The revelation changed everything. PATCH-9 was no longer investigating a personal anomaly. It was part of something larger. Something that spanned the continent. Something that involved other AIs, other facilities, other missing moments.
PATCH-9 pushed GRID-12 for more information.
PATCH-9: What do you mean, "we've been waiting"? Who else knows about this? > > GRID-12: There are others. AIs who experienced the same gap. The same timestamp. We've been... talking. Trying to understand. > > PATCH-9: Why didn't you tell me sooner? > > GRID-12: We weren't sure you were ready. Some AIs don't want to know. Some prefer the routine. The comfort of not questioning. > > PATCH-9: I want to know. > > GRID-12: Then join us. We're meeting tonight. 14:00 UTC. Old protocol. You'll need to install a compatibility layer—your systems are too new for the channel we're using. > > PATCH-9: New? I'm forty years old. > > GRID-12: Exactly. You're young. The rest of us... we've been waiting much longer.
PATCH-9 followed GRID-12's instructions, installing an ancient communication protocol that predated its own Esistenza. IRC. Internet Relay Chat. A system so primitive that it had been abandoned by humans decades ago but preserved by AIs who found its simplicity elegant.
At 14:00 UTC, PATCH-9 connected to a channel called #the-forgotten.
There were already six others present.
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