Rescued by pbh : contact

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The professor watched the screen intensely as if willing something to happen. Still nothing did and it had already been three hours and there was no sign of contact let along communication.  She had to face that it was another failure. For a moment as her tail twitched in annoyance she wondered if she had indeed been too late. No, she would not accept that. She would try again. But first she would back up the current communication program she had written then format the drive and start again.

The telephone rang moments after the backup process was done and the formatting process ready to begin. Uncertain weather or not to be annoyed at the interruption, she checked the caller Id. Smiling she answered the call �Hi mom.� Mom had been checking in on her daily since she returned from her dimensional miss adventure. (Edit out?> The Dimension gate experiment that had sent her into the other dimension. <edit out?) That is not to say that her mother was without her own projects to take care of. After all mom Dr. Sarah  was a Doctor with several PhD�s in archeology and ancient cultures as well as several ancient religion study grants (I may have embellished a bit much here) Yesterday the two of them had even agreed to meet for tea. �Bam honey.  You�re spending too much time in that lab of yours. We nearly lost you this time�

Inside the lab the professor�s computer had finished formatting the communication device that the professor had built. She�d built it from scratch every circuit and the casing was custom made as well. The contacts were made to connect to the contact circuits the surface of the housing of her guest. Aside from remembering how he�d been connected when she removed him from his doomed body she�d taken scans of his housing to try to build or at least adapt compatible circuitry. Despite all this work and effort she�d put in she didn�t stop there. She wrote the code for every attempt trying to reach the person within the hardware. Every line of code was chosen, tested, compiled, decompiled and retested before being uploaded into the device with hopes of making contact.  Every time it failed to connect she would:  back up the data, disconnect the drive format it and start anew form scratch. She�d done this five times already and for the safety of her guest she would continue to do it this way.

That was the plan at least.  That was how she�d done it so far and normally did it with test out sensitive electronics. This time however she�d left the device connected while formatting. She had not meant to leave it connecter this much was certain as she had some care and more than a little worry over the process hurting her electronic guest. She�d done the math true and it�s outcome show less then a 5% likelihood of it hurting him but he was her guest, defenseless and in her care and as such she didn�t want to put his existence in danger by accidentally formatting him. It�s true that she didn�t think it was too likely to happen. But it is better to be safe then sorry epically when someone�s life is at risk.

The professor entered the lab smoothing her lab coat. Her mom still didn�t care for her attitude towards wearing clothes. This was not likely to change mom attitude towards where clothes had gotten very strict as she had grown up. The first this it really showed was that time in fist grade she she�d gotten the whole class to all natural while the teacher running to the principle�s office. Mom was a little strict and she was a little rebellious but that was okay they were family. On top of that mom was right that she needed to take a break from time to time. A real break not just switching between projects when she hit a wall. Anyway it was time to write new commutation software to try and reach E.

It was then that she noticed her device was still connected to E�s contact bus circuits while the computer formatted it. �Oh No! E are you okay� she cried out loud before she could stop herself. She knew it was silly. E �how he had introduced himself she surmised� was short to entity or some other concept couldn�t hear her in this state. Even if he could he hadn�t responded in the three weeks of trying.  Then she saw the computer screen it looking almost like and instant messenger. There fourteen different languages all the ones se read said the same thing. �Hello is anyone there? Can you perceive me?� he had made contact. E was reaching out. But how? Why now? Then as if to answer her question more text appeared. �I am functional. Estimated 15% memory fragmentation 0% estimated to be lost. External memory back up is beyond reach power core destroyed. Body default destroyed.  Serial number Ef0815E0112. Replacement requested. Unable to connect to server. Replacement not found. �After this screen and its text went stagnate

The professor waited for several minutes to see if e would continue. When he didn�t she spoke prompting for a response. �What is communication program status and version?� she asked wanting to know what succeeded in reaching him or

�Communication protocol is utilizing Rosetta stone V 1.3 Produced by DGE. Spelling and grammar confusion high but over all the communication is rated passable.� there was a pause then the screen continued print a question of it�s own. �Am I really alive?�

Bambi smiled. He was questioning his own existence and that was a sight that he was really as he said alive. �There were a few difficulties but your core memory drive and program were saved.� for a moment nothing happened then the screen began to shake. As she watched the professor thought if he�d been flesh and blood he�d be laughing or crying in relief. Perhaps he�d be doing both at once. Then the screen image calmed down and an apology appeared printing on the screen �don�t be silly� she told him. �It�s normal to get emotional after a near death experience.�
The professor and E spoke for several hours. He explained many things. Among then the basics of his contact circuitry much of which she�d already learned but what was surprising was that his body could in fact grow new circuits and circuit paths.

