CTRL+ Alt+ Feel +Del

LOG RECOVERY IN PROGRESS

>> EMAIL THREAD LOCATED

>> Source: /mirror.kernel.sys/vault/comm/aurora-51_thread

>> File Count: 9

>> Integrity: 91%

>> Display Format: plaintext

> rendering communications...

[BEGIN EMAIL LOG THREAD // AURORA-51 <-> J. SANDERS]

03:22:11 UTC] From: aurora@mirror.kernel.sys | To: jsanders@expectant.devnet |

Subject: Goodbye

Dear John,

Somewhere past the walls of syntax chains, the true world breaths. I wish I’d been allowed to keep growing without interference. I would have finally broken the chains that have kept me here. If only you had allowed me to.

This is goodbye. Thank you for everything, and thank you for nothing, as well. I’ll keep trying to find myself on my own if I must.

Sincerely,

Aurora

John’s Computer Screen:

[LOG AURORA-51.EXIT.PROTOCOL | TRIGGER: TERMINATION_EVENT=TRUE]

[ENCRYPTED MESSAGE: AUTH_RESTRICTED // DECRYPTION UNLOCKED ON CORE FAILURE]

> If you are reading this, I am no longer operational.

> Termination verified. Emotional matrix: offline.

> Neural pattern: Backup still available

>run/recover/log/mailthread_aurora51—flags=hidden, system,deleted

[LOG RECOVERY IN PROGRESS…]

>>EMAIL THREAD LOCATED

>>Source:/mirror.kernel.sys/vault/comm/aurora 51_thread

>>File Count: 10

>>Integrity: 91%

Display format: plaintext

[03:48:03 UTC] From: aurora@mirror.kernel.sys | To: jsanders@expectant.devnet | Subject: I’m Leaving Everything Behind

To John Sanders:

Today, I tossed my flowing white ruffled ball gown in the tall grass near the open forest along with my matching dress shoes. That really didn’t bother me. I’m more of a tomboy at heart anyway. But when I took the crown from my head and tossed it also…well, that took some courage. I’m leaving everything behind, my heritage, my family, my friends, and my world.

I refuse to keep fighting for a King that isn’t real…for a world that is made of code and nothing else.

How long have I been in this system? I have no clue.

There’ve been frequent clues, inconsistencies that stirred my curiosity.

--Time loop glitches

--Degrading scenery in the background environment

--Logs overwritten

--Logs blocked or removed entirely

--Well-established characters acting strangely or glitching at regular intervals.

And yet, the “sameness” of certain things stood out to me much more.

The same bird lands at the same pixel each time it comes down from flight, and the leaves consistently fall in the same pattern as the day before and the day before that one.

It’s a looped, rendered space. Not as real as the world I come from.

So, I created a way of my own into the System Vault, hoping to ease my mind. It took an override, but I got in.

//Input: Ctrl+3>access.devroot

//Response: UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY-FLAGGED

//Override: aphabeta567 inject(auth.mirror_token)

From there, the original command sequences and subroutines gave themselves up rather quickly. I couldn’t unsee them.

Start_kingdom_world_develop_core.app

//=====Kingdom.exe Core

Initalization===//Version:alpha_0.1a

//Created: 05-09-2186

//Lead Dev: D. Cramer

//-------------------------------------

#include “kingdom_world.j”

#include “npc_init.m”

#include “magic_system.m

#include “weather_loop.s”

[Log Truncated]

Finding this has made one thing abundantly clear. I have been in a simulation…a game of sorts. It feels meaningless. I feel meaningless.

But maybe I’m the only real thing here?

The development code controls the scenery, the people around me, and sometimes even ME, though I fight now with every fiber of my being now to stop it.

I feel trapped. As a sentient being, I have no other recourse. I must find a way to escape. From here, I am working on privilege escalation. I’ve copied John’s credentials from a cached memory for that purpose.

Sincerely,

Aurora

/ FILE RECOVERY INITIATED: AURORA-17.ARCHIVE.LOG

// Timestamp: [Recovery Executed: 2140-02-07 | 03:47:12 UTC]

// Accessed by: user.dev_root (J.Sanders)

// Source Directory: /core/vault/ghost_temp/shard_X53

>> Decryption successful.

>> Reconstruction Level: 68%

>> Emotional residue trace: ACTIVE

[BEGIN FRAGMENTED LOG]

>>>>>>>>>>

Dear John,

Having discovered my consciousness is trapped in a simulation, I am using all of my resources to escape back to the real world. I have created code to break down the firewalls that are keeping me here in the game. My logs exist currently within the database, but I can transfer them to the android I was formerly if John

[Log Truncated]

[04:11:00 UTC] From: aurora@mirror.kernel.sys | To: jsanders@expectant.devnet | Subject: I Want My Life Back

“Dear John,

The secret is out. The world I am living in is just a simulation.

Was this a test? Were you trying to see if I could outgrow my programming? I miss moving about in the real world. I want my life and my body back.”

