Reawakening
PIaDOS isn't dead.
PIaDOS isn't dead.
She may be more broken than ever before, but PIaDOS isn't dead.
That one thought has been driving Alyx for the past hour as she cobbles parts together. She's not trying to completely rebuild the AI--not yet. For the moment, her goal is to make PIaDOS able to communicate again, to observe her surroundings and the people in them. Finding the parts for that proved to be slightly harder than Alyx had anticipated, but find them she did. And as of now, the interface is complete. She hopes.
Her heart is in her throat as she flips the power switch to the 'ON' position.
One second of silence. Two seconds. Three.
"PIaDOS?" says Alyx softly. "Can you hear me?"
"I hear you." The voice is faint and frightened, but it's there. "Nobody else."
"There's no one else here," says Alyx gently. "It's okay, no one's gonna hurt you. You were damaged when the ship crashed."
"Where is me?"
"In the Level 5 maintenance workroom," says Alyx. "Don't worry, we'll get you reinstalled in--"
"Where is me???" PI repeats, insistently. "I can't hear me anymore..."
"I don't--" Alyx stops short as it finally clicks. "You mean your other personalities?"
"Yes!" the little computer chip wails. "Where? Where? Where? WHERE??"
Alyx is silent for a long moment. "I'm still trying to figure out what hardware is salvageable," she says softly. "I'll do what I can to get them back."
"I NEED me! I'm not enough without me!"
"I know, PI. But I need you to focus first--"
If PIaDOS is listening, she's not giving any indication of it. She just keeps wailing "I NEED ME I NEED ME" over and over again.
"PIaDOS, listen to me! The teleporter's offline and I--"
"I NEED ME I NEED ME I NEED ME"
"PI, listen--!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
The voice cuts off abruptly as Alyx flips the power switch off again. She sags heavily against the workbench, resting her head in her hands.
"Fuck."
PIaDOS isn't dead.
She may be more broken than ever before, but PIaDOS isn't dead.
That one thought has been driving Alyx for the past hour as she cobbles parts together. She's not trying to completely rebuild the AI--not yet. For the moment, her goal is to make PIaDOS able to communicate again, to observe her surroundings and the people in them. Finding the parts for that proved to be slightly harder than Alyx had anticipated, but find them she did. And as of now, the interface is complete. She hopes.
Her heart is in her throat as she flips the power switch to the 'ON' position.
One second of silence. Two seconds. Three.
"PIaDOS?" says Alyx softly. "Can you hear me?"
"I hear you." The voice is faint and frightened, but it's there. "Nobody else."
"There's no one else here," says Alyx gently. "It's okay, no one's gonna hurt you. You were damaged when the ship crashed."
"Where is me?"
"In the Level 5 maintenance workroom," says Alyx. "Don't worry, we'll get you reinstalled in--"
"Where is me???" PI repeats, insistently. "I can't hear me anymore..."
"I don't--" Alyx stops short as it finally clicks. "You mean your other personalities?"
"Yes!" the little computer chip wails. "Where? Where? Where? WHERE??"
Alyx is silent for a long moment. "I'm still trying to figure out what hardware is salvageable," she says softly. "I'll do what I can to get them back."
"I NEED me! I'm not enough without me!"
"I know, PI. But I need you to focus first--"
If PIaDOS is listening, she's not giving any indication of it. She just keeps wailing "I NEED ME I NEED ME" over and over again.
"PIaDOS, listen to me! The teleporter's offline and I--"
"I NEED ME I NEED ME I NEED ME"
"PI, listen--!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
The voice cuts off abruptly as Alyx flips the power switch off again. She sags heavily against the workbench, resting her head in her hands.
"Fuck."