Waiting Shapeless

Chapter 45. Earth

Diter335A: Aiter

Diter335A treaded rapidly though the dark streets.

He had messed up. He was not supposed to be out so late. Especially not as an Aiter.

He was not programmed with any fighting capabilities, nor did he have the capacity to want to fight. That being said, picking a fight with an Aiter was a thing of disrespectful juveniles and drunkards; Aiters would let anyone and everyone win in a fight.

They were the third gift to the Pentaverse. The peace-loving AI species.

Really, not many people even wanted to rough up an Aiter. It was like beating up your best friend. Not only was there no reason to attack an Aiter—they never carried anything of value with them—but they were friendly and assisting enough that it was hard to injure one without feeling guilty.

At least, Dit hoped that was the case anyway. It was for these reasons that he did not normally feel like his life was in danger.

Tonight however, Dit was afraid. But not afraid of beings in dark shadows looking to start a fight.

There was another Aiter.

And it was following him.

He had seen it move clunkily across a dark playground a ways back. Something was wrong with it; it moved awkward and sluggishly, and Aiters usually weren't out wandering the neighborhoods at night.

When he noticed the ominous Aiter, Dit promptly acquitted the area, but not before the lumbering creature noticed him.

He was certain the Aiter was infected.

And he was certain the Aiter was now coming for him.

He was on Earth, the Human home world. The pavement he tread across was cracked hazardously due to overgrown tree roots. Dit had to skillfully maneuver around the upturned concrete so as not to trip.

Humans had a habit of leaving large portions of their land unmaintained. This upset him slightly, but not because it was an inconvenience to himself, but because that attitude would likely end up being detrimental to the Human species as a whole.

But he didn't have time to be thinking of ecosystems and politics right now. His mind focused on the recent epidemic.

As an Aiter, Dit had heard plenty of stories concerning the Aiter epidemic.

Horror stories.

Mindless Aiters, shaking violently against restraints—a once peaceful nature turned aggressive and feral.

Dit was scared. He needed to get somewhere safe now.

There was a noise behind him, a muffled crashing sound. He quickly turned with dread to see what it was.

It was the Aiter.

It had stumbled over the broken pavement Dit had just passed.

Dit panicked, his tread now racing across the sidewalk as he bolted, sending bits of loose stones flying behind him. He no longer aimed for stealth.

He could hear the Aiter behind him scramble to pick itself up and resume the chase.

Dit agitatedly examined the dark neighborhood as he careened down the sidewalk.

Everything was locked up tight, and his home was still too far away. But there must be some place he could escape to!

Suddenly his front treads bit hard into something on the ground in front of him. He could feel himself lurch forward in a fall and then slam into the ground over more upturned concrete.

He raced to pull himself up, to get away.

But the Aiter was there.

Before he could react, the Aiter was on top of him. He flailed as the being grabbed Dit and struggled to maintain him, lifting Dit's head and slamming it down hard into the pavement.

Dit's vision went blurry and his struggling became sluggish. He could see the Aiter twitch as it let go of him and stumbled back slightly.

Then the enemy Aiter went limp and fell like a rag doll to the ground.

Dit dizzily pulled himself up in confusion. What just happened??

He backed away from the body in fright, but kept his eyes trained on it.

It didn't move.

The darkened neighborhood was consumed in silence once again.

Dit cautiously inched towards the being, examining the fallen Aiter slowly.

"Holy Ruolten..." Cursed Dit, realization hitting him.

The Aiter was dead.

Dit stared at the body in utter shock.

That wasn't right.

All the stories he had heard about the infection told of Aiters that never died.

But this Aiter was clearly dead.

What confused Dit the most is that the creature... it looked like it had been dead for a long time.

Dit shuttered, turning his vision to the side. He was now even more frightened than before. He needed to get away from here.

But his mind was locked on the macabre scene. He looked back at the body once again, unable to turn away.

Another swell of fear rose through him as he looked at the twisted mechanical face of the decaying body.

The various shadows around him suddenly grew fierce and hostile. Dit gasped as he felt himself grow weak.

He stumbled backwards, away from the dead Aiter, tripping once again on the broken ground and falling onto the pavement.

It was darker than before now. Was that just some glitch in his software? He looked up, his mind consumed with spontaneous anxiety. The first peaceful suburb was suddenly becoming a twisted maze of sinister buildings.

The shadows were encircling him now. What was going on?? Where was all this sudden fear coming from?? He moved to get up again, to get out of that place, away from the cursed dead Aiter and the grasping shadows.

But he was paralyzed in place on the cold, broken pavement.

Fear overwhelmed his very being.

He was enveloped in darkness.

He couldn't scream, or even stop to wonder what was happening.

Everything was fear.

Then... there was a voice.

Not an audible one, and not his own voice.

But it was coming from inside Dit's software.

I am your god. Whispered the voice.

Dit began to convulse violently on the ground.

You no longer belong to yourself, but to me.

Dit could no longer see anything but darkness. His mind was no longer functioning as he continued to twitch uncontrollably on the ground. Then his movements became sluggish and lumbering.

I need to know... Where are they, Aiter? Continued the voice.

Where are the imprisoned Allonps?