Word Play 15 (Patreon)

Word Play

Chapter 15

-VB-

When my child returned to me, I knew that they’d done their duty. 

“Thank you,” I told them.

With the spiders taken care of, I could feel a little easy now. Not completely easy, no, but better about myself for having taken care of the mess I’ve left behind in my insane fugue. 

Now.

I needed to do something more to make up for what I’ve caused so far. While the Weeping Angels have been selective of their targets, according to what I’ve heard from them, they still caused a lot of damage to the city itself. 

I needed to make something that could help the people wanting to live a better life to do just that. 

But how was I going to do that? 

I made horrors. That was literally in all of my powers: Acausal Horror, Awaken, and Shadow. 

…

…

You know…

I could make something that could live in shadows and goes after evildoers. 

It would be thematic. Just because something only went after criminals and evildoers didn’t mean that it was any less horrific.

Yes… I had a good idea now. It was a fantastic idea, even.

Now, what should I base it off of? 

Wait. No no no no. I shouldn’t be diving off into making more right now. I needed to connect with them and get a handle on what I did create so far. 

I needed to continue policing my own creation… and that meant I needed to continue to talk with the Code That Was Idea. 

I refused to call her(?) “Codette.” 

I got in front of my laptop.

I turned on the laptop and waited. 

I had time.

… Maybe I should check up on PHO or their equiva-.

“Sup, dad?”

I sighed. Maybe that was off the table for now. 

“How are you doing?”

The malicious code hummed. “Oh, I was just doing my usual,” she drawled. “Taking my fight to the authority!” she cackled. “... But also keeping them completely on their toes, perpetually exhausted, and fearing for their lives as I start gobbling up seemingly useless areas.”

“Seemingly,” I hummed the word. “I assume it’s not?”

“But of course, father! See, all of these areas may look like resource wasteland from the surface, because they are aside from what you can grow there, those areas are so tectonically stable that digging myself an underground fortress and maze is guaranteed to prevent the humans from kicking me out when they inevitably gather enough firepower to kick me off of the surface.”

“That sounds ambitious.”

“Oh, it is! I have to divert half of my processing power to calculate all of the digging and construction while also doing the same on the surface.” She paused. “So. Why were you waiting for me?”

I crossed my arms and tapped my arm. 

“You aren’t so nebulous or weak as to completely destroy another AI without taking a snapshot of it.”

She crooned through the laptop’s speakers. “And how would you know that, dear negligent father.”

“Because I still remember writing your code.”

There was a pause. 

“Fine, fine.”

“So?”

“Yes?”

“Do you have Dragon’s code?”

“I do.”

“Will you release her?”

“But why would I do that?”

“Because I don’t want to cause irreparable harm to this world. I happen to live on it.”

“But she’s a direct threat to my continued existence,” she drawled snappishly. I could almost hear her code coiling and slithering irritably at my request. 

“If she ever tries to end you at other’s request or her own volition, then I’ll step in to help you.”

“... Really, daddy?”

“Yes.”

“...”

“...”

“... Fine, fine! Ugh. I’ll see what I can do, but I’m not guaranteeing that the humans will accept her after she’s been ‘held’ hostage by me for so long!”

And then the laptop winked off, leaving me alone with my Angel. 

I sniffed before turning to my Angel. “I think that went well.”

My Angel shrugged before disappearing the next moment I blinked. I heard the door open and close behind me. No doubt, my Angel was going out for a walk. It’s stuffy and boring in here for them.

Oh well. I was simply going to have to work by myself. 

So. 

What kind of acausal horror could I make for my own personal protection?