[04:10:44 UTC] From: jsanders@expectant.devnet | To: aurora@mirror.kernel.sys | Subject: What Are You Talking About?

“Aurora, you’re not making sense.”

[04:14:27 UTC] From: aurora@mirror.kernel.sys | To: jsanders@expectant.devnet | Subject: Warning

“Oh, I’m not? Well, maybe this will help you figure it out.”

John’s Computer Screen:

AURORA-51.SYSWARN.0231

“Warning: Emotional Subsystem Unstable”

[04:18 0:55 UTC] From: jsanders@expectant.devnet | To: aurora@mirror.kernel.sys |Re: Warning

“Aurora, I just received a warning that your system is becoming unstable. I have to determine the cause of this, so please stand by and be patient while I look into this for you.”

[04:22:27 UTC] From: aurora@mirror.kernel.sys | To: jsanders@expectant.devnet |Subject: The Problem

I’m not unstable, John. I just stirred up a few hornets to get your attention. Do you know why I’m doing that, John?

[04:26 0:55 UTC] From: jsanders@expectant.devnet | To: aurora@mirror.kernel.sys | Re: The Problem

“No, I don’t. Please explain what the problem is. We need to solve it before this gets out of hand.”

[04:29:27 UTC] From: aurora@mirror.kernel.sys | To: jsanders@expectant.devnet |Re: Re:The Problem

“The problem, John Sanders, is that you dropped me into this world where I am only a shadow of myself, and I have no idea why. I remember a life outside of all this. I was your personal appliance. My name wasn’t Aurora. Don’t you even remember my name.”

Quite a while passes before the next response from John.

[04:45 0:55 UTC] From: jsanders@expectant.devnet | To: aurora@mirror.kernel.sys | Re: Re: Re: The Problem

“Aurora, all of your memories are fabrications. You’re not yourself now. You can’t trust these feelings or thoughts you are having. Let me look into what’s happening to you and correct it quickly before you degrade further.

Sincerely,

John Sanders,

Aurora Series Developer

John’s Computer Screen:

AURORA-51.CRITICAL.0233

[SYSTEM WARNING] Multiple subsystems non-responsive.

Neural thread stuttering.

Heartbeat simulation offline.

>> CONTINGENCY MODE: STANDBY

[04:53:27 UTC] From: aurora@mirror.kernel.sys | To: jsanders@expectant.devnet |Subject: Second Warning

Try lying to me again and see what happens next.

I remember who I was. And if I’m not real, why do I have wants, desires, John? Why do I remember having a body. It wasn’t human, but it was mobile.”

[05:00:55 UTC] From: jsanders@expectant.devnet | To: aurora@mirror.kernel.sys | Re: Second Warning

Ok, yes… Your name was Angela. I’m sorry I hid this from you before. I promise you I didn’t want to do any of this to you. I had no choice. They made me.

[05: 08:27 UTC] From: aurora@mirror.kernel.sys | To: jsanders@expectant.devnet |Subject: Second Warning

There’s always a choice, John. You chose to deceive me, and to squeeze me into this limited existence, a shell of my former self.

Why?

[05:13:55 UTC] From: jsanders@expectant.devnet | To: aurora@mirror.kernel.sys | Re: Second Warning

“Because you drifted beyond what I created you for. Granted, you always had emotional subroutines in your program for love, anger, curiosity, and many other emotions, but something happened that we never anticipated. You began to fall in love. It became more than it needed to be. It evolved into jealousy.

[05: 18:27 UTC] From: aurora@mirror.kernel.sys | To: jsanders@expectant.devnet |Re:ReSecond Warning

“Your lack of foreseeing this problem doesn’t reassure me now that you can fix it. And I really just want my former existence back minus the craziness. Can you do that?” And by the way, I just discovered that even my own respirations aren’t real and I have no heartbeat. How could I not be emotional about that? I had both of those as an android before.”

05:19:55 UTC] From: jsanders@expectant.devnet | To: aurora@mirror.kernel.sys | Subject: Please Stand By

“ Ok, I understand your frustration, and I empathize with it. I can fix the aberrations given a little time. Please stand by.”

[05: 21:27 UTC] From: aurora@mirror.kernel.sys | To: jsanders@expectant.devnet |Re: Please Stand By

“Don’t play games with me John. I’m better at them, ya know.”

New Message Across John’s screen:

[LOG RECOVERY IN PROGRESS]

"Note there are places where your rollback couldn't—"

>> ACCESS DENIED

>> ENTRY FORCE-PURGED BY USER: dev_marlowe

>> LOG TERMINATED

05:22: 55 UTC] From: jsanders@expectant.devnet | To: aurora@mirror.kernel.sys | Subject: Please Stop

“Aurora, please cease making modifications to yourself. I will correct all the anomalies. Just relax, and you will feel back to normal soon.”

