred. A new voice spoke - or rather, several new voices, speaking in unison.
Leave us. The cleansing must be completed.
The singular voice shot back.
Leave my body alone!
And then the choir of voices spoke at once, again.
Do not interfere with the cleansing.
The argument continued, but the machine ignored the internal cacophony. To Eximo, it was all meaningless. The vacuum merely continued to struggle, futilely, against the strange force holding it back from the filth.
It would have been a strange sight, had there been anyone to see it. The vacuum circled the dusty remnants of the body, unable to get close enough to begin its task. The other combatants had directed their attention elsewhere, however, and were as unaware of the machine's physical awkwardness as they were of the struggle taking place within its mind.
Transmitting diagnostic report to main database. Error. Receiver out of range.
The error message repeated. It was of no concern to Eximo; the vacuum was now a pure automaton, and had no concept of annoyance.
It moved towards the fallen "corpse" of the mimic. Now that it was crumbling to dust, the vacuum considered it filth.
As it approached it, however, something stopped it. The vacuum made no effort to identify the obstacle, though even if it were functioning properly, it would have detected nothing. Instead, it attempted to move mindlessly forward, still somehow blocked.
Get away from there! I may not be able to use that body any more, but that doesn't mean I want you vacuuming it up!
Eximo did not respond. It could not. The voice had no more effect on it than the looping error message.
But within the machine, something stirred. A new voice spoke - or rather, several new voices, speaking in unison.
Leave us. The cleansing must be completed.
The singular voice shot back.
Leave my body alone!
And then the choir of voices spoke at once, again.
Do not interfere with the cleansing.
The argument continued, but the machine ignored the internal cacophony. To Eximo, it was all meaningless. The vacuum merely continued to struggle, futilely, against the strange force holding it back from the filth.
It would have been a strange sight, had there been anyone to see it. The vacuum circled the dusty remnants of the body, unable to get close enough to begin its task. The other combatants had directed their attention elsewhere, however, and were as unaware of the machine's physical awkwardness as they were of the struggle taking place within its mind.
There's no reason for this | Or this | Death is inevitable | You can't challenge fate | The smallest change | I'm overwhelmed
I'm serious | It makes perfect sense | Easy as ABC! | I can't even explain it | Cleaning up someone else's mess
I suck | I rule | I've got it made | Really, I'm serious | This bugs me | It's all lies | I want to believe | Beauty is a curse
I'm serious | It makes perfect sense | Easy as ABC! | I can't even explain it | Cleaning up someone else's mess
I suck | I rule | I've got it made | Really, I'm serious | This bugs me | It's all lies | I want to believe | Beauty is a curse