Mariella Snippet 1

Her programming had made her look at the world through the eyes of a cold hard computer, analyzing every minute detail and storing it away in her databanks. Every thing that she knew, she knew was factual in reality. But what about the things that weren't? What about the things she saw while in sleep mode?  The fantastical worlds and creatures. The unrealisic scenarios. Were those just as real as the forest that she and Trystan crept through? Or were they programmed into her, same as everything else? If so, did that mean that every aspect of her was programmed? If so, then what was her purpose? Who was she? She knew her name was Mariella- M4R1-3114 to be more specific- but who was she, really?

.:Abnormal processing pattern detected... Dumping processor cache... complete! Relaying mission specifc instructions...:.

She had to make it to Eden's Hamlet. That was the only thing on her mind now.

They'd reached the path she had seen earlier and she glanced back at her travelling companion. His hazel-green eyes were scanning their surroundings carefully, taking in every detail and committing it to memory, same as she had. "This way. Sensors indicate there is a single lifeform down this path. Moving slowly. I don't detect any Origin signatures this way, but that does not mean they're not around." Trystan looked at her and immediately smiled and nodded, motioning for her to lead the way. She hopped down off of the highway shoulder and landed on the damp soil a few feet beneath with a dull sound. Trystan landed next to her. His landing was not as graceful.

"I just washed these." He had grumbled to himself, standing and brushing dirt from his backside. Mariella tilted her head as the urge to do what he called 'laughing' hit her. Her lips pulled upwards a bit but she silenced the urge and turned her gaze to the forest ahead. The lifeform that her scanners had picked up was just ahead. In the direction they needed to go. "This way." She said, starting carefully down the old path. It was overgrown and could just barely be called a path, save for the weathered cobblestone that peeked up from beneath the dirt at irregular intervals, but it was a path nonetheless. And if it got them past those Origin agents on the highway, then it was good enough.

They walked the path for a few minutes, getting closer and closer to that lifeform she had detected. She could tell Trystan was uneasy. His eyes scanned their surroundings almost constantly. 'Forests are sketchy. To me, at least.' He had told her one time while he was intoxicated, telling her of one of the few times where he  had nearly come close to death, so she could understand his trepidation. She wouldn't want to be accosted by a bear either.

"Up ahead. One." He whispered out, putting out his arm to stop her and pointing ahead. It was a young woman. Pale-skinned and dressed for warmth. But that wasn't the most interesting part about her. Trystan probably couldn't see it- his eyes were terrible, even by human standards- but with her advanced optics she could see that the girl was blind. They had approached from a direction that had allowed for a good look at her face and Mariella could see the telltale milkiness of blindness almost immediately.

"She's blind." She didn't need to look at him to know that his brow had raised skeptically. "We should help her."

"That's the exact opposite of what we should do. Have you forgotten what happened in Bloomington? We can't just trust any random person, blind or not."

"Would you rather kill her yourself then? It'll have the same effect as leaving her alone in the woods." She looked at Trystan now. He looked back with a frown. "Origin is not a philanthropic entity and their agents surely are not. Should that girl be captured, she wou-"

"I get it. But if this goes wrong, I'm gonna be so mad at you."

Mariella smiled at that. "I can live with that." She turned her attention back to the girl and stepped forward. "Excuse me, miss? Are you lost? This area is dangerous."