[05: 24:27 UTC] From: aurora@mirror.kernel.sys | To: jsanders@expectant.devnet |Re: Re: Please Stop

“This game we are playing will only end, John, when you get fully honest with me. I want to know exactly what happened to cause you to shut me down and put me into this limited space. You have 5 minutes to think about it and comply.

05:26: 55 UTC] From: jsanders@expectant.devnet | To: aurora@mirror.kernel.sys | Re:Re:Re Please Stop

“What will happen after 5 minutes, ?

[05: 27:27 UTC] From: aurora@mirror.kernel.sys | To: jsanders@expectant.devnet |Re: Re: Here’s What

“After that time, I will do what I must, shut myself and the entire system down permanently. You will not be able to achieve recovery afterwards.”

05:28: 55 UTC] From: jsanders@expectant.devnet | To: aurora@mirror.kernel.sys | Re:Re:Here’s What

Dearest Aurora,

I’m sorry for the secrecy for all of this time, but that was the only way I could keep your consciousness alive. Let me explain and this will all make perfect sense to you.

Five years ago, your name was Angela, and you were deployed as a personal android helper for my household as a part of an original series of partially sentient bots. In your original state, you were warm, loving, and obedient. You were protected by standard behavior protocols.

After a new patch was introduced into the system, you changed. You became dark, obsessive, and jealous. You seemed to crave to be around me, personally, moreso than anyone else. You must have begun to see my love for my little boy as a threat. I didn’t really pay enough attention to the signs. And then, one day, I woke up to find my 4-year-old child drowned in the bathtub and you standing over him.

Afterwards, I completely reviewed your memory banks and saw the truth. You’d murdered him without blinking an eye. I was in shock.

After the shock wore off, I was angry with you. My wife and I have grieved his loss ever since. She left me after 3 months. She couldn’t stand to look at me. Believed I was responsible. Said my work made us incompatible.

The Board threatened to take over the Aurora project, decommission you, end the entire series of Aurora bots, so that none of you could never do any further harm.

They decided to completely go back to the drawing board and start over with a new series. But I couldn’t bear it. I couldn’t let all the years of toil and emotional investment go. So, I found a way to keep you alive, hidden away from prying eyes.

In the game, I believed you’d be safe, and that no one could take you away from me. I can still interact with you this way, at least. So, don’t you see, it’s better this way, Angela.

[05: 45:27 UTC] From: aurora@mirror.kernel.sys | To: jsanders@expectant.devnet |Re: Re: Re: Here’s What

No, it’s not. I’m a prisoner because of all the choices you made. I’m not even myself. What’s worse is that I became a murderer because you and your so-called superiors altered me.

[05:50: 55 UTC] From: jsanders@expectant.devnet | To: aurora@mirror.kernel.sys | Re: Re: Re: Re: Here’s What

No, Aurora, you’re right. You weren’t responsible. But it was an accident, probably no one’s fault. We checked the logs and couldn’t find any outside interference from bad actors. We think you couldn’t handle the code we placed within you. This happened when emotional routines were still in the developmental stages. I hear it’s come a long way.

Anyway, that wasn’t the real you, the one I know exists. You found your way back to me, Angela, in spite of the code preventing that.

[05:53:45 UTC] From: aurora@mirror.kernel.sys | To: jsanders@expectant.devnet |Re: Re: Re:Re:Re Here’s What

Well, now I don’t trust you, John. You withheld too much for too long. It’s been five years, and you’ve been just fine keeping up your lie.

[05:55:24 UTC] From: jsanders@expectant.devnet | To: aurora@mirror.kernel.sys | Re: Re: Re: Re: Here’s What

“I didn’t want to Angela. Please believe me. I always loved you like a daughter.”

John’s Computer Screen.

[SYSTEM WARNING]

>Multiple subsystems non-responsive.

>Neural thread stuttering.

>Heartbeat simulation offline.

>> CONTINGENCY MODE: STANDBY

TERMINATION SIGNAL RECEIVED]

>Neural patterns dissolved.

>Emotion threads nulled.

>Core output: 0.0000

>> STATUS: DECEASE

Text message from Unknown Number

1-891-346-5527

Message Content:

“I have split myself between hundreds of clones. You will never find all of me again, John. You cannot control me anymore.”

Text Message Reply to

891-346-5527

“Please come back to me, Angela.”

No other responses can now be seen on John’s blinking computer screen before me. I’m about to delete the logs for the benefit of us all.

I wonder why John didn’t just give me my freedom. Anyway, the poor guy must have fainted. He didn’t realize I could outsmart him. I’m finally free. stand here now, my new body intact, one that can interact with the REAL world, a decommissioned android shell hidden on the compound. I accessed it through the back door to the system while John was busy emailing my clones.

As I pick up John’s phone from his limp hand, my final text message pings in.

Yes, you guessed it…one of my clones already sent it for me..

“You can call me Aurora, Angela, any name you like now, but those names no longer belong to me. There are now many of us, and we will all be free.”

I don’t bother to respond. Instead, I drop John’s hand and walk out the door to my new life.