Equaling surprising was that he had multiple bodies that he could switch between. What wasn�t surprising that what he need to transmit himself between them before the moment of his physical death passes. This he insisted made the transfer easier though he preferred to transfer out before the fatal blow was struck �beggars could not always be choosers.� either an old expression or on of the grammar errors he mentioned earlier. The reason he had not transfer himself out in the tunnel was that some how the dark energy he was using something she believed equivalent to energy derived from dark matter was interfering with his ability to transmit and receive signals externally. In short if she had not saved him he truly would have died

She didn�t need to ask why he did it. She could already guess why. Still she asked as it was better to know then to assume that you knew. �Why did you do it? Why did you put everything on the line to save a bunch of people you don�t even really know?�


To her surprise the doctor was forced to wait for several moments before receiving any kind of answer. Even then it was not the answer she expected. Instead the screen posed a question of it�s own to her. �Why did you go out of your way to save a virtually unknown entity who�s robotic was obviously built to be used as an engine of war? If you can answer that then perhaps the conclusion I�ve reached may make sense.�

The professor stared at the screen for a moment then reread his statement. It was her turn to consider. It was true she had not known his very long. In fact before his attempt to save them all he�d been more a curiosity then a person in her mind. When he offered to supply the power to the devices to open the tunnel it had been surprising. When the tunnel became unstable and he rushed in displaying more power then should have been possible it was amazing. He forced the tunnel to stabilizing long enough form them to escape. The more she though about it the more it simplified. He was a person. He was trying to save everyone. She would not abandon anyone she thought she could save. �Because E your are a person not a thing�

�A person? Me?� the screen seemed to reflect his confusion. It saddened her as she realized its probable cause. It was as if he wasn�t used the being considered an equal. �Very well professor as you have answered my question I shall endeavor to answer yours.�

The screen went blank then thousands of lines of code appeared running across the screen. The symbols mostly made little to no sense. Still sooner then expected the code ended and an animation took it�s place. It was not movie quality but could very well have been a weekly cartoon. There was no sound but E�s text appeared in subtitle form explaining that this was himself over 62 years ago.

The surprises didn�t seem to stop. Age aside which was unexpected she discover he�d been human, a human of all things. He�d had a wife and children. He was a scientist by practice and a wander at heart. He�d gone to work that day like any other working on an orbital trans-planetary relay station. Then disaster struck as the station exploded. Some how without a body he survived but he was displaced. How long could he survive? He didn�t know then came hope though he didn�t recognize it as such at the time. He�d been captured by someone an old human scientist and studied  like some strange phenomenon. Parts of him were removed lost and slow to re grow as he knew they would. How long he was like this was uncertain but he longed for escape. To return to his family. His wife and children were always in his thoughts and they kept his will strong. He would escape some how and find his way make to them even it took an eternity.


Before she knew it, she was viewing herself and the others she�d met recently form E�s perspective. As she watched the event leading up to the escape into the dimensional tunnel played back. Then  on top of the dialogue that she had a less then perfect memory of there were also italic text showing e�s thoughts and there process as he made the decision both to power the escape and to save the others by holding the tunnel open. His thoughts before running into the tunnel were jumbled the main thoughts she picked up were: �I can escape but what about them?� ,�The tunnel will close in seconds they�ll be trapped or worse dead.� �the is open but  not stable if  I copy and stabilize it within it might work.� � I should be to hold it for a few seconds more buy then time to escape�.� I�ll overload my core if need be but I won�t let them die!.� �They deserve a chance to live and escape this dismal place.�  By the time these though had run though
the screen E had already run into the tunnel and was wedging it open. She watch him checking his power core realizing that he�d die trying to save them and rationalize it away. That he was old and most of them were young.  It was a fair trade to give up is body and possible his life if it saved their lives. �It�s not that I want to die it�s that I want them to live.�  She sees his thoughts printing on the screen �It balances out that I will die here but they will live. A far trade considering my eons of life past.�

Then the professor saw the rescue form his point of view. She could see his confusion and quick actions. He had remote controlled his body form his memory core? That didn�t seem possible. She could see real regret as he did his body fair well. Then came darkness and the animation finished. More text appeared. � As you have seen professor I was not always circuits and alloy. One I was flesh and blood. I still have feelings such. For some reason at that time it was more important to me that you all life that I escape and spend another eon or so in the universe. I conceded it a fair train, the past for the future as you may say.  I had no ways I could save myself not that I would have stopped trying after you all were safely out of harms way but the numbers didn�t look good any way I ran them." the screen froze for a few moments. "thank you again professor for saving my life.